Creative Genius

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of the Creative Genius Podcast, host Kate Shepherd hosts a profound but lighthearted conversation with James McCrae (@wordsarevibrations) a Renaissance soul poet, author, meme artist, and creative strategist. Together, they explore the vital role of creativity in navigating life's complexities and uncovering deeper truths about ourselves. James shares his personal journey of surrendering to his inner voice and the transformative power of embracing and trusting our creative impulses. Throughout this easy to listen to episode, they delve into the essence of creativity, its connection to consciousness and culture, and why it is so important to share our creative work, regardless of how imperfect we may believe it to be (and the incredible thing this can lead to for us) This episode will inspire you to trust in your innate creativity and contribute to a flourishing, interconnected world and maybe even nudge you to share some of your work bravely with the world.

SHOW NOTES

Forget about waiting for perfection to knock on your door! Kate and guest James McCrae explore how the best creative journey is all about embracing the messy, beautiful chaos of creation. 

From memes to poetry to strategic wizardry, James McCrae brings a unique flair to the table that'll make you want to grab your own slice of the creative pie. Host Kate Shepherd sits down for a colourful, inspiring chat with James, a multi-talented creative based in Austin, Texas, known for his thought-provoking memes, insightful poetry, strategic expertise and popular books about creativity. 

Creativity isn't just a luxury reserved for the select "chosen few" it is actually baked right into our DNA. This episode explores how creativity is intrinsic to human existence, and offers us a clear pathway to purpose, authenticity and fulfillment. Despite societal conditioning and fears, both Kate and James both passionately advocate reconnecting with our deepest creative essence as a way to transcend some of the common limitations preventing lasting personal growth.

Creativity also isn't just about making pretty things but is actually a deep dive into the very essence of who we are. James elaborates on the two main stages of creativity, likening them to the yin and yang aspects of existence. Through his forthcoming book, "The Art of You," he explores how creativity emerges from the depths of emotion and intuition, guiding individuals towards a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them.

You'll be freshly inspired to trust in the creative process, regardless of whether you believe you have any talent or not. And Kate and James emphasize the importance of forgetting about external validation and instead focus on curiosity, self-expression and vulnerability so you can feel free to let your creative visions out into the light of day no matter how "good or bad", "weird or normal" they may seem to you. 

You'll be inspired to examine and explore your own creative impulses and probably have a brand new perspective on cultivating a culture of creativity and collaboration.

If you've ever felt that spark of creativity bubbling up inside you but weren't sure how to set it free, then this episode is for you! Kate and James are here to sprinkle a little magic into your day and remind you that your creative journey is just getting started. So grab your headphones and get ready for an adventure that'll leave you feeling inspired, empowered, and ready to unleash your inner genius!

Key Takeaways:

Creativity as a Birthright: Kate and James underscore the innate creativity inside each and every one of us. Talent is kinda irrelevant, what is important is the willingness to go inside and see what is in there and then to begin to express it as truthfully as possible. By embracing our creative impulses, we tap into a wellspring of wisdom and inner healing which will contribute significantly to the coming Creative Renaissance. 

Trust in the Creative Process: Trusting the creative journey, recognizing that uncertainty and vulnerability and even failure are integral parts of the creative process. By relinquishing the need for perfection and external validation, we cultivate lasting resilience and unlock our full creative potential and purpose.

Community and Collaboration: The episode highlights the importance of community and collaboration in fostering a culture of creativity. Through mutual support and engagement, we amplify our impact and contribute to a thriving ecosystem of shared inspiration and innovation.

Why Listen to This Episode:

This episode of the Creative Genius Podcast offers a compelling exploration of creativity as a catalyst for personal and collective transformation. Through candid conversation and insightful reflections, Kate Shepherd and James McCrae inspire listeners to reclaim their creative power, embrace vulnerability, and contribute to a flourishing culture of creativity and collaboration. Whether you're seeking guidance on nurturing your creative impulses or simply craving inspiration and encouragement, this episode promises valuable insights and practical wisdom for navigating life's creative journey.

In this enlightening episode of The Creative Genius Podcast, we are joined by Jaime Hamilton, a passionate middle school English teacher and talented watercolour artist. Jaime shares her journey of embracing her purpose and navigating imposter syndrome while empowering teenagers to embrace their individuality. 

Jaime opens up about her personal mission to become the mentor she longed for during her own teenage years, now guiding her current students with compassion and wisdom. Through teaching teenagers, she has unearthed invaluable insights about herself and the human experience, offering transformative lessons on authenticity and self-discovery.

If you've ever grappled with your inner critic or sought guidance on navigating the complexities of teenage years, this episode is a must-listen. Join us as we delve into the heart of mentorship, resilience, and the pursuit of true authenticity.

Through her insights, she illuminates the challenges of self-judgment and conformity in the middle school environment, offering valuable lessons on authenticity and self-discovery. Join us as we explore the transformative power of creativity, resilience, and trusting one's inner wisdom.

SHOW NOTES

Kate Shepherd welcomes listeners to another inspiring episode of The Creative Genius Podcast and introduces the remarkable guest, Jaime Hamilton, a middle school English teacher and watercolor artist from California. Jaime shares her personal mission to be the mentor she needed during her teenage years, now guiding her students with compassion and wisdom. She discusses her journey from being a reluctant English teacher to embracing the profound insights teaching middle school kids has given her, despite initially preferring to teach history.

Jaime offers a glimpse into her approach to connecting with teenagers in her classroom, highlighting the challenges of reaching out to certain groups while remaining authentic. She reflects on the misconception of mistaking our inner critic for ourselves and the liberating realization that brings. Jaime shares strategies for confronting our inner critic, including journaling and engaging in dialogue with it, emphasizing the importance of authenticity and self-compassion.

The conversation delves into various topics, from embracing imperfection in creativity to navigating childhood traumas and finding healing through self-expression. Jaime and Kate exchange stories about survival and resilience, emphasizing the transformative power of creativity and honest relationships. They explore the energetic portal of creativity and the significance of trusting one's intuition in the creative process.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

1. Embrace your purpose and overcome imposter syndrome by trusting in your abilities.
2. Encourage teenagers to embrace their individuality and authenticity.
3. Navigate self-judgment and conformity by staying true to yourself.
4. Find balance in chaos by focusing on the next right step and trusting your intuition.
5. Practice creativity for its own sake and engage in honest self-expression for healing and self-discovery.

Subscribe and LISTEN to the FULL episode

“You can't believe everything you think”   

When Wendy McWilliams was 49 years old, she felt like she needed a hobby. What started as a search for a simple past-time hobby, quickly evolved into her life’s passion - a thriving art career her work sought after for private collections around the globe. After working through 22 different jobs including for Calvin Klein & Revlon in Europe, she finally landed on what she was meant to do in life - painting. 

It’s hard to not be skeptical about ourselves and our abilities. Art allows us to channel a source of energy, of inspiration, and opens us to become a vehicle for creativity to create beauty through our hands. We are meant to create, to allow creativity to flow through us. Our job is to remain open and to make sure we do not believe everything we think - especially when it comes to limiting beliefs. 

“You hate your own creations because you think they look too much like you made them. You think if you keep trying you can make your work look like some other, better person made it. But there is no level of skill where you transcend yourself. The thing you hate about your art, is the most valuable thing about it”  (paraphrased from Elicia Donze) 

In this encore presentation, the episode revisits Wendy McWilliams' inspiring journey, originally featured in Season One. Wendy, who started seeking a simple hobby at the age of 49, eventually discovered her life's passion in painting. Despite going through 22 different jobs, including roles at Calvin Klein and Revlon in Europe, Wendy found fulfillment and success as an artist with her work sought after for private collections worldwide. The central message of the episode is encapsulated in the phrase "You can't believe everything you think," emphasizing the importance of overcoming limiting beliefs.

EPISODE NOTES:

• Wendy McWilliams, a guest from Season One, is reintroduced in this encore presentation.
• Wendy's journey began as a search for a hobby at the age of 49, ultimately leading to a thriving art career.
• Despite navigating through 22 different jobs, Wendy found her true calling in painting.
• The episode highlights the skepticism we often harbor about our abilities and the role of art in channeling creativity and inspiration.
• The quote "You can't believe everything you think" serves as a guiding principle, encouraging listeners to challenge their limiting beliefs.
• Wendy's story reinforces the idea that we are meant to create and be open to the flow of creativity.
• The episode emphasizes the importance of remaining open, having fun, and being curious in one's journey.
• Wendy's transformative experience occurred when she allowed herself to be guided by what would be fun and enjoyable.
• The episode underscores the power of letting go of self-imposed limitations and allowing enjoyment to guide one's path.
• Wendy's journey is described as a powerful reminder of the significance of remaining open and lighthearted in pursuing one's passion.

In this brand new episode, Kate Shepherd engages in a captivating conversation with the incredible Bibby Gignilliat, an artist whose journey navigates through self-doubt, career transitions, and a harmonious fusion of art, business, and spirituality.

We kick off diving into Bibby's early struggles with doubt and how those challenges shaped her artistic path. From leaving a successful career to returning to art later in life, Bibby opens up about blending her artistic flair with some serious business skills.

Ever wondered about selling art without the awkward "salesy" vibe? Bibby spills the beans on leveraging email, social media, and the power of community. Plus, she takes us on a journey into the mystical realms of spirituality and intuition in art.

But here's the gold: Bibby shares the secret sauce—embracing uncertainty. Yep, surrendering control can be the gateway to your creative jackpot. She dishes on being present, noticing life's signs, and starting small on your creative odyssey.

Throughout our chat, we uncover nuggets of wisdom, like how to tackle those sneaky limiting beliefs and finding joy even amidst uncertainty (cue the furry caterpillar story!).

And hold onto your paintbrushes for Bibby's evening ritual with her artwork—this bedtime activity might just inspire your own creative rituals!

So, if you're ready to unlock your creative potential, embrace uncertainty, and blend art with business wizardry, this conversation with Bibby Gignilliat is your ticket! Trust me, you don't want to miss this artistic rollercoaster! 🎨✨

Sign up for the Creative Genius Patreon Membership, Monthly LIVE WORKSHOPs, bonus episodes, behind the scenes content, guided meditations, and truly so much more. 
 

What We Talked About - Top 3 Takeaways:

• Overcoming self-doubt and childhood experiences fuels creative passion.
• Artistic success merges artistry with business skills.
• Surrendering to uncertainty maximizes creative potential.

Show Notes:

• Introduction and Background
  • Early experiences with art and battling self-doubt.
• Pursuing Art and Career Transition
  • Finding courage to pursue art and transitioning from a successful career.
• Artistic Journey and Business Skills
  • Embracing a career in art and the importance of business acumen.
• Marketing Art and Building a Community
  • Insights into using email, social media, and nurturing a community.
• Spirituality, Intuition, and Creativity
  • Exploring spirituality's role and the significance of intuition in creation.
• Embracing Uncertainty and Surrender
  • Letting go of control, embracing uncertainty, and surrendering to creativity.

Chapters & Highlights:

• Overcoming Doubt & Pursuing Art: Early experiences and battling self-doubt.
• Transitioning to Art: Leaving a successful career, returning to art later in life.
• Art and Business Fusion: Balancing artistic prowess with business skills.
• Selling Art & Community Building: Using email, social media, and nurturing community.
• Spirituality & Creativity: Exploring spirituality's role in the creative process.
• Embracing Uncertainty: Surrendering to uncertainty and its impact on creativity.
• Finding Clarity in Moments: Being present and noticing life's signs.
• Starting Small & Building Habits: Initiating creative journeys with minimal resources.
• Facing Limiting Beliefs: Overcoming obstacles to make a living as an artist.
• Surrendering for Creativity: Balancing surrender and actively creating.

Top 3 Things You'll Gain:

1. Strategies to overcome self-doubt and leverage past experiences in art.
2. Insights into blending business skills with artistic pursuits.
3. Techniques to embrace uncertainty and maximize creative potential.

Resources Mentioned:

• Academy of Intuition Medicine
• Artists: Nick Milton, Andrew Faulkner, Michael Cutlip
• Books: "Untethered Soul" by Michael Singer

Kate's Highlight Questions:

• Introduction to Artistic Journey: Sharing experiences and battling self-doubt.
• Key Strategies for Selling Art: Overcoming the discomfort of selling art.
• Creative Surrender & Uncertainty: Embracing uncertainty and its creative impact.

This episode is a transformative journey through the intersections of art, business, spirituality, and surrendering to the creative process. Gain valuable insights into overcoming obstacles, embracing uncertainty, and igniting your artistic passion. Tune in to unlock your creative potential!

FULL TRANSCRIPT available at KateShepherdCreative.com

About Kate Shepherd

Kate Shepherd, Founder of Morning Moon Nature Jewelry and Creative Genius Inc., is a celebrated artist and podcast host, making waves in the world of creativity. Her jewelry has appeared in Netflix's "Yellowjackets" and Disney's "Once Upon a Time," while earning recognition from stars like Andie Macdowell (a repeat customer) and Meghan Markle, who once called her on the phone to tell her how much Kate’s jewelry meant to her. 

But Kate's story is not just one of artistic achievement; her true passion and calling is for supporting the human spirit to return to its creative roots. Kate believes Humanity is Glitching™ because we have collectively become disconnected from our inner creative gifts, and through her podcasts, meditations, writing, and workshops, she dedicates herself to helping as many people as she can to find and activate their intuition and creativity. 

Despite a challenging childhood and discouragement from early “teachers” Kate forged her own path with creativity at the helm. Her podcast, "The Creative Genius Podcast," empowers others to find their creative voices, too, it ranks among the top 1% of podcasts, globally.

Kate resides in North Vancouver with her two kids and rescue dog, Maggie. Join her newsletter for art classes, workshops, exclusive content, and a chance to win a piece of her work. 

Lunar Alchemy: Cultivating opportunities for Growth with Intention with The New Moon

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this insightful conversation, Kate Shepherd reunites with Beth, a watercolor artist and moon cycle coach, to delve into the profound influence of moon wisdom on intention-setting and navigating life's ups and downs. They explore the nuances of moon phases, their impact on energy, and emotional states. Beth underscores the significance of reflection, celebration, and rest synchronized with the rhythm of the moon's cycles. They also confront the contrast between societal expectations and our intrinsic nature. Beth shares simple and profound wisdom on crafting rituals and setting intentions for the new year by aligning with New Moon Energy 

SHOW NOTES

Welcome to the second part of this special two-part series dedicated to bringing closure to the old and welcoming the new. In the first part aired in December, Megan Sheldon guided us through ceremonial closure techniques for bidding farewell to the passing year and ushering in the new. Megan's expertise lies in creating personalized rituals and ceremonies, empowering transformational moments in our lives.

Now, in this sequel, we welcome back Beth Suter, a familiar face from Season One's Episode 11 of the Creative Genius Podcast. Beth, a watercolor artist and moon cycle coach, shares profound insights into harnessing the potent energy of moon cycles for intention setting and life navigation.

Beth's Expertise and Moon Cycle Wisdom:

Beth delves into the nuanced understanding of moon phases, linking them to reflection, celebration, and rest. Her depth of knowledge illuminates how each lunar phase corresponds to different aspects of life. She guides us on aligning with these cycles, creating rituals, and setting intentions for a fresh start every month.

Simplified Approach for Transformative Change:

Rather than overwhelming ourselves with an extensive list of resolutions, Beth simplifies the process by identifying one aspect of moon cycle energy that can yield substantial transformation. She crafts a feasible formula, tailored for each new moon, revealing the magic within the 13 to 24 cycles within a year.

Embracing Natural Cycles for Sustainable Growth:

Beth emphasizes the importance of honouring the natural cycles of rest, growth, and release, inherent within moon cycles. This episode is a powerful resource that listeners can revisit monthly, offering prompts, questions, and a structured routine around the new moon for transformational experiences.

The Compassion Within Moon Cycle Practices:

Central to Beth's teachings is the reminder that growth isn't the sole focus; it's equally vital to embrace rest and release. Moon cycle rituals serve as a reminder of when to channel vibrant energy and when to nurture introspection, providing a balanced approach to life's evolution.

Invitation to Transform:

Listeners are encouraged to embrace Beth's offering by committing to her new moon rituals monthly, an invitation to incorporate these practices into their lives for sustained growth and introspection.

Workshop Invitation

The next Activating Intuition & Creativity workshop is scheduled for January 25th. For patrons of the Colorful Community tier Patreon Membership, workshop admission is included. The support from patrons helps sustain the podcast, and Kate Shepherd is grateful for every contribution.

Parting Words:

As we embark on this journey of intentionality and transformation, remember to take care of yourself and have faith in the unfolding journey.

Key Discussions:

Reflecting on Personal Growth: Embracing the power of retrospection to release what no longer serves personal growth.

Moon Cycles and Intention Setting: Understanding the profound influence of various moon phases on directing energy and emotions toward specific intentions.

Aligning Practices with Moon Cycles: Embracing reflection, celebration, and the vital role of rest as harmonious practices in sync with the moon's rhythm.

Societal Expectations vs. Authenticity: Unveiling the disparity between societal pressures and the intrinsic essence, particularly prevalent during festive periods.

Rituals for the New Year: Insights into crafting meaningful rituals and intentions using upcoming moon cycles for a fresh start and sustainable progress.

Takeaways:

Moon cycles offer a potent tool for intention setting and navigating life's journey.
The diverse phases of the moon exert distinct influences on emotional states and personal energy.

Reflection, celebration, and deliberate rest serve as pivotal practices intertwined with the ebbs and flows of lunar cycles.

Crafting rituals and setting intentions in tandem with moon phases offer a gateway to renewed beginnings and continual advancement.

Things we Talk About

Beth's Insights on Moon Cycles: Understanding and harnessing the energy of lunar phases.
Power of Moon Energy: Delving into the phases' impact on emotional states and intentions.
Embracing Reflection and Celebration: Highlighting the importance of rest and honoring achievements.
Navigating Societal Expectations: Addressing the contrast between societal norms and authentic inclinations.
Crafting New Year Rituals: Insights into setting intentions aligned with forthcoming moon cycles.
Tapping into Lunar Cycles for Intentions: Strategies to release and progress through moon-aligned intentions.

Tune in for a transformative dialogue on syncing life's rhythms with the captivating cadence of moon cycles, fostering intentionality, and embracing authenticity in navigating life's journey.

Sign up for the Creative Genius Patreon Membership, Monthly LIVE WORKSHOPs, bonus episodes, behind the scenes content, guided meditations, and truly so much more. 

About Kate Shepherd

Kate Shepherd, Founder of Morning Moon Nature Jewelry and Creative Genius Inc., is a celebrated artist and podcast host, making waves in the world of creativity. Her jewelry has appeared in Netflix's "Yellowjackets" and Disney's "Once Upon a Time," while earning recognition from stars like Andie Macdowell (a repeat customer) and Meghan Markle, who once called her on the phone to tell her how much Kate’s jewelry meant to her. 

But Kate's story is not just one of artistic achievement; her true passion and calling is for supporting the human spirit to return to its creative roots. Kate believes Humanity is Glitching™ because we have collectively become disconnected from our inner creative gifts, and through her podcasts, meditations, writing, and workshops, she dedicates herself to helping as many people as she can to find and activate their intuition and creativity. 

Despite a challenging childhood and discouragement from early “teachers” Kate forged her own path with creativity at the helm. Her podcast, "The Creative Genius Podcast," empowers others to find their creative voices, too, it ranks among the top 1% of podcasts, globally.

Kate resides in North Vancouver with her two kids and rescue dog, Maggie. Join her newsletter for art classes, workshops, exclusive content, and a chance to win a piece of her work. 

This is the first instalment of our very special 2 part series: Rituals for the Thresholds of Time: Practical Ways to Shape Your Year with Intent and Clarity

Part 1 (Ep. 55. Dec 22)  Embracing Endings: Reverence & Presence in Farewell focuses on how to harness the power of ritual to close out 2023.  In this conversation, Megan Sheldon and Kate Shepherd discuss the power of ritual and ceremony in closing the year and setting intentions for the new year. Megan offers practical ways to invite ritual into your life to integrate the past and move forward with clarity and openness. 

Part 2 (Ep. 56. Jan 5th)  Lunar Alchemy: Cultivating opportunities for Growth with Intention will be released in January. Moon Cycle Coach Beth Suter (episode 11) will guide us through a set of rituals we can turn into habits for aligning with the rhythms of the moon to grow in our lives with intention and clarity. 

Part 1: Embracing Endings: Reverence & Presence in Farewell

In this conversation, Megan Sheldon, Founder of Be Ceremonial, discusses the importance of ritual and ceremony in personal growth and reflection. She shares her journey to becoming a life cycle celebrant and the inspiration behind launching Be Ceremonial.

Megan emphasizes the potency of end-of-year rituals and the role they play in acknowledging and processing emotions. She encourages listeners to choose a word for the year and offers guidance on creating their own closing ceremony. Megan also highlights the community aspect of ritual and the power of coming together to share and witness each other's experiences.

In this conversation, Megan Sheldon and Kate Shepherd discuss the power of ritual and ceremony in closing the year and setting intentions for the new year. They explore the importance of personalized ceremonies and the role of ritual in fostering connection and vulnerability. They emphasize the significance of embracing the present moment and reflect on the past year to gain insights and choose words of guidance. 

Megan introduces the Be Ceremonial app, which offers a variety of rituals and ceremonies for different life events. They highlight the transformative potential of rituals and the importance of building a community of ceremony seekers. 

This episode is packed with specific information about how rituals make up ceremonies and how to create your own. She offers us four rituals each rooted in one of the four elements (Fire, Water, Air & Earth) and walks us through a ceremonies that are immensely supportive for navigating the complexities of time of year to help us with everything from how to simultaneously hold two polarities like grief and joy (Two-Sided Coin) to how to let go of specific difficult events from the past year (The Calendar Burn, and The Release Boat) 

She shares the beautiful ritual she does with her husband (that you could also do with a friend or sister) on the last day of each year that helps her both stay deeply connected with him and herself and her goals and dreams. 

She gives us a simple yet powerful prompt for something to reflect upon over the next couple of weeks to help us prepare to close out the year. 

She also provides us questions to contemplate now, in advance of our actual end of year rituals and ceremonies that will make them that much more potent. 

This episode is POWERFUL support for bringing more intention and presence into your life in a living, breathing way. I am not exaggerating when I say that this episode could change your entire life. 

Takeaways

• Ritual and ceremony provide an opportunity to pause, reflect, and pay attention to the moments of change and transition in our lives.
• Acknowledging and validating all emotions, including the difficult ones, is an important part of the ritual and ceremony process.
• Choosing a word for the year can serve as a guiding intention and help shape our experiences and actions.
• End-of-year rituals can involve releasing what no longer serves us, being present in the moment, and setting intentions for the future.
• Rituals can be adapted and personalized to fit individual preferences and can involve elements such as fire, water, air, or earth. Setting intentions for the new year can be done through personalized ceremonies and rituals.
• Rituals foster connection, vulnerability, and a deeper sense of community.
• Reflecting on the past year helps gain insights and choose words of guidance.
• The Be Ceremonial app offers a variety of rituals and ceremonies for different life events, providing ongoing guidance and support.

What We Talk About 

• The Importance of Ceremony and Reflection
• The Role of Ritual and Ceremony in Personal Growth
• The Potency of End-of-Year Rituals
• The Community Aspect of Ritual
• How to Choose a Word for the Year
• Guidance for Rituals to Close the Year
• Setting Intentions for the New Year
• Creating Personalized Ceremonies
• The Transformative Potential of Rituals
• Building a Community of Ceremony Seekers

Sign up for the Creative Genius Patreon Membership, Monthly LIVE WORKSHOPs, bonus episodes, behind the scenes content, guided meditations, and truly so much more. 

About Kate Shepherd

Kate Shepherd, Founder of Morning Moon Nature Jewelry and Creative Genius Inc., is a celebrated artist and podcast host, making waves in the world of creativity. Her jewelry has appeared in Netflix's "Yellowjackets" and Disney's "Once Upon a Time," while earning recognition from stars like Andie Macdowell (a repeat customer) and Meghan Markle, who once called her on the phone to tell her how much Kate’s jewelry meant to her. 

