Creative Chats with Mike Brennan Review w interview

[00:00:00] Timothy: Thank you for hitting play. I'm your host, Timothy Kimo Brian, and I bring my experience with podcasting since 2006 as a listener and a podcaster. I'm here to help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge worthy podcast. Here's how the show works. I combed the millions of podcasts currently available for free on various platforms.

[00:00:23] And I come back to you with what I found. Sure, you can use search engines or recommendations from many podcast apps, but I feel that getting a personal recommendation from a real live breathing person is still the best way to find the gems that are out there. The show is broken up into three halves.

[00:00:40] I'm a huge fan of car talk, so bear with me. The first half is the stats of the show being reviewed. This gives you all the details about where to find the show, how many episodes, who's hosting the show. Basically, this is for those who just want the stats. The second half of the show, I dig deeper into the show and letting you know how well the hosts interact, talk about their audio quality and let you know what I think the show is about.

[00:01:03] The last half of the show is where I talk about why the show is binge worthy, where to start your journey with the show being reviewed. And I will reach out to those to see if they'd like to discuss their show and talk about their podcast journey. So let's get going.

[00:01:23] So my other podcast is an arts podcast called create art podcast. Now, why would I bring that up? Well, because it's how I found today's podcast called creative chats with Mike Brennan, you may not consider yourself an artist, but I bet you are creative in your daily life in some shape or form. Now, this is not what we're going to discuss, but rather let's take a look at creative chats.

[00:01:46] Now here are the stats that you need. The first episode was released 15 September of 2019, right before we went into lockdown for the global pandemic. Many podcasts were started during the pandemic and have fallen by the wayside, but this one's been going strong with over 217 episodes at the time of this recording.

[00:02:05] Each episode clocks in at about 40 minutes. Although Mike does interviews, it can be up to 60 minutes. Mike's description of the podcast is as follows, creativity can be a lonely path. We want to reach our full potential and have a good time doing it. We creatives need cheerleading and insights from our creative colleagues.

[00:02:24] In the creative chats podcast, I speak to some of the best creatives around about creativity and their processes. And I share stories of artists, makers, and content creators. In fact, anything that will help you do your best work yet. Now the category is listed under visual arts, but you don't need to be a visual artist to understand what's going on with this podcast.

[00:02:44] Their frequency is episodic and just about weekly. In the show notes, I've listed the contact information for Mike, and I got to say, he's very responsive when you use his contact page. When I reached out to him for an interview, I got a response like the next day. He does have a Facebook group for the podcast, as well as a Twitter account and Instagram.

[00:03:03] Again, links are going to be in the show notes. I have included links to podcast pie chaser. Good pods and listen notes for you to use if you'd like now, listen, notes, rates, the show at the top 2. 5 percent of shows listed in this genre on this platform. Now, keep in mind, those are listen note numbers, and I want to give them to you to show you his reach on that platform.

[00:03:25] It's not necessarily indicative of the performance of the show over the entire part of sphere. Now in good pods, he rates number seven in the top hundred creative all time chart, indie creative all time chart number nine in the top hundred creative all time chart. And I saw about 18 comments on his show on good pods and they gave him an average of 4.

[00:03:44] 7 stars. And just to note transparency, I added my five star rating and provided a comment on the app as well.

[00:03:56] Are you happy with your podcast app? I know, hard question to answer. Let me ask you this. Does your app allow you to rate the podcast you're listening to? Great if it does, but does it allow you to rate every episode you listen to? Does your app allow you to join a community of other listeners and share and comment on your favorite podcasts?

[00:04:16] Now, if you're a podcaster, does your app that your listeners are using give you a tip jar where they can support your show directly instead of paying fees to somebody else? Well, GoodPods allows you as a listener and as a podcaster to rate and view all the episodes of a podcast, as well as joining a community of other podcast enthusiasts to discuss the thing we all love.

[00:04:39] Podcasts. Give it a shot. You may not go back to your old app and you might find a community that is engaged and excited about the same thing you are. Grab it on Google play and the apple app store.

