EP9: How To Move Forward With A Growth Mindset In a World of Social Comparison with Ellen Jackson

Ellen Jackson | Potential Psychology
Psychologist, writer, speaker and consultant to organisations Australia-wide. Her passion is helping you to be happier and more effective using the science of human flourishing. Everything she teaches is supported by scientific research so we know it works. I overlay this with a nuanced understanding of us as individuals to help us be the best that you can be. Are you ready to fulfil your potential? 

Welcome to episode NINE of the Mindful Creative: How To Move Forward With A Growth Mindset In a World of Social Comparison with Ellen Jackson.

In this episode, we explore the idea of social comparison and how to have a growth mindset as we chat with psychologist Ellen Jackson. Her passion is to help others to be happier and more effective using the science of human flourishing. If you want to connect with Ellen, You can find her at potential.com.au, on Instagram and Facebook. She also has a number of insightful articles around the web which you can find here.

Read her article: The psychology of Comparison and How to Stop on Pro Blogger that we reference in the episode. 

In episode nine, I’m going to use my own experience here with social comparison to enable Ellen to give us some tips on how to pursue our creative journey with a growth mindset.

Why listen?

Gain some simple techniques you can use to overcome social comparison and harness a growth mindset instead.

To know that social comparison is a normal way to feel and why awareness of this activity is the first step towards moving forward.

Why you need to 'be a racehorse' if you want to win at your own game of growth.

 

Episode Takeaways

• Social comparison is an everyday challenge that we all face. It's part of being human and our brains are hardwired for it.
   
• We all compare ourselves all the time as we are social animals. We are wired to interact on a regular basis. There are feedback loops of comparing ourselves to others.
   
• The key to getting past social comparison as a negative perspective is to recognise this is a normal human response.
   
• We need social comparison to identify where do we fit in our world.
   
• There are two types of social comparison. Upward comparison and downward comparison.
   
• Upwards comparison tends to focus on people we admire or are further along a similar journey to us. This can be a motivating and positive. Looking towards role models. 
   
• Self-talk can put us into the negative spin. This can be detrimental. It allows us to be more passive and feel defeated.
   
• An innate negativity bias that is wired into us. But this is not practical in social interactions in today's world. There are not as many physical threats today. Yet our mindset remains the same.
   
• Being able to recognise the negative bias is the first step to overcoming it. Being aware of the comparisons that I am making is a normal behaviour.
   
• Ask yourself, how is this making me feel. What can I do, how can I think differently to switch around and not let it defeat me?
   
• This idea of a fixed mindset is contrary to what we are discovering today about the brain. In fact, we can continue to adapt and learn all the way through adult hood.
   
• The essence of a growth mindset is that I am not a fixed asset. We are developing and learning every day. It's an ongoing journey of development.
   
• A growth mindset is a journey, not a destination.
   
• When we move into a downward social comparison mindset, it tends to be when we have visual reminders of negative self-talk.
   
• In order to change, awareness is the first port of call.
   
• Asking yourself, is this helpful? Making a conscious point to ask yourself, then to consciously do something different and ACT.
   
• Be a racehorse. Don't focus on what other people are doing. Focus on what you are doing. Say 'I have my blinkers on'. I have to get from here to my goals. I am heading my way, not looking at what others are doing.
   
• Aim for personal bests. Don't look to people who are further along the path than us are doing and compare your journey to theirs.
   
• Create a timeline. Chart where you are at and what your achievements are. You can see visually what you have achieved.

Tell me!

Do you feel like you have an upward or downward social comparison mind? Do you feel like you can be a racehorse on the pursuit to a growth Leave me a comment below and let me know what your biggest takeaway was in this episode?

Episode Resources

Quote: It is only a thought and a thought can be changed ~ Louise Hay

Resource: Create a visual timeline of your achievements in the last 12 months.

 

Rate Us on iTunes.

If any of the episodes touched, moved or inspired you, I’d appreciate it so much if you could rate and review the podcast on iTunes. Together, you and I can change the lives of creatives together. Just this small gesture could allow an episode to show up for someone who truly needs it!

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Episode 8 - The Challenges of Being a Grounded and Authentic Creative Being in The Age of Social Media.

Kimberly | The Little Plantation.
Prop and food stylist, food photographer, recipe developer, nutritional therapist and plant-based food blogger. For kicks, she also edits the Bitter Foods Feed over at TheFeedFeed. Her blog, The Little Plantation came out of a mid-life crisis and her urge to pursue and create what makes her happy.