But Kate's story is not just one of artistic achievement; her true passion and calling is for supporting the human spirit to return to its creative roots. Kate believes Humanity is Glitching™ because we have collectively become disconnected from our inner creative gifts, and through her podcasts, meditations, writing, and workshops, she dedicates herself to helping as many people as she can to find and activate their intuition and creativity. 

Despite a challenging childhood and discouragement from early “teachers” Kate forged her own path with creativity at the helm. Her podcast, "The Creative Genius Podcast," empowers others to find their creative voices, too, it ranks among the top 1% of podcasts, globally.

Kate resides in North Vancouver with her two kids and rescue dog, Maggie. Join her newsletter for art classes, workshops, exclusive content, and a chance to win a piece of her work. 

The other day, I took Maggie, my sweet rescue pup, for our usual stroll in the nearby forest. The trails were their usual brand of magical, the fog lending an ethereal touch to the day.

As I meandered through my cherished trails, surrounded by trees with moss dripping from their dewy branches, and the gentle symphony of the nearby river, I had a moment of profound appreciation. This place has become my sanctuary, where I can simply exist and revel in the splendor of nature.

Lately, I've found myself grappling with a whirlwind of emotions. The daily routines, the holiday rush, and the weight of global events have left me feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Yesterday's walk was particularly poignant. The rain mirrored my emotions, pouring down as I wrestled with feelings of frustration and a sense of being lost amidst the holiday chaos and maybe even life itself. 

As the the rain kept falling, the trees kept treeing. The dog kept running. And I without having to really think about it, kept putting one foot in front of the other. I realized, it's okay to have days when everything feels a bit out of sync. So right there, in the midst of all these ordinary miracles; mushrooms growing underfoot, the ancient, stoic trees effortlessly sustaining all our lives, and the relentless rushing of water (how does the river always seem to know exactly where it is going? And with such purpose?) I allowed myself to have a good cry amidst it all. I let it all out. And not surprisingly, it did. It served as a gentle reminder that none of us have it all together, no matter how it might seem on the surface.

The other night, I had this dream about meeting Ellen DeGeneres. When I sat with it I was able to decode a pretty beautiful message from this dream. I talk about it inside this episode. Have a listen when you have 15 mins. (And if you know Ellen, please send her a note that I would love to talk to her on Creative Genius!) 

There's an incredible two-part series—starting on December 22  - the first one is about closing out the year with meaningful rituals and intentions, with another one two weeks later with invaluable insights for making 2024 a stellar year. Make sure you are tuned in for those. 

And if you hadn't heard, I'm hosting a special event on January 1st called "Liminal Lights." It's all about bidding adieu to 2023's baggage and setting intentions for the new year. I have a strong feeling it's going to be an incredibly powerful experience. Sign up below. 

I want to remind you that it's perfectly fine not to have everything figured out. Life's journey is messy, but within that chaos lies a beautiful path of growth and discovery. We're all navigating this journey together, embracing the twists and turns as best we can.

Take good care of yourself, and let's catch up soon. Sending you loads of positive energy your way!

xoxo

About Kate Shepherd

Kate Shepherd, Founder of Morning Moon Nature Jewelry and Creative Genius Inc., is a celebrated artist and podcast host, making waves in the world of creativity. Her jewelry has appeared in Netflix's "Yellowjackets" and Disney's "Once Upon a Time," while earning recognition from stars like Andie Macdowell (a repeat customer) and Meghan Markle, who once called her on the phone to tell her how much Kate’s jewelry meant to her. 

But Kate's story is not just one of artistic achievement; her true passion and calling is for supporting the human spirit to return to its creative roots. Kate believes Humanity is Glitching™ because we have collectively become disconnected from our inner creative gifts, and through her podcasts, meditations, writing, and workshops, she dedicates herself to helping as many people as she can to find and activate their intuition and creativity. 

Despite a challenging childhood and discouragement from early “teachers” Kate forged her own path with creativity at the helm. Her podcast, "The Creative Genius Podcast," empowers others to find their creative voices, too, it ranks among the top 1% of podcasts, globally.

Kate resides in North Vancouver with her two kids and rescue dog, Maggie. Join her newsletter for art classes, workshops, exclusive content, and a chance to win a piece of her work. 

​​In this episode we explore the transformative power of reconnecting with intuition, unlocking the secrets to artistic mastery through connecting with your inner child, and the profound impact of bravely following one's artistic impulses. 

Artist Andrew Faulkner candidly shares his journey—from the creative doubts that plagued him even when his work was being published in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times & The Washington Post to embracing the profound magic of honest, childlike expression in his artwork. This conversation offers practical wisdom on navigating creative blocks, embracing continuity in your work, and understanding the true essence of intuition beyond stereotypes and promises to reignite your passion for creativity and your sense of what is possible. 
 

The Artist's Journey: Doubts and Discoveries
Andrew's artistic journey was been marked by uncertainties despite prestigious publications. His transition from graphic design to where he is now as an acclaimed painter hints at the profound transformations possible when we heed the call of our creative intuition.

Discipline, Continuity, and Deeper Resonance
We delved into the significance of discipline and crafting work with continuity for a more profound connection with our audience. Andrew's insights on creating a cohesive narrative in our artwork are inspiring food for thought. 

Unveiling Intuition: Beyond Stereotypes
In our conversation we challenge stereotypes surrounding intuition, emphasizing its role in artistic processes and have an honest conversation about what intuition IS and IS NOT. Andrew's perspective on understanding and cultivating intuition beyond conventional notions provides a refreshing take on creative inspiration and I think will really inspire you. 

Embracing Creative Practices: Overcoming Blocks and Fears
From integrating digital tools to facing creative blocks and overcoming fears, Andrew's experiences offer practical advice for artists navigating the challenges of the creative process.

Balancing Mastery and Childlike Expression

A fascinating exploration unfolded around balancing artistic mastery with the honest, childlike expression that infuses magic into artwork. Andrew's insights shed light on the delicate interplay between skill and authenticity in creative endeavors.

Community, Inspiration, and Environmental Influences

The importance of community, sharing trade secrets, and finding inspiration from environmental influences, particularly the vibrant landscapes of Northern California, emerged as pivotal themes.

A Call to Reconnect with Creativity

As the episode draws to a close, it leaves a resonating message about the role of creativity in personal fulfillment and societal well-being. Andrew Faulkner's journey serves as an inspiring reminder to heed the whispers of creativity and embrace its transformative potential.

Sign up for the Creative Genius Patreon Membership, Monthly LIVE WORKSHOPs, bonus episodes, behind the scenes content, guided meditations, and truly so much more. 

About Kate Shepherd

Kate Shepherd, Founder of Morning Moon Nature Jewelry and Creative Genius Inc., is a celebrated artist and podcast host, making waves in the world of creativity. Her jewelry has appeared in Netflix's "Yellowjackets" and Disney's "Once Upon a Time," while earning recognition from stars like Andie Macdowell (a repeat customer) and Meghan Markle, who once called her on the phone to tell her how much Kate’s jewelry meant to her. 

But Kate's story is not just one of artistic achievement; her true passion and calling is for supporting the human spirit to return to its creative roots. Kate believes Humanity is Glitching™ because we have collectively become disconnected from our inner creative gifts, and through her podcasts, meditations, writing, and workshops, she dedicates herself to helping as many people as she can to find and activate their intuition and creativity. 

Despite a challenging childhood and discouragement from early “teachers” Kate forged her own path with creativity at the helm. Her podcast, "The Creative Genius Podcast," empowers others to find their creative voices, too, it ranks among the top 1% of podcasts, globally.

Kate resides in North Vancouver with her two kids and rescue dog, Maggie. Join her newsletter for art classes, workshops, exclusive content, and a chance to win a piece of her work. 

This mini episode addresses the  formidable force of limiting beliefs and their impact on personal growth and self-expression. Creative Genius Podcast Host Kate Shepherd candidly shares  her own lifelong struggle with some of these beliefs, how she's performed acrobatics to keep herself small and held back her own innate brilliance. And the ongoing yearning to embrace and express her true self. 

Kate shares how she gradually dismantled these limiting beliefs, taking courageous steps like applying for jobs she felt unworthy of and vulnerably sharing her art with the world. These actions led to transformative outcomes, from life-changing jobs to resonating deeply with audiences through her art.

The pivotal moment when Kate courageously identified as an artist revealed the power society’s perceptions had in deterring her from fully embracing her artistic identity, despite it being a part of her since childhood.

Reflecting on the societal conditioning around declaring one's true self, Kate contemplates the impact of the stories we tell ourselves and their connection to our identities and societal responses. She shares her ambition for the Creative Genius Podcast, aiming to empower others to embrace their creativity and spark a movement of self-expression.

INSIDE THIS EPISODE

The Power of Limiting Beliefs: Kate’s personal journey of navigating and chipping away at these beliefs that hindered her from embracing her true identity as an artist.

Challenging Societal Norms: The impact of societal expectations and conditioning on self-expression and the fear of being perceived as arrogant or unacceptable when embracing one's true self.

Empowering Creativity: Kate’s vision for the Creative Genius Podcast and her transformative workshops centered around activating intuition and creativity.

Invitation to Break Free: Encouraging listeners to challenge their own limiting beliefs, contemplate the stories they tell themselves, and embrace their truest selves as a way of serving both themselves and the world.

This episode serves as a compelling reminder of the power of authenticity and self-discovery. Kate’s journey highlights the transformative potential of breaking free from limiting beliefs, inviting listeners to embark on their own journeys toward embracing their true brilliance.

About Kate Shepherd

Kate Shepherd, Founder of Morning Moon Nature Jewelry and Creative Genius Inc., is a celebrated artist and podcast host, making waves in the world of creativity. Her jewelry has appeared in Netflix's "Yellowjackets" and Disney's "Once Upon a Time," while earning recognition from stars like Andie Macdowell (a repeat customer) and Meghan Markle, who once called her on the phone to tell her how much Kate’s jewelry meant to her. 

But Kate's story is not just one of artistic achievement; her true passion and calling is for supporting the human spirit to return to its creative roots. Kate believes Humanity is Glitching™ because we have collectively become disconnected from our inner creative gifts, and through her podcasts, meditations, writing, and workshops, she dedicates herself to helping as many people as she can to find and activate their intuition and creativity. 

Despite a challenging childhood and discouragement from early “teachers” Kate forged her own path with creativity at the helm. Her podcast, "The Creative Genius Podcast," empowers others to find their creative voices, too, it ranks among the top 1% of podcasts, globally.

Kate resides in North Vancouver with her two kids and rescue dog, Maggie. Join her newsletter for art classes, workshops, exclusive content, and a chance to win a piece of her work. 

SUMMARY 

Megan Sheldon, a seasoned End of Life Doula, Celebrant, and Cultural Mythologist, guides us through the profound significance of rituals and ceremonies in acknowledging life's transitions, especially during moments of loss and change. With her background and expertise, Megan shares insights into the transformative potential of these practices, offering tools and frameworks for creating personalized rituals. She emphasizes their role in processing emotions like anger and grief, discussing their historical absence in modern society and how they were once fundamental in ancient cultures. Megan's personal experiences, including recurrent pregnancy losses and the loss of a loved one, fuelled her passion for empowering others through rituals, showcased by a poignant story of creating a meaningful ritual for her father's dying friend. This episode is a heartfelt exploration of how rituals serve as powerful tools for emotional healing and understanding in life's most challenging moments.

EPISODE NOTES 

In this episode, Megan Sheldon, End of Life Doula, Celebrant, Cultural Mythologist and Founder of BE Ceremonial, an organization that supports people through grief and loss through bespoke rituals and ceremonies, takes us on a journey into the transformative potential of rituals and ceremonies. Megan,  who has her Masters in Cultural Mythology, has helped thousands of individuals connect with their inner creative instincts to craft meaningful experiences by activating the power of ritual and ceremony to acknowledge life's moments, particularly amidst loss or change. 

Throughout the episode, Megan answers thought-provoking questions that unravel the essence and importance of rituals and ceremonies, delving into the mechanics of their magic, empowering listeners to explore and incorporate rituals into their lives.

Megan shares her framework of creating ceremonies (her 1-5 ingredients), tools for building personalized rituals, examples of rituals resolving past traumas, to the societal absence of rituals surrounding significant life events like death and miscarriages. She delves into the lost connection to creativity, exploring how rituals and ceremonies were once integral to ancient cultures but have been largely excluded from modern Western society. Megan shares her perspective on rituals as a means to process emotions, addressing anger, grief, and other overlooked feelings, emphasizing their role in guiding us through life's emotional landscapes. She enlightens listeners on the mechanics of ritual magic and provides guidance for individuals seeking to incorporate rituals into their lives.

She opens up about how her own recurrent pregnancy losses and the loss of a close family member led her to turn to ceremony and ritual to make sense of and heal from those losses, and how that sparked a passion in her to empowering others to tap into the power of rituals as a means of authentically expressing and navigating complex feelings. 

And she shares a deeply touching story about creating a ritual for her father's dying friend, a story that had me in tears. 

Throughout the episode, Megan touches on various aspects, from the framework of creating ceremonies (her 1-5 ingredients), tools for building personalized rituals, examples of rituals resolving past traumas, to the societal absence of rituals surrounding significant life events like death and miscarriages. She delves into the lost connection to creativity, exploring how rituals and ceremonies were once integral to ancient cultures but have been largely excluded from modern Western society. Megan shares her perspective on rituals as a means to process emotions, addressing anger, grief, and other overlooked feelings, emphasizing their role in guiding us through life's emotional landscapes. She enlightens listeners on the mechanics of ritual magic and provides guidance for individuals seeking to incorporate rituals into their lives.

What we Talk About

-Understanding and practice of rituals and ceremonies.

-The mechanics of rituals and their potency in guiding individuals through difficult emotional landscapes

-Megan’s 1-5 ingredients and a list of tools she uses to empower individuals in building personalized and impactful rituals.

-How you can begin to invite ritual and ceremony into your life

-Societal pressure to pursue constant happiness, leading to the neglect of negative emotions and how rituals can help us learn to sit with the uncomfortable 

-Examples of transformative rituals designed by Megan, that have supported people to resolve traumatic experiences from their past.

About Kate Shepherd

Kate Shepherd, Founder of Morning Moon Nature Jewelry and Creative Genius Inc., is a celebrated artist and podcast host, making waves in the world of creativity. Her jewelry has appeared in Netflix's "Yellowjackets" and Disney's "Once Upon a Time," while earning recognition from stars like Andie Macdowell (a repeat customer) and Meghan Markle, who once called her on the phone to tell her how much Kate’s jewelry meant to her. 

But Kate's story is not just one of artistic achievement; her true passion and calling is for supporting the human spirit to return to its creative roots. Kate believes Humanity is Glitching™ because we have collectively become disconnected from our inner creative gifts, and through her podcasts, meditations, writing, and workshops, she dedicates herself to helping as many people as she can to find and activate their intuition and creativity. 

Despite a challenging childhood and discouragement from early “teachers” Kate forged her own path with creativity at the helm. Her podcast, "The Creative Genius Podcast," empowers others to find their creative voices, too, it ranks among the top 1% of podcasts, globally.

Kate resides in North Vancouver with her two kids and rescue dog, Maggie. Join her newsletter for art classes, workshops, exclusive content, and a chance to win a piece of her work. 

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this thought-provoking episode, we embark on a journey of self-discovery, exploring the complex and often elusive concept of our true selves. Kate and her guest Mary Ann Stancel an energy practitioner and meditation guide from Seattle delve into the notion of how we create the world around us, the personalities we embody, and the roles we play in our lives, including our jobs, families, and communities.

We question whether there's more to our existence and whether our purpose runs deeper than the roles we've adopted. The conversation touches on the inner knowing that something may be off, even if we lack the words to express it. For those who feel they've built a life but are uncertain about their authentic selves, the episode unravels the process of returning to our core identity, guided by curiosity and self-exploration.

Mary Ann gives us practical, accessible ways to engage in powerful practices like meditation to disconnect from the distractions of modern life and connect with something much deeper and more fulfilling. 

Mary Ann offers us a spontaneous, guided meditation right inside this episode that listeners can keep coming back to! This has been added to the growing library of content on the Creative Genius Patreon. (sign up to access so many wonderful resources for sparking your creativity) 

What We Talk About:

The Journey of Self-Discovery: We explore the concept of understanding who we truly are and the process of peeling away the layers of constructed identities.

Role of Curiosity: Curiosity as a vital force in the journey of self-discovery. We discuss the importance of inquisitiveness in understanding our authentic selves.

Simplifying Self-Discovery:  We reflect on how to trust our instincts and make choices based on what genuinely feels right.

Meditation and Mindfulness: Mary Ann highlights the role of meditation and mindfulness in the journey of self-discovery and offers us a spontaneous, channeled meditation meditation right inside the episode introducing listeners to a powerful technique for moving trapped energy and enhancing their healing capacity! (the meditation has been added to the growing library of content on the Creative Genius Patreon)   

Trusting Our Inner Voice: We delve into the challenges of trusting our inner voice, especially for those who've faced adversity. The conversation explores methods to untangle limiting beliefs and open up to a different perspective on life.

Unconditional Love and Trust: Mary Ann emphasizes the importance of unconditional love and self-trust, encouraging us to believe in our inner power and embrace the magic and love that life has to offer.

Ritual for Self-Empowerment: Mary Ann shares her simple yet power ritual for calling back personal power at the end of the day offering listeners a practical way to reclaim inner strength.

Join us in this illuminating exploration of self-discovery, meditation, and the path to trusting your true self. Discover the magic within you and learn to embrace your unique journey with unconditional love and trust in yourself.

About Kate Shepherd

Kate Shepherd, Founder of Morning Moon Nature Jewelry and Creative Genius Inc., is a celebrated artist and podcast host, making waves in the world of creativity. Her jewelry has appeared in Netflix's "Yellowjackets" and Disney's "Once Upon a Time," while earning recognition from stars like Andie Macdowell (a repeat customer) and Meghan Markle, who once called her on the phone to tell her how much Kate’s jewelry meant to her. 

But Kate's story is not just one of artistic achievement; her true passion and calling is for supporting the human spirit to return to its creative roots. Kate believes Humanity is Glitching™ because we have collectively become disconnected from our inner creative gifts, and through her podcasts, meditations, writing, and workshops, she dedicates herself to helping as many people as she can to find and activate their intuition and creativity. 

Despite a challenging childhood and discouragement from early “teachers” Kate forged her own path with creativity at the helm. Her podcast, "The Creative Genius Podcast," empowers others to find their creative voices, too, it ranks among the top 1% of podcasts, globally.

Kate resides in North Vancouver with her two kids and rescue dog, Maggie. Join her newsletter for art classes, workshops, exclusive content, and a chance to win a piece of her work. 

The chat between 11 year old Cosmo and his mum Kate Shepherd host of The Creative Genius Podcast highlights the spider's ability to venture into the unknown by climbing to the top of a tree, building a floating web, and letting the wind carry it to a new destination. This serves as a metaphor for human life -  we can all choose to be willing to leave our comfort zones when we feel unfulfilled or in need of change and may very well be rewarded with more than we might imagine. 

The wisdom drawn from this conversation emphasizes the importance of being brave and open to new experiences, just as the spider is excited rather than scared to see what comes next. It encourages people to trust that taking a leap into the unknown may lead to a more fulfilling and meaningful life. Nature's wisdom, as observed through the spider's behavior, serves as an inspiration for people to be more like children and embrace change with excitement and courage.

Sign up for the Creative Genius Patreon Membership, Monthly LIVE WORKSHOPs, bonus episodes, behind the scenes content, guided meditations, and truly so much more. 

About Kate Shepherd

Kate Shepherd, Founder of Morning Moon Nature Jewelry and Creative Genius Inc., is a celebrated artist and podcast host, making waves in the world of creativity. Her jewelry has appeared in Netflix's "Yellowjackets" and Disney's "Once Upon a Time," while earning recognition from stars like Andie Macdowell (a repeat customer) and Meghan Markle, who once called her on the phone to tell her how much Kate’s jewelry meant to her. 

But Kate's story is not just one of artistic achievement; her true passion and calling is for supporting the human spirit to return to its creative roots. Kate believes Humanity is Glitching™ because we have collectively become disconnected from our inner creative gifts, and through her podcasts, meditations, writing, and workshops, she dedicates herself to helping as many people as she can to find and activate their intuition and creativity. 

Despite a challenging childhood and discouragement from early “teachers” Kate forged her own path with creativity at the helm. Her podcast, "The Creative Genius Podcast," empowers others to find their creative voices, too, it ranks among the top 1% of podcasts, globally.

Kate resides in North Vancouver with her two kids and rescue dog, Maggie. Join her newsletter for art classes, workshops, exclusive content, and a chance to win a piece of her work. 

SHOW NOTES

Heather believes that everyone has their own clarity, confidence, and courage within, and her mission is to help people access these qualities and begin the journey of "spiralling up." She encourages us to embrace our uniqueness and learn the resilient attributes and practices needed to stop spiralling down when challenges arise.

We explore Heather's transformative approach to helping people unhook from the fear-based paradigm and tap into spirit, creativity, and intuition. She shares invaluable insights on how to balance pursuing dreams with daily responsibilities and challenges the idea of five-year vision planning. Her personal experience of teaching piano and its unexpected alignment with her business journey is a testament to her philosophy about how living an intuition led life is where it's at.

Heather delves into the importance of addressing deeply embedded limiting beliefs stemming from childhood trauma and how her coaching work speaks to the spirit within us. She shares her top three methods for reconnecting with one's intuition and leaves listeners with a poignant allegory about a girl and her bracelets.

We learn about the two forms of restorative rest our spirits require, often neglected due to inadequate self-questioning in our current culture. Heather reflects on a pivotal moment during a keynote speech that transformed her perspective on supporting intuition and creativity.

The episode concludes with a treasure trove of non-threatening questions you can ask yourself to initiate a conversation with your spirit. Dr. Heather Penny's remarkable journey and insights inspire us to embrace our uniqueness and lead a life filled with purpose, passion, and growth.

What We Talk About:

• Heather's midlife crisis and reorientling journey
• The lack of research on uplifting women and its impact on her work.
• Helping individuals access their clarity, confidence, and courage.
• Unhooking from the fear-based paradigm and embracing spirit, creativity, and intuition.
• Balancing dreams with daily responsibilities.
• The limitations of five-year vision planning.
• Transformative experiences in Heather's life.
• Challenging limiting beliefs and speaking to the spirit within.
• Practical accessible ways to reconnect with intuition.
• What is restorative rest and the importance of it for our spirits.
• Pivotal moments in Heather's personal perspective shift.
• Non-threatening questions to connect with your spirit.

Rediscovering Your Inner Spark: Dr. Heather Penny's journey from a third-grade teacher to a leadership coach highlights the importance of reconnecting with your innate passion and purpose, especially during midlife crises. Heather's own transformation reflects the idea that it's never too late to rediscover what truly matters to you.

 Spiralling Up and Unlocking Your Potential: Heather believes that everyone possesses their own clarity, confidence, and courage within. Her life's work is dedicated to helping individuals tap into these qualities and embark on a journey of self-improvement. She emphasizes that spiraling up is not just about preventing a downward spiral; it's about continuously growing and evolving.

Letting Go of Fear and Rational Thinking: Dr. Penny discusses the need to unhook from the fear-based paradigm and rational mind that often hinders creativity and intuition. This shift can lead to a more fulfilling and authentic life where you're in touch with your inner spirit.

Tapping into the Power of Spirit: Heather and her host explore the concept of spirit, something we all intuitively feel but struggle to articulate. Heather's work focuses on helping individuals connect with this inner essence, which can have a profound transformative effect.

Embracing Intuition: In a world that doesn't always acknowledge the value of intuition, Dr. Penny shares three essential steps to reorient yourself toward your own intuition. Her allegory about a girl and her bracelets offers a unique and perspective-changing insight into this process.

