Podcast

What fun to be on Kimberly Wilson’s podcast Tranquility du Jour. The current season of the podcast focuses on midlife, reinvention at midlife and how creativity plays a role in our well-being.

Among other things, we discussed balancing writing, art, and business by embracing seasonal shifts in focus.

I have the great good fortune to know Kimberly and to spend time with her in Paris, and this conversation was a delight. Enjoy!

Have you ever felt like creativity is a gift only meant for others? Like you just weren’t born part of that illustrious and somewhat mysterious “creative class?”

Total bunk. Creativity lives inside all of us—and uncovering it could unlock meaning and joy in every aspect of your life?

In this conversation, Jonathan and I explore the myths holding us back from full creative living. I reveal three brutally hard truths of innovation and why the creative life isn’t about chasing comfort. We discuss how to awaken your senses, see with new eyes, and understand your unique blend of creativity.

In today’s episode we’re digging into:

• How do you know when you are being creative? What are the signs or feelings that indicate you have tapped into your own creativity?
• Where does the “muse” or creative inspiration come from – is it something within us or does it come from outside of us?
• How can we challenge what we think we know and let ourselves be surprised in order to expand creativity in our work and relationships?
• How can we cultivate and tune our senses to see familiar things in new ways and spark creativity?

Listen here. 

New episode alert on Sparked podcast!

Facing doubts in your pursuits? You’re not alone. Join Jonathan Fields & I as we unravel “How to Tell Good Hard from Bad Hard”. Discover the key to identifying when it’s time to push on or change course.

Tune in now!

And here’s a fun screenshot of us doing the interview. Jonathan and I geek out talking about the creative process. I love this photo, because we look so happy, and because I prefer candid to posed photos. True smiles really shine.

 

So, how do you handle the dance between wanting lead with your creative or artistic side, and earning a grown-up worthy living?

In the past few years, we’ve all been through a lot of upheaval. At the same time, this moment has reawakened a burning desire to pursue creative passions. It’s a recipe for big life transition and potentially transformation.

And that is certainly the case for our advice seeker today, Helen, who asks how can she make a meaningful living from her art and writing, pursue further studies and honor her value around financial security?

After recently ending a long marriage and spending the past few years working to make ends meet, Helen has rediscovered her passion for writing. After spending two decades studying human behavior and helping others through her work, Helen is now ready for a change—if she can figure out a way forward that satisfies both her soul and her practical needs.

In today’s episode we’re in conversation with:

LISTENER: Helen – Sparketype: Maker/Maven

SPARKED BRAINTRUST ADVISOR: Cynthia Morris

Cynthia is the founder of the Original Impulse creative studio and atelier and coaching program for writers; she’s also an author, workshop facilitator, trusted advisor and coach.

YOUR HOST: Jonathan Fields

Jonathan is a dad, husband, award-winning author, multi-time founder, executive producer and host of the Good Life Project podcast, and co-host of SPARKED, too! He’s also the creator of an unusual tool that’s helped more than 650,000 people discover what kind of work makes them come alive – the Sparketype® Assessment, and author of the bestselling book, SPARKED.

So what is your Sparketype? Turns out, we all have a unique imprint for work that makes us come alive, this is your Sparketype. When you discover yours, everything, your entire work-life- and even parts of your personal life and relationships – begins to make sense. Until you know yours, you’re kind of fumbling in the dark.

How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissions

More on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The Website

In this Sparked podcast with Jonathan Fields, we are diving into creative disappointment. We look at what it is, why it can impact us so deeply, and the lasting impression disappointment can leave if we don’t have a way to process it. I reflect on the issue of being ‘bright-sided’ too early and why it’s important to sit with something instead of rushing through it.

We offer some new perspectives, frames, and tools for the creative person/entrepreneur and a way to look at failures and setbacks as an inevitable part of the learning process, as opposed to affixing greater meaning to them and, in turn, to our identities.

To round out the conversation, I offer some powerful questions we can ask ourselves and work through with a trusted friend or professional to uncover what’s occurring when we experience creative disappointment.

In today’s Hot Take episode, Jonathan & Cynthia discuss:

1. • Why don’t we talk about creative disappointment?
   • The issue with being ‘bright-sided’ too early
   • Understanding failure as a part of the learning process versus adding to a story about our identity
   • The importance of sitting with something instead of rushing through it
   • Powerful questions to ask yourself

As always, we hope you enjoy this Sparked Hot Take on what it means to be creative, to grieve how we thought things would go, and how to move through it rather than bury it. We hope it supports you the next time you’re experiencing something similar.

How to submit your question for the SPARKED Braintrust: Wisdom-seeker submissions

More on Sparketypes at: Discover You Sparketype | The Book | The Workshop | The Website

Read more on the Sparked Newsletter on LinkedIn.

Connect with Jonathan Fields on LinkedIn.

Presented by LinkedIn.

I hope you enjoy this episode. Share your thoughts in the comments below.