Welcome my fellow creative to episode EIGHT for the Mindful Creative: The Challenges of Being a Grounded and Authentic Creative Being in The Age of Social Media. 

In this episode, I'm chatting with Kimberly from the Little Plantation, who is a wearer of many creative hats. She is a prop and food stylist, photographer and nutritional therapist.

And today we are chatting about this the challenges of being a grounded and authentic creative being in the age of social media.

Now I recognise that social media pops up a lot in our chats with creatives, and just listening to a podcast doesn’t mean you’re instantly relieved of feelings of overwhelm or comparison. So I am hoping that our continued chats around creativity and mindset will keep reinforcing that we are human and we’re in this together.

This episode was recorded on a Skype call, and as we all know the quality of a Skype call can be a bit dodgy. For me, it is better to have honest talk out in the world rather than letting the barriers of perfection prevent us from creating. So please keep that in mind when listening to today’s episode.

Now let’s dive into our chat with Kimberly. Welcome to today’s episode Kimberly, it’s great to be chatting with you!

Why listen?

To realise when creating begins to shift away from what you intend. Your authentic self.

How taking a break and reflecting on what you want to get from creating can propel you back to its true meaning.

How using a bullet journal helped Kimberly in making the time she spent creating more joyful.

Episode Takeaways

• Instagram started out as a place of discovery and joy, but turned into a source of stress where I felt I had to post all the time or I was letting people down.
   

• What I wanted to do creatively in the kitchen and with photography was being pushed in one direction that my audience liked, rather than what I wanted to explore.
   

• If I didn’t post every day the world would come to an end and I would wake up feeling anxiety and pressure that wasn’t there when I started with the platform.
   

• Life is about being present with the people that you love.
   

• There is a lot of ego feeding online which you don’t get as much in real life. It feels like an escape.  Too much of a good thing isn’t healthy. Too much of an ego boost isn’t reality, it isn’t right.
   

• After my realisation, I do what my heart wants to do and it feels more authentic.
   

• I spent more time with myself, being online means that you don’t have to look at yourself in the mirror.
   

• If a photo doesn' do well, I don't question my self-worth or validity as a creative anymore. The break allowed me to feed this perspective.
   

• I felt liberated when I made the decision to take some time off. I was my opportunity to go back to the drawing board and think about what I want to create.
   

• I can look at an image I took and be happy. Becuase I know that it came from the right place.
   

• If you are posting and are anxious or upset if it doesn’t get the likes and comments - take a break. Take some time away. Reassess what the platform is for you.
   

• The creative process shouldn’t be connected to likes and comments.
   

• Separate your artistic and creative validity from likes and comments. It doesn’t mean you aren’t talented or you aren’t worthy of putting your work out there.
   

• When it comes to your social media use, is this for validation or what your heart needs to express.

Tell me!

When it comes to social media, do you feel that your current use is for validation, keeping up with the rat race or a platform for you to express what your heart desires? Leave me a comment below.

Episode Resources

Quote: Sometimes we need to disconnect in order to reconnect with what matters.

Resource:  Bullet journal - track and note down your dream, hopes, wishes, as well as boundaries, fears and scary thoughts!

Rate Us on iTunes.

If any of the episodes touched, moved or inspired you, I’d appreciate it so much if you could rate and review the podcast on iTunes. Together, you and I can change the lives of creatives together. Just this small gesture could allow an episode to show up for someone who truly needs it!

Episode 7 - The Power of Community In Overcoming Loneliness.

Natalie Franke.
Photographer and Founder of the Rising Tide Society. Natalie is a creative entrepreneur building businesses and mobilising tens of thousands in the spirit of community over competition. Left brain meets right, and east coast meets west, she runs on equal parts coffee, brains, & heart. She's an educator, writer, and community builder who helps entrepreneurs create businesses that thrive.

Welcome my fellow creative to episode SEVEN of The Mindful Creative: The Power of Community in Overcoming Loneliness - The Steps You Can Take To Find The Right Community with Natalie Franke.

For seven years, Natalie had the privilege of building a photography business from the ground up and capturing love stories that would make me tear up with joy at the drop of a hat. Seeing couples in love and documenting the power of relationships sparked an interest to better understand the power of connection and danger of isolation. Along Natalie’s journey, she asked herself: “how can we spend every day surrounded by constant chatter, likes, and comments… but feel so unbelievably alone?” Through technology, we are connected to one another like never before, however, we are also deeply disconnected in a way that our parents and grandparents couldn’t fathom.