Restorative Rest for the Spirit: Heather highlights the importance of recognizing the rest our spirits need and how we often neglect this aspect in our lives. The right questions and self-reflection can help us regain the balance between rest and action, which is crucial for creative individuals.

The Art of Questioning: A list of non-threatening questions for self-reflection provides a practical tool for initiating conversations with your inner spirit. These questions can help you better understand yourself and your desires.

A Culture Focused on Longevity: Dr. Heather Penny's commitment to creating a culture that values longevity, creativity, and passion reinforces the idea that a well-lived life is attainable for everyone.

The Transformative Power of Speaking to the Spirit: Heather's coaching work, which speaks to the spirit within individuals, has a profound impact on personal growth and transformation. This highlights the untapped potential within all of us.

Nurturing Creativity in "The Rests": Embracing pauses and reflection in the creative process can lead to new breakthroughs. Just as music finds beauty in the rests, so can our creative journeys benefit from moments of rejuvenation and insight.

Unlocking the Unseen Potential: Heather's insights provide invaluable guidance for aspiring writers and creative individuals navigating their own unique paths to success. Her story is a testament to the power of persistence and self-discovery.

Dr. Heather Penny's journey and the wisdom she shares in this episode can inspire anyone looking to rediscover their passions, connect with their inner spirit, and lead a life filled with purpose and growth.

About Dr. Heather Penny: Dr. Heather Penny is not just a leadership coach; she's a trusted advisor, celebrated teacher, engaging speaker, and accomplished author. With a Ph.D. in Human Services and a strong global consulting background, Heather possesses the expertise to guide individuals towards their best lives. Her mission revolves around helping people recognize and harness their unique strengths. Through a wealth of experience, she draws out fresh ideas and actionable goals, igniting forward momentum in her clients.

Heather's extensive work in Educational Leadership is a testament to her commitment to personal and professional growth. Her coaching process is a catalyst for clarity, confidence, and courage, enabling individuals to engage more purposefully in their lives and valued relationships. Heather firmly believes that the world is enriched by the unique gifts that each person has to offer.

What sets Heather apart is her dedication to fostering creativity, passion, and growth. She aims to create a culture focused on longevity, emphasizing a life well lived. Heather finds her joy in Northern California, where she resides with her husband and two children. Join us for an inspiring conversation with this remarkable thought leader and coach
 

In this mini episode

Unearth Your Creative Genius: This episode is dedicated to those who have felt a bit lost in their creative endeavours. Whether you're an artist, musician, writer, or creator of any kind, you may have faced challenges and doubts regarding the value of your work.

Navigating Creative Hurdles: The creative journey often involves hurdles, such as fear, self-doubt, and uncertainty. It requires bravery, practice, and resilience to express what's within you and to share your work with the world.

The Ripple Effect of Creativity: Your creative work can profoundly touch the lives of others, even when you don't realize it. Just as you've been moved by someone else's art, your creations can be a lifeline for someone in need, providing comfort, connection, and inspiration.

The Power of Gratitude: Expressing gratitude for the creative gifts that have touched your soul can shift your energy and deepen your connection with your inner self. Gratitude is the wellspring of your own creativity.

The Communion of the True Self: Connecting with your inner gratitude allows you to experience your true self, the radiant core of your being. This communion is what you truly yearn for, more than any external measures of success or achievement.

A Practice of Love and Connection: Challenge yourself to write a letter to the creator of something that profoundly affected you, even if they are famous or no longer alive. This simple act can strengthen your connection to your true self and create a ripple effect of love and light.

Why Listen to this Episode:

This episode is a beautiful reminder that your creative gifts are more valuable than you can imagine. By embracing your inner genius and sharing your creations, you can touch lives, bring comfort to others, and find a deeper connection with your true self. The practice of gratitude and connection explored in this episode offers a tangible way to rekindle your creative spark and create a ripple effect of love and inspiration in the world.

So, if you've ever felt uncertain about the value of your creative work or needed a reminder of the profound impact it can have, tune in to Genius Moments Episode 12 and be inspired to embrace your creative power.

Note: This episode includes a beautiful card reading. Here is a picture of the card Kate pulled for you

Stay tuned for the next episode featuring Dr. Heather Penny. In the meantime, take good care of yourself and keep making ripples of love and light in the world.

In this episode, celebrated Author Martha Anne Toll shares her journey of persistence and creativity. Despite fairly constant rejection, Martha pursued her love of writing for 20 years. She emphatically shares with us the importance of tuning into our inner voice the one that urges us to keep going when things get tough. Martha intuitively knew how critical it would be to incorporate writing into all aspects of life - so that she could keep doing it even through the challenging dry times. She shares how she did this and how it kept her spirit alive as she navigated a long desert of rejection. She introduces her Gotham Award Nominated novel, The Three Muses and shares her writing process with listeners. The episode explores the significance of loneliness and yearning in creativity and the creative process as well as how Martha sees role as a writer. We touch on where she is with her second novel, her passion for mentoring other writers, and the value in "the rests" of creativity.

Martha's wisdom and the learnings from her journey so far, provide valuable insights and uplifting inspiration for aspiring writers and creative individuals who are living their own ups and downs along the way as they preserve to find their own paths to success.

What We Talk About:

• -Martha's journey of persistence and creativity.
• -The inner voice that motivates us to keep going.
• -Incorporating your creative passion into daily life.
• -Keeping creativity fresh during periods of rejection.
• -Martha's Three Muses and her writing process.
• -Techniques for effective writing.
• -The importance of loneliness and yearning in creativity.
• -The value of pauses in creativity.
• -The best place to start creative projects.

Martha's wisdom and journey provide valuable insights for aspiring writers and creative individuals seeking to persevere and find their own paths to success.

Embracing the Journey: Martha Anne Toll's Inspiring Story of Perseverance & The Creative Spirit

In the world of creativity, few stories are as inspiring as that of Martha Anne Toll. Her journey is a testament to the power of persistence, the magic of embracing one's inner voice, and the art of finding creative fulfillment even in the face of constant rejection. Join us as we delve into Martha's remarkable story and glean valuable lessons on how to keep your creative flame alive.

About Martha Anne Toll: Martha Anne Toll is not an overnight success story. Her path to becoming a renowned writer was paved with two decades of rejection, but during that time, she never lost sight of her passion. After receiving her law degree from Boston University School of Law, she embarked on a journey that would ultimately lead her to the world of writing. Her essays and book reviews have graced prestigious publications such as NPR, the Washington Post, The Millions, and many more. Her writing reflects her deep insights, empathy, and her ability to connect with readers on a profound level.

The Miracle of the Inner Voice: One of the most striking aspects of Martha's journey is the "miracle" that accompanies her every step of the way. She describes it as the little voice inside that whispers, "keep going." This inner voice is a constant companion that helps her navigate through adversity and rejection. Martha's story reminds us that inspiration is often found within ourselves, and we must listen carefully to that inner guidance.

Incorporating Writing into Life: Martha's commitment to her craft is awe-inspiring. Even when her writing career faced countless rejections, she found ways to incorporate writing into all aspects of her life. This dedication allowed her to continue doing what she loved, purely for the love of it. Martha's story teaches us that creativity can flourish when it's woven into the fabric of our daily lives.

Keeping Creativity Alive and Fresh: Creativity can wane during times of rejection and failure, but Martha found ways to keep it alive and flowing. She shares practical insights and ideas to help aspiring writers and artists keep their creative practices fresh, no matter how long it takes to achieve their big break.

Martha's Three Muses: Music, Discipline, and Memory: In her novel "The Three Muses," Martha introduces us to her creative muses: Music, Discipline, and Memory. These muses inspire her and help her maintain her creative spirit. Learning about these muses can offer valuable guidance on nurturing your own creative loves.

Starting in the Middle: One of Martha's unconventional yet liberating pieces of advice is to start in the middle of creative projects. Instead of obsessing over a perfect beginning, she encourages us to dive right into the heart of our creative endeavors. This approach allows for freedom and exploration, leading to unexpected and beautiful outcomes.

Paying It Forward: Martha's journey has also inspired her to give back. She mentors other writers, sharing her experiences and insights with those following in her footsteps. Her willingness to support and encourage others underscores the importance of paying it forward in our creative communities.

Embracing "The Rests": Martha's wisdom extends to recognizing the beauty in "the rests" of creativity. Just as music finds its magic in the pauses, our creative journeys can benefit from moments of reflection and rejuvenation. Her perspective encourages us to embrace these pauses as essential parts of our creative process.

Martha Anne Toll's remarkable journey is a source of inspiration and valuable lessons for anyone pursuing their creative dreams. Her story reminds us that persistence, listening to our inner voices, and finding creative fulfillment in everyday life can lead to profound success. As Martha continues to celebrate the anniversary of her debut novel and works on her second, her story serves as a beacon of hope for all creatives on their own unique journeys.

You contain, inside of you, a small, quiet voice that has the answers to everything that you could ever need to know. It knows what direction you need to move in moment to momoen, it knows what activity you need to explore. It knows what friendships you need to cultivate and which ones it is time to walk away from, what town you need to live in and even what you need to have for dinner. In this Bonus Episode I share a story of how my dedication to cultivating an ability to hear and be led by my own soft quiet voice, allowed me to experience a profound moment right smack dab in the middle of an ordinary day this past week. The story involves a dead bird, school children and a lot of love. 

How to move your hand when there's a pencil in it, and you're sitting in front of a blank piece of paper or, or your paintbrush at a canvas or. What words right next, if you're writing a a poem or a memoir novel. There is this intelligence that lives inside of us. Quietly wordlessly and never leaves our side. And yet. We have become very accustomed to the experience of sort of shoving it down or allowing this other part of ourselves to be louder. . And it's, you know, the relationship between the rational mind and this ineffable intelligence that is available to us. helping as many people as I can to have access to that soft, quiet voice is what's behind. All of my work with the creative genius podcast and. And creative genius studios. All the meditations and workshops Worksheets and every conversation that I have with somebody for the podcast, it all comes down to wanting to point to that in you. That intelligence in you, because it does exist in you. It exists in every single person. Who is breathing today?

When we don't have access to that part of ourselves, we do get glitchy. You know, we don't know how to make the right decision for ourselves when it comes to. You know what to have for dinner sometimes. To bigger decisions like.

Leaving a job or pursuing a dream.

And it's so important to have practices in our lives. Not just so that our lives run smoothly, but so that we can actually begin to access. A more magical realm that actually exists right here, hidden behind everything else. And I've dedicated so much of my life to cultivating a deep. relationship to this part of myself that I earnestly listened to and reverentially listened to. I'm constantly. Leaning in and trying to hear myself. And catch myself when I'm not doing that and not beat myself up and this week, I had a really powerful experience that I wanted to share with you. It was Wednesday afternoon and my kids get out of school early on Wednesday afternoons there's called early dismissal. I have no idea why. But every Wednesday, since they were in kindergarten, they get off at two o'clock. now they're older. My kids are 10 and eight and we only live. about. A block and half from the school. And what separates our house from the school is maybe two or three other houses and a little miniature forest. There's this really beautiful little wooded path that they walk through to get to school. even though there is an enormous bear in the area. I let my kids come and go, you know, they're at that age where they want to walk to school by themselves and they want to come home by themselves. So. I left them. I'm experimenting with letting go, right? Like letting them go.

But on Wednesday. Was about 10 to three. And I'd heard most of the other kids passed by the house as on their way home from school. And I still hadn't seen my kids. Come in yet. And at one point I, I grabbed my sweater and I put it on because it's a little bit of a. Uh, brisk fall day. And I start walking down towards the school. And as I approached the path at the, at the entrance to the little forest. I hear a lot of sort of frantic energy kind of chaotic. not scared, but there was an energy that I, that I wasn't, that's not part of my everyday. And so I rounded the corner. And there was this group of kids. My son included. Poking at something on the ground with sticks and shrieking about how it was dead and. Their energy was really, really high.

And so I walked over to see what, what was going on, what was dead? What was this? What was this thing that was happening? And it was a beautiful bird. I don't know the species of this bird. I'm sure we could look it up. I took a picture of it. It may have been a female Robyn. I'm not entirely sure. It had orange plumage and little speckles on it, and it was quite large. It was, you know, smaller than a Crow, but bigger than a chickadee. And it was very stiff. It was almost like, you know, those Christmas decorations that are, that are styrofoam and they're, they're very, they're like star from balls and they're just very stiff. This bird felt like it was stuffed. Like it was very, very, very stiff. When you, when the kids were poking it with their sticks, nothing was really moving. So it was really, it was dead. It wasn't just stunned because sometimes that happens right there. Just stunned.

They were kind of, they were big, pretty rough, the bird, they were rolling it over and they are. You know, pushing its feathers backwards with this stick and kind of poking at it and seeing if it's I would open and. And it was a little jarring actually for me, because I immediately felt like just this like sad, soft, like, oh my goodness. The poor thing, Energy towards it. I couldn't name it, And I didn't want to shame them. For, for their reaction to this. You know, it is, death is uncomfortable. Right. And it's, it is a little bit scary. And sometimes when we're scared, it comes out in weird ways, right? Like, Getting really hyper or. Being really loud or kind of being a little note. All these parts come out of us to sort of help us navigate. This uncomfortable new situation. So I didn't want to shame them for having that experience or that reaction to it. And this wasn't conscious. It wasn't like I sat there and I said, okay, what am I going to do? But something in me just began speaking to this bird. So I'm standing amongst all these really hyper children who are poking at this bird with sticks and rolling it over and seeing if its feathers will come out and. And I just began saying to it. How beautiful it is. And how, sorry I am, but it's never going to get to fly again. And how I hope it didn't suffer. Tears are coming to my eyes as I'm sharing the story, but I wasn't crying in that moment. Those words just came out of me spontaneously and.

There was sort of a, uh, a calm that fell over the kids that were there as they began to hear me say these words to this bird. And one at a time and pretty soon all of them. Started to go around the forest and collect really beautiful little. Objects my daughter found some beautiful pink flowers that were growing on the forest floor. One of the other little girls found a gorgeous Fern frond, and another one found it. Giant yellow maple leaf. . They all started decorating the ground around this bird And asking if we could do a funeral for it. And so we did, we. went through my son's lunch bag.

And found the fork that I had given him for lunch that day. And we dug a hole in the earth. That was deep enough for the bird and we laid it down on its beautiful giant maple leaf. And everybody. Put their offerings inside decorated this bird with the flowers and the little leaves and Fern fronds. And for sprigs that we found. And everybody went around in a little, very informal circle. Just saying something nice to the bird. And everybody said the thing and we, we covered it with dirt and then we decorated the graveside. We marked it with a little stone and everybody was off on, on their way. And for me, the whole thing was a really profound experience, as I reflected on it later that day and into the next day. Because.

I think there's a version of me in the past that may have. Muscled in there. And. Maybe even shamed everybody for, Hey, stop poking at that bird. And that's not very nice. And we don't do that or imagine, you know, like somehow shaming them for their reaction, which is very natural, right? Their reaction was very natural and in some ways, very wise, right. To have this protective defensive kind of, this is what happens when I get scared of something unknown. Right. There is a past version of me that may have shamed them for that. And spontaneously. I was able to access another part of me. A much wiser part of me that knew. Too. Just be in the truth. Beat in the love of the situation. And that, that was the part that started speaking to the bird.

Me speaking to that bird in that way, transformed their behavior far more than anything I could have ever said to try to correct them. From my rational mind. this is a very powerful example of why it's so important to cultivate our intuition. Because it's that soft, quiet part of ourselves that knows how to be. And when I was able to embody that,

There was a transmission that happened from me to them just by the way I was being that reminded them of what they already knew about how to Revere this. This bird and life itself. Like they knew already. I didn't tell them, go get flowers and go get, like, they knew. That was in them. And I just felt like it was such an important reminder of why we need to work really hard to cultivate this part of ourselves because it's, you know, I've been working on it for years and I. I can remember a time when I, when I wasn't working on this and how my reactions were and how I was in the world. And it's just night and day. From now, when I do make a priority of the listening to this voice of distinguishing between my rational mind and the soft, quiet intelligence that lives inside of me. I wrote a little bit more about this. Uh it's on Instagram, you can see a picture of the bird and there'll be a blog post in the coming days on Kate Sheppard, creative.com with some more pictures and a little bit more

but I wanted to bring it to you because I have been offering these intuition workshops. And it's not just like a fun thing that you can do. This is something that can transform your entire life and the lives of the people

around

you.

The things that I'm teaching in this workshop are the reason that I'm able to catch myself and. That I'm able to have this really deep connection with my inner voice, even when I'm not quote unquote doing well in life. Right? Like even during the hard times, I can hear that part and I can be led by that part. And that wasn't always the case from that took time that took a lot of practice. And that's why I want to offer this workshop to as many people as possible, because it has been profoundly life-changing for me to have access to that. Inner knowing that wisdom, that intelligence, that compassion and love and knowing it's just like, When the answers come, it's like, you know, like there's no. There's nobody in the world that could debate you out of knowing that that was the answer. That you needed, which is not what happens when you get answers from the rational mind. Like rational mind is very black and white and, you can access an ultimate truth about yourself. and about how to navigate your reality when you practice this.

If this part of yourself is something that you are curious about and want to learn more about and want to actually spend a little bit of time. Strengthening. Head over to Kate Sheppard, creative.com and read about my activating intuition and creativity online workshop. It's a once a month workshop It's included in the colorful community tier , if you're a creative genius patron. along with all of the other amazing content that I put into that every month. I continue to be amazed and odd. By how powerfully our lives can transform when we invest in. Strengthening a relationship with this intuitive side of ourselves, this soft, quiet, inner voice. that is the home and breeding ground. And birthplace. Of creativity.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this podcast conversation, we delve into the fascinating world of Maria Over, an artist, children's book illustrator, and creative spirit based in Munich, Germany. Maria shares her insights on managing her wild creative spirit while producing art commercially, building a supportive global community of like-minded artists, and nurturing her creativity through a daily morning routine. We'll also explore her impressive list of illustration clients (Random House, eeBoo, Ravensburger Puzzles, Joanne’s Stores, American Greetings, Calypso Cards, The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Deutsche Telekom, Comedy Central, MTV, Audubon Society, Giorgio Armani, Verizon, Weleda) her artistic journey, and much more.

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT

Balancing Wild Creativity and Commercial Art
Maria effectively manages the delicate balance between her untamed creative spirit and the demands of producing commercial art. She allows her creativity to explore freely but adapts it to meet client-specific requirements when needed.

Building a Global Artistic Community
Maria has cultivated a strong global community of like-minded artists through online platforms. This community provides mutual support, feedback, and inspiration, contributing significantly to her artistic growth.

Daily Morning Routine for Creativity
Maria's daily morning routine involves starting her day with a sketchbook and coffee. This ritual helps her stay connected to her creative spirit and sets a positive tone for her day.

Embracing Unique Creative Spirit
Throughout the conversation, Maria emphasizes the importance of embracing one's unique creative spirit. She encourages artists to recognize that art is not just about technique but also about letting their creativity roam freely.

Inspiration for Aspiring Artists
Maria's journey to artistic success serves as an inspiring example for aspiring artists. Her story reminds others to tap into their creative potential and approach art with playfulness and passion.

Managing Creativity and Commercial Art

Maria has mastered the delicate balance between her wild creative spirit and the demands of producing commercial art. She recognizes that her creativity is like a wild horse that needs to be tamed, but not completely controlled. Maria's approach is to let her creativity roam freely, allowing it to explore new ideas and unconventional techniques. However, when it comes to producing art for clients, she knows how to rein in her creativity and adapt it to meet their specific needs.

Building a Supportive Global Community

One of the keys to Maria's artistic success is her ability to build a supportive global community of like-minded artists. Through social media platforms and online forums, Maria has connected with artists from all over the world who share her passion for creativity. They provide each other with valuable feedback, support, and inspiration. Maria believes that having a strong community of fellow artists is essential for personal and artistic growth.

Nurturing Creativity Through a Daily Morning Routine

Another aspect of Maria's journey to artistic success is her commitment to nurturing her creativity through a daily morning routine. Every morning, Maria starts her day with a cup of coffee and a sketchbook. She spends a few minutes creating whatever comes to mind, allowing her creativity to flow freely. This morning ritual helps her set the tone for the rest of the day and ensures that she stays connected to her creative spirit.

Throughout our conversation, Maria's passion for art and her playful approach to creativity shines through. She reminds us that art is not just about technique and skill, but also about embracing our unique creative spirit. Maria's journey to artistic success is an inspiration to all aspiring artists who want to unleash their own creative potential.

In this episode of The Creative Genius Podcast, our guest Dr. Meredith Estevez, a renowned oboist, podcaster, coach, writer, and educator, shares her profound journey of creative recovery and the vital lessons she's learned about finding joy in the act of creation. Through her personal experiences, Merideth explores the effects of creative burnout, the harmful generational cycle of teaching through shame, and the pressure to balance creative impulse with marketability and success. She discusses how she rediscovered her true self using "The Artist's Way," navigated feelings of unworthiness despite achievements, and unveiled the power of surrendering to the creative process. Dr. Estevez also provides practical advice for reducing the stress of needing to know everything and embracing a sense of inner worthiness. Tune in to discover how to align with your calling, overcome self-doubt, and cultivate creativity from a place of joy.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Merideth's journey of creative recovery
• Exploring the impact of creative burnout and the generational cycle of teaching through shame.
• Balancing creative impulse with marketability and success in the artistic world.
• Acknowledging feelings of unworthiness even amidst achievements and accolades.
• The transformative power of surrender in the creative process.
• Devotion vs discipline in creative work
• Practical steps to shift from shame-driven creation to joyful expression.

In this pre-season three episode, Host Kate Shepherd announces the official vision and theme for Season 3, Learning to See. Kate shares a heartfelt personal story about Bob The Foster dog, and how in the face of external pressures she was able to rely on her intuition to help her see what she needed to see in order for navigate a difficult decision. Kate shares some of her techniques for cultivating your own intuition and sets the stage for some of the new things you can expect from Creative Genius in Season three that promise it make it our most exciting and engaging season yet. 

Exciting announcement about the new monthly workshops - Interactive Creativity & Intuition Workshops she will be holding to support you as you explore Learning to See in terms of both your artistry and personal growth (including a taste of that they will include) 

Lovely practice for you to experiment with - Kate shares the simple yet powerful practice she committed to this summer that has had a profound impact on her life and how you can begin to cultivate this for yourself. 
 

The episode will leave you listeners inspired to nurture their innate capacities and embark on a journey of learning to see life from a richer perspective, and ready for Season 3 of The Creative Genius Podcast!
 

While you are waiting for season 3 to star in 2 short weeks, why not revisit past episodes and select ones that resonate with them.

Episode Summary: In this episode, host Kate Shepherd interviews Wisconsin based Juliette Crane, a painter, writer, and creative educator, with international recognition and thousands of collectors, customers, and students.

Juliette shares pivotal moments along her creative journey and the difficult circumstances that led her to rediscover and her passion for art.  They discuss Juliette's creative journey, her connection to creativity, the themes in her artwork, and the importance of embracing creativity to heal and thrive in life. Juliette shares her experiences, challenges, and insights that have shaped her artistic path and offers valuable advice for aspiring artists.

Highlights - What We Talk About:

-What she did when she was fired from her job via an email. And how it led her back to the true artist she always was. 

-The incredible, movie-like moment involving hundreds of butterflies that she took as a sign that she had to make a change in her life. 

-How the creative process helps Juliette process the world around her and tell stories through her art.

-The connection between healing and creativity in Juliette's life.

-How she overcame false beliefs and societal dysfunctions by reactivating and trusting her inner creative intelligence.

-Juliette's inspiration, intuition, and how she communicates with creativity.

Episode Notes: Juliette Crane, a renowned painter, writer, and creative educator from Wisconsin, shares her creative journey, themes in her artwork, and the connection between creativity and healing. She emphasizes the importance of embracing creativity to overcome false beliefs and societal dysfunctions. Juliette talks about her struggles and challenges on her artistic path and the role of intuition in her creative process.

