Create for No Reason

We all know creativity can change your live. Millions of people have rediscovered their childhood passions in the middle of miserable careers or after significant life changes. It's healing. It feeds us emotionally and spiritually. But it's not always easy. Art is messy. Starting something new is messy. That's part of the process. It doesn't mean you're heading in the wrong direction. I means you're working on something that's worth your time. You're developing a creative practice. Let's talk about how to handle our creative mess.

In this episode we talk to Jennifer Liss, the founder of the Creative Commute community and podcast. She's interested in seeing more people get creative because of the joy it brings into their lives and the lives of the people they interact with. Creative joy is funny that way. It spreads. It has a ripple effect. When we make something--anything, we become a little kinder and confident and encouraging. That's a win-win-win in our book.

We talk to Alyson Seligman. She’s been a lifestyle blogger for more than 10 years. That’s a lifetime for authors online. Many people have started and stopped blogs, podcasts, and businesses in only a few months. Not Alyson. She stuck with it. She’s now an influencer with a fierce following. She’s found that consistency builds community, and community is what inspires her to continue to create.

Do creative spaces matter? Do you work better when you have a ritual and a place to go? A closet, a kitchen, an office, a coffeeshop? Many creatives designate spaces for work and they find that it helps them focus. When they find themselves in that space, they know what to do. It's time to get to work. Or is all of this an eccentric excuse? You can create something anywhere, right? If you're not a welder or craftsperson who needs machinery or heavy equipment to do what you do, you can do what you do where you are right now. At least, it's possible. 

On this episode, we have the very funny and very talented Michael Burke. He's a writer, performer, and comedian who had other IRL plans before COVID-19 kept him--and the rest of us--at home.  Instead of taking a break, he started writing and producing clips on TikTok and Instagram. We talk about what his process looks like, how to experiment, and what it feels like to have people engage with your material in real-time.  Our favorite quote from Michael: "If you're an artist, don't worry about the palette. Just use what you've got in front of you." Love this so so much.

We have our first guest! Brian Carter is an artist, comedian, and gentlemen chicken farmer who owns a digital media agency in South Carolina. Brian is a constant creative. We talk about ideas, risks, and why it takes a little bit of narcissism to make something new. More importantly, we talk about what it takes to practice being creative and what we find when we do.  The best art comes from being yourself and exploring your ideas.

Is inspiration a thing? Are muses real? Do they speak and create through us? Have you ever made something and then looked at it and thought it had to have come from a space bigger than you? And if the muses/god/mystery is a real thing, how can we tap into it? What do you do to keep the fire burning? 

Are your friends and family helpful when you share your work with them or are they creativity vampires? Do they suck suck suck your idea dry or do they understand what you’re going through? When we’re building a tribe to support us, who should we look for? Who should we avoid? When is it time to share what we’re working on with them?

Kate and Shawn channel their inner Raymond Carver and Victor Frankl. This is what we talk about when we talk about art. Is there a difference between being a creator and an artist? Who decides? Do we care?

So you want to make something? You want to get busy? You want to bust out the oils, write that novel, or start doing that TikTok thing for real this time? Good luck. You will prove to be your own worst enemy. You are your biggest critic. You're going to have to fight through it. We believe in you. You're going to do it even when you think you suck.