[00:04:56] Creative chance with Mike Brennan is a guilty pleasure of mine. I found it while doing some market research for my other podcast, Create Art Podcast. I wanted to see what other people in the space were doing and see, you know, how I could take lessons from them and put my spin on what I felt about art.

[00:05:13] Well, doing that research, I found this podcast and well, as they say, the rest is history. I've been a follower ever since. In fact, I've signed up for his weekly newsletter that Mike runs and I just bought a book that he put out called making fun of habit, which I'm going to put in the show notes here for you to order yourself.

[00:05:31] I know it's going to help me out in my creativity. Let's get started like we usually do and talk about sound quality. For the most part, the sound is great. There are a few hiccups here and there that we all have. But I think the most important thing is that Mike doesn't dwell on any mistakes that happen in his sound.

[00:05:49] And guests can come in to an interview ill prepared. And as a host, you do the best with what you have. The goal is to get the information out to your listeners. That being said, all the episodes Each and every one of them are very listenable and they don't overly distract from the show. If there's a hiccup in there or if there's some extra sound.

[00:06:09] Now this isn't a show about how to get your sound quality to an impeccable level. It's a show about art and Mike does great with the solo episodes and interviews. He gets the information out and you can see his smile through the microphone. The next point I want to bring up is how he introduces his guest.

[00:06:28] Now this is something that I hear a lot of podcasters. Do you, and it's a double intro where they give a bio and then they have the guests pretty much do the same thing with their bio. Let's listen in as Mike introduces a favorite of mine, Jodi Krangel. Now on

[00:06:43] Mike: today's episode, I get to sit down with a new friend of mine and we do a lot of laughing and her, her laugh is really infectious.

[00:06:53] You'll hear that in this episode shortly. And Jodi Krangel is a voice actress who Who has worked with major brands like Dell and Kraft. She's, she's been a singer and she has her own podcast called Audio Branding the Hidden Gem of Marketing. And Jodi is somebody who has been in a lot of similar circles, you know, conferences and so on and so forth, different online groups.

[00:07:21] She'd always show up. I'd see her name and we've interacted kind of, I guess, virtually, you know in these groups and whatnot. This was the first time we actually got to meet and we just headed off right away. I think you'll get a sense of that when you listen to this episode. And she shares a lot about her journey, about how she came upon voice acting and what her journey has looked like and, you know, just some of the, the hardships and surprises and joys along the way.

[00:07:50] And so I know that this episode is really going to speak to you regardless of your creative expression and especially if you're somebody who has to deal with audio on any level, even if you're. We're putting together videos that have audio for social media posts or really any other type of audio that you might be using to help get word out about your own creativity.

[00:08:12] She offers us some really just great tips for how to do that successfully. So be sure to pay attention to that as well. So without further ado, here is my interview with Jodi Krangel.

[00:08:25] Timothy: Now, as you can hear from that introduction that you can just hear a mic. Smiling throughout that whole thing. Jody is definitely a delight to talk with.

[00:08:34] I've talked with her many times before and you can, even before you hear her voice, you can tell that Mike is affected by her bubbly personality. Again, you can hear the smile on his voice. This folks is how you introduce guests. He tells us why we need to listen to this episode and gives value from the start with his introduction.

[00:08:55] Now, let's turn our attention to how he can get more out of his guests than the usual question and answers on other podcasts. In this clip, Jody asks he asked Jody actually if she's a good listener. And her response is very telling and very human.

[00:09:13] Mike: Would you, would you say that people would, you know, have said to you that you're a a really good listener because of like the whole learning bite you're I would think you'd have to Be good at listening.

[00:09:27] You do have to listen. Yeah. You

[00:09:29] Timothy: do have to listen. Sometimes I'm disappointed in myself when it comes to that. I, I think sometimes I miss things that I shouldn't. I mean, if we're all honest with ourselves, right, we're all pretty self centered.

[00:09:43] Mike: I mean, come on, really, we are. We always look for ourselves in the photos.