To learn more about Juliette Crane and her artwork, visit her Instagram (@juliettecrane) and her website. Juliette offers courses and workshops to help artists get unstuck and unlock their creativity. Take a step towards nurturing your creativity and explore the magic of art with Juliette Crane.

Stay Connected: Follow me on Instagram (@kateshepherdcreative) or by subscribing to the newsletter

My sign off message for you from the edge of the end of Season 2 

I am so grateful you are here and that we are doing this together - thank you for being here, making time for yourself and your creativity. Please take time to rest during the summer; experiment, play and make some time to re-listen to some episodes of the show, you will be amazed by what you catch the second time around. And join the Patreon community to access bonus episodes, activity prompts, and connect with fellow artists, I think you will wonder why you didn't do it sooner!

If you long to express creativity freely but believe you are not good enough or lack the creativity within you, remember this: creativity is the intelligence that animates the entire universe, and it already lives and breathes within you. Embrace play, break the rules, and discover the magic already inside you. 

I'll be back in September with more inspiring interviews and stories of creativity. See you then!

What we talk about

• James Miller's journey as a writer and the genesis of A Small Fiction
• The commitment to daily writing for nearly eight years and its transformative effects
• Harnessing creativity as a tool for processing emotions and overcoming anxiety and depression
• Practical prompts for accessing flow states in creative endeavours
• Ingenious solution for utilizing beloved but misfit creative pieces
• The relationship between discipline and flow in a healthy creative practice
• Exploring the value of human creativity and ownership of creative works
• James's poetic vision for society's embrace of creativity

One of the most powerful moments in this episode was when Kate and James talked about James's commitment to daily writing for nearly eight years. The transformative power of a consistent creative practice is hard to ignore. Through his journey, James experienced significant shifts, gained a substantial readership, and secured a publishing deal. The conversation emphasizes the therapeutic nature of creativity, particularly in dealing with anxiety and depression. Listeners are encouraged to tap into their own creative potential and explore the ways in which creative expression can facilitate personal development and emotional well-being.

Thank you for joining us on this marvellous conversation with James Miller.

Remember to sign up for the 21-day Creative Ritual Challenge on the Creative Genius Patreon platform to experience transformative shifts in your own creative practice. Explore the wealth of bonus episodes, journal worksheets, painting workshops, guided meditations, and more available to Creative Genius Patrons. Visit Kate Shepherd Creative.com or go to Patreon.com/CreativeGeniusPodcast to activate your membership and unlock the creative genius within you.

Trust. Mess. Rest. Repeat.

In this fantastic episode, our gracious guest, Kim Myers Smith, reveals her four-part formula for cultivating a healthy, productive, and stress-free creative practice. Host Kate Shepherd emphasizes the profound significance of creativity as the life force behind the universe, urging listeners to reconnect with this potent energy. Together, they challenge toxic beliefs surrounding creativity, explore the societal conditioning that discourages embracing messiness and uncertainty, and unveil the transformative power of surrendering to these aspects. Engage in an enlightening activity and contemplation exercise to embrace the unknown in your own creative endeavors. Prepare to be inspired!

Join the Creative Genius Community on the Creative Genius Family Facebook Page!  to share your experiences and insights. Dive into Kate's daily sketching practice, drawing inspiration from the natural world and embracing imperfections, to cultivate comfort with uncertainty and messiness in your creative expression. This thought-provoking conversation with Kim Smith touches on her journey in embracing the messy and uncertain aspects of her art practice, the role of intuition, the relationship between intuition and intention, creative rituals, and the significance of one's environment in the creative process. Discover why "The Pig" holds a special place in Kim's heart.

Tune in to this enlightening episode, available on all major podcast platforms. Don't forget to leave a review to support the show. Thank you for joining us on this transformative creative journey!

Now streaming wherever you get your podcasts.

Remember to leave the show a review today!

THANK YOU!

In this episode, host Kate Shepherd shares her lifelong journey with art and the recent discovery of her deep craving for oil painting. From her childhood fascination with art supplies to her experiences in a specialized art school, Kate's love for creating art has always been a part of her. However, societal pressure to choose one medium and her own aversion to oil painting prevented her from exploring this medium until now.

Kate reflects on the conditioning she underwent as a child, where she learned to suppress her urge to try new things and focus on one discipline. But her inherent drive to create always remained. She discusses her resistance to oil painting and the misconceptions she held about it, associating it with darkness and messiness.

The turning point came when Kate encountered the stunning oil paintings of guest Kim Meyers Smith and was deeply moved by their beauty. This sparked her curiosity and desire to finally give oil painting a chance. 

Kate shares her recent midnight craving for oil painting and the realization that it was time to embrace this medium. Instead of suppressing it, deciding to honor her craving as an act of self-love and healing. She describes her plan to visit the art supply store and purchase a small starter collection of oil paints and brushes, allowing herself to indulge in this long-awaited exploration.

Through this personal journey, Kate encourages listeners to question societal norms and embrace their own artistic desires. She emphasizes the importance of following one's instincts and pursuing various creative avenues without feeling the need to limit oneself. Kate's experience with oil painting serves as a reminder that art is a diverse and boundless realm, offering endless opportunities for self-expression and growth.

Join Kate and embark on a new journey embracing the unknown and unlocking new dimensions of our artistic spirit.

On this episode of Creative Genius, Kate is joined by the immensely talented Jodi Ohl. Jodi's artistic journey is a testament to the power of following one's passion. After leaving her secure day job, Jodi dedicated herself to building a successful artistic career. Her art, characterized by its unique texture, vibrant colors, and motivational themes, has gained recognition and has been featured in over 36 international mixed media magazines. Jodi's contributions to the art world extend beyond her own work, as she has also contributed to seven mixed media books.

During the interview, Jodi opens up about her early experiences with creativity and how it shaped her perspective on art. She candidly shares the challenges she faced in choosing a different path instead of pursuing art as a full-time profession. Jodi reflects on the lessons she learned and the skills she gained from that experience.

A significant turning point in Jodi's journey came when she rediscovered her creative side during a challenging period in her life. This transformative experience fuelled her passion and motivated her to pursue art as a full-time artist. Jodi discusses the fears she confronted and the regrets she didn't want to haunt her during the leap of faith she took.

Throughout the conversation, Jodi emphasizes the importance of aligning with one's creative calling and offers valuable advice to listeners who aspire to become full-time artists. She shares insights on the role of discipline, finding one's voice, and the rewards of perseverance.

In addition to her artistic pursuits, Jodi is a sought-after mixed media art teacher. She conducts workshops both online and in person, sharing her expertise with students across the United States. Her teaching style is approachable, and her recently released book, "Abstracts in Acrylic and Ink," allows readers to learn from her as if they were sitting beside her in a workshop.

Allow yourself an hour to be captivated by Jodi's inspiring journey and her profound understanding of the creative process and your own life may never be the same!

To find out more about Jodi's artwork and workshops, visit Jodi's website

This episode of Creative Genius is a must-listen for anyone seeking a little extra inspiration and guidance in their own artistic endeavours.

Episode Summary

In this extraordinary episode celebrating 100k downloads of the Creative Genius Podcast, I bring you the culmination of 18 months of insightful conversations with the most brilliant creative minds and hearts of our time.

When I first started this show, I set out to create something that would help people everywhere learn how to begin activating creativity and living as the truest versions of themselves. In reflecting back over the episodes so far, six transformative elements began to emerge, for creating a powerful roadmap for activating your creativity and expressing your truest self. With intimate shares, inspiring moments, and practical guidance, this episode is packed with the formula for unlocking your full potential.

Plus, don't miss out on the epic giveaway featuring exclusive gifts from our esteemed past guests. This is an episode of immeasurable value that you simply can't afford to miss. Tune in now and be supported on the journey of your lifetime.

Show Notes

Over the past 18 months, I've had the privilege of engaging with some of the most brilliant and creative minds of our time. Together, we've delved deep into the heart of creativity, uncovering the secrets to reigniting our imaginative spirits.

In this remarkable episode, I invite you to join me on a transformative journey as we dive into the six core elements that have consistently emerged in these conversations, offering a roadmap for sparking your own creativity fuelled life transformation. Through insightful clips from past episodes and my personal reflections, we'll navigate these elements with intention, empowering you to unleash your true creative essence, and live the highest and best version of yourself. 

We'll explore how each of these six elements—uncovered through conversations with our exceptional guests—holds the key to unglitching your life and humanity as a whole. From embracing your inner child's boundless wonder to embracing vulnerability, from fostering curiosity to cultivating an environment conducive to creativity, we'll embark on a journey of self-discovery and transformation.

Reflections

Two years ago, I went on a walk and heard a voice telling me it was time to start a podcast. At that point, I had no idea what I would talk about or if I even had the skills to host a podcast. Editing and getting it out into the world? That was a whole other challenge I had to conquer. But here we are today among the top 1% of podcasts worldwide. 

There's no doubt in my mind that this is my life's work, that I am here to support the reunion between humans and their creativity. It's a calling I can't ignore. I consider it an honour to do this work. I'm eternally grateful to you, the listeners and to our first 42 incredible guests, trailblazers in their creative fields who have generously shared their time, wisdom, and love with us. Together, we have shared laughter, tears, and those lightbulb moments that have forever transformed us. 

Gratitude & Appreciation

I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you. Thank you for being here, for listening, and for making time for yourself and your creativity. I genuinely believe that nurturing our creative spirit is one of the most important things we can do. And I'm incredibly grateful that you're on this journey of self-discovery and creative expression.

Your feedback and stories about how the show has impacted your creativity truly touch my heart. It means the world to me to know that the Creative Genius Podcast has inspired you, made you think differently, and even lit a fire under you. And thank you for sharing the show with your friends and even strangers you meet. By spreading the word, you're amplifying the conversation about the power of creativity for both individuals and the planet.

I invite you to listen in and immerse yourself in the power of creativity. Together, we will unlock the code that will revolutionize your life and redefine the future of humanity. Don't miss out on this opportunity to tap into your infinite potential and make a meaningful impact on the world.

A Greater Message Emerging

As I reflect on the past 42 episodes, I see a greater message weaving through them all. Each guest has contributed their unique nugget of wisdom, passing the torch to the next. It's as if they have painted a constellation of insights that guide us on how to access, activate, and trust our creativity. In this episode I identify the 6 phases of creative transformation that repeat themselves over and over again in my conversations with these creative geniuses, I pull some of the most powerful moments and insights from past episodes and share my own reflections.

I believe that by embracing our creative power, we can overcome personal challenges and help heal the glitches in our own lives and society as a whole.

Tune in now to The Creative Genius Podcast, and let's embark on this extraordinary journey together.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts

Sign up for my newsletter and never miss any of the juicy behind the scenes moments (and be automatically entered for the EPIC GIVEAWAY!) 

Support & Reciprocity 

This show is changing lives, there is no about it.  And I need your support in order to keep producing it which is why I created The Creative Genius Patreon Membership. If you haven't joined yet, you're missing out on wonderful, enriching, exclusive content that is truly transformational, and on an opportunity to support this powerfully important creative revolution. 

As a member, you'll gain access to bonus episodes where I share personal insights, intimate moments, and behind-the-scenes stories from the podcast. You'll also receive journal worksheets to help you deepen your creative practice, painting workshops, and guided meditations to nourish your soul. And the best part? It's incredibly affordable, and your support through Patreon helps us continue creating this show. 

Possibilities

I believe that creativity has the power to heal and transform lives. So, if you resonate with that message and have found value in the Creative Genius Podcast, I encourage you to share this episode with others who might benefit from it. Let's reach as many hearts as possible and help them tap into their creative potential.

Epic Giveaway!

Thank you to our generous-hearted past guests who contributed their extraordinary gifts, from admission to classes, consultations, beautiful artwork, prints, scarves, and even gift certificates - you made this truly epic Giveaway possible and I am so grateful, Tracy Verdugo, Margaret Smith, Betty Franks, Susan Logoreci, Tracy Mazuer, Ange Miller, Lori Siebert, Beth Suter, and Roxanne Willems (and Morning Moon Nature Jewelry!) 

These treasures are not only tokens of inspiration but also catalysts to fuel your creative endeavours.

For your opportunity to enter a chance to win something in this glorious giveaway, all you have to do is: 

1) Share a Creative Genius Post on Instagram or Facebook and tag @KateshepherdCreative or @TheCreativeGeniusPodcast

2) Sign up for my newsletter

Names will be drawn and announced on June 9th, 2023!

In this podcast episode, Kate Shepherd interviews Carmen Spagnola, a trauma recovery practitioner, clinical hypnotherapist, Le Cordon Bleu trained chef and author of Spirited Kitchen: Recipes and Rituals for the Wheel of the Year.

Carmen shares how her love for food and hospitality, coupled with her healing journey, led her to write a book that goes beyond recipes. She discusses attachment styles, trauma, and how to start the healing process.

Carmen also shares accessible rituals we can do at home to deepen our own healing process and connect with our ancestors. One of the key concepts she talks about is contact nutrition, which can help us heal and shift our attachment styles to allow us to be more open to joy and fulfillment in life.

The episode invites listeners to step into a deeper level of themselves through food, ritual, self-love, curiosity, and making themselves available to receive magic and love. Some of the key highlights of the episode are:

• Carmen's background and how she started writing Spirited Kitchen
• Attachment styles and how they can be changed
• Contact nutrition and how it can help us heal and shift our attachment styles
• Accessible rituals we can do at home to deepen our own healing process and connect with our ancestors

Get out your tissues and your journals and prepare your heart to grow at least a full size listening to this conversation.

Amira Rahim, a successful commercial abstract artist who founded Better Than Art School™, shares her journey of finding her creative voice and creating a successful art business around it. Growing up in Newark, New Jersey, where other legendary talents like Queen Latifah and Lauryn Hill also grew up, Amira felt the pressure to live up to the place's artistic standards. She overcame the two things that were stopping her from finding her voice, which she shares with us inside the episode, along with the methodical method she developed for finding one's creative voice. 

So many valuable insights inside this episode, for artists struggling to find their creative voice and build on it. 

This episode is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to be an abstract artist but has struggled with finding their voice. Amira seems to have truly cracked the formula for finding your voice, and inside this episode, she gives you the week-long assignment she gives to all her students who are ready to find their voice.

IN THIS EPISODE

Living up to the pressures of creativity

Amira's method for finding her voice as an artist (that she teaches inside Better Than Art School ™) 

The biggest challenge she thinks we are all facing as artists is the act of creating.

Amira gives us an assignment that will help anyone feeling stuck and not able to find their creative voice, and she says all it takes is a week.

Practical pointers for artists struggling with composition and finding their color palette

Why finding your style is so vital - valuable insights and practical things you can do inside a week that can catapult you forward in finding your voice, especially as an abstract painter.

What is behind our reluctance to let our paintings go, the ones we really love, and the journey to selling your work consistently as an artist.

Today's guest is Danielle LaPorte, author of The Fire Starter Sessions, White Hot Truth, The Desire Map. She has created dozens of meditation kits and online programs for spiritual support and is a member of Oprah’s SuperSoul 100. We talk about embracing and loving all parts of ourselves, surrender, creativity, and her intention behind her new book "How To Be Loving...when your heart is breaking open and the world is waking up."

Danielle and I talk about embracing and loving all parts of ourselves, surrender, creativity, and her intention behind her new book "How To Be Loving...when your heart is breaking open and the world is waking up."

She shares how she learned to pray for wanting the right things and opens up about her daily routine for connecting with the source and tapping into divine guidance. She also touches on non-dualism and how it relates to Adyashanti’s teachings.

This episode offers valuable insights into discerning between ego and true self, embracing all parts of oneself, and the limitations of manifesting.

 In this episode

• The relationship between envy and inspiration
• Fear of our desires not coming true or being taken away 
• Discerning between ego and true self when seeking guidance
• How the unhealed self can look for approval everywhere, even from God.
• Advice for those who feel trapped in expressing themselves
• Danielle shares her daily routine for connecting with source and divine guidance
• The disordered and unhealthy behaviour around manifesting in the self-help/social media space

GIVEAWAY

Kate is giving away a copy of Danielle’s book and a $100 gift certificate for Morning Moon Nature Jewelry! 

To enter:

1. Subscribe to the show (hit the little plus sign beside the show in Apple Podcasts) 
2. Leave some stars & a review for the show in Apple Podcasts
3. Sign up for Kate’s newsletter (you’ll also get a bunch of freebies when you do this) 
4. Follow @kateshepherdcreative @thecreativegeniuspodcast
5. Tag a friend in the comments of this post saying why you want to read Danielle’s book

Margaret “Mo” Smith is an adamant believer in human potential and is passionate about helping people build the lives and businesses of their dreams by supporting them to step into themselves as leaders. She believes that the magic is in our energy and that we can create lives where money flows with less effort. We chat about how to shift our energy and manifest our desires and she shares her personal experience and insights on the importance of surrender and creativity. 

Mo shares about what she does day to day and how she got into this work of helping people build the lives and businesses of their dreams and offers us tangible useful insights, about the power of energy and how it can help us create lives where money flows with less effort

Be sure to claim the FREE GUIDED MEDITATION available to all listeners of this episode 

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT 

The Biggest Things That Prevent Us from Having the Lives of Our Dreams

Mo shares the number one thing she thinks people are believing or doing that is causing the most harm and keeping them from experiencing true happiness

Manifesting and Energy

• Mo explains manifesting and gives a crash course on how to do it
• Discusses how the energy we give off affects our day to day lives
• Talks about how to identify patterns that aren't working and shift them in a meaningful and lasting way

Unlearning and Setbacks

• Mo hares what she has had to unlearn on her own journey
• Discusses pitfalls along the way that might be helpful to know for someone starting out
• Talks about the importance of surrender in the manifesting process

Creativity and Energy

• Mo talks about her own creativity practice and what she gets out of it
• Shares what creativity feels like in her body and how it can help us shift our energy
• Summarizes the importance of energy and manifesting in building the lives and businesses of our dreams
• Encourages listeners to tap into their own energy and creativity to create the lives they desire.

Full show notes on KateShepherdCreative.com

In this episode, host Kate Shepherd interviews Ange Miller, a prolific creator and teacher, about creativity and its importance in our lives. Ange and Kate share a deep conversation about the creative process, the things that hold us back, and the importance of reconnecting with nature, journaling, and meditating.

Ange talks about her role as an advocate for the creative identity of humanity, a calling that didn't exist when she was in school. She shares her experiences of forging a path in uncharted territory and the challenges that come with such a huge calling. Ange also discusses how the educational system often overlooks the unique gifts of individuals, leading to isolation and a feeling of not belonging.

Ange and Kate also explore what humans want more than anything else and how creativity is a living treasure inside us. Ange shares her work as a trailblazer in the alcohol ink craze and how she felt called to share all her techniques, even though her ego wanted her to keep them for herself. She also talks about how this experience activated a path for her to be an advocate for creativity.

Kate invites listeners to check out the Creative Genius Patreon membership, which offers a growing library of powerful resources designed to help individuals cultivate a deeper flow of creativity in their lives. Ange's message about the importance of creativity and reconnecting with nature, journaling, and meditating is a powerful reminder of the transformative power of creativity.

Instantly unlock the growing library bonus content including weekly bonus episodes, guided meditations, worksheets and journal prompts and support Kate to keep making this show, become a Patreon

Toni Nagy is a massively creative and incredibly intelligent, articulate content creator, stand up comedian, and writer. You have probably already seen one of her videos cross your social media feed - she interpretive dances her feelings, thoughts, and philosophies. She is also a filmmaker and the founder of CaveLight Productions. Her work is quasi–radical, somewhat-existential, and mostly funny.

At the beginning of this episode, I share some thoughts on the importance of stewarding our dreams vs. sitting back and "going with the flow" or waiting for them to happen on their own time, how being overly flowy with our dreams can actually be a way of staying small and that maybe we have to take a more active role in making our dreams come true.

Our guest in this episode, Toni Nagy caught my eye with her captivating interpretive dances which involve unique movements and spoken word work meshed together, in her dances she's expressing thoughts, working out how she's feeling about stuff, she's talking about philosophy. It's a little bit of activism even maybe.  

When we get to the part of the conversation where Tony starts to talk about shadow. I was nodding so hard. I thought my earphones were gonna fall off. I love what she says about shadow. You know, there's so much talk about how to recognize and ignore the , negative limiting beliefs that are holding us back.

And listen out for the part about negative self talk! She has a really interesting hot take on that and how there can actually be wisdom in some of it!
 

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT

-The magic and power of consistently showing up for yourself

-Rituals for showing up for yourself and excavating more of your true creativity

-Capitalism's impact on creativity

-Why we work so hard to shove down one of the best parts of being human

-The pressure of being beautiful or creating something beautiful and how it impacts our sense of self worth

VISIT the Episode Page for more

Instantly unlock the growing library bonus content including weekly bonus episodes, guided meditations, worksheets and journal prompts and support Kate to keep making this show, become a Patreon

EPISODE SUMMARY & SHOW NOTES

Rachel Philips Co-founded  The Heart Institute of Whidbey, which hosts grown up summer camps, heart journaling events and other joyful art-based escapades in and around Whidbey island in Washington State. 

She makes and teaches HeART journaling which is something that extends far beyond what you might think ordinary journaling might be about - there is deep wisdom and medicine woven into her teachings. I can hardly wait for you to dive into this episode.  

Rachel has gifted every listener of Creative Genius $25 off her HeART journalling course.  

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT

-The importance of storytelling in all its various forms (including journaling) and how it is so much more than just words. 

-The thing she would do to change about society (if she had a magic wand)

-The quiet yet profound transformation she sees take place over and over again when people start to journal with the technique she developed

Canadian Visual Artist Roxanne Willems was raised in a fundamentalist religious community that taught her her value in life was limited to serving her husband and children.

She joins us today for a brave conversation about how with 4 young children, she found the courage to leave her family and community, how they ostracized her for it. She tells us about how she ended up falling into a violent second marriage on the heels of that and how she ultimately set herself free from the limiting beliefs that had been the only thing keeping her prisoner all along. 

Whether we believe we have enough or not, truly comes down to what we think - our thoughts are so powerful. Our mindset can be the difference between happiness and misery, joy or suffering. And so much of our mindset is inherited from the world around us which, unfortunately, is brimming with toxic limiting beliefs when it comes to things like what is possible for our lives, forgiveness, self worth, creativity,  happiness, abundance, love & joy in favor of damaging, paralyzing beliefs that center around fear, power, and survival. 

It is possible though to break through the shell of our limiting beliefs to create something that is based on trust, fulfillment, generosity, joy, intuition and creativity.  

Roxanne worked hard to rewire her brain after years of being taught her life was only for serving others. 

Shares the thing she had to let go of that not only saved her life but led her to create a thriving career as an artist and a life that is filled with genuine abundance and happiness.  

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT

-Developing a deep trust with the universe

-Everything in the universe is in a constant state of being primed for healing

-How she rewired her brain, neutralizing limiting beliefs that were the root cause of her minimizing herself

-Recognizing, examining and neutralizing harmful limiting beliefs (and how she did that)

-Real talk about the inevitable pitfalls along any transformative journey (and how to deal with them) 

-Learning to live from a place of grounded trust as opposed to fear, flight, flight and freeze

-What she had to let go of to truly step into a place of joyful curiosity that not only saved her life but led her into a life with a thriving career as a full time artist. 

visit the show notes page on KateShepherd Creative.com for more

RESOURCES

Recovering from fundamentalist religions

Domestic Violence Resources Canada

Violence against women

Mennonite

Melody Beattie Codependent no more

Resources for Co-dependency

Reiki

Comedian, Philosopher, Joy Sparker & World's Worst Motivational Speaker Rodney Norman joins us to talk about comedy’s powerful role in the healing process, the many benefits of making a fool of yourself and how nobody is really paying that much attention to you anyway so you may as well go do the thing you love doing. 

