Create Out Loud With Jennifer Louden

35 | Practical Strategies For Knowing YOU Are Enough

Comparison is the thief of joy. It may be a cliché, but it is profoundly true, especially when it comes to our creativity. Ask yourself now: when will YOU actually feel like you're "enough" when it comes to your work. When you win a regional award? A Pulitzer prize? An Oscar? Stop waiting for your pat on the back. Pat your own back.
Today, we discuss:
:35 - Why we "despair" when we compare
2:05 - Understanding and normalizing "the gap" of creativity
4:51 - Understanding "conditions of enoughness"
8:48 - Engage In Facts
9:09 - Establish A Creativity "Container"
11:13 - Determine whether or not this fits in your life
12:19 - CELEBRATE Your Creative Achievements
Visit https://jenniferlouden.com/podcastkit/ to get instant access to a collection of audios that will: help you with some of the most common struggles we creatives have to manage including fear of choosing, falling into compare and despair, managing the inner critic (s), and feeling too exposed and vulnerable when you put yourself or your work into the world.
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Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jennifer-louden/support

34 | How To Honor The Classics But Forge A New Path In Our Creativity w/ Maria Tatar

One of the most important evolutions in creative history is the emergence of a female voice. Despite cultural sociologists of old focusing on men, Maria is among a number of important voices who can recognize that we can both acknowledge, even honor those historic works, but invite the female voice to break them apart. Do you ever feel overly constricted by ancient, patriarchal models of storytelling? Then THIS is the episode for you. Maria and Jen also discuss:
10:14 - How to avoid culturally repressive tropes in our art.
12:14 - Why was Maria drawn to fairy tales.
16:45 - How to respect the old while still exploring the new in our art.
21:32 - Valuing curiosity in ourselves and our children
24:18 - How storytelling gives us life
27:10 - How promote female models of storytelling while avoiding a gender binary
30:09 - Maria’s writing process
32:55 - Maria’s complicated relationship with Joseph Campbell
36:56 - How Maria collaborates with her students.
39:13 - Finding the bravery to take risks in our creative work.
Visit https://jenniferlouden.com/podcastkit/ to get instant access to a collection of audios that will: help you with some of the most common struggles we creatives have to manage including fear of choosing, falling into compare and despair, managing the inner critic (s), and feeling too exposed and vulnerable when you put yourself or your work into the world.
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Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jennifer-louden/support

33 | Giving Yourself Permission To Return To Old Projects

The pressure to have to create, to write everyday, to make our creativity a "job" is relentless. But what if we gave ourselves SPACE to pick up a project and put it back down? What if we didn't feel shame when because we have to take a break from our work. If you've been in the creative pressure cooker lately, THIS episode is for you.
Thanks to Podchaser: gl8o4U4IdQiuyy4n4ZvF
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Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jennifer-louden/support

32 | Infusing Our Life Experience (The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly) Into Our Work w/ Ruth Ozeki

Though she's now considered one of America's most important novelists, Ruth Ozeki didn't think of herself as a writer until her 30s. Before that, she had stumbled into a career editing schlocky, low-budget Japanese horror movies, struggling to find her way. But wisely, she knew, even then, that the experience would serve her. Because ALL experiences end up serving us in the end, right? Among other things, Ruth and Jen discuss:
3:00 - Inquiry-based creativity and writing.
7:12 - Allowing vulnerability and curious to guide our work
11:16 - Exploring self-trust.
16:14 - Understanding our readers interpret and create work.
20:21 - The profound power of storytelling.
30:31 - “Knowing your ruts.”
38:54 - Process and discipline.
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Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jennifer-louden/support

31 | Marketing Strategies To Reach Your Audience Directly w/ Catherine Babb-Muguira

When we think of "self-help" we typically think of cheery, bohemian women talking about astrology and crystals, but what if we told you that Edgar Allen Poe - you know, the tragic alcoholic literary genius - was one of America's most valuable self-help voices? Today, we chat Catherine Babb-Muguira about her process of falling in love with Mr. Poe, and he pulled her out of her own dark hole. Drawing deeply on his works and life, she takes the familiar image of Poe in a new and surprising direction in this darkly inspiring self-help book. Despite what you might think, Edgar Allan Poe is the perfect person to teach you to say "Nevermore, problems!" and show you how to use all the terrible situations, tough breaks, bad luck, and even your darkest emotions in novel and creative ways to make a name for yourself and carve out your own unique, notorious place in the world. Jen and Catherine also discuss:
:40 - Addressing the dark side of self help.
6:03 - Trust your creative instincts because you never know where things will take you.
9:09 - The process teaches how to write the book.
12:43 - Is it FUN? A great litmus test for creativity.
16:21 - Don’t be afraid to write for an audience.
20:23 - Leveraging a famous subject to find your audience.
29:40 - Embracing and accepting feelings of validity around publication.
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Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jennifer-louden/support