[00:09:46] Exactly. Exactly. Like, it's just,

[00:09:48] Timothy: it's human nature, right? Yeah. Yeah. So yes, I do think that there are people who would say I'm a good listener. I don't know

[00:09:58] Mike: how, I don't,

[00:10:00] Timothy: I don't know how true that actually

[00:10:02] Mike: is,

[00:10:03] Timothy: just to be totally honest. I don't know. I really don't. I do the best I can. Yeah. Getting your guests to share something that they don't usually share and asking those great questions to get them to open up about themselves shows me he's a very practiced and competent interviewer.

[00:10:21] Now for the newcomer to the show, and you all are newcomers to this show, Mike does a great job in getting you acquainted with how the show runs. Listen to this clip from one of his first episodes. I

[00:10:32] Mike: want to share with you a story. My story, but before we get into that, just a reminder, this podcast exists because I want to share with you stories and experiences centered around creativity and the creative process.

[00:10:50] My hope is that. I can share with you things from my own journey and from the journey of other people who I'm going to interview in the future and share their stories in my story with you so that it can encourage you in the work that you're doing, your creative endeavors.

[00:11:07] Timothy: Now I've listened to many art podcasts and they usually have a course that goes along with podcast, but here Mike is telling us again why he's doing the podcast and he's being very open with his reasonings.

[00:11:21] So take a listen to this clip, you know, you

[00:11:23] Mike: heard me talk about this and, and I want to be honest with you guys. I'm not trying to like set all this stuff up, you know, for now the big ask at the end of the podcast and, you know, go and buy my course and, and all that, you know, if you feel like it's helpful, great.

[00:11:36] I would love for you to enroll in my course. Your artist journey that you can find@yourartistjourney.com. But if not, that's fine. As long as you're creating something, as long as you're engaging with your creative process, that you're growing, that you're wrestling, that you are trying to surround yourself with fellow creators to help you on this journey.

[00:11:57] That's really what's at my heart. My heart's not, you know, to come in and try and sell you things and try to like, get you to, you know, strong arm you to, to to, to sign up for things. It's really because I have a heart for people. I want to connect everything that I do all my artwork. It's all about helping and connecting, right?

[00:12:15] It goes back to when I was a kid that I can make something and impact somebody's day. I can make them smile. I can make a connection and go, Hey, I'm a fan of this. You are too. Awesome. That's cool. Let's

[00:12:26] Timothy: talk about that. Keep in mind that this is from his second episode and he's well over 200 right now.

[00:12:33] Right now he has many other offerings underneath his belt, but it's not about him selling himself or selling his guest programs and courses. It's about talking about art. Just like if two friends were to get together and talking about it. And I feel that way every time I hit play with creative chats.

[00:12:50] Now, I want to continue on in that vein of openness with Mike's approach. Each episode I listen to, I get the feeling that I've learned something. I've gotten a fresh perspective on creativity, and overall, I feel inspired to get my creative juices flowing. Something that is really, you know, a hot topic in the creative world is mental health.

[00:13:10] And it's something that we all struggle with, even if we're not an artist, and we're all trying to find a balance with what's going on in our heads versus what's going on in the world. And Mike tackles this tough topic in this clip.

[00:13:21] Mike: I do want to bring awareness, I do want to bring conversation this is close to home for me because I have suffered through some depression in the past, some anxiety and had some experiences around these things even more recently, which I'll get to.

[00:13:36] But I had a trip that I took to California. The beginning of last month and this was a trip for me to go and Just have some time in solitude and hang out with a friend and have some new experiences in a new place Sometimes you just need to change the channel a little bit and I was fortunate enough to be able to take this trip plan this trip a little while ago and It was really good for my

[00:14:04] Timothy: soul.

[00:14:05] Now, keep in mind, he dedicated three episodes to talk about mental health for us creatives, and I really appreciate his perspective on it. And to help me be mindful of my own mental health for me, that's going above and beyond the typical podcast host Mike saw a problem and even suffered from some mental health challenges and embraced it and took the time three whole episodes to discuss how to do better with our mental health.