Formally educated as a philosopher, Rodney Norman found his way to stand up comedy 25 years ago and has been featured in the Boston Comedy Festival and was the Winner of the Rhode Island Comedy Festival. 

Rodney firmly believes that finding ways to laugh at ourselves, our foibles and even our traumas is one of the most powerful ways we can take the charge out of those things and get on with the healing process, and back to enjoying life - which according to him, is the point of the whole thing. 

His character Leonard, The World’s Worst Motivational Speaker, is unassuming and intentionally unpolished, delivers deep wisdom in a mumbly-fumbly way that has a widespread appeal - many of his videos going viral within days of being posted. Chances are good, if you have been on the internet at all in the past year, that you have seen one of Rodney’s videos. 

There is homework at the end of this episode, so listen out for that and if you want even more, have a poke around the Creative Genius Patreon - there is lots of really supportive bonus content there - homework, downloads and this week a gorgeous little Guided Meditation about Trust (which is also available for purchase for non Patreon supporters) 

Be sure to stick around to the end - Rodney’s character Leonard answers our billboard question for us today!

So many nuggets of wisdom in this episode. 

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT

-Rodney's secret to accessing and unleashing creative genius

-The ridiculously simple thing we all have in us that would let us be creative geniuses, and why nobody wants to do it

-How we often use our past difficulties as an excuse or way out of growing and how we can begin to use comedy to rewire our brains, heal trauma and truly enjoy life

-The hard truth about the learning process and what to do about it. 

-Why it's never too soon to look for the funny side of your situation. Even in the midst of grief. 

-The secret to having everything in your life open up, according to Rodney. 

-The thing he noticed after 25 years of doing stand up that helped him let go of needing to get it right when it comes to performing

-Get out there. Be stupid, look weird. Perfection is a turn off anyway. 

-How we often use our past difficulties as an excuse or way out of growing and how we can begin to use comedy to rewire our brains, heal trauma and truly enjoy life

-And we play you his favourite viral clip (and mine!)

TV Writer, Producer, Assistant Director and Show-Runner Jill Girling known for Cube (1997), Ride (2016),  Queer as Folk (1999), Find Me in Paris and Spellbound joins us today for a very special heart to heart about how paralyzing the fear can be when we first come into contact with our creative gifts, how it can derail our loves and what we can do to find our way back to ourselves. 

Jill is someone who (like many people who have a deep current of creativity running through them) experienced a lot of fear when she first came into contact with her creative gifts.

At the beginning of this episode Jill muses about what happened after she first decided she wanted to be a storyteller and writer - how she went veering almost cataclysmically from her path, getting lost in crime and partying and eventually in bringing other peoples creative dreams to life through her work as an Assistant Director in Hollywood.

Over the course of this organic, curious and open hearted conversation, we discover together how fear can keep us from our creative dreams, causing us so much heartache. Together we are able to name and identify the mechanism that led Jill to veer off her path, what brought her back to it and the realization that maybe she was never really lost at all.

When we start to see how these fear mechanisms work, how we're keeping ourselves from our dreams, it's like the portal to not doing that anymore. 

How often have we found ourselves facilitating someone else dream not our own?  How often have we done this? Are we doing it right now? 

What if you follow your creative dreams? What is the worst that will happen? You’re not going to die because you have a creative failure. You’re just going to learn from it.

It is a powerful conversation, one that many of us can find ourselves in, and I can't wait for you to hear it.

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT 

-How Creativity plays the long game with us, taking us on adventures that only make sense looking back at them

-How fear of how bright the creativity inside her was stopped her from following her own creative dreams and ultimately led to a life of depression and alcoholism, and how she stopped that cycle and started to live the life of her dreams

-How she healed her workaholism for once and for all 

-The one drastic thing she did that has done more for her creativity than anything else she has ever done

-How she realized she couldn't juggle working, drinking AND writing. Wanted to give it a real shot - said to herself, lets see what happens if i quit drinking

-The simple thing she does to get through times when she is overwhelmed with work - the little reward system that keeps everything functioning. 

RESOURCES USED IN THIS EPISODE

Spellbound

Find me in Paris (HULU)

Great Gatsby

Legends of the Fall 

Brad Pitt

Jackie Chan 

Rumble in the Bronx

Adhd

JJ abrams 

HBO

Hallmark Movies

Ride (Nickelodeon)

Paris Opera Ballet School 

Gilmour Girls

Vancouver Film School

The Holidays can be a beautiful and beautifully tough time. 

I wanted to create a little refuge for you from the storm. Reminders of how you are surrounded by love, and ideas for how you can stay connected to your own heart during this time, that kind of thing.  So I invited the ebullient and inspiring Ange Miller to join me talk about how we can begin to walk through difficult times with a bit more ease, and stay connected to our truest selves during this big time. 

This episode includes some concrete (and enjoyable) things you can do to begin to shift things that have not worked for you in the past over the holidays as well as loving holiday messages beaming right into your heart from some of our favourite past guests, Tracy Verdugo, Kimberly Grigg, Dr. Cheryl Arutt, Tracy Mazuer & Beth Suter.  

You are loved.  Have a listen and be reminded of just how much. You can do this. 

Everyone has something of value to say in the massive conversation we call 'ART' that has been taking place since humans began. Sometimes though, our perceived flaws, prevent us from finding our voice to express what is inside us, stopping us from participating in this conversation. Being different/flawed is an asset. This is a powerful conversation about how to find our way to seeing our flaws for what they really are, our superpowers, so that we can bust out and be a part of this universal conversation.  

We all have the right to call ourselves artists even without degrees - but with that comes a responsibility and Susan tells us what she feels those responsibilities are - this was one of the deepest and most significant explanations of this I have ever heard and I cant wait to hear how it landed for you.

Please find the post about her episode on Instagram @kateshepherdcreative or @thecreativegeniuspodcast and leave a comment sharing what came up for you when she said this!

Susan speaks directly to the listener who is yearning to take the next step into a life as a full time artist. Practical thoughtful mentoring type things, that are enormously helpful.

There is some in depth homework including two weeks worth of FREE WORKSHEETS you can do at home to help you find out what "flaws" are holding you back and what your superpowers actually are so that you can begin to say what you came here to say in this life. Powerful stuff. 

ABOUT SUSAN LOGORECI

Susan Logoreci, a wildly successful commercial and public artist, has an eye condition (Strabismus) that almost prevented her from being able to make art at all. And paradoxically, as we'll hear, was the very thing that has led her to be the artist she has become. 

Her drawings have been seen in Art in America, the Los Angeles Times, Harper’s Magazine, as well as many other periodicals. She has drawings in several collections including the U.S. State Department, City National Bank, Creative Artist’s Agency, Marriott and Hilton Hotels, Los Angeles Metro, Los Angeles County Arts Commission and in several law and urban design firms. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally.

She has also completed several public projects in hospitals, light rail stations and airports. She currently lives and works in Los Angeles.

Her art comes down to this: she wants the viewer to feel the delight and wonder of places and at the same time be inspired to take care of them and always be making them better. 

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT 

-Where creative impulses come from

-The conflict between realism and abstraction in art

-Intentionally looking for new ways to see things

-The eye condition she has (Strabismus) causes her to not see three dimensionally this “failure” to interpret every day life the way the rest of us do led her to not only see the world but also create art in a way that is completely unique to her. The things we think are our impediments, are pointing us to our superpowers

-Accessing your ‘inner delinquent’ to unleash creativity

-seeing differently as an artist is an asset - how can you use it

-The way you are different is an asset - and how you can use it. 

-Accessible tips and suggestions for getting grants and finding your path to becoming a public artist - her absolutely brilliant idea for the person who wants to get into making public art

-How she designed her largest public art project a staggering 10,000 square foot with 28 wall pieces in Phoenix airport!

-The collective amnesia that happens to us between childhood and adulthood  around creativity. What she thinks are the causes of it, and the ways we can change it.

Challenge to all listeners! If you felt a little something inside you perk up when Susan was talking about getting grants to do public art like on the utility boxes - challenge - go Find out how public art is governed in your area and apply! And join the creative genius family on facebook and share your experience, learnings and journey with it

Willow Wolfe started off painting little wooden bowls with her grandmother and by 19 was teaching art in her own studio in Winnipeg, Canada. 

Today she is an award winning art teacher, the author of a library of internationally available books and the designer of best-selling brush lines for over twenty years. Her approachable style and step-by-step painting methods have taken her to events, seminars and engagements across the globe. She is widely recognized for challenging and modernizing today’s world of art supplies and education.  

At one point in this episode Willows shares a sweet story about how a thoughtful gift from her college boyfriend changed the entire trajectory of her life - And in fact was the seed for what would become one of the most important lessons underpinning all of her teachings. 

Homework this week is about Awakening the Artist Within  -  an important part of the process of coming into contact with this wordless, wise creative part of ourselves involves loosening the grip that our conditioning and experiences have had on us. 

We all have developed protective beliefs which over time, become parts of ourselves that can seem very real - like they are the real us. These parts have kept us safe, helped us navigate difficulties, chaos and even trauma in our lives. But they are not our true essence, they are survival mechanisms based in fear and ultimately are holding us back. 

We can begin to unwind ourselves from being led by these fear parts by looking gently at the conditioning itself. I have created a handful of journal exercises for you that will help you start to put some distance between you and these beliefs  - to observe them better, and to begin to notice and identify more with your boundless, infinite creative self which is how you will set yourself free creatively. 

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT

- How we live with and perpetuate our own programming of the idea “I can’t” 

-The importance of navigating the liminal space between “I can’t” and “I can”  changing our own stories of what is possible for ourselves. She gives us her insights as a creative teacher of over 20 years for how to navigate that liminal space between i can’t and i can.. As we work to change our own inner narrative

-Resiliency and its role in our lives as artists

-How choosing to be you is something only you can do, and how it is the only thing you came here to do

-How art can connect us to the people we love

-How even people who are supported from a very young age to pursue being an artist, we can STILL found ourselves paralyzed by limiting beliefs and the simple thing we must do to bust through this. 

-How a thoughtful gift from her college boyfriend changed the trajectory of her whole life

-Learning a new thing often feels impossible, but if you look closely, it can often be broken down is a series of achievable steps. 

-Learning how to honour and get comfortable hearing no when it comes to your creative offerings, and how to see these moments as detours taking you somewhere even better 

-Learning the important messages no’s can carry into our lives and how to look for their hidden meanings

Kim Krans is a visionary artist, author, and creator of The New York Times Bestseller The Wild Unknown Tarot.  She joins us to discuss the magic of tarot, the collapse of 'The Artist' archetype in current culture and society, and the importance of showing up to support our own inner artists as the most important thing we can do to heal the world.

There is an incredible guided mediation at the end (in the homework section) and Kim does a tarot reading in the interview for everyone listening. Don't miss this one!

______

SHOW NOTES

Have you ever had a tarot reading and been bewildered by how the exact right cards for you in that moment showed up? Kim is an expert in tarot and gives us a beautiful history of the cards and a really cool explanation of why this happens, explaining the universal magic behind this phenomenon.

Kim Krans is a visionary artist, author, and creator of the New York Times bestseller The Wild Unknown Tarot and she joins us to discuss the magic of tarot and the importance of showing up to support our own inner artists. 

Kim does a tarot reading for us - I had her pull a card for all of us (that means you) and her reading is absolutely poetry to listen to -  I can almost 100% guarantee that you will feel like she is speaking directly to you. It will send shivers up your spine. 

At one point she guides us through an amazing exercise with tangible instructions of how to contact the creative field and harmonize your being with that energy. I had never heard something so concrete to point to something so esoteric. It was amazing. 

There is some beautiful homework at the end of this episode, a great little practice that if you really give yourself to, can be powerfully transformative in bringing you even closer to your own ocean of creativity. 

A prolific creative influenced by range of mystical traditions, Kim has published three oracle decks and guidebooks, one memoir, an interactive journal, and five children’s books. Kim is also known for her work as a multi-media artist, filmmaker, and musician.

At 15 years old, Kim left her small family farm in Michigan after receiving a scholarship to Interlochen Arts Academy where she double majored in Creative Writing and Visual Arts. She later moved to NYC and received a BFA in drawing at The Cooper Union and an MFA at Hunter College. Most recently she received an MA in depth psychology and the humanities from Pacifica Graduate institute, where she studied alchemy, archetypes, shamanism, and other esoteric modalities as they appear in the arts.

Describing her approach to creativity, Kim stated, “I’m a shapeshifting, multidisciplinary artist who creates doorways to the imagination - to other realms. My job is to make the portals too beautiful to resist, so people slip through without realizing it. What I am truly interested in is the power of image, and the power of ritual, to transform the individual and the world.”

Kim is perhaps best known for her drawings in The Wild Unknown Tarot, which was first self-published in 2012 and later rose to become a NYT bestselling title, now translated into ten languages. Her occult-turned-mainstream drawings can be spotted on tarot cards, handbags, books, snowboards, celebrity social feeds, and tattoos across the globe.

Kim teaches events and workshops around the world that activate the forces of creativity and radical transformation through art, meditation, mysticism, and movement. She is currentlY working on her newest and final oracle deck and guidebook, which will be published with Chronicle Books in 2022. Kim is also adapting her graphic novel Blossoms and Bones—a story about addiction and recovery based on her personal experience—into a film script.

Additionally, Kim has recently returned to making music after a 10-year hiatus from her musical project Family Band, where she was the lead singer and songwriter on two albums and creative director of multiple music videos.

Kim currently lives in New York City.

"To be an artist is to be absolutely active in each passing moment of ones life, deciding,  ‘where am i going to put my attention and how can that further service my role in the world to give?"

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT

-What is at the core of all the problems we face today and how stepping into our creativity is the path out of the mess we’ve made of the world. 

-How cultivating & supporting the artist is so important right now because we need new solutions, we need beauty & hope. 

-How answering creativity’s call is the most important thing we can do - and it can feel so meaningless - it is easy to think, ‘Why would I journal about my own life with everything going on in the world?” 

-Kim shares her biggest learnings have been over the couse of 10 years bringing a big body of creative work into the world. 

-Why we might want to approach our entire lives as though they were a work of art… (including rest) and how to begin to do this

-What is tarot, and why does it seem so magic? How its used and why it has been compelling and powerful for people over the centuries - and the true gift and magic of tarot 

-She does a tarot reading for us - that is absolutely poetry to listen to - I can almost 100% guarantee that you will feel like she is speaking directly to you. It will send shivers up your spine

-Why we back away from the mega power place of creativity inside us - and how it is the most beautiful generative place to be

-She guides us through an amazing exercise, tangible instructions of how to contact the creative field in such a way that you can give any of your concerns to it and let them go and truly have a sense of trust that everything is going to be taken care of. I had never heard something so concrete to point to something so esoteric. It was amazing

-A wonderful little thing you can do on the days you are not sure,  to prove that you really really matter. 

Thank you to all my Patreon supporters Your support is so important. You are amazing humans. I love you so much! I made you a beautiful 30 minute guided meditation called’ Finding Stillness in the Midst of Chaos’ - it’s already in your patreon account!

And if becoming a Patreon isn’t right for you at the moment, but you still want this meditation, but you can treat yourself to a copy of it here

REVIEWS

Beautiful reviews have been steadily coming in (thank you to everyone who has left one) please leave one if you have not yet. 

CREATIVE GENIUS FAMILY - PRIVATE FACEBOOK GROUP

Join our private Facebook Group ‘The Creative Genius Family’ a safe space to share about your creative struggles and triumphs and connect in person with other listeners for support & inspiration.

visit the website for full show notes on this episode

see the Reel that accompanies this episode and follow along @kateshepherdcreative on instagram

SHOW NOTES

Erin Oostra is a visual artist, graphic designer and the owner of Nuwavegallery in Ellensburg Washington. Her work is bold and beautifully striking and is most often inspired by the mountains and waters of the pacific northwest. We talk about how to begin to recognize how creativity wants to move through your system so that it van flow better, the importance of leaning into creative nudges, and importantly ‘mistakes’ in life and in the art studio. She shares her tips for how to conjure flow states and muses about how though many of us are put into boxes as children in terms of who we ‘are’ whether that’s athlete or artist - how we can question that at any time and begin to try the things we love. 

I want to share a beautiful review with you that came in last week, it’s from Connie Wyatt

Connie writes,  I have found my tribe with Kate and her guests in a world where these people aren’t easy to find! I resonate with every single episode and get so much from this podcast. Thank you so much, Kate for sharing your heart with fellow artists. I can’t say enough good things about the Creative Genius podcast and I’m so thankful you felt the need to create this platform! Sending Love and hugs your way. 

Thank you Connie. I am so glad we have found our way to each other, and I sense that this is just the beginning of an incredible journey together. I am so glad you are here. Please leave a review if you have not yet!

I’d like to invite you all to join our private Facebook group ‘The Creative Genius Family’ a safe space to share about your creative struggles and triumphs and connect in person with other listeners for support & inspiration. 

Erin calls herself an escape artist, which i love. 

She is an visual artist, graphic designer and the owner of Nu wavegallery in Ellensburg Washington.  Her work is bold and beautifully striking and is most often inspired by the mountains and waters of the pacific northwest. We have a terrific conversation that covers a lot of ground with everything from how to begin to recognize how creativity wants to move through your system so that you can flow through it better to the importance of leaning into creative nudges, and importantly ‘mistakes’ in life and in the art studio. She shares her tips for how to conjure flow states and muses about how though many of us are put into boxes as children in terms of who we ‘are’ whether that’s athlete or artist - how we can question that at any time and begin to try the things we love. 

I love that she asked me about what brings me JOY - it was lovely for me to see the answer that bubbled up for me. it ‘s a good question and one we might really benefit from asking ourselves more. Asking ourselves what kinds of feelings we want to feel and then noticing what kinds of feelings we most often feel can give us great clues about what we need to change in our lives. For example maybe as a trauma response to something earlier in our lives, we have become accustomed to feelings of overwhelm and stress, maybe we’ve become masterful at stress and overwhelm, maybe if we look really closely we’ll see that we are the ones setting ourselves up to be in and create situations where we will continue to get to feel those things because that has inadvertently become our comfort zone… but maybe if we had a choice we would want to fill our lives with other feelings. Guess what? There is always a choice. It all depends on what we are focusing on and giving our attention to - and we have control over that. 

And I loved erin’s Billboard - be sure to listen to the show to hear it, it comes towards the end. 

And there is some lovely homework in this episode that is designed to help you get in touch with and practice connecting with your inner knowing and intuition, which are how creativity speaks to us!

Things Erin and I talk about

-Breaking through the weight of fear doing new kinds of art

-How you have to be the one to give yourself nudges 

-Aphantasia

-What it feels like to have to dumb our creativity down to not upset people in our day to day lives who wish they were being more creative

-How hard it can be to start saying out loud, I am an artist

-How we get put in boxes in school. Artist, academic, sports person and recognizing the box you may have been put in as a child and seeing if you still want to be in it or if you want to get out and how to begin to let yourself out of the box

-How to make time for your art even if you have another full time job

-How to creates space and conjure flow states

-How even ‘mistakes’ in the studio provide some of the best opportunities for creativity 

-Creative fuelling - how she feeds her creativity 

2 time Juno Award Winning Canadian Singer/Songwriter Dan Mangan joins me to talk about the roles of vulnerability, honesty, determination and grit in bringing our art into the world. 

We talk about how he ‘made it’ as a musician in a landscape that is oversaturated with incredible talent no matter which way you look, the importance of creating a vehicle to carry your work into the world and he reflects on the approach he took to building his career - which ultimately allowed him to to work with the record label of his dreams (Arts & Crafts Feist, Broken Social Scene) and build a deeply connected relationship with his ever growing fanbase. 

Dan is a deeply grounded and all-round garden variety good dude. He has some incredible insights about what it takes to bravely express our art as it comes through us without adding all the pretense. He muses about how he feels that as artists it is our responsibility to put our armour down first, to inspire and free each other in the process. 

Dan’s music comes from that deep, soulful grounded place of magic - where all truly great music and art comes from. In it we find painfully, gorgeously said truths about the hopeful joys, the earnest, longing, reaching of youth and the impossible agonies, and incredulous bittersweet defeat of a life fully lived. Lyrics that will make you close your eyes to savour the delicious weight of their truth, all sung to you by his commanding yet gentle voice that is all at once approachable, gritty, knowing, uncertain, soothing, yearning & familiar. 

He's able to access this kind of magic for making his songs for a lot of reasons which will become obvious to you as you hear him talk. But I will say this; I feel like we can all learn a lot from Dan. He has figured out how to, as he puts it, ‘put his armour down first’ he fully shares his gifts without pretense, which has the beautiful side effect of inviting listeners and fans even closer to their own hearts.   

Dan realized the importance of being himself on stage early on in his career. Reflecting on what kind of person he wanted to be he realized he didn't want to be a ‘rockstar’ on stage he wanted to be an approachable dude -  he wanted to be himself and present to the magic he created with the audience. That decision to remain the truest version of himself may have ironically set him on a path of actually becoming the rockstar that he is today. 

Dan Mangan is the most humble non rock-star rock-star you may ever meet and I think you are going to get a lot out of this interview. 

SOME THINGS DAN AND I TALK ABOUT 

-How when he was first starting out he didn't think he was ‘very good’ (that was crazy for me to hear, especially because i was there… and he was great)

-Imposter Syndrome being at the root of humanity glitching

-Why live concerts have the power to unite us in such profound ways. 

-The magical thing he intentionally brings to his live shows. 

-How it is the artist's job to put down their armour and go first. And how that can inspire all kinds of magic in people's lives 

-How (and why) great music or art can make you laugh and cry in the same minute and leave you feeling as light as air which reminds you that the pros of existence do outweigh the cons

-How truly feeling the lows not just the highs in life helps him stay in gratitude mode not to take anything for granted 

-The very important thing he realized early on in his career that helped him orient himself to choices and actions that would help him to build a sustainable career with lasting success 

-Not waiting for his big moment or to be discovered, and what to do instead

-How it can be easy to fall into the trap of ‘waiting until you make’ it to share your best work with the world and how that is the very thing that can prevent ‘making it’

-The importance of discovering your gifts and really building on them. How he felt he had shortcomings as a musician and perhaps because of those was able to realize what he was extremely good at - connecting with large groups of people and lean into that. 

-What it feels like to start to get famous/have your dreams come true (It’s not what you might think)

-The importance of internally clocking our self worth rather than seeking external validation. 

Please share the show with a friend and if you are moved to make a financial contribution to the production of this podcast, THANK YOU here is the link for our Patreon

About Dan Mangan:

Dan Mangan is a two-time JUNO award winning & two-time Polaris Music Prize listed musician and songwriter. He has toured extensively in North America, Europe & Australia. He has played Glastonbury & Jimmy Kimmel Live, sold out Massey Hall and scored acclaimed soundtracks for television (Netflix, AMC) and feature film. Dan is a co-founder of Side Door. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia with his wife and two sons. His 6th LP "Being Somewhere" is out Oct 28th.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Dan’s new album
• Sidedoor
• Mother Mother
• Mark Berube
• Columbia House cd orders! Remember those?
• Sarah Mclachlan
• Tragically Hip
• Aerosmith Get A Grip - how cool would it be for stephen tyler to know know that this was dan mangans first album?
• The Beatles
• Malcolm Gladwell
• -Cafe deux soleils
• -Thom Yorke
• Arts & Crafts record label
• The Orpheum
• The Junos
• The Polaris Music Prize
• Feist
• Broken Social Scene
• Select All Delete John K Samson
• The Tourist Radiohead
• Leonard Cohen ‘Ring the bells that still can ring there's cracks in everything, that’s how the light gets in’

https://kateshepherdcreative.com/

www.lovemorningmoon.com

Listen to The Creative Genius Podcast with Kate Shepherd

www.instagram.com/kateshepherdcreative

www.instagram.com/thecreativegeniuspodcast

www.instagram.com/lovemorningmoon

From Hollywood Exec to Farmers Market Artisan - Walking away from a life that isn’t working

Have you ever found yourself looking around at your life and thinking, on paper you have everything you ever wanted and worked hard for but something still doesn’t feel quite right? 