Her passion for the idea of community over competition led to her co-founding the rising tide society,  which focuses on building community locally and transforming not only the creative industry but also the world.

In this episode, Natalie and I explore just how important finding the right community is to your creative entrepreneurial journey and that we as humans crave in-person connection.

Why listen?

Why it's important to find the right community.

How to find the right community and not just validation from other's you may see as 'successful'.

Dive deep into thinking about what sort of voices you're surrounding yourself with and how this is shaping your world view.

Uncover the book that allowed Natalie to create a global tribe of creatives looking to make a change in the world.

Episode Takeaways

• It's very natural to compare the field and look at what's out there to compare yourself. It's very human.
   
• It takes 10 years to become an 'overnight success'.
   
• Every day that you show up and work hard, you're adding to your toolbelt. You're gaining knowledge.
   
• You're going to have great days. Other days, you won't even remember to shower, everything will fall apart and you might fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others.
   
• Embrace the messy moments and embrace the struggle of it all. Be willing to have perseverance, have a little bit of grit and don't let it truly affect the deepest most layers of yourself.
   
• The minute I was willing to say that I'm not perfect it changes everything. There is so much powerful in acknowledging we aren't perfect.
   
• Where ever your head is focused, that is the direction of your journey going. What are you spending your time thinking about?
   
• It's energy, either way,  energy if your struggle or energy if your striving.
    
• Be intentional in following through with personal relationships.
   
• You are a combination of the people you spend the most time with. It becomes your world view. 
   
• Finding the right community comes down to your core values. To ask your purpose, to identify who you are, what you need.
   
• We are all imperfect, we all have the same struggles. We are human. We can't look for validation from other's responses. It has to come from within us.
   
• What makes a community. Connecting people to a leader, to an idea and to one another.
   
• You don't have to do this alone. You need to surround yourself with people in your life that lift you up. Find people that remind you of your value and worth.
   

Tell me!

What are your core values and do you have (or are hoping to find) a community that uplifts and empowers you? Leave me a comment below.

Episode Resources

Quote: Gratitude sets us free, perseverance pushes us forward, and comparison cannot hold us down when we strive to celebrate the accomplishments of others from a place of genuine community.

Book:  Tribes. We Need You To Lead Us ~ Seth Godin

Rate Us on iTunes.

If any of the episodes touched, moved or inspired you, I’d appreciate it so much if you could rate and review the podcast on iTunes. Together, you and I can change the lives of creatives together. Just this small gesture could allow an episode to show up for someone who truly needs it!

Episode 6 - The biggest mistake I’ve made: Following someone else's journey.

Welcome my fellow creative to episode SIX of The Mindful Creative: The Biggest Mistake I've Made: Following Someone Else's Journey.

In this episode it’s just little ol' me chatting to you about the biggest mistake iI'vemade, and as I’ve just said that I'm feeling like this should be one of the biggest mistakes I’ve made cause let’s face it, in life we make many and I am no stranger to that.

But the mistake I'm focusing on today is following someone else's journey into creativity.

Now this episode idea came to me when I was swimming laps in the pool, and at the time I felt super passionate about this topic. Today, sitting down to chat with you, I’ll confess I feel a little dumb. Maybe it's because I’ve put down words on paper and it feels so obvious that following someone else's journey would lead to unfulfillment or the fact that in creating this episode i've realised that I am still doing it - just with other people in other niches. But, I guess I'm willing to take one for the team.

Why listen?

Today's episode was designed to inspire you to create a path unique to you if you're:

Feeling like something is missing from your journey, but you can't quite work out what it might be.

Head and heart battle with different goals or benchmarks for your journey and you can't work out why that is.

Constantly looking to others to inspire action for your journey, and you look to the benchmarks and successes of others to define success for yourself.

Episode Takeaways

• It’s near impossible to always have the same level of exponential growth throughout your entire journey.
   
• ‘Feeling inspired’ and ‘reliving’ the journey's of others are two completely different things that take us in different directions and have totally different consequences.
   
• When you copy someone else's journey, anytime you try to reach a milestone or a goal you are checking in with the benchmark in someone else's life.
   
• Only you can decide what your path looks like. Only you can decide what is successful, fulfilling for you.
   
• Expecting to be anything else than who you are will ultimately lead to disappointment.
   
• Don't do the things that don’t light you up.
   
