E155. Why You Really Really REALLY Shouldn't Listen to Advice (*With Some Exceptions)

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

#Fitness #Society #Self-Improvement #Mental Health #Kendra Patterson #Podcasting Education #Creativity #Personal Growth #HSP #Intuitive #Empaths #INFJ #INFP #Mindset #Writing #Burnout

32:48

America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is back for its second season! Kay Adams welcomes the women who assemble the squad, Kelli Finglass and Judy Trammell, to the Netflix Sports Club Podcast. They discuss the emotional rollercoaster of putting together the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Judy and Kelli open up about what it means to embrace flaws in the pursuit of perfection, how they identify that winning combo of stamina and wow factor, and what it’s like to see Thunderstruck go viral. Plus, the duo shares their hopes for the future of DCC beyond the field. Netflix Sports Club Podcast Correspondent Dani Klupenger also stops by to discuss the NBA Finals, basketball’s biggest moments with Michael Jordan and LeBron, and Kevin Durant’s international dominance. Dani and Kay detail the rise of Coco Gauff’s greatness and the most exciting storylines heading into Wimbledon. We want to hear from you! Leave us a voice message at www.speakpipe.com/NetflixSportsClub Find more from the Netflix Sports Club Podcast @NetflixSports on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X. You can catch Kay Adams @heykayadams and Dani Klupenger @daniklup on IG and X. Be sure to follow Kelli Finglass and Judy Trammel @kellifinglass and @dcc_judy on IG. Hosted by Kay Adams, the Netflix Sports Club Podcast is an all-access deep dive into the Netflix Sports universe! Each episode, Adams will speak with athletes, coaches, and a rotating cycle of familiar sports correspondents to talk about a recently released Netflix Sports series. The podcast will feature hot takes, deep analysis, games, and intimate conversations. Be sure to watch, listen, and subscribe to the Netflix Sports Club Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Tudum, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes on Fridays every other week.…

about a year ago 49:49

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I wasted years of my life following other people's advice about how I should be writing novels and developing my creative practice, and it mostly failed me. So finally I decided to chuck it all out the window, go against the grain, and listen to myself. In this episode I discuss why we mostly shouldn't listen to anyone else and instead expend time and energy figuring out what works for US individually. But we also shouldn't dismiss advice and expertise wholesale! So I balance my rebellious FU side here with a discussion of when and how we can benefit from advice.

171 episodes

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

E155. Why You Really Really REALLY Shouldn't Listen to Advice (*With Some Exceptions)

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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published about a year ago

MP3•Episode home

171 episodes

#Fitness #Society #Self-Improvement #Mental Health #Kendra Patterson #Podcasting Education #Creativity #Personal Growth #HSP #Intuitive #Empaths #INFJ #INFP #Mindset #Writing #Burnout

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Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

1
E168. Not Letting the Big Picture Sabotage Your Creativity 30:37

10 weeks ago30:37

30:37

Managing a large creative project that must be done in stages and with attention to what seems like a million intertwined details is a skill that must be learned through trial and error. Most projects are in the "ugly" stage until they are very near completion, and this can be frustrating and confusing when you have a grand vision of what you are trying to accomplish. In this episode I talk about what writing a novel taught me about how to keep going when you feel overwhelmed by the complexity of the work you are attempting to finish and start to lose hope that you'll finish at all.…

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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E167. Interview Episode! Featuring Kristin Kisska, Author of The Hint of Light 1:08:23

13 weeks ago1:08:23

1:08:23

Note: my microphone wasn't working properly for the interview portion of this episode; I apologize for the less-than-ideal sound quality of my parts. At last the long-awaited first installment of my author interview series! KRISTIN KISSKA used to be a finance geek, complete with her MBA and Wall Street pedigree, but now she is a self-proclaimed #SuspenseGirl . She has contributed over a dozen short suspense stories to crime and mystery anthologies. Her debut novel, The Hint of Light , was an Agatha Award finalist for Best First Mystery Novel. Kristin is a Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, Sisters in Crime, and James River Writers member. Kristin lives in Richmond, Virginia, with her family and their moody tabby cat, Boom. She loves hearing from friends, readers, and book clubs at www.KristinKisska.com . You can also find her on Instagram @kristinkisskaauthor .…

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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E166. Maintaining Motivation for Creative Work in Challenging Seasons 22:40