Tracy Mazuer’s life is a powerful example of this - AND how we can begin to find our way back to our true calling - even in the midst of chaos and unhappiness. 

This is one of those episodes that has the power to change the trajectory of your whole life if you happen to be ready for what it is trying to tell you. If you suspect that there is a different, more fulfilling life whispering to you and you are ready to do some reflection, pay close attention to the end of this episode because, i have some homework that will help you begin to tease all this apart and start down your own path of returning to your truest self. 

After wanting to be a successful Hollywood producer as long as she could remember and fighting her way up the dysfunctional ranks of Hollywood, Tracy spent 25 years tearing her hair out in Hollywood as a television executive producer, writer, and director. From Bachelors and Bachelorettes to Deals and No Deals, from the Littlest of People to Biggest of Losers, from Millionaire Matchmakers to Long Lost Families, from A-list celebs to D-list and beyond, Tracy did it all. 

One day while immersed in the stress of producing one of her shows, Tracy realized that instead of tearing out what remained of her hair, she was going to try breathing and doodling on her desk calendar. And what it led to changed her life completely, forever. 

The trees that emerged in her doodles reflected exactly what she was feeling — chaos, frustration, with bits of light and joy. There were so many feelings packed into these doodled trees! And with the gusto familiar to any newly minted artist, Tracy tore it off of that desk calendar, brought it home, and stuck it on the fridge. Her husband immediately declared her a “Toddler Savant” and Tracy's foray into the forest took root. She's now officially left “the biz” and combines her storytelling skills with her illustrations to bring her art Trees Have Feelings - to life. 

Tracy is a vivacious, fierce, powerhouse of a human. A gentle giant. She shares with us how she came to know it was time to leave behind everything she worked so hard to build in Hollywood so that she could follow the quiet whisper of her trees. 

Trigger warning; Tracy references some sexual trauma that she has endured, it is brief and not graphic but all the same I wanted you to have a heads up on that. 

Perhaps my biggest takeaway from this episode is how art and creativity don’t stop pursuing us as long as it has gifts for us - and it always does. For most of Tracys life she felt she was not a ‘good’ artist  - she told us herself all through school she couldn't draw the way she wanted to draw or sculpt the way she wanted to sculpt. Doodling found her in the midst of the trauma she was going through as a young child and stayed with her for many years. And it came back to her in the midst of the chaos, stress and turmoil in a job she hated but had worked so hard to earn. In fact from where i sit, it certainly seems that doodling saved her life. It turned up in her office that day and helped walk her out of a life that may have been slowly killing her and into a life of healing, joy and fulfillment with her trees. 

Tracy’s story of ‘making it’ as a producer in Hollywood and then realizing she hated it is one that perhaps many of us can relate to. It can feel almost impossible to look at everything you have invested into your career or relationship or even a community and friendships and realize that while they are exactly what you thought you wanted, in reality, they just aren’t quite right for you. So many of us would rather (and often do) ignore these pangs - which is totally understandable - dismantling our lives is counter intuitive. We may be dealing with inner narratives like ‘I should be grateful for everything I have’ or ‘this is just how my life is meant to be’ or what about all that time/money/effort I spent to get here. And then there are the fears about what will happen when we tear it all down - will we have enough money? Will we be alone forever? Will your family and friends think we’re crazy? It can feel like we are going crazy. But the truth is the crazy thing is staying in a life that does not fit, bring you joy, bring out the best in you or most importantly help you bring the gifts you were born to bring out into the world. 

How is it that we set ourselves down certain life paths if they are not what we truly want? Recognizing how we have done this in the past helps us recognize when we are doing it again and helps us to avoid venturing too far down a path that is not ours. 

The journey into these new unknown places can be a scary one, often filled with uncertainty - and vulnerability - but more and more i am seeing that those who choose to listen to that small quiet voice inside, nudging us, softly nagging at us and follow it where it is guiding them, seem to consistently be rewarded with a calm, serene fulfillment that i think we are all ultimately looking for. 

Things Tracy and I talk about 

• Why we sometimes make life choices that do not reflect what our hearts truly want
• The traits she had to develop to survive the toxic hollywood environment
• The deep healing art has provided her even though her whole life she felt she couldn’t draw things she wanted to draw or sculpt things she wanted to sculpt. The darkness that came out of her in her dark art brought her so much joy because she knew it was finally coming up and out of her
• How collage (which had found her in school and came looking for her again when she went into therapy)  finding her in her 40s lead to some a profound healing of deep emotional wounds
• I got the chills when she told me about how the trees came out of her sketches in her miserable Hollywood office. Full of colour and light in the midst of anger and chaos and toxicity 
• How she believed for her whole life, that when something really good happened that meant the bottom would soon fall out -  and how the trees helped her heal that belief. 
• How she thought that if she really let herself explore the part of herself that was making and enjoying her art so much, that it would suddenly stop. Afraid of that pain. 

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Electric Light Orchestra
• The People Show
• University of Kansas Journalism
• The Home Show- ABC
• Good morning America - ABC
• Playing it straight  - Fox TV
• Brene Brown
• Glennon doyle
• Elizabeth Gilbert
• Episodes (tv show) 

ABOUT

Tracy Mazuer spent 25 years of her life tearing her hair out in Hollyweird as a television executive producer, writer, and director. From Bachelors and Bachelorettes to Deals and No Deals, from the Littlest of People to Biggest of Losers, from Millionaire Matchmakers to Long Lost Families, from A-list celebs to D-list and beyond, Tracy’s run the gamut. 

One recent and fateful day, while producing yet another unwieldy show, Tracy realized that instead of tearing out what remained of her hair, she would take breaks, breathe, and doodle on her desk calendar. 

Tracy holds a Bachelors degree in Journalism and a Masters in Education where she studied the effects of autobiographical writing with urban youth.

She's been married for 34-years to her college sweetheart — that guy who called her the Toddler Savant. They live with their two rescue-mutts, LizzieBelly and Hazelnut, in Bellingham, Washington. They have a son who is an artist in Seattle. 

Tracy Mazuer website | facebook | instagram

Kate Shepherd: art | website | instagram

Morning Moon Nature Jewelry | website |  instagram

Creative Genius Podcast | website | instagram

Please share the show with a friend and if you are moved to make a financial contribution to the production of this podcast, THANK YOU here is the link for our Patreon

Have you been wondering how to find your own artistic style? Whether you are an established artist with a good sense of your own artistic voice ready to take the next step in licensing your work, or you’re just getting into creating art, this episode has so many wonderful things in store for you -  not least of which is the FREE art class today’s guest Este Macleod has given all the listeners of The Creative Genius Podcast. 

Este is a generous soul and inspired teacher. Her paintings ethereal and happy and her approach to art is a wonderful mix of thoughtful observation and working intuitively (which we talk about) Este has worked with some large brands licensing her artwork and she tells us about the ups and downs of that so if that's something you're considering you're going to want to listen to this episode. 

Things Este and I talk about 

• The ups and downs of working with large partnerships like Crate & Barrel with her artwork
• Why it is OH SO important to invest in good materials at the start
• Some provocative questions to prompt the voice of your inner artist
• The number one thing artists starting out should remind themselves every day (especially on days when they think they are not good enough, or think they will never sell anything) 
• What to do if you feel really stuck, can’t find your creative voice and don’t know what to do. 
• Why she thinks it can be ok to copy other artists work, but the number one absolute no-no when doing so
• What to do when you run out of inspiration 
• How to be inspired by other artists or themes and trends and adjust your work so it becomes yours/
• How she found her own voice as an artist the ups and downs of that journey
• The life changing dream that woke her up on a flight 
• Creativity’s critical role in innovation and problem solving. 
• Her recent project with Sketchbook Revival
• All the reasons she feels our lives depend on creativity

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Sketchbook Revival 
• Creative Question Mark Challenge 
• Her courses 
• 1-2-3 Let's paint cats
• Gift to all creative genius listeners free 123 lets paint course!
• Free Class 

ABOUT

Este MacLeod is a visual artist, designer and creator of online art and creativity courses

Her paintings are informed by the real and the imaginary. A background in textile and ceramic design is evident in the stylised, abundant and colourful forms used in still life, landscape and floral paintings. She is a colourist painter, she uses a variety of painting and mark making techniques to layer colour and shapes, resulting in ethereal paintings. 

She draws inspiration from travel, nature, dreams, seasons, sentiments and thoughts as well as everyday surroundings. Observation and drawing are important parts of the creative process. Working intuitively, she allows paintings to develop over time. Her artworks are presented to convey intrinsic beauty, a feeling or memory of a place or impression.

Born in South Africa, Este has lived in England since 1999, and been based in Berkshire since 2005

Este MacLeod website | facebook | instagram

Kate Shepherd: art | website | instagram

Morning Moon Nature Jewelry | website |  instagram

Creative Genius Podcast | website | instagram

Please share the show with a friend and if you are moved to make a financial contribution to the production of this podcast, THANK YOU here is the link for our Patreon

Episode 24 is the last episode of Season 1 of the Creative Genius Podcast! It has been an incredible year and I am so glad you are here. We’re taking a bit of a break over August so that you can go back and listen to your favourites, while we work on some amazing things to kick off season two with a bang in September. 

Our guest today is Autumn Skye - an incredible artist with a massive online following, and when you see her work you’ll immediately get it. Her pieces are equal parts painstakingly detailed and evocatively magical. 

This is a deep and deeply nourishing and expansive feeling episode. We cover a lot of ground from the practical to the esoteric. I came away from this conversation feeling more spacious and filled with a sense of possibility and wonder that I have in a long time. 

If you’ve been on the fence of stepping into yourself as an artist you’ll want to hear the amazing things she says about how art can serve as a tribute to the past, a processing of the present and of forward visioning. And how as artists in this potent time in history  we get to ask ourselves what we want to put our energy behind and what vision we want to create for our future to invite others into their own creativity and healing. 

My favourite part comes towards the end when she shares the ritual she does whenever she goes to a new city that deepens her connection to creativity and presence instantaneously - and then connects it to how we can be in our creative lives. I loved it and cannot wait to try it out next time I go on a trip

Autumn was one of those lucky individuals who was encouraged to nurture and follow the creativity in her from a very young age. This resulted in her being fairly unencumbered by distracting limiting beliefs that so many of us have to navigate when it comes to creativity.  She has a beautiful, generous soul and is passionate about sharing the wonder and power of creativity - helping people free themselves to infuse playfulness, curiosity and discovery into their own creative journeys through teaching engagements and retreats 

She’s partnered with Alana Fairchild and created artwork on the Sacred Rebels oracle deck, has her own beautiful self published deck, and will once again be working with Alana on a new oracle deck in the coming year. (more information on that at the end of the show) 

Things we talk about in this episode

• Her powerful advice for anyone experiencing fear about beginning to express creativity (hint: it's something you could go out and do today)
• Her mission through her artwork
• What is creative Draino and why is it so important?
• Her understanding of the creative process, how it works and what it is trying to do through us
• How being willing to be surprised is a key in the magic of her artwork
• Surefire ways to stop epiphanies and creative insight and how not to do those things
• What intuition feels like for her
• Incorporating muscle testing in the creative process as a way to cultivate intuition
• What she does when she bumps up into limiting beliefs (and it’s not about silencing them!)
• Using limiting beliefs as a catalyst to not only do the thing, but do the thing and then some
• How to approach our creativity in a way that helps it feel safe to come out
• Our tendency as women to dim our own light. Loving advice for the person who feels they don't even have the right to try - or may have been bullied by a loved one not to shine brighter than them.
• How artwork can be like a map for humanity as well as shape our reality - it is at the tip of the spear of cultural revolution
• Her poetic and inspiring definition of what creativity (which might be the best definition of creativity I have ever heard) truly is that might just change how you look at every single moment

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Liz Gilbert (fear being a passenger in her car)
• Sacred Rebels Deck
• Alana Fairchild
• GOOGLE HER DECKS AND LINKS to them

ABOUT

Autumn Skye lives, breathes, and dreams art, and has done so since she was old enough to hold a pencil and reach for a piece of paper. Her childhood and early adult years were spent traveling the landscapes of both her wild Canadian backyard and distant international shores. Through her wanderlust she developed a deep reverence for the beauty of nature and the diversity of humanity, and continuously endeavors to translate this inspiration through her work.  As a self-taught artist she is forever a student of the intuitive, creative process. Autumn Skye perpetually explores and plays in many artistic mediums and modalities, from music to sculpture, cooking, event production, sewing, interior decorating, and jewelry making. However, her sustaining focus remains primarily in painting, and finds acrylic paints to offer the most freedom, luminosity, and versatility in her intuitive art-making. Her style gracefully weaves together refined realism, iconic imagery and symbolism, and subtle energetic geometries. She’s inspired by the beauty of this incredible planet, the potency of these extraordinary times, the mysteries of the cosmos, the resiliency of the human spirit, and the intricate connections between all facets of life. 

Autumn Skye's meticulous and poignant paintings continue to gain expanding recognition, attracting audiences, collectors, and students from around the globe. She exhibits and teaches worldwide, and otherwise thrives and paints in the beautiful temperate-rainforest of coastal British Columbia, Canada. Considering herself immensely blessed to do what feeds her soul, she strives to support others through creative empowerment, the gift of beauty, and the perpetuation of inspiration.

Autumn Skye website | facebook | instagram

Kate Shepherd: art | website | instagram

Morning Moon Nature Jewelry | website |  instagram

Creative Genius Podcast | website | instagram

Please share the show with a friend and if you are moved to make a financial contribution to the production of this podcast, THANK YOU here is the link for our Patreon

In this episode I speak with Tracy Verdugo, Visual Artist, teacher and Author of the wildly popular book, “Paint Mojo”. For more than 22 years, Tracy has worked with thousands of people around the world - helping them to find their creative freedom. She shares the insights she’s gained over these years including the one main thing she has found, that she thinks is the key to creating amazing art and how giving it to ourselves can carry over into other areas of our lives changing everything about how we live for the better.

We talk about the power of learning how to break the rules to help us overcome fear & anxiety, to gain confidence in our creativity, and Tracy offers us some really practical ideas, insights and suggestions for harnessing and unleashing our creativity that I think you're going to find really useful AND she also tells us some beautiful stories (she has a true poet’s heart).

This is the kind of episode that fills you up with the feeling that you can in fact do it, and makes you want to get out your tools and materials and get going right away. 

Tracy’s book “Paint Mojo” has over 25,000 copies in circulation - which is no surprise because when you hear her you immediately recognize her as one of those people that just makes you feel like anything's possible when it comes to your creativity. 

My favourite is when she tells us the story of her accidentally wandering into somebody's backyard and Guatemala and the ensuing conversation about creativity that changed her entire perspective on everything. 

Tracy Verdugo has taught over 100 workshops over the world and has a lot of insights to share that go a long way to helping us understand how to overcome the “I can’t” feelings many of us have when it comes to expressing our creative selves.  

Things Tracy and I talk about

-The number one thing she learned in over 22 years of teaching over 100 workshops and classes around the world, about what humans need the most when it comes to creativity

-How giving this one thing to ourselves can carry over into our lives and change everything about how we live our lives for the better

-How traveling to Guatemala and meeting indigenous people for whom creativity was woven into every facet of their lives, was a light bulb moment for her in how fractured and silo-ed we have become in the west when it comes to accessing and enjoying this part of ourselves. 

-The yearning we all have to connect with the world of our ancestors and how creativity is the bridge to that can deliver us there

-She told the story about a life-changing afternoon on a trip to Oaxaca when she wandered onto a family courtyard and had a serendipitous moment with a local man who was sitting in his garden there. He told her the thing he sees people doing in the west (when it comes to creativity) that he felt is making our whole culture sick. 

-The three things we can stop doing to find our creative freedom 

-The process she underwent to become someone who could allow creativity to move through her and stop creating from her rational mind. 

-The one main thing she has found after decades of teaching and creating art that she thinks is the key to creating amazing art 

-Her secrets for conjuring flow states 

The most common limiting belief she thinks we are taught that squashes our creativity

ABOUT Tracy Verdugo

Tracy is an inspiration instigator, prolific painter, bestselling author and lover of the written word, smitten traveler and soaker up of all that is beauty-full. She teaches her Paint Mojo and other creative workshops all over this amazing planet and reminds her students of the wonder that already resides within them. Her works are vibrant and filled with joy, inspired both by global travels and the simple beauty of the focused moment.

Since 2000 Tracy has held 18 successful solo exhibitions and her works are held in collections both in Australia and internationally. Mostly though, she is mama bear to two gorgeous, zest-filled daughters, Santana and Cece, and co-adventurer in life with her amor of 34 years, the talented and brilliant Marco.

Kate Shepherd: art | website | instagram

Morning Moon Nature Jewelry | website |  instagram

Creative Genius Podcast | website | instagram

Tracy Verdugo website | facebook | instagram

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Paint Mojo (her book)
• Flora Bowley

Please share the show with a friend!

 If you are moved to make a financial contribution to the production of this podcast (THANK YOU, we can’t keep going without you) here is the  link for our Patreon

Dr Cheryl Arutt Clinical & Forensic Psychologist : The Brain Science of Creativity 

EPISODE SUMMARY

Have you ever wondered any of these: What the science is behind creativity? What causes creativity in the brain? What part of the brain is used in creativity? Or maybe even how to activate creativity in the brain? 

In this episode Kate speaks with Dr. Cheryl Arutt a clinical and forensic psychologist based in Los Angeles, California working with actors, writers, directors and showrunners supporting their psychological well-being. A specialist in trauma recovery, creativity and post-traumatic growth, Dr. Cheryl is currently Access Hollywood’s go-to psychologist for trauma issues, a frequent psychological expert on many networks including CNN, HLN and DiscoveryID, and has been interviewed by the BBC and 20/20 Australia.  For more information about Dr. Cheryl please visit askdrcheryl.com, and for info about her online courses for creative artists please visit www.thecreativeresilience.com

EPISODE NOTES

Have you ever wondered any of these: What the science is behind creativity? What causes creativity in the brain? What part of the brain is used in creativity? Or maybe even how to activate creativity in the brain? 

In this episode Kate speaks with Dr. Cheryl Arutt a clinical and forensic psychologist based in Los Angeles, California working with actors, writers, directors and showrunners supporting their psychological well-being. A specialist in trauma recovery, creativity and post-traumatic growth, Dr. Cheryl is currently Access Hollywood’s go-to psychologist for trauma issues, a frequent psychological expert on many networks including CNN, HLN and DiscoveryID, and has been interviewed by the BBC and 20/20 Australia.  For more information about Dr. Cheryl please visit askdrcheryl.com, and for info about her online courses for creative artists please visit www.thecreativeresilience.com

Dr. Cheryl explains how creativity works and what it even is from a Brain Science Perspective. We talk about the link between education and creativity. I ask her if we are doing enough to foster creativity & creating thinking in the school system? And she gives us some actionable things we can do at home for ourselves and our children to rev our own creative engines. One of my favourite moments though, comes towards the end  when I ask her about the possibility of the opposite of inheriting generational trauma existing. We know we can inherit trauma but can we inherit magical wonderful things too? We shared a really tender moment - one where I felt like she was talking to ALL of us. It’s beautiful, uplifting and inspiring.  I think you’ll be really moved by it. 

What Dr. Cheryl Arutt & I talk about

-What creativity IS from a brain science perspective. 

-What is really going on inside our psychology when people say “I’m not creative”

-Why processing trauma including intergenerational trauma, and converting it to post traumatic growth is so important (and is absolutely possible)

-The link between education and creativity. Are we fostering creativity and creating thinking enough in the school system? And if we are seeing that our children are not getting as much focus on creativity in school what can we do at home? 

-What is the one question you can ask yourself (or your kids) to kick start your creativity (what is another way to do that/look at that/solve that)

-How the “we only use 10% of our brains” thing is a myth

-How to use creativity to safely access our traumas 

-What is EMDR (eye movement and desensitization and reprocessing therapy how it was discovered and how creative people can use it to heal trauma and access even more of their innate creativity

-Post traumatic growth - learning to integrate and recognize all the ways you grew as a person as a result of living through your trauma

-What she thinks creativity is trying to do - from a brain science perspective

About Dr. Cheryl Arutt

Dr. Cheryl Arutt is an accomplished clinical and forensic psychologist based in Beverly Hills, CA whose amalgamation of rigorous training and experience allows her to engage with people from a place of deep insight and empathy. Through compassion, skill and sometimes even humor, she helps her patients uncover what is in the way of living a full-access life, empowering them to move forward.

Following over 20 years as a working actor, Dr. Cheryl’s interest in human behavior shifted to psychology after volunteering on a crisis line. With scholarships from both SAG and AFTRA to study at University of California, Los Angeles, Dr. Cheryl graduated summa cum laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She earned her Doctor of Psychology degree from California School of Professional Psychology in Los Angeles, where she received the Outstanding Doctoral Project Award for her Clinical Dissertation: Healing Together: A program for couples coping with the aftermath of rape.

Her postdoctoral fellowship at WILA culminated in a certificate of psychoanalytic psychotherapy, and she received further advanced training in Interpersonal Neurobiology with Dr. Daniel Siegel, with whom she gave a TEDx talk. A lifelong student of power dynamics and an ally for social justice, Dr. Cheryl taught courses to PhD and PsyD students at Allliant International University/CSPP, including: Intercultural Processes and Human Diversity, Sex Roles and Gender, Ethics and Clinical Interviewing.

Dr. Cheryl Arutt - Clinical Psychologist

As a trauma specialist, Dr. Cheryl helps her patients understand how adaptations to the source of distress often outlive their usefulness and provides guidance and inspiration to navigate life from a place of wholeness. In continual pursuit of deepening her knowledge of trauma recovery and post-traumatic growth, Dr. Cheryl is devoted to continuing education in effective and evidence-based therapies, including EMDR therapy. A certified Rape and Domestic Violence counselor for decades, Dr. Cheryl also serves on the Board of the national victim’s organization, PAVE, dedicated to shattering the silence of sexual violence.  

Dr. Cheryl understands and supports the unique needs and challenges of creative artists and performers. In collaboration with Dr. Cheryl, actors, writers, showrunners, musicians and other creative professionals learn to thrive and clear obstacles to their success and happiness, both personally and professionally. She is a firm believer that the best way to protect the art is to protect the artist.

In addition to working with people in private practice, Dr. Cheryl enjoys speaking to professional organizations, institutions of higher learning, at events and on television about creative resilience, post-traumatic growth, recovery from trauma and why people do what they do. 

Dr. Cheryl Arutt: website | facebook | instagram | twitter

Kate Shepherd: art | website | instagram | twitter

Morning Moon Nature Jewelry | website |  instagram

Creative Genius Podcast | website | instagram

RESOURCES DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:

-DAN SIEGEL, MD

-DAN SIEGEL’S “WINDOW OF TOLERANCE”

-EMDR INSTITUTE

-ACCESS HOLLYWOOD VIDEO ABOUT EMDR

-BESSEL VAN DER KOLK, MD BOOK: 

THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE

Sam Parton (The Be Good Tanyas)  "The Littlest Birds Sing The Prettiest Songs"   

Episode Summary

In this episode Kate speaks with Sam Parton, founding member of the wildly popular Canadian Alt Folk band The Be Good Tanyas. Their debut album Blue Horse was named 2002’s top 50 releases by Q Magazine (UK) and the band would go on to release more albums cherished by fans all over the world. Their albums Chinatown and Hello Love were met with glowing reviews including four stars from Rolling Stone Magazine and the band sold out concert halls across North America and Europe. 