[00:14:33] This openness can't be faked easily, and that's coming from somebody who has a degree in theater. So you know when he's talking about it, he's really talking from his heart, which is way better than, you know, getting lectured in an academic setting. The last thing I want to say about Creative Chat in this section is that every episode reflects back to the mission of this podcast, which is to encourage creatives in whatever field to have fun, reach our fullest potential, and have a community that supports each other.

[00:15:04] Whether it be through interviews or solo episodes, Mike provides that voice in our heads to encourage us to do better, to believe in ourselves. And that's why I turn to this podcast time and time again. And that's why I listen to this. We all need this type of encouragement in the creative world because we can get used to hearing crickets and think that we're headed towards the wrong path.

[00:15:25] But if we believe in ourselves and have at least one other person believing in us, and that's something that Mike gets across in each and every episode. Then we can achieve what we want to achieve in our creative pursuits. I know, it almost sounds like I'm saying, hey, wear a necklace that says, what would Mike do?

[00:15:43] And maybe that's a good idea for Mike to take and do something with. I'll only charge you 10 percent for that one, Mike. If you like what you heard so far, then I'd like to ask you to reach out. You can email me directly. Timothy at find a podcast about dot X, Y, Z, or leave me a voicemail at the website.

[00:16:05] Find a podcast about dot X, Y, Z. I want to help you find your next binge worthy podcast. And if you want me to help you find a podcast in any category that you're interested in, let me know. If you're a podcaster and feel that your podcast would be served by appearing on the show, I want to talk to you to use the same methods of reaching out.

[00:16:25] I'm on Twitter, otherwise known as X at find a podcast, Instagram and Facebook at find a podcast about. Another thing I'd like to ask is if you found value in this podcast, pass it along to a friend. Lastly, doing this podcast is a labor of love. But love ain't cheap. So consider donating to buy me a coffee fund right on the website or go to buymeacoffee.

[00:16:49] com slash find a podcast about each episode takes about five to seven hours of research and two to three hours of production time. That's 10 hours for each episode, and let me tell you, that's a lot of coffee. Like I said earlier, the best recommendation comes from a real person. Let's outsmart that algorithm.

[00:17:10] Alright, it's time to turn you into a listener of this show, into a binger of Creative Chats. Now if you're an artist, and quite frankly, I think we all are, then this is a great podcast for you to check out. I like Mike's openness about his creativity, especially

[00:17:27] Mike: in this class. My creation is me showing up and saying, I'm going to take ownership over my own life.

[00:17:35] And because no one's coming to save us, no one's coming to open the door for you. Nobody's coming to set you up for success. There is a certain amount of agency that you need to have over yourself and over your own thoughts and your emotions. And to know yourself well enough where you can lean in and show up.

[00:17:58] So that you're living the life that you want to live, you're helping create your own environment and making those choices that lead you to places of health, lead you to places of creativity, and lead you to a place where you can be the best version of yourself. And also knowing that that's always going to be in transition.

[00:18:23] Timothy: His goal is not to become the richest artist in the world, but to help turn on the light bulb in others. And there's no higher purpose and more worthy goal than that in my book. Now, if you don't consider yourself an artist, I think you can still glean many things from this podcast. Mike's openness for the first thing, his passion for art and ability to explain artistic terminology in ways that are easily understandable.

[00:18:47] Also, he works with major corporations. So if you think his work would be of value to your meetings or conferences, you can certainly hire him for your corporate events for a once in a lifetime experience. Now, if you're in a position where you need something new for your corporate event, give him a try.

[00:19:04] I know you're going to be amazed with what he can do. If you're wondering where to start, and I think that really depends on your mood. I think Jody Krangel is a fun interview to start with. If you want to do a lot of laughing and you know, just have a good time, start with that one. But if you really want to level up your creative game, his episode on the three lessons he learned from podcasting is a great place to start your artistic journey with Mike.

[00:19:28] That episode's sound quality is not 100%. However, the content you get from it is well worth a college semester in art school. I'd like to leave you with one final clip from Mike and cause I think he says it best. This is where he's talking about the importance of creativity and having fun. And if you listen to nothing else, listen to this clip.