• Trust that you are the one person who knows you best. You’re the one person who gets to define and set your journey.
   
• Success will never be achieved by pretending to be someone else.

Tell me!

I want to hear what your heart really wants to work on, but your head isn’t telling you no. Leave me a comment below.

Episode Resources

Quote: ‘A journey is like a person, no two are alike’ ~ John Steinbeck

Book:  The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving A F*ck ~ Sarah Knight

 

Rate Us on iTunes.

If any of the episodes touched, moved or inspired you, I’d appreciate it so much if you could rate and review the podcast on iTunes. Together, you and I can change the lives of creatives together. Just this small gesture could allow an episode to show up for someone who truly needs it!

Episode 5 - Overcoming Self Criticism. Seeing Ourselves With Eyes of Love.

In this episode, I'm talking with Michelle Swan - Gold Coast Portrait Photographer about overcoming self-criticism to allow us to see our lives and creativity with eyes of love, rather than judgement. Michelle talks about how an affirmation she's said throughout her life has now become her creative business name and message.

Welcome my fellow creative to episode FIVE of The Mindful Creative: Overcoming Self-Criticism. Seeing Ourselves With Eyes of Love.

Joining me in this episode portrait photographer Michelle Swan, who is passionate about helping women realise their beauty and view themselves from a loving perspective.

To overcome this ‘self-critical’ tendency, Michelle came up with an affirmation years ago: “I view myself with the eyes of love” and this became her mission in her business. Choosing the name ‘Eyes of Love Photography’ allowed her to extend love, support and kindness to those she cares about. While our stories are all unique, if you’re anything like Michelle I am sure there have been times when you’ve been your harshest critic, thinking and saying things to yourself you’d never dare say to another.

This episode came about when I was reading Gabrielle Bernstein’s book – The Universe Has Your Back. I’d met Michelle when she attended one of my in person workshops and we connected over brunch when she came to Melbourne for work. Her business is called Eyes of Love photography and like most names sometimes you just see them an Instagram handle, or something that you can identify a brand with.

I hadn’t given Michelle’s business name too much thought, but it wasn’t until I was reading The Universe Has Your Back that the power of it jumped out from the page and smacked in the face.

I was reading about the concept that ‘how you feel either attracts love or blocks love into your life’ So love accepts, judgement blocks. So when we live our lives from a place of love our world is open to us. We are open to receiving all kinds of positivity, opportunities. But when our perspective, our mind, our perception of ourselves comes from a place of judgement we block love, and the things we want for our life.

So as I am reading this Gabby asked ‘do you look through the eyes of love or the eyes of judgement’. And I immediately thought of Michelle and what she is trying to create in her business.

EPISODE RESOURCES

QUOTE: Every expert was once an amateur ~Robin Sharma

BOOK:

The Gifts of Imperfection ~ Brene Brown

Ask and it is Given ~ Ester and Jerry Hicks

VIDEOS:

Brene Brown on CreativeLive

Listening to Shame ~ Brene Brown

 

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Instagram Goodies!

Share this episode with your community.

Rate Us on iTunes.

If any of the episodes touched, moved or inspired you, I’d appreciate it so much if you could rate and review the podcast on iTunes. Together, you and I can change the lives of creatives together. Just this small gesture could allow an episode to show up for someone who truly needs it!

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Episode 4 - The Magic of Embracing Your Authentic Inner Voice.

This episode Lauren and I are exploring the idea of embracing your authentic inner voice, and why it is not only important in standing out in a cookie cutter industry, but is vital in pursuing a fulfilling creative journey. We’re going to chat about what it means to show up to the part, even if you are wearing a lobster costume.

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Welcome my fellow creatives to episode FOUR of the Mindful Creative: The Magic of Embracing Your Authentic Inner Voice.

Joining me in this episode is  Lauren Carnes, a photographer, communications strategist and lover of storytelling. Most days you can find her styling and shooting recipes, exploring new cities to capture the true essence of the town, or partnering with creative small businesses to enable them to share their story through authentic imagery that speaks to their ideal audience.

Lauren also regular contributes to The Rising Tide Society with her passion for authentic communications and her inspiring outlook that lighting each other’s candles only makes the world shine brighter.

This episode Lauren and I are exploring the idea of embracing your authentic inner voice, and why it is not only important in standing out in a cookie cutter industry but is vital in pursuing a fulfilling creative journey. We’re going to chat about what it means to show up to the part, even if you are wearing a lobster costume.