Sam tells us about how trauma from her early childhood ultimately set her on a journey that would see her not only find her musical voice and people, but create what I think is one of the greatest Canadian bands of all time The Be Good Tanyas. She tells us what she thinks creativity is and what it wants from us, how she found her bandmates, the joy and challenges of collaboration, and how lyrics come to her -  including the story of how one of my very favourite songs of all time by any band was written, The Littlest Birds Sing the Prettiest Songs (hear an excerpt of this song in the episode) 

Things Sam and I talk about

-Her ideas on how creativity and creative intelligence are often part of a lineage and the yearning that can create within us 

-How being a twin made her into a great collaborator

-Finding her long lost father and how that separation fed her desire to become a musician

-Growing up in the shadow of a sibling born with extraordinary musical talent, and in a home with tormented, abusive adults feeling that she had to do her music in secret and how the grief from those things ultimately drove her to find and express her own creative gifts

-The magic that can happen when we know how to approach creativity from a place of truly not knowing, beginner's mind. 

-What is inspiration and why do we feel like we have to wait for it? What if it is waiting for us? 

-How she met Frazey Ford, co-founding member of the be Good Tanyas

-The joys and challenges of creative collaboration

-How the words and melody for The Littlest Birds Sing the Prettiest Songs came to her and what the song means to her

Buy her music on Bandcamp!

Episode Notes

In this episode Kate speaks with Sam Parton, founding member of the wildly popular, Canadian Alt Folk band The Be Good Tanyas. Their debut album Blue Horse was named 2002’s top 50 releases by Q Magazine (UK) and the band would go on to release more albums cherished by fans all over the world. Their albums Chinatown and Hello Love were met with glowing reviews including four stars from Rolling Stone and the band sold out concert halls across North America and Europe. 

Sam tells us about how trauma from her early childhood ultimately set her on a journey that would see her not only find her musical voice and people, but create what I think is one of the greatest Canadian bands of all time The Be Good Tanyas. She tells us what she thinks creativity is and what it wants from us, how she found her bandmates, the joy and challenges of collaboration, and how lyrics come to her -  including the story of how one of my very favourite songs of all time by any band was written, The Littlest Birds Sing the Prettiest Songs (hear an excerpt of this song in the episode) 

So many of us KNOW from a young age what we love to do, but so often it is overshadowed by our life circumstances, whether it’s childhood trauma, abuse, neglect, unsupportive parents or simply not having anyone in our lives to see us and cheer us on, or as in Sam’s case being so different from the people in her childhood home, that she grew up feeling like an alien in her own home. 

Sam's drive to find her father, to fill in the gaping hole his departure from her life left, would eventually take her on a winding adventure that would give rise to a deeply fulfilling musical career and the ability to fulfill the calling of her musical gifts. And thank goodness for all this because the music and lyrics that Sam has been able to allow to come through her have woven themselves into the tapestry of my own (and I am sure millions of others) lives. 

She had a strong drive to follow the lineage of creativity, to find out how the people who created music that spoke so strongly to her like Bob Dylan and Neil Young, were able to create those things.

Sam was a founding member of the band The Be Good Tanyas whose debut album Blue Horse quickly earned them cult status as a beloved Alt Folk Band, it was named among 2002’s top 50 releases by Q Magazine (UK) and the band would go on to release more albums cherished by fans all over the world. Their albums Chinatown and Hello Love were met with glowing more reviews including four stars from Rolling Stone. The band toured sold out concert halls across North America and Europe. Their music was featured in tv shows like Breaking Bad and The L word. 

My excitement was because here I was sitting down in real life, with the person who had brought music and lyrics into the world that had been on the soundtrack to many of the important moments of my life for the better part of 20 years from weddings and births of my children to lazy sunday brunches and sunny sunday afternoons cleaning the house, in some way Sam had been with me through it all and here she was sitting down with me to tell me the stories of how it all came to be. 

One of my favourite moments in the episode is when Sam tells the story of how the lyrics and melody for  The Littlest Birds Sing the Prettiest Songs came to her. This is one of my very favourite songs of all time (not just from the Be Good Tanyas repertoire) we got permission to share some of the song with you which you’ll hear when we get to that part of the conversation. 

If this podcast is meaningful for you, if you get inspiration or encouragement or simply raises your spirits to listen to it, please sign up to make a small $5 or $10 contribution each month. This has become a fulltime job, I am doing it all on my own. I am a single mom and entrepreneur. I love creating the show for you, but I will need your help to keep going. Find out more on Patreon.com/creativegeniuspodcast  

Leave a review in apple podcasts  - they are very helpful for growing the show AND they are a wonderful way for me to know that what I am doing matters. 

Sign up for my newsletter on KateShepherdCreative.com I give away an original piece of art each month to a random someone who is signed up and I am about to do the draw for the next one 

And head over to The Creative Genius Facebook Page and join our private community there - we discuss our ah-ha moments from this podcast, share our creative pursuits, struggles, joys and support each other as we walk towards allowing the energy of creativity to take over the drivers seat of our lives. 

It was a chance encounter at the Vancouver Public library that brought us together way back in October when I was just starting the show. Like any adoring fan I may have gushed a bit and bravely asked her to join me in conversation on the show, hers was an immediate generous, warm and full-hearted YES. It took us a few months to line our schedules up and I am so pleased to be able to share this conversation and her music with you today. Here is my conversation with Sam Parton. 

In the weeks after this interview was recorded, Sam and I went on a walk through the sun dappled forest near my home. We talked more about life, creativity, and how much music industry has changed, with streaming services making it more difficult than ever before for musicians to make a living with their music. I wanted share some ways you can support Sam and her music. You can find those in the show notes on KateShepherdCreative.com 

To me Sam’s story is a beautiful love story, the love of a little girl for her natural born gift, the love of a daughter for her long lost father, and the love of an artist for creativity itself. 

Sam gave me so many things to think about, I really appreciated what she said about putting down the projections of how we see others as being so much more prolific or professional than which can help us to be brave enough to take the risk of looking like we don’t know what we are doing -  because from that place of lighthearted silliness magic usually happens. 

And as usual the word I pulled for today’s show was perfectly perfect. It was inspiration. I got the truthbumps when she started talking about inspiration. Friends, I think she might be right. What if it IS the other way around? What if inspiration is waiting for us? 

What would be available to you if you were to approach your creative practice as though inspiration was already right there waiting for you, and to allow yourself to approach creating from a place of truly not knowing anything and waiting to be shown?

Special Thanks to Sam Parton and Birthday Cake Media for permission to use The Littlest Birds Sing The Prettiest Songs in this episode

Kate Shepherd: art | website | instagram

Morning Moon Nature Jewelry | website |  instagram

Creative Genius Podcast | website | instagram

Sam Parton: website | instagram | bandcamp

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Bob Dylan
• Neil Young
• Dolly Parton
• Judy Garland

Please share the show with a friend and if you are moved to make a financial contribution to the production of this podcast, THANK YOU here is the link for our Patreon

This episode is about creative blocks. This is a big topic, a lot of people really dread the idea of a creative block - when they happen the temptation can be to immediately try to fix it, or get past it  - to solve it, all to avoid what is actually a beautiful and inevitable part of the creative process. In this short, 15 minute mini episode, I'm going to give you three really tangible, actionable things that you can do when you're experiencing a creative block that will, in the end, make your creative practice that much richer.

Visit KateShepherdCreative.com for a full transcript and to sign up for the extras I mention in this episode. 

In this episode Kate speaks with Kimberly Grigg, a wildly successful Interior Designer from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina who had figured out how to hack her creativity so that it was always ON. While this allowed her to build an empire for herself, it also literally almost killed her. She shares how that happened and what specific things she has done and continues to do to make sure that she remains healthy and able to express the gifts she was born to share with the world. 

If you are someone who struggles with stuff around control or if you have been feeling lately that something in your life is not quite right whether it is in your job or relationships or even with your creative practice  - I think you are especially going to get A LOT out of this episode.  

I feel like there are so many of us who will benefit from what I think is somewhat of a cautionary tale from our guest Kimberly today. How significant the damage we can cause to ourselves and our lives when we stop listening to our inner voice. And how much more rich, enjoyable and purposeful our lives can become  when we do. 

If you could have been a fly on the wall during this interview you’d have seen me nodding vigorously throughout almost this whole conversation. 

When Kimberly described the gut wrenching fear and guilt she felt after she realized she had to shut down the part of her business that employed 20 people and generated all that income all because the joy was gone.. I felt that. 

I think we have all had to navigate getting out of least one situation that we created for ourselves through sometimes years of not listening to that quiet inner voice inside us. 

And even though it almost killed her, she found her way out of it by tuning in and dedicating herself to listening to it. And she was quick to admit that it is not always smooth sailing - sometimes she goes back to her old ways, but life is so much sweeter and happier and fuller now that she has gotten out of her own way and makes sure to always check in and ask herself, “Does this feel Joyful? If not then, why am I doing it? 

Things Kimberly and I talk about

-How she learned to hack creativity so it was always on, and how it almost killed her

-Being addicted to busy and how she made her way back from burnout

-How to “burn down your life” when you have accidentally filled it with things you do not love

-Learning to befriend creativity to have a sustainable relationship with it

-Filling the cup - ways she does this that have improved her quality of life 1000 fold. 

-The simple routines that her doctor gave her to manage her stress and energy levels that she credits with saving her life

-How bravery fits into creativity

In this episode I talk about some of the challenges I lived for most of my life, not knowing I had a condition called Aphantasia; which is an inability to conjure visual imagery, or a mind's eye that is blind. And how when I accepted this, I came to see how this condition is what is actually responsible for what I now see and know are my greatest strengths. 

Leaning into what makes us different is the path towards true fulfillment and expression of the gifts we came her to both receive and share. 

If you are tired of pretending you are "normal" or just like everyone else -  even if it is in one tiny corner of your life - that is great news! It means you have a hot clue to finding your superpowers.  This mini episode is the pep talk you need to bust out and be unapologetically YOU! 

FULL TRANSCRIPT Available at KateShepherdCreative.com

In this episode Kate speaks with New Zealand Visual Artist Phoebe Gander. 

Phoebe shares how difficult it was to live most of her life with undiagnosed ADHD, how for years she believed there was something deeply faulty about her and how that was the root cause of self-hatred and years of depression. When her own young son was diagnosed with ADHD, it led her to her own diagnoses which set her on a path of a deep healing and self acceptance which ultimately allowed her to step into the superpowers that ADHD had in store for her.  

So many of us KNOW from a young age what we love and what makes us happy but in a misguided effort to be like everyone else we so often talk ourselves out of following those dreams. 

Phoebe’s story is a reminder to me of how important it is that we commit to seeing each other's differences as gifts, not things to be scared of. So much suffering and trauma can be avoided if we are encouraged to lean into what makes us different, rather than trying to make it go away. 

One of my favourite moments in the episode is when Phoebe talks about her painting “No light, no shadow” and how for her it is a very clear example for her of what she feels creativity is trying to do through her; which is to remind herself and others that without darkness there can be no light. 

When I think about little Phoebe and ALL the little people everywhere who are trying so desperately to achieve all the same things in all the same ways as their peers despite the fact that that is simply not how life works - my heart gets a lump in its throat. I wish we could just wave a magic wand right now and let every single person past present and future know this:  the thing that makes you different IS the thing that makes YOU so special. I am roaring encouragement at you to not waste another moment: LEAN into this thing. 

Things Phoebe and I talk about

-How so many of us KNOW from a young age what we want to do, but in a misguided effort to be like everyone else we talk ourselves out of following our dreams.

-What it was like to have undiagnosed ADHD for much of her life (no explanation for why she was so “different” 

-What the gifts and challenges of ADHD have been - learning how to balance those. 

-What creativity really is and what it is trying to do through her 

-Why she calls herself an emerging artist (even though she is very accomplished) 

-How the two years she studied art and theater in university were the “best two years of her life: 

-The pressure to come up with a “reasonable” job when we are younger. 

-How she hit rock bottom and what borough her back 

-Post-natal depression, post natal anxiety

-Whether you can be a “real” artist even if you can’t draw (spoiler: the answer is yes) 

About Phoebe Gander:

Phoebe Gander is a mixed media Artist, inspired by the beautiful ocean, skies and landscape where she lives with her family in Wainui Beach on the east coast of New Zealand. She predominantly uses acrylic paint and epoxy resin, as well as other fluid mediums such as acrylic ink and alcohol ink. She is self taught in these mediums however has a BA hons degree in printed surface design, which she gained studying at Falmouth College of Arts in the UK. She began creating art regularly again in 2018 and creates work using many layers, using paint and sometimes resin or other media to create depth and intrigue. 

​

Phoebe is fascinated by creating artworks that pull the viewer closer and drawn to creating abstract landscapes, full of textures and marks that tell a story. To her, there is something captivating about nature - it’s a never ending source of inspiration, ever changing with the seasons, the weather... in a time where everything is fleeting, where people want to consume things so quickly, she creates artworks for you to stand still and consider a moment caught in time. Living just across the road from the beach and with a backdrop of hills behind her home studio she feels a strong connection to the landscape that surrounds her.

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Originally from the UK, Phoebe has lived in New Zealand with her husband for the past 15 years where they’ve since had three children.

Kate Shepherd: art | website | instagram

Morning Moon Nature Jewelry | website |  instagram

Creative Genius Podcast | website | instagram

Phoebe Gander: website | facebook | instagram

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Alcohol inks
• Resin 
• Additude.mag diagnostic tool for add
• Dr, Richard Barkley adhd research
• Power of Now Eckhart Tolle

If you or someone you know is suffering with Post-Natal or Depression of any kind, please reach out to your local health-care provider 

Please share the show with a friend and if you are moved to make a financial contribution to the production of this podcast, THANK YOU here is the link for our Patreon

In this mini episode Kate talks about the importance of the words we use when we talk about ourselves and our artwork because our inner Creative Genius is listening. She shares a simple daily practice we can incorporate into our lives that will help us notice when we are being unkind to ourselves so that we can stop doing that and be kind to our Creative Genius - otherwise they are unlikely to come out to play and show us all the amazing things they have to share. 

Full Show notes including transcript of todays show are available on  Kate ShepherdCreative.com

Jeanne Oliver is an artist, author, teacher and art business consultant. She paints, teaches how to paint art journals and is deeply committed to the creativity in her. She created an online art school platform that hosts over 180 art and business workshops serving over 60,000 art students around the world. She has written a beautiful book called “The Painted Art Journal” aimed at helping people find a deeper understanding of themselves and their art and she offers a transformational business course for those ready to take the next step in building their own Creatively Made Business.

That feeling we have from that place deep within ourselves, that need to create. 

Creativity is calling us - what is it and why is it calling us?  Why is it trying to get out attention

Who creativity and its products are for: spoiler it’s not just you. 

How Women are more likely to justify why we dont pursue our creative yearnings and dreams and how it is so important BE WHO YOU ARE no matter what.  

Why she thinks we keep ourselves too busy to truly allow our creativity to move us

Where intuition comes from- how to cultivate it

What happens at 8-10 for SO Many people that causes us to put down art and believe for the rest of our lives that we “don’t have it in us” and what we can do to go back and undo that

The small habit she has that changed everything about how she related to her creativity (10-15 mins a day) 

How to make yourself a portable art studio  and use it - a practice that can revolutionize your art practice

Creating art, sketching something every day is scientifically probem to make you a happier person, and the art doesn’t even have to be “good” 

**The power of art to help us forgive people who have hurt us (seeing things through different eyes) (the collage of her father. Moment to mention in intro as my fave…

How creativity took over her life and led her to create all the incredible things she has… courses that serve over 65,000 students around the world

How the adult (males) in her life told her at a young age how hard a  career in creativity would and how she should try business instead. And what impact that had on her. How she took their words and actions to mean something about her and how she didnt know for a reall y long time that their words were not about her. 

How she went on to do a history and psychology degree and would call her mother bawling and sad - because she felt so lost. She had disconnected herself from the thing she was here to do. Making. 

How there were so many years she dodnt know she was allowed to create just for her. She would use the excuse “I am amking this for someone else” scrapbooks for her kids tae the time and spednind the money wasok because it was not for her. 

Quote: once we know what we do when we’re afraid, we can acknowledge that we do that, and stop. 

Quote: creativity is an incredible gift that has been given to each of us, but we have to say i”ll take it

Imposter symdrome

What is that one next thing you are being pulled towards: as a way of running your business

How to be a mom and an artist and a business all at the same time

How to build an business that aligns with the life you want to live

Quote: to pick up good things, there is going to be something we have to put down

When you know what your gifts are, what your passion is and what your calling is and then you’re walking it out. You get to be the best version of yourself. 

How important is it to have a NICHE for your artwork? 

Do we need to focus on one thing and build a business around one particular look or is it okay to keep playing and experimenting. How important is keeping to one genre or look for building an art business. Martha Srewart doesnt just do one thing!

What happens when you get sick of your own art work? (and what it means!) get ready for what is next when you get that bleh feeling about your own work it is the purest sweetest part of you telling you you learned what you neede to learn and something new and amazing is coming

Quote: what would you do if you didn't have to do what you are doing

What mindset you have to cultivate to be able to listen and be led by your own inner evolution in your business. 

Abundance mindset

Quote: instead of saying how, just say wow

How important the words we speak to people are. Especially as parents. These ideas are like seeds. 

How our own perceptions of salespeople effects our ability to sell our own work - light bulb moment!

Quote: their words of discoruragement were never about uoi

Quote: Life is full of second chances, go get yours

As long as we have a breath, we get to decide, that’s it: today’s the day

Please share the show with a friend and if you are moved to make a financial contribution to the production of this podcast, THANK YOU here is the link for our Patreon

About Jeannie Oliver:

Jeanne Oliver grew up in rural Illinois and now resides in Castle Rock, CO. She is inspired by our personal stories, travel, and nature. Jeanne uses art to tell her current stories and also those of growing up among gravel roads, cornfields and early life surrounded by open spaces. Through mark making, layers and mixed media, she hopes to convey that we all have a story to tell. She speaks and teaches all around the country and abroad. Connecting with women and sharing that each of us has been creatively made is one of her passions.

Jeanne is author of a book entitled “The Painted Art Journal” aimed at helping people find a deeper understanding of themselves and their art

Kate Shepherd: Art | website | instagram

Morning Moon Nature Jewelry | website |  instagram

Creative Genius Podcast | website | instagram

Jeanne Oliver: website | facebook | instagram

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Portable Art Studio Free Art Video https://jeanneoliver.com/courses/portable-art-studio/
• creativelymadebusiness.com
• The Painted Art Journal by Jeanne Oliver https://amzn.to/3JsYOij
• The Power of Consistency by Weldon Long https://amzn.to/3Jmt12J
• The War of Art https://amzn.to/3E0kwJr
• Lauren Harris
• Group of Seven
• Emily Carr
• Glennon Doyle
• Andrea garvey

This mini episode is for you if you have been looking for a practical way to increase your intuition, creativity and that feeling of being connected to your inner knowings. Kate offers some ideas for how we have become disconnected from these parts of ourselves and a practical (and very easy) exercise that anyone can do anytime to get back in connection with it. 

Creative Genius Mini #2 is all about how we can start to come back into contact with that quiet part of ourselves where intuition and creativity live. 
 

Larry Hankin is perhaps the most recognized “that guy” character actor in Hollywood; having appeared in over 200 films and TV shows, you definitely know his face. His filmography reads like a who’s who of Hollywood he has had roles in Laverne & Shirley, Friends, Escape from Alcatraz, Billy Madison, Home Alone, Seinfeld, Breaking Bad. He's also a writer and short film director (one of his films even earned him an Oscar nomination) and a painter. 

Larry shares that as a young child 70-odd years he had this huge creativity in him but it was knocked out of him by parents who wanted him to have a stable career as a doctor or lawyer. He shares the pressure of what it was like to try to shove down his own desire to be an artist to obey his parents wishes, 

Larry opens up about what having ADD, ADHD, OCD, & Dyslexia has been like for him and the gifts these things have given him along the way -  but my favourite moment comes towards the end of the show when he muses about what it was like to star alongside Clint Eastwood in Escape from Alcatraz. 

He muses about the importance of failure and how we have to come to accept it, because it is a part of learning. And at one point he gets esoteric about why we’re here and why the cosmos let us in. 

Larry’s life story comes across as a wild, lucky adventure - opening for Miles Davis, getting hired by Second City, Starring beside Clint Eastwood and even being nominated for an Oscar.  Through listening to Larry it becomes obvious very quickly that whether he wanted to or not Larry always placed Creativity in the Driver's seat of his life. I suspect it was because of this that he managed to manifest so many of these incredible experiences for himself. 

Larry and I talked about the importance of Acceptance (which happened to be the word I pulled for the show)  and acceptance is something that he embodies this so perfectly. He had these things inside him that he just had to follow. And he accepted that there was almost another person inside him running the show and that his job was just to do the things in the outside world to set that inside guy up. 

I was struck by Larry’s unabashed loyalty to his own quiet inner voice. From the time he was so small he saw that the people around him didn’t want him to live for himself and despite immense pressure to obey them, to make them happy, to fulfull his obligations as a SON, he never betrayed himself. He followed his heart and it led him on some incredible adventures. 

When he said, “I’m here to do what I’m here to do. That’s why I was born and that’s why the Cosmos let me in” I actually got the chills. That loyalty to his inner self, no matter what pressures were presenting themselves to him, is something I aspire to. 

He has some beautiful (and affordable!) artwork available from his website you’ll find all the links and a FULL Transcript of the show in the show notes on Kate ShepherdCreative.com  

If you have not already left a review please do that right now! Please consider supporting the show, there is an option for $5 a month  - which is kind of like buying me a thank you for making-this-podcast-for-me coffee. I can’t do it without your support!

Thank you for listening and if you ever want to reach out you can send me a DM on Instagram @Kateshepherdcreative

Please share the show with a friend and if you are moved to make a financial contribution to the production of this podcast, THANK YOU here is the link for our Patreon

Kate Shepherd: Art | website | instagram
Morning Moon Nature Jewelry | website |  instagram
Creative Genius Podcast | website | instagram

About Larry Hankin:

Larry Hankin is perhaps the most recognized “that guy” character actor in Hollywood; having appeared in over 200 films and TV shows, you definitely know his face. His filmography reads like a who’s who of Hollywood he has had roles in Laverne & Shirley, Friends, Escape from Alcatraz, Billy Madison, Home Alone, Seinfeld, Breaking Bad. He's also a writer and short film director (one of his films even earned him an Oscar nomination) and a painter. 

Exploring characters, rants, stories on stage, in his one-man show, and in his many film shorts, Larry has recently produced a compilation of it all in his book “The Loopholes Dossier”, which has just been published and distributed worldwide by Bookbaby Publishers and is available in all the places you’d expect to buy books.

Larry lives in Los Angeles.  

Larry Hankin: website | facebook | instagram

Resources used in this episode

• Alan Myerson
• The Committee
• Second City
• Clint Eastwood
• Escape from Alcatraz
• Penny Marshall
• Lavergne and Shirley
• Seinfeld
• Friends
• Home Alone

The closer we can be to being comfortable with uncertainty, the closer we are to allowing something really magical to be expressed through us in our creativity.

There's a certain amount of allowing that has to take place for something new to emerge. And when we resist uncertainty, we cut ourselves off from that... magic - because that really is what it is - it's magic.

In this, the first of the “Sunday Mini’s” I explain the intent of these short bi-weekly episodes, which will be everything from chats with listeners as they share aha moments they had listening to Creative Genius, creativity and contemplation prompts, my own musings, and whatever else feels like it will serve us to deepen our relationship with creativity itself. 

In this mini episode we’ll explore how to begin to become more comfortable with uncertainty, so that our creative practice’s (and lives!) can really shine.

Lynn Whipple is a multi-media artist who paints with joy and passion, great and small flowers, all full of expression and life. She teaches art workshops and she has authored a book called “Expressive Flower Painting: Simple Mixed Media Techniques for Bold Beautiful Blooms” that really was part of my own unfolding and blossoming when I got back into painting.

Lynn and her husband both formerly worked at Nickelodeon in props, set decor, and art direction. She recalls Nickelodeon as being a fun wonderful time, yet she left that job because ultimately she was still creating someone else’s ideas. What she craved was the expression of her own ideas. Lynn left her dream job as a Creative Director at Nickelodeon to pursue her passion of painting colourful, wild and joyful flowers even though it meant she’d be broke - because painting the art that was inside of her brought her so much joy. In the end she realized that saying no to that was really saying yes to herself.