[00:19:47] Mike: Really, we think that that, that play is a luxury, but it's really a necessity. And coming around that thought, owning that thought for myself, first, honestly, started to turn some things around, started to challenge me on my mindset, and in the way that I looked for fun. Look to engage with fun and cause me to look back in my life to think where are the places that I've had fun?

[00:20:15] I know I have tons of stories. I have tons of experiences. I feel like i've had several different chapters of my life where You know, i've moved a couple times and there's been different, social circles and with those social circles came different experiences and stories and some of the old friends that I still see we get together and we rehash the old days and the The stories that we reminisce about and just laugh Honestly I so enjoy that.

[00:20:41] And so I started to examine those things and say, you know, what is it about those things that made them so special? Why were, why was I so able to engage with fun at that place in time?

[00:20:54] Timothy: I think many times we get caught up in the everyday struggle with things that. We forget about having fun and having fun will help on our mental well being and also our productivity.

[00:21:05] No matter if it's artistic or not, jump into creative chats and let me know what you think. I know you're going to love it as much as I do.

[00:21:16] So before I let you go today, I I actually reached out to Mike Brennan of Creative Chats and he graciously agreed to go ahead and do an interview. So without further ado, I'm going to go ahead and play that interview for you that I had with Mike Brennan of Creative Chats. Mike. So happy to have you here with us here today.

[00:21:37] Want to jump right on into it. What creative itch does podcasting relieve or provide you that like live event or corporate sketching doesn't really do for you.

[00:21:50] Mike: Yeah. You know, I think it's, it's pursuing curiosity, right? I mean, it's, it's, and that's what I do with a lot of Mike. creative endeavors.

[00:22:02] But podcasting in particular, I like to think of it as just sitting down over a cup of coffee, having a more kind of intimate conversation, going a little deeper, finding out some things about people about their journey, about their process, about their interests and passions. Because, you know, when I started podcasting, It was, it was a selfish thing.

[00:22:28] It was, I want to have these conversations with people. And well, if I have a podcast, I have something more to offer them because I have a quote platform. Right. And and I thought also like, well, this is something that if I'm having a conversation with somebody anyway, why not let other people benefit from that as well?

[00:22:48] And so I think. In terms of it being different from live events, there, there's certainly aspects of one on one times and stuff, but usually at events, there's so much going on, you don't have as much bandwidth to sit and really just be still in a conversation like that and go deep like that. And so I think podcasting certainly affords that.

[00:23:11] Creative curiosity time

[00:23:14] Timothy: in terms of podcasting, what does success look like for you now? You know, you and I are not Joe Rogan. We're not making a hundred million dollars from Spotify yet. Yes. Yes. It may be after this interview for sure. But for you, what does success look like for you? What are you, what are you getting out of it?

[00:23:31] I think

[00:23:32] Mike: it's, it's continuing to expand a network of people. Who are doing some interesting things and widening the net of creativity and the conversation of creativity because, you know, it's easy for someone to think, well, Mike's background is visual arts. Therefore, the people who are going to be on the show are all going to be visual artists or somehow within that world and what I found is that, you know, as I have on.

[00:24:05] Creative entrepreneurs or speakers or, I mean, the list goes on as far as the different types of people that I have, you know, and their experience of what creativity is. And so I love really pushing into those conversations. I wanna do more of those. Certainly there are. Some people on my list this year that I'm like, Oh, I definitely want to have them on, even if it seems like it's reaching for, for the stars, you know, but even at that, those conversations are really, again, more of a personal curiosity thing.

[00:24:41] And typically the, the conversations with the regular everyday person. Is the one that yields the most fruit, right? And so I think in terms of success, I think it's just continuing to build those relationships. And, and of course, you know, yeah, it would be great to bump the metrics, right? To get a lot more downloads to, to to you know, have, have sponsors and, you know, attach some things monetarily to it.

[00:25:09] But much like you, you know, this is a labor of love for me and I use podcasting as the networking tool in my mind, primarily so that it's not like, well, this is a time suck, a money suck, you know, something that becomes another thing in the list of things that I have to do. That's, you know, every week put something out, right?