If you want to connect with Lauren, you can find her embracing her ‘inner lobster’ through her Instagram Stories at laurenlcarnes, and if you want to take a peek at her work, head on over to laurencarnes.com.

#embraceyourinnerlobster

EPISODE RESOURCES:

QUOTE: Embrace your inner lobster ~ Lauren Carnes

BOOK: Big Magic ~ Elizabeth Gilbert, Purple Cow ~ Seth Godin, Strengths Finder 2.0 ~ Tom Rath.

EXERCISE: To begin the journey to finding your authentic inner voice, get a friend, fellow creative or anyone in our community who knows you well to answer these three questions:

What do you think I am talented at?

What makes you feel uplifted that I do for you?

What's something I am not seeing about myself?

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Instagram Goodies!

If you connected with this podcast, fell free to share our favourite quotes by Lauren with your community.

Rate Us on iTunes.

If any of the episodes touched, moved or inspired you, I’d appreciate it so much if you could rate and review the podcast on iTunes. Together, you and I can change the lives of creatives together. Just this small gesture could allow an episode to show up for someone who truly needs it!

Episode 3 - Anxiety in Creativity. Dark Shadows to Guiding Lights.

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In this episode, Marisa and I connect through our mutual journey with anxiety and how managing your anxiety can shift those dark shadows to be lead of the bright lights of creativity. Marisa shares some of her experiences with anxiety and how this shows up in her business of art direction and styling. We chat about fear of success, fear of failure, perfectionism and over delivering.

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Hello and welcome to episode 3 of The Mindful Creative: Anxiety in Creativity - Dark Shadows to Guiding Lights.

Joining me In this episode is Marisa from Miss Marzipan, professional art director, recipe creator and stylist.

You can find Marisa’s creative delights at missmarzipan.com on Instagram at missmarzipancom.

I met Marisa who was a fellow speaker at the first Food Photography Summit hosted by Beyond The Eats.

Marisa is an explorer who seeks the creative satisfaction in ‘doing it herself’. She truly believes that every aspect of everyday life can be beautiful, whether we make it so with a sprinkle of homemade magic, or through simply shifting our perception to see the extraordinary beauty in ordinary things.

Now Marisa, it was the law of attraction that brought us together right? We first met through the Food Photography Summit and were both in a space where we wanted to share our battles with creativity and mindset if you will!

Diving a little deeper, we connected on common ground that we’ve both had to manage anxiety in our lives.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

QUOTE: 'I'm not seeing things the way they are, I am seeing things the way I am'

BOOK: The Road Less Travelled ~ M. Scott Peck.

Episode 2 - Turning Anxiety and Comparison into Excitement and Inspiration.

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Anxiety and excitement have very similar physiological responses in the body, so with the help of our mind we can shift feelings of anxiety into something more prosperous like excitement. This can then lead you to a state of inspiration. In this episode, I chat with fellow self-taught food photographer Beata Lubas about how she achieves this, whilst focusing on social media.

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Hey there and welcome to episode two of The Mindful Creative: Turning Anxiety and Comparison into Excitement and Inspiration.

In this episode of The Mindful Creative, I’m chatting with fellow self taught food photographer Bea Labus.

To connect with Bea you can find her at beascookbook.com or bealubas on Instagram.

I am lucky enough to have met Bea through my creative online pursuits and our friendship has grown through our mutual love for all things creative and mindset.

The way Bea’s mind works fascinates me. Her wise outlook and perspective are well beyond her years, and every time I chat to Bea her mindset is so refreshing and something I find myself continually striving for.

Bea’s had a lot of success with Instagram, both from a personal journey and marketing herself as a photographer, so we’ve naturally chatted about a number of our experiences with the platform and the growing insecurities of social media.

Comparison is something I am definitely not immune to and I’d see a post on IG and feel anxiety and comparison taking over. Yet, Bea would see the same post and feel excitement and inspiration. This always fascinated me.

It wasn’t until a physiologist told me that anxiety and excitement have very similar physiological responses in the body, and that (with the help of our mind) we can shift the feeling of anxiety and comparison, into something more prosperous like excitement which leads to inspiration.

So I’ve asked Bea to be the mindful creative for this podcast and reveal how she’s managed to live with an excitement and inspiration mindset.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

QUOTE: 'Rule or your mind or it will rule you' ~ Buddha.

BOOK: It's not how GOOD you are, it's how GOOD you want to be ~ Paul Arden.

Episode 1 - Creative Depression. Ignoring One's True Joy.

