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Podcast

March 30, 2022 by Cynthia Morris 2 Comments

Art, Sketching and Inspiration in Paris: Stumbling Toward Genius with Marcus McAllister

Today on Stumbling Toward Genius I am excited to talk with one of my favorite people, Marcus McAllister.

Marcus is a French-American professional artist based in Paris for the past twenty-five years. In his acrylic paintings and long-term Sketchbook discipline, he layers figures, animals, text, abstract signs, and mystic symbols to create meaningful, dream-like glimpses of his inner universe.

I still remember the first time I met Marcus. It was at one of his Sunday Salons at his art studio in Paris. I left that evening with a new friend and two pieces of advice that have made a big difference for me in my own creative life.

Tune in to find out what those two things are, and to hear more about Marcus’s artists’ journey, including what he’s learned from 30 Years of Sketchbooking, as well as:

● The function of the sketchbooks—the surprising way they help him structure his life, figure out his filters and enhance his memories

● How a simple adjustment in his process led to him finding his artistic voice

● Going from trepidation to motivation to finished—he’ll walk us through his in-studio process and how he determines when a painting is complete

We’ll also spend some time talking about how artists are navigating the post-pandemic terrain and the new opportunities available now.

Plus, in the video version on YouTube, we join the artist in his studio, where we’ll get an inside look at his sketchbooks and his gorgeous paintings—join us there. Check out the video version of this interview on YouTube here.

Finally, if you are interested in a deeper level of creativity for yourself, there’s no place better to come alive with inspiration than Paris.

Join us September 27 – October 2 for a life-changing workshop: Paris Sketchbook

Or, my writing workshop, Write Your Heart Out in Paris, October 6-11, 2022.

MENTIONED

Caran d’Ache Watersoluble II

Marcus McAllister

Marcus’ Instagram

Filed Under: Paris, Podcast

March 16, 2022 by Cynthia Morris 2 Comments

Carving Out Time For Our Creative Pursuits Infuses Our Vitality with Dallas Woodburn

Who are you writing for? ⁠Who counts in determining what we create?

Sometimes we get bogged down by the idea of what our audience, peers, or the people in our lives will think of our creative pursuits. That can lead to a muddying of the waters of the creative process.

In this episode, Dallas shares how she broke through those barriers to write the books that were in her heart. Listen as she walks us through:

  • How she learned to write for herself to leverage her creativity.
  • The life events that inspired each of her books, and how the therapeutic power of writing helped carry her through grief
  • How a decade working on the just-released Thanks, Carissa, For Ruining My Life reflects her growth as a person
  • Plus the life changes that have helped her reframe her view of her writing time and ignited a new passion for investing in her creative pursuits

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Amy Bender
Gretchen Rubin
Sara Barelis
InstagramDallasWoodburn.com
Facebook Book Breakthrough Community
Thanks, Carissa, for Ruining My Life
The Best Week That Never Happened

Filed Under: Podcast

March 2, 2022 by Cynthia Morris 4 Comments

Life is Better Sketching: Stumbling Toward Genius with Koosje Koene

What happens when you lose your mojo by making the stuff you are told to make instead of what you want to make?

Today, we’re sitting down with Koosje Koene to talk about how burnout in her photography business led her to a series of dull “cubicle” jobs. It was then that she started spending all of her free time soaking in her creative pursuits and drawing each day. Now she teaches others how to develop their own creative practice.

Listen as she walks us through:

● Why draw? How sketching challenges us to step out of our comfort zone
● What sketching has in common with cooking and how both practices are more about why than how
● The trick to lowering the stakes so you can get off the creative roller coaster, create your own sketchbook practice, and even have fun

Plus, in the video, she shares some of her favorite sketches with us.

Join us September 27 – October 2 for a life-changing workshop: Paris Sketchbook

Mentioned in this episode

Koosje’s Website

Sketchbook Skool

Koosje’s YouTube

Koosje’s Patreon

Draw Tip Tuesday YouTube playlist 

The Beauty in the Mundane

Inktober

Susan Colon

Sabine Wisman

Jane LaFazio

Hahnemühle Nostalgie series

The episode is also posted on my YouTube channel.

Filed Under: Podcast

February 16, 2022 by Cynthia Morris Leave a Comment

Books that truly change lives with Nicholas Hutchison

Why do you read books? We might read all kinds of books, but not have an intention for our time spent with that author. What if you read books more intentionally? Nicholas Hutchison of Bookthinkers spends his days reading books with the aim of learning, growing and applying what he’s learned right away.

I love that idea, but personally don’t have systems in place for turning bookish inspiration into action. I asked Nicholas how he manages the ideas he reads about and turns them into changes in his life. We also talked about the challenges he’s facing finishing writing his own book, his morning routines and their effects on his productivity, and much more bookish fun.

Tune in to give your bookish self a treat and hear more about how to make your reading time more effective.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Bookthinkers

Instagram

Quora

Permission to Glow – Kristoffer Carter

Art and Business of Online Writing – Nicolas Cole

Compound Effect – Darren Hardy

Rich Dad, Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki

Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill

Built to Serve – Evan Carmichael

Robert Green

Ryan Holiday

Own the Day , Own Your Life – Aubrey Marcus

Peter Drucker

Filed Under: Podcast

February 2, 2022 by Cynthia Morris Leave a Comment

How to choose among your creative projects – a process to make it easier

You might have the dream of writing a book. Maybe you have more than one book idea. If you’re like me, you have an abundance of ideas. One of the biggest ways we stumble in our creative work is not choosing at all. This keeps us on the sidelines of our dreams.

In this solo episode of Stumbling Toward Genius, you will hear a few ways to look at how to choose among your brilliant ideas. I will share some perspectives that will hopefully help with any creative decision, not just choosing which book to write. I’ll also talk about the book I am currently writing and how I made the decision to write this now and not earlier.

Be sure to check below for my choosing checklist to help with your creative decisions.

Mentioned in this episode

Checklist for choosing among your creative projects.

Write Your Book Coaching Group

Write A Manifesto for Your Book

The Busy Woman’s Guide to Writing a World-Changing Book 

Atelier

Focus Group survey to help me with my current book

Filed Under: Podcast

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Primary Sidebar

Cynthia Morris novel Her Lisbon Colors

Creative Success Stories

"Being coached by Cynthia highlighted my unrevealed gifts. Our time together has revolutionized the way I work and lead my companies.

Her wisdom about creativity and productivity has added value to every area of my life from personal health to creativity and generating wealth.

I would have never imagined that this powerhouse of a creative would help me grow, connect to my heart and improve my companies in so many areas. Cynthia’s coaching is like supercharging a normal engine; there is no comparison."

John Marsh
Founder, Marsh Collective

"For years, I struggled with this belief that I wasn't good enough, that I wasn't a real writer, that I wouldn't be able to follow through. Your coaching and support opened something in me that had gone dormant.

With your words in my ears and my heart finding new excitement, I pushed the words across the page. My first novel is complete. You, dear Cynthia, helped me lay the dominoes. I can’t thank you enough for the motivation, the inspiration, and the reminder that I was meant to write."

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Cynthia has a great spark of life that just shines out. She engages in a way that encourages you to challenge yourself as a writer and is there to help pull you out if you get stuck or lost."

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Laila Atalah
Writer

"Because of my work with Cynthia, I have been able to embrace my artist's path and choose a lifestyle that truly speaks to my soul. Instead of trying to be and do everything, I now follow my true desires with courage, joy and serenity.

Cynthia is intuitive, down-to-earth, straightforward and honest. She can read between the lines, and she never lets me run away, give in and give up. Cynthia is a fabulous mentor and an amazing artist."

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