we all get thrown off course. sometimes it’s the teacher who told us we weren’t any good. or the school that rejected our application. or the job we didn’t get. or the launch where no one bought. it’s different for everyone but everyone has some version of this story. for araki it was when she was 16 and, after having devoted a childhood to making art, to loving art, she didn’t have the grades for art school. so she stopped. for ten years she didn’t make any art. she studied international business, traveled the world for exchange programs and internships, and worked for start ups and big companies. until depression hit. until her eyes began to hurt and she had trouble focusing and she was tired more than she wasn’t. until the day she heard a voice, loud and clear, in the middle of a park that said to her, “go back to what you loved when you were younger.” so she did. for the last six years araki has devoted her life to her art. just as she did when she was younger. araki is an illustrator and a reiki healer. she no longer works for big corporations in international business, she makes art. and she lives art. choosing to follow whatever is next on this creative journey – despite the uncertainty and the doubt, this is her path. and it is what she loves. some things we talk about: leaving art for ten years at 16 to pursue something “more practical” how depression changed her life and the message that started it all signs of burnout the power of wabi-sabi to create what is true how to pursue what you love despite the fear, doubt, and uncertainty of it all

painter and writer, lindsay king, is devoted to love: self-love, unconditional love, and spreading love. it's her art, her business, and her purpose. in her own words, my “intention is to create meaningful work that carries the energy of love and healing. Asking to be a clear conduit for messages of love to move into the paint and fibers of the paper itself.” these are hard times. no matter your political beliefs, your nationality, or your place in life, we all are facing big challenges. to choose love in the midst of all of this is one of the bravest, boldest, acts I know. lLindsay is unapologetic in her devotion to love. It is her mission, the source of her creativity, and in every piece of art she offers the world.  it was an honor to talk with a woman of so much courage. may we all love a little deeper and a little wider because of her. some of the things we talk about: her practices for working with, and shifting out of, the hard emotions to be able to make art from love honoring the voice within creative block vs. an emotional block – and how to respond to each  dealing with fear and anxiety around money and the financial ups and downs of being an entrepreneur sharing your work and trusting your own creations may it inspire you to make your thing and change your world.

It’s hard enough to feel worthy and good about oneself just being a human in a big, uncertain world. But for Kaylani, it was even harder. Born to a black father and a Filipino mother, Kaylani never felt like she belonged. She was bullied in school and at home. The messages she received about her worth and inherent goodness were twisted and cruel. And yet, somehow, Kaylani found her way through art and an incredible inner strength. With the help of mentors, teachers, and her mom, Kaylani is now an illustrator whose clients include Chronicle Books, Cicada Magazine, and DEFY. Her work has been recognized by Society of Illustrators, The Huffington Post, and BBC. In this conversation Kaylani talks honestly and compassionately about a difficult upbringing, a mental breakdown, and her rising up. Some things we talk about: how she got her first children’s book manuscript being bullied and having a mental breakdown in college what it means to be honest about who you are and what you make the difference between real inclusivity in art vs. tokenization and how art saved her life May it inspire you to make your thing and change your world.

Catherine Just started using drugs and alcohol when she was 13. By 18 she was addicted to crystal meth. Then one day, in the throes of addiction, she heard a voice. It said, “There’s more to this life than what you’re living.” Something in Catherine woke up and she got sober. She "checked herself into art school" where she immersed herself in discovery through photography. Today Catherine, 32 years sober, uses photography to help others return to their essence. Using a 4x5 large format film camera, Catherine captures, in a single image, “the breath, heartbeat, dreams, wishes, and desires” of her subject. Her photography has been published on the cover of National Geographic Magazine, inside O Magazine, Photo District News Magazine and shown in galleries in the US and France.  In this conversation some of things we talk about: being addicted to meth at 16 and getting sober at 18  the power of photography to capture everything: the seen and unseen, the known and unknown how art helped her settle into herself and find her way into the world diving into the unknown as a business strategy and how to use future writing as a tool to create the life you desire May it inspire you to make your thing and change your world.