30 | Giving Yourself Permission To ”Do You” In Your Creativity

So often, we get caught up in the idea of who we should be as a creative. I should be a best selling author...I should be an award winning filmmaker...I should be giving my Nobel-prize winning speech. But what about who we already ARE? Even the greats wrestle questions of creativity identity and imposter syndrome, but remember, at the end of the day, YOU are your own greatest create superhero. Learn how to embrace yourself fully as you dive into the creative pool.
Visit https://jenniferlouden.com/podcastkit/ to get instant access to a collection of audios that will:
help you with some of the most common struggles we creatives have to manage including fear of choosing,
falling into compare and despair, managing the inner critic (s),
and feeling too exposed and vulnerable when you put yourself or your work into the world.
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Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jennifer-louden/support

29 | Navigating Creative Partnerships with Crystal Egli and Parker McMullen Bushman

Crystal and Parker are some of the most exciting voices in the world of female-founded tech startups, and their brilliance lies beyond their product. The two of them have sharply navigated the very white and very male world of tech by following their north star - business that focuses on diversity, ethics, and inclusivity. Like their own business philosophy, their company Inclusive Journeys is focusing on inclusivity by developing a digital green book to rate business on their ability to accommodate people of all races, genders, orientations, and abilities. Today, we also discuss
2:03 - Why Crystal Took Up Hunting
6:02 - How Crystal feels about being called a snowflake
12:32 - The nuts and bolts of how the app works
16:51 - Racial hurdles that Crystal and Parker faced as founders.
18:48 - Why shame is an ineffective motivator for moving forward.
28:29 - The mechanics of a creative partnership.
31:34 - The value of hiring an assistant.
To support their GoFundMe, check out: https://www.gofundme.com/f/digital-green-book-website
Visit https://jenniferlouden.com/podcastkit/ to get instant access to a collection of audios that will:
help you with some of the most common struggles we creatives have to manage including fear of choosing,
falling into compare and despair, managing the inner critic (s),
and feeling too exposed and vulnerable when you put yourself or your work into the world.
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Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jennifer-louden/support

Fulfilling Our Personal Responsibility To Create w/ Beth Pickens

Beth Pickens is one of the most practical and grounded creative coaches working today. Though she herself doesn't identify as particularly creative, Beth CHAMPIONS creative instincts and argues that when creative people don't fulfill their inner-need to create, their health, well-being, and general productivity will suffer. Need a boost? THIS is the episode for you. Jen and Beth also discuss...
1:00 - Taking a STAND for your art.
2:39 - Creating art isn't optional, it's essential for your health.
4:00 - Separating the practice from your profession.
12:36 - Avoiding burnout.
21:43 - Art CHANGES people.
Visit https://jenniferlouden.com/podcastkit/ to get instant access to a collection of audios that will:
help you with some of the most common struggles we creatives have to manage including fear of choosing,
falling into compare and despair, managing the inner critic (s),
and feeling too exposed and vulnerable when you put yourself or your work into the world.
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Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jennifer-louden/support

27 | How To Avoid Toxic Comparison In Our Creative Life w/ Keri Smith

Though her work centers on wild, uninhibited creative acts, Keri Smith is a self-proclaimed introvert. The hugely popular bestselling author Wreck This Journal is the first to admit that our creative needs to be a sacred choice, an intentional process that we commit to, despite the voices around us (and in our head), telling us not to. Keri and Jen get vulnerable as they discuss the gap between their public and private personas, and the very real looming specter of burnout that challenges every creative. They also discuss:
1:27 - Book as a sacred object
5:32 - The value of rituals and reptition.
9:47 - The myths around social media
16:53 - Random chance encounters with your creativity.
21:42 - Toxic comparisons with others.
27:46: How to remove the ego and focus on how JOHN CAGE influenced Keri’s work.
32:42: Why Keri doesn't read reviewsVisit https://jenniferlouden.com/podcastkit/ to get instant access to a collection of audios that will:
help you with some of the most common struggles we creatives have to manage including fear of choosing,
falling into compare and despair, managing the inner critic (s),
and feeling too exposed and vulnerable when you put yourself or your work into the world.
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Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jennifer-louden/support

🦃 Happy Thanksgiving From Create Out Loud! 🦃

If you're looking to find more gratitude in your creative life, today's episode is for you!
Visit https://jenniferlouden.com/podcastkit/ to get instant access to a collection of audios that will:
help you with some of the most common struggles we creatives have to manage including fear of choosing,
falling into compare and despair, managing the inner critic (s),
and feeling too exposed and vulnerable when you put yourself or your work into the world.
---
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jennifer-louden/support