15 weeks ago22:40

22:40

Here in Florida our challenging season is summer--it's both broiling hot and rainy. My backyard turns into a literal swamp. It can be hard to maintain motivation for our creative work when the weather and climate are so uncomfortable. Maybe in your area it's winter that's the challenging season. If you struggle to keep up your momentum during these times, I have some suggestions on how to handle your creative work in ways that can create motivation. Info on Lisa Ross's literary editing services…

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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E165. How Doing Art Constitutes Resistance 27:51

17 weeks ago27:51

27:51

As I contemplate ways I can resist against the forces of chaos and cruelty holding sway in society, I am sometimes dismayed by my own limits. But I am not utterly powerless. In this episode I discuss the many ways in which doing art can be a form of resistance. Dina Brodsky's Instagram Athena Scalzi's blog post…

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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E164. Is the Ability to Make Choices More Important to Art than Creativity? 20:43

19 weeks ago20:43

20:43

Beyond passion, skill, and commitment, there is another quality that defines what it is to be an artist: the ability to make choices in your art and follow through on them. In this episode I contemplate how being stuck in art (and life) is often more the result of a fear of making wrong choices than a lack of inspiration. It can help to shift our mindset to see artistic choices as neutral, and to understand that we have the power to make a choice a good one by continuing to work with it until it has borne fruit.…

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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E163. A New Theory of Talent 28:55

21 weeks ago28:55

28:55

I've long thought that talent is the least important ingredient in artistic success (however you define that). The further I get in my writing career, the less it seems to matter whether I have any "natural" talent. What matters is consistent and sustained effort over time. In this episode I contemplate whether talent is what we think it is, and provide an alternative framework for conceptualizing it that can help free us from the pressure of not feeling talented enough.…

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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E162. Creative Practice and the Artist's Illusion 33:06

23 weeks ago33:06

33:06

In which I share my thoughts on how creative practice helps us handle the often difficult conditions of the artist's life: how long and hard we have to work to establish ourselves, the mental health struggles many of us face, and the competition inherent in a glutted market.

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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E161. What Taking on a Second Creative Practice Has Taught Me (+ Some Thoughts on Disruption) 26:35

25 weeks ago26:35

26:35

I recently added a second creative practice to my roster of creative activities: watercolor painting. While I definitely felt ready for this big step, it has nonetheless served as a disruption in my life and to my understanding of the role of creativity in my life. In this episode I contemplate the value of disruption and how both planned and unplanned disturbances to our status quo can help us grow creatively and develop a deeper understanding of our work.…

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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E160. Learning to Use Conceptual Tools as an Intuitive Creative: Is It Possible? 34:52

27 weeks ago34:52

34:52

Creatives and artists can be roughly divided into two types: intuitive and conceptual. Many do successfully combine both styles, but I have never been able to. I am a strongly intuitive writer and have historically failed at incorporating conceptual tools, like outlining and plotting, into my practice. As part of my journey toward being a published author, though, I've been forced to consider using conceptual tools to streamline my writing process. In this episode I tell you how it's going and what I've learned. What it boils down to is that even us intuitive creatives CAN learn to successfully use conceptual tools...as long as we develop them ourselves in an intuitive way.…

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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E159. What Role Do Artists Play in Society? It May Not Be What You Think 26:21

29 weeks ago26:21

26:21

As the wheel of history lurches forward I've been thinking about what role I play in society as an artist. What do I contribute? How can I make a positive difference? Typically this kind of discussion focuses on the artist's art, but I've taken a different view. I want to know what role artists themselves play, separate from their art. In this episode I contemplate this question and offer some thoughts. Hewes House…

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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E158. Interview Episode! What Health Looks Like Through the Lens of Creative Practice 1:01:56

33 weeks ago1:01:56

1:01:56

In a twist on a classic interview episode, in this one friend of the pod Ann Wainscott returns to interview someone herself! Links from this episode: Switched on Pop's Madonna episode No.1 , No.2 , and No.3 Daniel Mason's novel North Woods

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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E157. Finding Psychological Safety in a Tumultuous World as a Sensitive Creative 30:04

35 weeks ago30:04

30:04

When you are a highly sensitive gentle soul, the chaos and cruelty of the world can feel unbearable at times. How are we to protect ourselves while still engaging? In this episode I discuss this in light of my own thoughts on the recent US election results. My sister's Instagram account (jillpattersoncycling) The poem Desiderata…

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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E156. How I Learned to Take Myself Less Seriously...and More Seriously 25:54