[00:25:31] The consistency of it. Is actually something that when, when I've leaned into that, it's become a benefit and not, not a detractor

[00:25:39] Timothy: kind of popping onto your point. We were, we were talking earlier about who's the dream guest. What's one or two of the dream guests that you haven't gotten yet that you would really like to get.

[00:25:49] And, you know, perhaps if they're listening to this episode definitely, you know they can they can reach out to you and not make that happen.

[00:25:58] Mike: Yes. Okay. Okay. So. You're calling me on the carpet here. I'm putting this out there. Again, this may seem very, very weird. And, and actually I'll start with that one.

[00:26:06] Weird Al Yankovic. I love that guy's creativity. I love his music. His sense of humor. I mean, I've been a fan of Weird Al since 13, probably like most people in my generation. But, I think having a conversation with him and getting into like, how do you keep reinventing yourself like that successfully and like just talking through some of his process, I think it would be a fascinating conversation.

[00:26:32] So Weird Al Yankovic would be one. Another one would be Felicia Day, who I've been pursuing her You know, trying to, to, to get her to or through her people and to get to her. I met her once in person. She's an actress and a writer. And just a great person. Very creative. She's, she has a couple of books that she talks about creativity also.

[00:26:52] And and so I'm trying to navigate those waters to get to her. And then Guy Kawasaki. You know, recently has come on my radar as someone who I think would be a really great conversation with, especially because it's funny, I stumbled across an article of his that was like a really old article, I think, and he was talking about the concept of evangelism and, you know, of course, his title in many of the, his roles have been, you know, evangelist of whatever company he's, he's been a part of, you know, most notably Apple.

[00:27:20] Right. And And I started thinking about that in terms of even myself and going like, you know, at the core of what I do and what I talk about, I really am like, I'm an evangelist for fun and creativity. And so I would love to have a conversation with him around his thoughts on evangelism in terms of business and spreading a message.

[00:27:40] Timothy: And Guy's been a guest on this show, so we'll make sure that that connection is made for you. Absolutely. Where do you see your podcast going in about the next three to five years? You know, where would you like it to be? Hmm.

[00:27:55] Mike: Those questions are always hard for me. Because honestly, like there's a, there's a little bit of sense of like, wait, what's happening this afternoon?

[00:28:02] You know, and as a creator. Like, there's this sense of, yes, I want to grow, and yes, I want to take new ground but I also don't want to be boxed in, right? That's the typical creator. So, I think where the podcast would be going, well, first off, I want it to still be around we'll say that, because so many podcasts come and go, and, you know, you look and see just, they just trailed off, and that was it, and so I think continuing to have these conversations, continuing to build the relationships and, and I, I guess, you know, maybe if it morphed into something else technically I would say use the use of more video. Cause I don't use video right now just simply because of bandwidth of my time and funds and et cetera editing that becomes a whole other thing.

[00:28:48] And audio is just a quicker, cleaner process for me right now. So perhaps the grow it enough. And even monetarily where I could then offset and include some video and start to take some ground over on YouTube and other places like

[00:29:01] Timothy: that. In an episode that I actually reviewed of your show you had mentioned three things that you learned through podcasting, which is, you know, the importance of networking, building a brand and being curious.

[00:29:14] Is there any other lessons that you've learned since that episode? Or, you know, has or are those lessons still in effect for you? Today. And, and I think that was, oh gosh, maybe 50 or 80 episodes ago that you had that one

[00:29:30] Mike: pop out. Yeah. I, I mean, I would still stand by those things. I think, you know, podcasting, it just seems like a, you know, for some people, it's like, it's the fad thing, right? Like, you know, oh, okay, podcasting was really hot, and then it wasn't, and then who knows where it is now, whatever. I, I look at it like it's a tool. It's a tool for communication. It's a tool for connection. And so Whether it's me podcasting or me being on someone else's podcast, there is the opportunity to connect.

[00:30:00] There is the opportunity to exchange ideas, and there's the opportunity to learn, and to, you know, sometimes talking to somebody else. About the things that you've learned and the things that you have experienced help you verbalize those things in a way that wouldn't happen otherwise. Mm-Hmm. , I don't know if you've had that experience where you're, you're, you say something on a podcast and all of a sudden you step outside yourself and you're like, wow, that was actually pretty good.