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In this episode, I am exploring one of the major events in my creative journey as a freelance food photographer that prompted me to get in conversation with our community about emotional health for creative wealth. I chat about how feelings of guilt and ignoring what brought me creative joy lead to being creatively depressed.

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Hey fellow creatives you’re listening to episode one, that’s right the first episode of The Mindful Creative podcast.

If you’re keen to learn more about this podcast, check out my introduction episode, episode 000 for the full low down.

In this episode, I am exploring one of the major events in my creative journey as a freelance food photographer that prompted me to get in conversation with our community about emotional health for creative wealth.

This episode is about Creative Depression - Ignoring One’s True Joy. I’ll be chatting to you throughout the episode about how ignoring my true joy resulted in a bout of creative depression, which basically killing my short term creativity.

After months of working on myself, taking some time off to realign my values and much soul searching, I realised that at the core of this episode was exhaustion, guilt and ignoring my true joy.

Don’t be afraid. There is only one you, and your creativity, your idea is begging to be heard. Be seen. Be created.

I would love to know what would bring you true joy to your creative life that you’re currently ignoring? Leave me a comment and let's chat!

EPISODE RESOURCES:

QUOTE: 'Your talent isn't going anywhere' ~ Jo Anderson

BOOK: Big Magic - Elizabeth Gilbert

Introduction to The Mindful Creative Podcast

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What's The Mindful Creative all about? In this introductory episode, I share what prompted me to start this podcast and what Emotional Health for Creative Wealth actually means.

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Welcome my fellow creatives, I’m Rachel Korinek, a self-taught food photographer and you’re host of the Mindful Creative Podcast.

The Mindful Creative was founded on the belief that looking after our emotional health and mindset brings us a wealth of creativity and joy in our creative pursuits.

We all know that to pursue creative quests, we need to learn aspects of photography, or design, acting, singing and even writing, and we also know that we need to learn the tricks of the trade in business and marketing to gain exposure to our work. BUT what we aren’t told (and what no one talks about) is that we too need to learn and practice emotional wellbeing.

This podcast is about Emotional Health for Creative Wealth.

My goal throughout this podcast is to bring to light the experiences and mental challenges we all face as creatives (and humans, let’s get real), and the strategies and experiences that can assist us in moving through common negative thought patterns. Together we’ll tap into the raw beauty of authenticity and vulnerability, relish in knowing we are all human and our emotions don’t set us apart - they bring us together.

Throughout the episodes, you’ll get to sit down with me and creatives from all over this amazingly creative world, as we chat about the experiences we’ve faced and how we grabbed them by the balls and took charge of our mindset to chase after our dreams.

I owe a lot of my journey to reading self development books, affirmations, mantras and quotes. So each episode will tap into the power of wise noteworthy quotes and good reads so that if you really connect with the clear takeaway of each episode you can pursue a clearer, healthier mind.

This podcast isn’t and will never be judgmental, nor will I or the creatives who join me pretend to be experts on emotional health. We’ll simply share from a place of love in the hopes of touching someone in our community who needs it. Because, we’re all in this together!

My guests and I could chat for hours. We get lost in conversation, and often do once the episode stops rolling. BUT The goal of this podcast is to provide you with a clear value bomb, that take away that can shift your mindset. Each podcast will be intentional and around the 30 min mark.

So what made me start this podcast?

After my first couple of years of learning photography, the pressures of creating a full time freelance business, being a new wife, moving cities, losing family members and hustling my butt off for the least amount of money I’ve ever made - I burnt out. My physical and emotional health plummeted. Soon followed my creativity, zest and passion for photography. My fall back was seeking out western and alternative medicine to get my health back on track. But what about my creativity? There’s no doctor for that? I was left in the dark as what to do. My mind was telling me I’d lost it, and that I’d hit a ceiling and wasn't going to get better anyway.

It wasn’t until I worked hard on my thought patterns and mindset, that I started to be able to create again. To achieve creative wealth, as defined by me, not society.

I’d love to see in our community that working on our emotional health is an equal slice of the pie just as creating and business are. It’s talked about, it’s respected and even praised.

If you’re a creative (and your human don’t forget) then this podcast is for you, and if it’s touched you in anyway, please subscribe, rate and review. If you know someone who could benefit from the topics we chat about, please flick the episode their way. Together you and I can reach one creative at a time and this this community even greater.

I look forward to sitting down with you each episode and strengthening our emotional and creative health.