37 weeks ago25:54

25:54

Have you ever been told you take yourself too seriously? I heard this all the time growing up. And it was both right...and wrong. In this episode I discuss how I held myself back from reaching for my creative dreams both by taking myself too seriously and not seriously enough. Sound confusing? Well, give it a listen! Here is the Instagram reel that sparked this episode.…

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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E155. Why You Really Really REALLY Shouldn't Listen to Advice (*With Some Exceptions) 49:49

39 weeks ago49:49

49:49

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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E154. Does Structure Constrain or Free Us? 30:51

41 weeks ago30:51

30:51

I am using my current project, novel #2, to master plot, my weakest area as a writer. In the past, I've been ambivalent and even felt antipathy toward applying commercial and Western-style plot structures to my novels, because I felt they constrained my art. So what's changed? In this episode I discuss my evolving views on structure in life and art, and why I'm now leaning into the concept that structure can free us...if we do it right. For some background on my thoughts on plot, and particularly on Western vs. Eastern styles, see this episode on the Kishotenketsu narrative structure.…

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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E153. Preliminary Thoughts on Being a Neurodivergent Creative 33:48

43 weeks ago33:48

33:48

In this episode I discuss my recent diagnosis of being neurodivergent, including why I pursued a formal diagnosis, what it entails, and its relationship to creativity and my art.

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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E152. Are the Things We Suck At Actually Special Talents in Disguise? 24:44

45 weeks ago24:44

24:44

With novel #1 winding its way toward publication (hopefully), I have officially begun work on novel #2...and I've realized I will have to approach writing it in an entirely different way. Not only that, I'm going to have to use a technique I have utterly failed at in the past: preplanning the plot. Simply put, I suck at plot. It was the last thing to fall into place in novel #1. In this episode I contemplate why the things we suck at could actually be special talents in disguise, and how we can shift our mindset around our perceived deficits in order to better face the challenges of our artistic journeys. Link from this episode: The Binary Code Shop…

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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E151. When All You Have Is a Drum... Play 20:35

47 weeks ago20:35

20:35

I'm not really sure how to summarize this episode, y'all...but you'll want to listen! Contact me

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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E150. The OG Society Thought Experiment: Why and How We Share Our Art 26:16

49 weeks ago26:16

26:16

Sometimes it can be difficult to see how our own societies and cultures influence us. I have this trick I use to help reveal some of those hidden influences that I call the OG Society Thought Experiment. I imagine how a small pre-capitalist "original society" would have functioned and compare that to my modern capitalist society. Today I use this thought experiment to explore different ways to frame how and why we share our art with the world. Contact me…

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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E149. Are Big Dreams Bad for Us? Learning to Not Miss the Stars 22:08

51 weeks ago22:08

22:08

In this episode I take stock of where I am in my creative journey as I contemplate what lies beyond the dreams we hold for ourselves. Are dreams holding us back? Do they ultimately make our lives less happy and satisfying? W.H. Auden's poem, The More Loving One Contact me

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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E148. Looking for Your Lights in the Dark 30:33

1 year ago30:33

30:33

Notice: The Kishōtenketsu Workshop I am doing with Andy Mort is coming up next week! You can find more info and sign up a this link . In this episode I discuss two women I've learned about recently who are lights in the dark for me. They inspire me to keep going through tough times, and to not lose hope. Table tennis phenom Zhiying Zeng , who is making her Olympic debut in Paris this summer at the age of 58, reminds me that it's worth it to try for a dream a second time around. And singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles , whose wonderful song "Brave" is worthy of the number one spot on the charts even if it didn't make it that far, reminds me that if we let go of our attachment to specific outcomes, we allow for even better things to happen.…

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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E147. In Search of Continuities in Our Artistic Identity 33:12

1 year ago33:12

33:12

I recently discovered a notebook filled with poetry I wrote thirty (!) years ago, and in one fell swoop it reconfigured my understanding of myself as an artist. In this episode I contemplate the threads that define who we are as artists that weave their way through our lifelong body of work (creative or otherwise). And I read one of those thirty-year-old poems (eep)! Find out more about my Kishotenketsu workshop partner, Andy Mort Find me on Instagram Contact me…

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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E146. In Which I Read My Short Story "The Trash House" 42:28

1 year ago42:28

42:28

In summer I like to mix it up on this podcast, so I decided to share some of my short stories. "The Trash House" is a women-centered retooling of the Japanese Kitsune (fox) folklore. Enjoy!