[00:30:29] Like, I, you know, where'd that come from? . Right, exactly. So I think, you know, just all those things go into the, the podcasting experience. And, and I, I highly. Stand by the things I've said and, and and again, this is why I love the medium so much.

[00:30:43] Timothy: What part yeah, this is kind of, yeah, peeling back the layers of podcasting.

[00:30:47] What would surprise most people about your podcasting process?

[00:30:53] Mike: I think for one, I mean, a lot of people know this if they familiarize themselves with my podcast that I do a sketch of my guest and so, you know, that's something that I'm doing hand drawn. This isn't like a, hey, take the photo and then run it through some filter or something.

[00:31:13] Which is a, a little extra touch and usually like a, a little more of a, a thank you for the person who, for being a guest on my show. That takes a little bit of time, obviously. And then the actual production part of it. Typically I'm recording in zoom, like a lot of other people taking the audio files into Adobe audition you know, editing in that process, exporting, then I, I host with Libsyn.

[00:31:36] And so it's fairly routine and regular. I don't know if there's any surprises in there for that. But you know, I. I go through different spurts. Sometimes, if I have a lot of things that are happening, I will certainly batch things. And then there are other times when just life gets hectic. And again, because this is a labor of love I need to kind of figure out where to fit it in around some things.

[00:32:02] Now, having said that, I've never missed a week, or, or intentionally just been like, that's it, I'm just skipping. There's always been this consistency that runs throughout and I think that's Something that's really important. And once you harness the power of that, there's a lot of momentum that does the heavy lifting for you.

[00:32:24] Yeah,

[00:32:24] Timothy: absolutely. I, I was shocked when you know, I, I heard that you've been doing this creative practice every day for year and years, you know, for over a decade now. Yeah. And you know, I, I think to myself. Man, how many sick days did I take last year? And you know, how can this guy keep on doing that?

[00:32:41] But I, I guess it gets easier the more that you do it, the more commitment that you put into

[00:32:46] Mike: it. Yeah, for sure. And, and there's a certain part of it that like you enter into the process quicker because you're not going, well, I'm doing this once a week or I'm doing this once a month. The more you do something, the more you get into the process, the easier it is to You know, you don't get stuck in some things that you normally would of going, Okay, let me get in the right mindset.

[00:33:08] Let me figure out where my tools are. Let me figure out all my stuff. And then once I've prepped everything, then actually entering into a creation process which for a lot of people, they waste so much of their time that they've set aside on the prep work that when it comes to actually creating something, either they're exhausted or they're out of time.

[00:33:27] And so they just go, Oh, well, I guess I'll have to wait for the next large block of time to do something. And I'm like. Do small chunks, do small things every single day, and you will be so much more nimble in the creation process.

[00:33:42] Timothy: Absolutely. Absolutely. Ever since I started listening to your podcast on a regular basis I've been trying to implement that and, and I've been doing art since, gosh, 1988.

[00:33:53] I'm a, I'm of a certain age, we'll, we'll say. And, and just, you know, breaking it down into those those little pieces. You can do that little piece. You can do that 15, 20 minutes and you don't have to paint the Sistine Chapel this afternoon. You know, just do a little bit each day and you'll get it knocked out.

[00:34:11] That's awesome. What part of podcasting or marketing don't you like? Or you know, something that is just, you know, we have the artistic side and then we have, Yeah. Yeah. We got to sell it to the public somehow. What part of that don't you like, or do you find most challenging?

[00:34:29] Mike: I think it's the part of like putting things out as far as, you know, whether it's social media posts or whatever way I'm marketing something and staying with that long enough because as.

[00:34:47] A typical creative person, I want the next. I want the new, shiny thing to create. And so, having created something, and having to sit with it longer, and going like, you know, okay, we need to get this out, and figure out different ways to get this out, and connect around this, and talk about this enough. You know, if there was something that I could farm out, man, I would do that in a hurry because, you know, again, it's, I love creating.

