How does one find the time and energy to embrace creativity after the bottom has dropped out of their life? Today I am excited to share a powerful interview with Shannon Connery,PhD who gets radically honest about what it means to build a life filled with intention, creativity, and happiness.
One of my favorite quotes is from Bono reflecting on the transition U2 made in their music from the 1980s to 1990s: “You have to reject one expression of the band first, before you get to the next expression. And in between you have nothing. You have to risk it all.” Today I share an extraordinarily honest interview with book coach Jennie Nash who is making a profound creative shift with her business. Her story applicable to every writer or artist who dares to create and release it to the world.
Jennie gets really honest here about the realities of running a business and taking risks. It’s often a scary place to go to as a business owner and may be even scarier to hear as a client of that business, but it’s valuable to look these realities in the face. It’s the only way to ensure that the people you do business with are aligned with your values. Jennie is a person who values honesty and integrity, and she is also deeply committed to serving her customers and clients.
Writers feel an intense pressure to jump into social media. Many are for it, many are against it, and most are stuck somewhere between the two. They ask, "Will social media actually lead to book sales?” The answer? No. But social media does so much more for writers. Today I want to discuss the benefits of social media for writers. I also invite you to join me in a weeklong training I am doing in this Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/readerconnectionproject/
Today I'm excited to share my podcast interview with illustrator and author Aura Lewis. She shares her story of making a huge career shift to focus on the arts, how she developed her first book, got a book deal, then another, and then in the last year signed deals for 6 additional books!
I spend the last quarter of every year going back to the well. Back to my source of creative inspiration in order to find ways to better live my mission as a writer and creator. Today I take you inside my process for how I create specific plans for the next year.
Today I reflect on marketing practices that I feel are not only highly effective, but well suited to introverts. With so much of the work I do with writers, I find that people are apprehensive to "put themselves out there." Today I try to make the entire process more approachable, and dare I say, fulfilling.
Brian Sherrill was miserable in his day job, and one day, he sat down and listed out all of the things he enjoyed in life. On that list was his love of playing guitar and mandolin, and of social media and the internet. In this conversation, Brian and I talk about how he got from that moment to earning a full-time living by writing a musical composition each week and teaching people how to play it on guitar. If you ever consider if you can radically change your life to focus on your craft, listen in!
Two years ago, I first interviewed Elise Blaha Cripe about how she developed her career as a creative professional. Her new book is about to be published, Big Dreams, Daily Joys: A Step-by-Step Guide to Crushing Your Goals, so I reached out to her to discuss the process of writing and launching her book, and the advice she has for making creative goals a part of your every day life.
All I do all day is talk to writers and creators about what to create, how to get it done, and how to connect it with people who care. Today I want to discuss the essential first ingredient: creative clarity. I'll share some resources for how to instill your process with radical clarity.
Each year, Boston's GrubStreet offers more than 600 courses and programs for writers. They began in 1997 with 8 students, and today, they serve more than 6,000 writers per year. In this episode, I talk to GrubStreet Founder and Executive Director Eve Bridburg. We dig into how she and the GrubStreet team make decisions, take risks, and challenge themselves to expand how they can serve writers throughout the Boston Community.
Earlier this year, author Audrey Monke and I talked about her plans for her upcoming book launch. I knew that she had been preparing for it for months -- even years -- ahead of time. But I waited to have her on the podcast, because I didn't just want to discuss what she was planning, but also the results! Today I'm excited to share with you that conversation. We dig into serious details on her book launch strategy and results! Audrey is the author of Happy Campers: 9 Summer Camp Secrets for Raising Kids Who Become Thriving Adults.
In this episode, I share my system for how to develop a daily creative practice. For some of you, this may be to double-down on your primary craft, such as your writing or art. But for others, it may help you better stay connected with your ideal audience through your blog, newsletter, podcast or other means.
In this remarkably honest interview for The Creative Shift Podcast, author and illustrator Rebecca Green gives us a behind-the-scenes look at how she continues to find her creative direction, and navigate growth in her career as a full-time author/illustrator. We also dig into her love/hate relationship with social media, and how she uses collaboration to help her strategically reach her creative and business goals.
In today's podcast, I dig into a book launch case study with author Dr. Beth Ricanati. Last year she released her book, Braided: A Journey of a Thousand Challahs, and we dig into the entire process of writing, publishing, and promoting the book. When I asked her to summarize the book launch, she said: "It was so wonderfully overwhelming."
Today I talk with author and book coach Jennie Nash. She shares some inspiring stories, and super practical insights about what it takes to write, publish, and ensure your work truly has an impact on readers. She runs Author Accelerator where her team of coaches provide accountability, feedback and support to writers. Oh, and Jennie is kind of a genius.
In my interview with writer Sean McCabe, we dig into the reality of what it means to run your own business. He shares the behind the scenes decisions that have sometimes cost him tens of thousands of dollars, or more than a year of his time going down a path that he later reversed. Sean shares something amazing, and highly useful in the process: how he runs his business based on a set of clear principles. This was an amazing conversation -- if you are a writer or artist looking to develop a career that feels meaningful and fulfilling, I think you are going to love it. You can find Sean at:
Colby Sharp is a teacher and advocate for the power of reading. In this interview, you will hear my incredulity Colby's amazing enthusiasm and his many collaborations. You can find Colby at @ColbySharp on Twitter and at https://sharpread.wordpress.com
Today I'm speaking with Rachel Fershleiser, who describes herself this way, "I'm someone who gets really psyched about books on the internet, and I help others do it too." I am so inspired by not just the scope of Rachel's work over the years, but how much she is an enthusiastic champion for others.