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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E145. Re-Envisioning the Creative Journey through the Kishotenketsu Lens 36:02

1 year ago36:02

36:02

Last episode I discussed the "conflict free" Japanese Kishotenketsu storytelling framework as a gentler alternative to the Western-style Hero's Journey. In this one I contrast the two as lenses through which we can interpret our creative lives. The Hero's Journey, though it may make for compelling entertainment, can be toxic when used as a way of understanding our own progress and successes. The Kishotenketsu lens provides a more realistic and less competitive perspective that suits those of us who are gentle souls, HSPs, and neurodivergent.…

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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E144. Special Release: The Calming Effects of Kishotenketsu Narrative Structure 38:56

1 year ago38:56

38:56

I'm dealing with some personal life stuff right now and so dug into my Patreon archive for an episode for you all today! In this one I discuss the Japanese (and more broadly Asian) narrative structure called Kishotenketsu. This is generally seen as being a low-conflict or even conflict-free form of narrative, and it's a balm to the soul for those of us who have highly sensitive nervous systems. I compare Kishotenketsu to the typical Western Hero's Journey/three-act narrative structure using the examples of the films Kiki's Delivery Service, Parasite, and the show Bones. Enjoy! Note: I mention references in the original show notes for this episode but unfortunately these were lost when I closed down my Patreon. I always like to cite my sources and give credit where credit is due, so I apologize about that. I was able to source one of them.…

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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E143: The Writing Conference and Live Pitching Experience 36:09

1 year ago36:09

36:09

Last week I made the trek down to Tampa to attend a writer's conference and live pitch my novel to two agents! This type of experience can be overwhelming for creatives who are highly sensitive or have other types of sensory processing conditions--or for those who struggle with anxiety and/or mental health challenges. In this episode I discuss all the special accommodations I made for myself so that I was able to get through it successfully, plus how I am dealing with the emotional aftermath. Thank you for coming along with me as I've transitioned into this next step on my creative journey with my novel, the querying phase! There have been a lot of personal update episodes lately, but I'll be back to regular topical episodes starting in two weeks. The episode I mentioned in this one: E27: Breaking Into the Chocolate Factory Contact Me…

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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E142. Handling Rejection Sensitivity for Neurodiverse and Highly Sensitive Creatives 1:01:01

1 year ago1:01:01

1:01:01

Rejection sensitivity is one of the primary challenges neurodiverse and highly sensitive creatives face in reaching for their dreams. It can cause us to isolate, not seek out opportunities to share or showcase our work, or even keep us from doing creative work in the first place. If we do put ourselves out there, we risk severe mental health consequences when we experience real or perceived rejection, even of the mild kind (and rejection is inevitable on any creative journey!) How can we pursue our creative dreams in this context? In this episode I discuss the ins and outs of rejection sensitivity and its more extreme form, rejection sensitive dysphoria. You'll hear what it is, why neurodiverse folks are prone to it, what it looks like in real life (using some examples from my own), and some tools I've developed over the last five years of my own creative journey that have helped me go from not wanting to share my fiction at all to live pitching my now completed novel at a conference next week (wish me luck!) Several resources I used for this episode: Emotional Regulation and Rejection Sensitivity (Dr. William Dodson, October 2016) Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria and Its Painful Impact (Dr. Neff, blog) Past episodes I mention: E41. The One About Writing: My Writing Journey and Path Toward Publication E65. In Which I Read One of My Short Stories Contact me…

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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E141. Following What's Alive in Your Creative Work 34:25

1 year ago34:25

34:25

This episode begins with an update on my preparations for the writers' conference I'm attending in Tampa on April 12. You can skip ahead to the 10:36 mark for the topical discussion. We're often counseled to follow our own vision or intuition in our creative work, but what does that actually look like in practice? How do you do it? In this episode I discuss a new lens that I'm finding useful right now: you follow what's alive. You'll hear about when following our internal impulses and rejecting the "shoulds" matters, how to differentiate between what's "alive" and what's "dead" in a creative project, and what to do then. Contact me…

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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E140. Update Episode! Plans for Pitching My Novel 28:29

1 year ago28:29

28:29

At loooooooong last, I am (nearly! almost!) ready to start querying my novel to agents, so I decided it was the right time to do an update episode on where things stand and my plans going forward. I touch on topics such as what it feels like to be done, preparing for querying, and finding opportunities for professionalization as a prospective author. Writing Day Conference info (Tampa & Orlando) Jane Friedman classes Mary Kole resources…

Stepping Off Now: Lessons in the Art and Craft of Creativity

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E139. Ordinary vs. Extraordinary Times in the Creative Process 25:39

1 year ago25:39