[00:35:14] I love creating and then getting it out, but then I don't want to sit with it for, for a really long time. I, I guess I tend to get bored with my own things. Cause I'm like, I've already done that. Like what's the new thing. So that's a challenge for me for sure.

[00:35:27] Timothy: Absolutely. And with, you know, back with the social media, I mean, I remember the back the days when we had geo cities, my my space, you know, and now Facebook is for old folks.

[00:35:39] And I'm like, but wait a minute. I just learned Facebook. Come on. And in tick tock and all that jazz. So, I mean, it's, it's tough to keep up with it. Yeah, it's, you know, keep relative to the, you know relevant to the kids. And then, you know, when you're creating your art that that is a whole process that it can take some time, you know, again, we're not painting Sistine Chapel over the over this afternoon, but you know, it takes some time.

[00:36:08] Mike, what are some upcoming projects that you have that we can share with everybody?

[00:36:13] Mike: I'm running a 30 day creative challenge. And that is something that probably by the time this airs is coming to. a bit, but I'm continuing to create resources for people to engage with their creativity. And so that will lead into another opportunity for people to work with me, whether that's either in a one on one situation for coaching or a membership where people can continue the journey and go a little bit deeper.

[00:36:45] Cause I think, you know, when you're trying to create. A lot of times you're doing that in your head and you're doing that as a solitary act, but it can get lonely in a hurry and sometimes you need people around you just to go, you know, we're all doing this together, you know, and we're experiencing some of the same things, having the same questions and just feeding off of each other.

[00:37:05] So providing some, some some environments where people can do that and where I'm helping spearhead that and then, you know, also in terms of just. Getting out and speaking more. I'll be on some more stages this year and looking to connect with some corporate opportunities as well to go into help teams talk about creativity and innovation and help them with their process for even brainstorming and collaboration.

[00:37:33] So those are some of the loose things on the horizon. And I just also launched another book that's 30 affirmations. It's it's called creative power. It's 30 affirmations for creative people that basically these things where we can just come around, recite these things to ourselves and, and remember the truth of who we really are as creative people to battle against some of the negative critical thinking that we have.

[00:37:57] And you know, the imposter syndrome, all those things. So much of creativity is, is a mental thing. We spend so much time in our heads and I'm like, You know, to provide a resource for myself first and foremost and everybody else to say, let's have something practical to guard against that stuff and actually be proactive and intentional about what we're thinking and how we're thinking.

[00:38:19] Timothy: That's awesome. I can barely keep up with you because I just got there, you know making fun. I have a thing and I'm working my way through that. And, and I missed the 30 days thing that you have going on right now as, as we're recording this. So. I'll be looking for the 30 affirmations. That'll be the next thing that I go ahead and grab from you.

[00:38:37] Awesome. Well, Mike, thank you so much for joining us here today on find a podcast about really appreciate the work that you've done and that the work that you continue to do for all of us creatives out here. And I wish you continued

[00:38:52] Mike: success. Thank you, Tim. Really? It's been my pleasure and so appreciate just getting to know you and the support you have lent and, and the labor of love that you do in this podcast.

[00:39:02] So

[00:39:07] Timothy: that's the episode. I want to thank you again for taking a listen. And if you want to outsmart the algorithm and have me reveal podcast, email me Timothy at find a podcast about dot X, Y, Z, or go to the website. Find a podcast about dot X, Y, Z, where you can listen to the other episodes and leave me a voicemail.

[00:39:26] I'm here to help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge worthy podcast. And thank you for listening to find a podcast about, which is a production of TKB studios at TKB studios. We believe in leading without all the noise and letting our work speak for itself. We are the quiet professionals.

[00:39:44] Listen to our other shows, Create Art Podcast, which is at createartpodcast. com, where we help our listeners tame their inner critic and create more than they consume. And Cannabis Stories at cannabisstories. podbean. com, where we tell positive stories of people who try the Lord's lettuce and the fun that can happen with responsible consumption.

[00:40:06] Thanks again for listening. We'll talk to you next time.