Lynn talks about the joy of painting; the enjoyment of the entire creative process and act of, as she calls it, “moving my hands”. She emphasizes the fun that should accompany art and creativity. She understands the fear that people have and, in addressing that, she encourages following our instincts and being brave about just jumping into expression. Fear is a sense that something isn’t right or that we’ve been told we’re doing something poorly so we avoid it, but creativity requires boldness and embracing our own instincts. Just start doing, for ourselves, for fun.

She shares her beautiful, vibrant descriptions of what creativity is and what being present in a flow state feels like for her that many of us can relate to. And she reminds us over and over again of the importance of play in the creative process

We investigate which artist archetype we each might be, developing an idea I have about archetypes, and this list will grow as the podcast continues. Lynn is a self-described rebel archetype who doesn’t like being told what to do. She knows what creativity feels like, how to embrace that marvelous energetic feeling and let it flow, and how vital the ability to start saying yes to things can be to our expression.

My son had ask me to ask Lynn why she loves painting flowers so much and what her favorite flowers were (sunflowers) and she asked me what my son Cosmo’s favorite flower was. (Cosmos)

I hope you hear something in this episode that moves you. Please leave a review for the show in Apple Podcasts!

Please share the show with a friend and if you are moved to make a financial contribution to the production of this podcast, THANK YOU here is the link for our Patreon

About Lynn Whipple:

Lynn Whipple is a multi-media artist who paints wildly in small to large formats with a combination of acrylic paint, charcoal, and colorful soft pastel. She shares a studio with her artist husband, John, and twenty other artists at McRae Art Studios in Central Florida. Lynn enjoys teaching, traveling, and sharing ways of working that encourage fun, joy, and freedom in the art making process.

Lynn is author of a book entitled “Expressive Flower Painting: Simple Mixed Media Techniques for Bold Beautiful Blooms”.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• David Passalacqua
• Amanda Evanston
• “Expressive Flower Painting: Simple Mixed Media Techniques for Bold Beautiful Blooms” by Lynn Whipple

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Kate Shepherd: website | instagram | facebook

Lynn Whipple: website | facebook | instagram

Lori Siebert is an artist, designer, teacher & businesswoman. She has worked with clients like Universal Studios and licensed her work for products that are used around the world and now is featured on BloomTV. She runs art retreats and you can often find her running super fun art challenges on Instagram. Today she sat down with me to share how after some difficult life events caused her to disconnect from her creativity, she was able to find her way back to it, what she did when her company grew into something she no longer enjoyed, and towards the end of the show, she shares the number one important thing she thinks we can do to cultivate our own creativity. Lori is so sweet and genuine and candid I really enjoyed talking with her. 

A lot goes into producing Creative Genius - even a small contribution from you will have a direct impact on whether I am able to continue to bring you these conversations. I create a bunch of bonuses to thank my supporters, early access to episodes, behind-the-scenes content, even original art sent to your door, these are extras I think you won't want to miss. Head over to ​patreon.com/creativegeniuspodcast to find out more

And you can always consider buying some of my artwork as a way to show your support - from Gratitude Birds and other paintings, to my Handmade Nature Inspired jewelry Morning Moon- everything I make including this podcast is intended to ignite joy. Please keep my work in mind next time you need a gift for yourself or someone you love. Thank you

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Lori and if you do, please make today the day you leave a review for the show -  in under 30 seconds you can do so much: from helping others discover the show, to bringing me tears of absolute joy. Head over to Apple Podcasts for that. 

Lori is really good at knowing when to and being willing to reach out for help. Whether she was navigating the isolated darkness of depression & anxiety and needed friends to remind her of the JOY inside her, or when she has found herself in the uncertain terrain of uncharted territory of a new skill - Lori has allowed herself to reach out for support - been willing to receive others guidance and allowed herself to be open to learning and being influenced -  or collaborating with others around her. She has made a habit for herself of reaching out to people and allow them to influence her when she has been on unsteady ground. 

Her ability to do this has pulled her out of depression, allowed her to redirect the course of her business when it was causing her burnout and has allowed her to step into new realms of her creative offering that she may not have otherwise ventured into on her own. 

After her brush with burnout when her company had grown without conscious intentions from her about what she wanted it to be, Lori has learned to be really good at self-referencing and asking herself if the things she is embarking upon are actually what she wants. This has helped her build a business that meets her creative needs AND falls within who she is as a person and what she wants. 

I was touched by Lori's willingness to be so open with us about how she struggled when she lost her parents, losing herself for a time to the grief of it and then later not wanting to be a Debbie Downer and keeping it to herself. 

Finally, she realized that she not only needed to give herself Grace to go through that and not put pressure on herself to be somewhere that she wasn't, she also learned the importance of reaching out to her people. Ultimately it was in feeling all her feelings and reaching out to her people that she was able to lift herself back up again. 

I was really glad she shared what she did about how her life went off the rails when her company grew to a size that overwhelmed her and I loved her clarity that it was because had been making decisions based on what she thought she SHOULD be doing - rather than by what her creative heart actually wanted. 

Realizing that what you thought was your dream isn't actually working for you and stepping back from it can be terrifying, it requires bravery and is often the only way to find the life of your dreams.  

And I think she is right that so many people seem to be unconsciously waiting for their dreams to come and find them… waiting for their big break… when actually it's up to us to do the reflection, find out what we want and then go out there and make it happen. 

I think what I learned from Lori is that just like life itself, creativity is a bit like a rollercoaster ride -  we get inspired, we get to work on it, we find out we don’t like it, we rework it, we like it, we make a change, we think we’ve ruined it then an unexpected moment happens and leads us to something we fall in love with and for all of it -  we're just along for the ride. 

I pulled the word trust for today’s episode, so I will leave you with this:  What would be available today if you trusted the creativity inside you, and let yourself be taken for the ride of your life. 

Kate Shepherd: website | instagram | facebook

Lori Siebert: website | instagram | https://www.facebook.com/lorisiebertstudio

Despite being known as the non-artistic one in her family, Cat Rains would go on to become a professional artist not once but twice in her life, after a series of unfortunate life events derailed her art career the first time. 

As you’ll hear, Cat had a chaotic & traumatic childhood. Rather than letting herself be a victim of it though, she chose to lean into her experiences and use them to make herself strong and resilient. Her dedication to her own self-awareness and mental health is inspiring. 

Cat is a mindset master. There have been so many times in her life that things have gotten really, really hard. And she has consistently found ways to love and appreciate every situation she has found herself in. This living gratitude has ushered her through the creative droughts and the difficult times in her life. 

So much of life seems to boil down to the decision that we get to make in each moment. How are we going to look at things? What lessons and gifts are we going to take from our circumstances - even the painful ones?  How can we take what is in front of us in each moment and make it into the best version that we can?  

I love how Cat believes that the universe is rigged in her favor -  that difficult situations are simply guideposts nudging her in a different direction, and that instead of resisting difficulty she remembers her mantra “this moment is my destiny” and opens her arms to it to find out what it has to teach her. 

Cultivating a sense of PLAY has been pivotal for the success Cat has created for herself in everything from manifesting her dream job to creating artwork that flies out of her studio into collectors hands. 

I hope you hear something in this episode that moves you. Please leave a review for the show in Apple Podcasts!

Please share the show with a friend and if you are moved to make a financial contribution to the production of this podcast, THANK YOU here is the link for our Patreon

Cat Rains Website | Facebook | Instagram

Kate Shepherd Website | Facebook | Instagram

There are so many things to love about Emily Jeffords, not least of which is how she tried to start off this episode by asking me the questions. I loved it. 

Emily is one of the most gently confident people I have ever met. She's poised, thoughtful &  generous. And her clarity - Emily is SO clear.  Throughout the episode, she gives us examples of how clarity has been one of the most important elements in the foundations of everything she's created. And she has created a lot. 

She has established herself as a leader in the art community, forged partnerships with some huge brands like Anthropologie and Design Sponge, and together with her team she now serves over 2,000 students through  Making Art Work her 12-week art business course. 

I really appreciate Emily’s clarity of who she is and what she wants, what works for her, what her worth is, and, perhaps most importantly, what makes her happy. There she was a classically trained violinist who was about to embark on a whole career in performance music (imagine how many hours and what an investment of time and money both she and her family made to get to that point) but when she realized she didn't enjoy it - she simply stopped doing it. 

I was fascinated to learn about the HUGE career Emily almost had and I was so proud of her retroactively for deciding NOT to. 

Emily was able to create so much abundance and freedom as an artist because she allowed herself to have a big beautiful vision and did not let herself be swayed by the limiting beliefs of those around her. 

When we allow ourselves to listen to the things we have been curious about and follow those little nudges, a path can begin to emerge, and when we pair that with giving ourselves permission to expand onto this path bit by bit making sure to celebrate every single little win along the way, then we are able to grow a sustainable creative practice. 

Emily Jeffords is funny and kind and all-around lovely, I think you are going to fall in love with her. I hope you enjoy this episode. 

I hope you hear something in this episode that moves you. And if there is please share it with a friend and then with us in the reviews section of Apple Podcasts. 

If you are moved to make a financial contribution to the production of this podcast, THANK YOU here is the link for our Patreon

Emily Jeffords Website | Facebook | Instagram

Kate Shepherd Website | Facebook | Instagram

Anxiety and stress had taken over her life. At the urging of her therapist, Author Sheila Darcey turned to creativity as a way to express trapped emotions her therapist believed were at the root of her anxiety. Through daily practice of sketching, she was able to gain significant insights into the inner workings of her own subconscious and unconscious mind and ultimately free herself from the “out of control” anxiety that had been running her life. 

She shares with us the coping mechanism that she developed as a trauma response to survive a traumatic childhood and how she was able to begin to intentionally access this ability in order to support herself to heal from her past trauma, heal her entire life, and set her on a brand new path -  one that she now describes as one of true inner peace, that she never imagined was possible. 

The transformation that took place for Sheila was so profound, she found herself wondering if others knew what could be possible through sketching in this way, and she was inspired to write her book as a manual to help others experience the relief and inner peace that sketching gave her.  

She reminds us that underneath everything, we're all seeking the same Universal things Belonging. Love. Safety.  And that when we turn inward, these are the very gifts available to us.

Listen to this episode to find out what the word for today's episode was. 

To find out where you can get your copy of Sketch by Sketch, and learn more about Sheila and all her amazing work in the world head over to 

Get your copy of Sketch by Sketch

Get 10% off Four Sigmatic Products 4SIGMATIC at checkout 

Kate Shepherd: website | Instagram | Facebook

Sheila Darcey:  website | Instagram | Facebook

Artist and Moon Cycle Coach Beth Suter shares with us how reconnecting with creativity and working with Moon Cycles have been instrumental for her in healing the depression and anxiety she has lived with since college. This conversation underlines just how badly things can go when we cut ourselves off from creativity, and how we can find our way back to ourselves. 

She shares with us how she guides students through her 5 step method for aligning and harnessing the power of working with moon cycles and offers us some practical suggestions for getting started with this work. 

Beth Suter has been an artist since she was a little girl. Believing that she needed to be in a stable job she veered away from her deep connection with creativity to focus on a career in teaching. This disconnection from the thing she loved the most, as she bravely shares with us, led to a long and dark time of depression and anxiety for her. 

Beth shares with us how she was eventually able to reconnect with creativity, and now runs her own art-based business selling her (beautiful) work including her much sought after and very beautiful moon cycle calendar. 

This was a conversation I was very excited to have. Beth is a gentle, generous, thoughtful, tender-hearted soul. I was introduced to her by Pamela Bates who you might remember from episode 7 which was a powerhouse episode if you haven't listened to that yet, be sure not to miss that one. 

We discuss learning to follow our intuition, the magic of working with the Moon Cycles, and how they have built-in times of rest for us to relax into.

Kate Shepherd: website | instagram | facebook

Beth Suter:  website | Instagram | Facebook

In this episode, we discuss the importance of playfulness, discernment & collaboration inside creativity, how we are all worthy of blooming creatively, and why we do not need to fear collaboration when it comes to creativity. 

Artist and two-time author Jules Ostara grew up on what she calls a “hippie farm in West Virginia” and still ended up becoming a (self-proclaimed) “recovering valedictorian” she shares her thoughts on how widespread the temptations to seek external validation and become overly self-critical are when these start to creep into our lives, and the transformations that took place for her as she journeyed away from a path of seeking external validation, to looking inside for direction and guidance for her life. 

We talk about what she had to let go of to reconnect with her inner artist.  What happened when she started creating art for herself and her kids she was not worried about being good… and the process of turning creating art into play. 

She shares how reconnecting with creativity as she grieved the loss of her mother was a powerful lifeline that opened her back up to the touch, intuition, joy, creativity, she had become disconnected from, and how when she had kids of her own, she learned to mother herself in the process as she saw what she wanted for them she began to give it to herself. Self love. Worthiness. Knowing we are worth being here. 

At one point, she shares an incredible insight (that caused a deep shift in me) about how creativity is like scattering the seeds that you won’t want to miss. 

This is a beautiful, curious, conversation.  May it spark you knowing that it is more than ok for you to playfully, joyfully scatter the seeds of your creativity not worrying if they all take, AND that you are absolutely, innately worthy of blooming creatively. 

Kate Shepherd: website | instagram | facebook

Jules Ostara website | Instagram | Facebook  

This episode feels important with a capital I. I sit down with Sarah Dalesandro, an artist who has been painting for over 20 years with a background in graphic design and art therapy. And it is the art therapy that I really wanted to dig into with her in this episode. 

I'd heard about art therapy over the years, I had even gone to a few sessions myself, but I hadn’t understood the mechanism of it, the why or how art therapy works and can heal past trauma.  Sarah explains what's actually going on with the left brain and the right brain in trauma experiences, and how creating art can support us to access, reconcile and ultimately resolve past traumas in ways that are sometimes limited by talk therapy alone. 

Her explanation of left brain-right brain relationship and how art can help us process things that are keeping us stuck made so much sense to me, she explains in a way that nobody has ever explained it to me before and I found myself wanting to jump into my studio to start to explore the possibilities of communicating with my own subconscious through art. 

Her insight about the importance of UGLY art was a significant perspective shift for me. Have a listen and see if it is the same for you. 

Sarah shows up fully for us in this episode today, she is brave and raw and open. I marveled at the thing inside her that from a very young age never gave up on herself and kept beckoning her back to Art as a way to process some of the terrible things she’d been through.  And it dawned on me that we all have this presence within us. May her sharing her story remind us of this part of ourselves.  

Kate Shepherd: website | instagram | facebook

Sarah Dalesandro: https://sarahdalesandro.com/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sarahdalesandro

In this episode we sit down with California artist Andrea Garvey. A beautiful, joyful, effervescent soul who’s positivity is not only contagious, but is completely infused in every single piece of her heart-stoppingly beautiful work. Hers is the kind of art that makes your soul smile. 

In this episode she shares the incredible story of the painting that came to her in a life-changing dream, after the passing of her beloved mother in law. How that painting helped her through her grieving process and would go on to lead her on a completely unexpected journey leaving a busy, hectic career in Corporate America behind to become a full-time artist with a thriving career. 

Andrea reminds us that there is a mysterious, dormant, unseen energy that lives inside all of us waiting for the perfect, pivotal moments to present itself. And that meeting these moments with curiosity is how we can step onto the paths of our destiny. 

And she wants us to know that when we get creative nudges or universal whispers as she calls them - no matter how big or small, our job is to do whatever it takes to listen, stay open and follow them. Once we start to make space for the nudges to come, it becomes easier to recognize the next one and the next one. 

She talks about the life changing power of creating rituals for ourselves like journaling, meditation, gratitude, quiet time and slowing down. I thought it was worth underlining that many answers to questions Andrea has had, have come to her when she has asked a question out loud and then left some space for the answer to come. 

Kate Shepherd: website | instagram | facebook

Andrea Garvey: website | instagram | facebook

“If you don’t believe in yourself, prove yourself wrong”  - Pamela Bates

After 23 years of her creativity getting lost in client expectations working in PR and doing too much to take care of others and not enough to take care of herself in her personal life, Pamela found herself utterly burned out. That is when her sister took her on a restorative weekend trip to Boston where the two of them visited the Gardiner Museum. Pamela shares the story of how life dramatically grabbed her attention with an electrifying, life-changing experience that she says was the beginning of her now flourishing career as a painter. 

Pamela shares the importance of tuning into and remaining open to the quiet voice deep inside as it has all the information we need to find our own callings. And how crucial rest and quiet are for supporting our ability to tune in. We are trained to go go go. We need to retrain ourselves to be quiet. She shares her theories about Radical Rest. 

Humans hold themselves back on this quest for perfection, which is utterly pointless and unattainable. The magic resides in letting go. When we hold something too dear, it tends to get in the way. Listen to her terrifying advice on what we should practice in our art to help us really learn about the magic of letting go. Don't let anything be too precious or it will jam you up. 

Many artists are bent on “finding their voice” Pamela urges us to stop trying so hard to find it, and instead become curious about what is already there waiting for you to stop being in charge. What you’ll find, she says, is that you already have the special magic thing you are looking for, it is you. 

The only way to access that deep well of creativity is to paint, paint, paint. Daily practice is more important than anything else you can do: the act of painting will connect you to the thing you are looking for. There is no other way to find that than to just do it. 

Trust yourself. Focus on the need to create. Stop looking outside for validation. The desire to create is itself, the map. 

You have to be working for the magic to happen, so get busy. 

The painting that jolted the painter in Pamela to wake up El Jaleo - by John Singer Sargent 1882

Kate Shepherd: website | instagram | facebook

Pamela Bates: website| instagram| facebook

“Accept and love yourself, it’s the start of everything good”   

Jane believes that “One way or another, every single decision we make has the opportunity to be driven by the creative impulse” and she reminds us that we all came into this life with curiosity and creativity and if we feel we have lost connection with it, we can certainly find it again. Her work with her Creative Strength Training Book, and online community are dedicated to exactly this. 

When we practice loving-kindness toward ourselves and others, we can evolve to a place where we don’t take everything so personally and can start to access some of the gifts that the difficult situations in our lives are trying to give us. 

“You are perfect the way you are AND you could use a little improvement” Suzuki Roshi

It is important to cultivate noble friends, ones who won’t just tell us what we want to hear. 

In this episode, Jane shares her method for finding out what you truly value so you can come into alignment with what your soul wants to be doing and make your own roadmap for your life (not follow someone else's roadmap for you). 

We discuss the importance of getting in touch with your dreams and then actively looking for ways to bring them to life. Your big dreams are not going to happen with you sitting on your hands behind closed doors. 

Find people to share your crazy dreams with, but don’t tell everyone. Part of believing yourself into where you’re headed is having the courage to reach out to people you admire. You never know what might come of it. 

In this episode, Jane mentioned Invisible Acts of Power by Caroline Myss

Find out about Jane’s Creative Strength Training Community and her Books

Kate Shepherd: website | instagram | facebook

Jane Dunnewold: website| instagram| facebook

"When we feel creative, we feel in charge of our lives.”   

At 22, Jane found herself in tears in the shower of her college dorm of divinity school, unfulfilled and unhappy feeling that she had to pursue other people's vision for her life. This was the beginning of her starting to realize that she could choose her own life 

Looking inwards we can find what we really want and art can help us be brave to follow those whispers. It is important to learn to trust ourselves and our gut instincts, they are rarely wrong. This is all a process and it takes time. 

Jane shares her 4 Cornerstones of Creativity, which are an incredibly elegant way of looking at what can support a flourishing creative practice. 

Kate Shepherd: website | instagram | facebook

Jane Dunnewold: website | instagram| facebook

“Being good at creating art is not your gift, your LOVE of creating is.”   

When Wendy McWilliams was 49 years old, she felt like she needed a hobby. What started as a search for a simple past-time hobby, quickly evolved into her life’s passion - a thriving art career her work sought after for private collections around the globe. After working through 22 different jobs including for Calvin Klein & Revlon in Europe, she finally landed on what she was meant to do in life - painting. 

It’s hard to not be skeptical about ourselves and our abilities. Art allows us to channel a source of energy, of inspiration, and opens us to become a vehicle for creativity to create beauty through our hands. We are meant to create, to allow creativity to flow through us. Our job is to remain open and to make sure we do not believe everything we think - especially when it comes to limiting beliefs. 

“ You hate your own creations because you think they look too much like you made them. You think if you keep trying you can make your work look like some other, better person made it. But there is no level of skill where you transcend yourself. The thing you hate about your art, is the most valuable thing about it”  (paraphrased from Elicia Donze) 

Kate Shepherd: website | instagram | facebook

Wendy McWilliams: website | instagram | facebook

“If more folks recognized their creativity, no matter how small they think it is, it will bring more happiness to them.” -Betty Franks

At 50, Betty Franks made a bold transition from a lifelong career in customer service management, to becoming an internationally celebrated abstract artist whose work can be found in private collections all over the world. And it all started with a wish and an intention. 

Her journey to becoming creative started when she discovered mixed media and fell in love with the medium. She then started attending art workshops which led her to become an abstract artist. 

Creativity is an expression of our truest self. If we allow ourselves to be loose and be vulnerable, to let go - we are rewarded with a deep sense of happiness and contentment. Among other wonderful insights, Betty shares the genius way she developed for getting her rational mind to be quiet so she can sneak off and play with her wild creativity. 

See images of Betty’s work along with the affirmation that changed her life at https://kateshepherdcreative.com/blogs/creative-genius-the-blog/creative-genius-podcast-episode-3-becoming-creative-with-betty-franks

The Magical Path (the book that Betty mentions that changed her life) https://marcallen.com/magicalpath/

Kate Shepherd: website | instagram | facebook

Betty Franks: website | instagram | youtube 

“The rational mind is the home of bad painting.”

Anong Beam is an accomplished artist and founder of Beam Paints, truly gorgeous handmade watercolours. Her father, Carl Beam, one of her great teachers, is an award-winning artist and the first Indigenous artist to have their work purchased by the National Gallery of Canada as Contemporary Art. Anong’s work has been featured in multiple solo exhibitions and public collections throughout Canada and the world. 

The call to become creative is powerful, but can be met with all kinds of limiting beliefs in our own minds, if we let it. A powerful, ineffable force is waiting to meet us when we allow ourselves to play with the materials and create what delights our senses, sometimes, for no other purpose than to connect with the simple, beauty of colour itself. 

Kate Shepherd: website | instagram | facebook

Anong Beam: website | instagram

In the first episode of Creative Genius, we sit down with Amanda Evanston to hear about her own journey of cultivating creativity. She recently launched Insider’s Studio, an online community where she teaches art classes, gives weekly talks, and stewards a supportive, nurturing community focused on painting and creativity. 

Seriously pursuing your creative passion is a big move. Often our biggest obstacle is ourselves. Our doubts, our confidence, our need for external validation, and that little voice within that might be telling us “you can’t do it” can stop us from exploring creativity. Believing in ourselves and finding a way to push past that voice and listen to the voice that’s been telling us “you can do this” instead, is critical in unlocking our creative genius. In this episode, Amanda tells us the one key thing in how she was raised that she credits with her being able to be a wildly free creative person and how even if it was missing in your childhood, it’s not too late to lock it in now to cultivate your creativity. 

“It’s important to know you have this amazing thing inside of you, and that you can shepherd it and let it grow.” 

My favourite Amanda Evanston work tends to be whatever she is working on, but if I had to pick one, you can see it here 

https://kateshepherdcreative.com/blogs/creative-genius-the-blog/creative-genius-podcast-episode-1-cultivating-creativity-with-amanda-evanston

Find out how more about how to join Amanda Evanston’s Insider’s Studio https://www.amandaevanstonlearning.com/

Kate Shepherd: website | instagram | facebook

Amanda Evanston: website | instagram | facebook

Coming Soon: Creative Genius - A podcast about finding & embracing true creativity through the magic of listening to your own heart

Kate Shepherd: website | instagram | facebook