Lisa Hsieh was a clothing designer before she was a mom. She made clothes that looked good on thin people, slit maxi skirts and crop tops, clothes that were crisp, clean, and sharp —conditioned by the fashion industry that she had worked in for a decade. Then she became a mama and everything changed. It was time to let go of all that had come before and leap into something she’d never done: designing and launching a sustainable clothing line for women that wasn’t about making clothes that defined who a person is but rather clothes that allow the person to be who they already are. In this conversation some of things we talk about her struggles, and successes, as a mama, a wife, and an entrepreneur, launching, and growing, a business from nothing, sustainable fashion vs. fast fashion, what Taiwan and the States taught her about humility, confidence, and how to be a business owner and making money: the truth behind what it takes to create a successful business.

Brooke Shaden has clarity. She knows why she’s making. And that why pervades everything. The why is her legacy, her message, her brand. Brooke’s why is to inspire creativity in others. When you have that kind of clarity you don’t worry about changing creative direction or trying out a new medium. You don’t concern yourself with those who rail against your making or criticize your style. Her why is bigger than her art. It’s bigger than her audience. It’s her north star. In this conversation we talk about 3 steps to finding your why, your legacy, and your message, the #1 thing that stops people from moving forward in their personal and professional life, becoming a trailblazer and finding true liberation, and how to never run out of ideas or inspiration. Brooke is a photographer whose work has been shown in galleries around the world, featured in, and on the cover of, dozens of magazines and books, winner of the international photographer of the year in 2016, named best of photography in 2015, one of Shutter Magazine's 10 most influential photographers, and is the founder of Light Space: a photography school for survivors of human trafficking in India and Thailand. 

Jesh de Rox is, at heart, an explorer. He's spent his life asking the big questions: the ones that help make sense of who we are and why we're here. And he's built several very successful businesses in photography, thought leadership, and business coaching, around the same two things: joy and personal growth. Jesh's work has been featured in Vogue, Huffington Post, Elle, and Range Finder, to name a few, and has an international client list that includes celebrities and world-class performers in many fields. Some things we talk about: how to overcome the biggest hurdles to creating and living a meaningful life the most unusual (and powerful) business building (and life) advice you’ll ever get what you must know to create what is most honestly yours why what we see on Instagram is not what we want to imitate in art or life

Satsuki Shibuya is a painter, poet, and spiritual guide. She is also the first repeat guest on The Creativity Habit Podcast. In this second conversation, we dive into the heart and mind of this spiritual thinker. We talk about love and purpose, flow and discipline, creativity and truth. It’s both profoundly spiritual and very practical. Some things we talk about: how to keep putting your most honest, creative self out into the world Satsuki’s four-step creative process for hatching and launching any project simple ways to know you’re moving in the right direction (and on the path of your purpose) how to balance going with the flow with the practical aspects of building a business Satsuki's work has appeared on book covers, in Kinfolk, on the set of Marie Kondo’s Netflix series, Tidying up with Marie Kondo, in galleries and private collections. But Satsuki’s true contribution is that she changes the world not because of what she does but because of who she is. Enjoy.

Hall Newbegin is a "hippie entrepreneur" who went from making soap out of his basement to running a multi-million dollar business selling sustainably harvested products including perfume, incense, candles, and soap. Hall brought the places he loved to people who cared through products he made. Some things we talk about finding the courage to wander off the known path in order to find your own path finding your one thing, digging deep, and making it your everything starting from nothing, losing almost everything, and ending with a multi-million dollar business following your nose, and always, always staying true to your soul

Loveis Wise was a junior in college when she got her first art commission with Refinery 29 and a senior when she became the second black women in the history of The New Yorker Magazine to design its cover. Loveis grew up poor and no one in her family thought you could make any money making art but Loveis knew what she wanted and she want for it. Today Loveis has more work than time.Her illustrations have appeared in The New Yorker Magazine, The New York Times, Buzzfeed, NPR, and TED to name a few. She’s only one year out of college but she’s already an in-demand full-time artist who found her way out of poverty doing what she loves. Some things we talk about: how to change your inner voice to help heal what’s not working feeling like an imposter and doing it anyway using art to navigate her way out of childhood trauma and depression what she did in college to launch her career before she’d even graduated and how to speak your dreams into existence to create the life you long for