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What if the secret to creative success isn’t your portfolio... but your people?

Melquea Smith is a children’s book illustrator and artist who creates clip art of black and brown kids.

Her journey from side-hustling artist to full-time creative is built on one foundational truth: community changes everything.

In this conversation, Melquea shares why the lone genius myth is killing creative careers, how she’s learned to create her own luck through intentional relationship-building, and what it really takes to survive the marathon of creative entrepreneurship when patience is basically a required skill.

Highlights

The marathon mindset separates survivors from quitters.

Melquea is refreshingly honest about what it takes to make it as a creative.

The glamorous overnight success stories we see on social media? They’re not real.

What’s real is showing up consistently, even when the work feels invisible, even when progress feels impossibly slow.

“I’m learning through all of this is that it’s a marathon, not a sprint. And really it’s just like longevity, just outlasting everyone.”

Her story is proof that persistence trumps perfection every time.

Sometimes the only difference between the creative who makes it and the one who quits is one decides to keep going even when it gets hard.

But surviving the marathon isn’t just about persistence. It’s also about strategy.

Standing out means zigging while everyone else zags.

Most creatives hide behind their portfolios, hoping their work will speak for itself.

Melquea took the opposite approach.

She embraces podcasts, public speaking, webinars, workshops, and Instagram Lives. She does all the visibility work that many creatives shy away from.

“Right now I’m in my promotion phase where… people need to know that I exist.”

She understands something most creatives miss: talent without visibility does not get you noticed.

The goal isn’t just to create great work. The goal is to make sure people know your great work exists.

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You can’t be discovered if nobody knows you exist.

Melquea is in what she calls her “discovery phase”—that crucial period where building awareness matters more than perfecting your craft.

Because your ideal clients can’t hire you if they don’t know you’re available.

“It’s just our job as creators and marketers to just remind [people], hey, this exists.”

It isn’t about being pushy or salesy. It’s about consistent, generous visibility that keeps you top of mind when opportunities arise.

The best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing at all. It feels like building relationships with people who genuinely care about your success.

Community amplifies everything you’re already doing.

Melquea has cracked the code on something most creatives struggle with: she doesn’t just create work, she creates advocates.

By building genuine relationships with other creatives and business owners, she’s created a network that does the heavy lifting for her.

“Other people will do that heavy lifting for you. They’ll share your work or repost your work without even asking.”

The magic happens when creatives genuinely support each other’s success.

When you help others win, they remember. When opportunities come up that aren’t right for them, they think of you.

Luck is just preparation meeting intentional outreach.

Melquea believes in making her own luck through relationship-building.

She reaches out to people in her network regularly, follows up consistently, and treats every connection like it could lead somewhere meaningful.

“You just never know what email will land into your inbox or DM on Instagram.”

We should avoid being transactional. We should create opportunities by staying genuinely connected to people.

The creatives who seem “lucky” are usually just the ones who’ve been planting seeds consistently, even when they couldn’t see the harvest coming.

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Closing Reflection

Melquea’s story dismantles the myth that creative success is a solo journey.

Her path from side-hustling artist to full-time illustrator wasn’t built on raw talent alone. It was built on community, consistency, and the courage to be visible when it would be easier to hide.

She reminds us that the creative life isn’t just about making beautiful things. It’s about building the relationships and systems that help beautiful things find their way to the people who need them most.

What’s one way you’re building community around your creative work? Share in the comments.

What if the book you were meant to write has been sitting inside you for years and all you just needed someone to help you bring it out?

That’s the question underneath everything Anita Henderson does.

She calls herself the Author’s Midwife. And the more she explained what that actually means, the more I realized how perfectly it fits. She doesn’t write your book for you. She helps you bring it into the world the right way.

In this episode, she walks us through everything that means.

Highlights

The myth that almost every first-time author believes.

You write a great book. You upload it to Amazon. It finds its readers.

If only.

Anita has spent nearly 15 years watching that assumption cost authors dearly. Good content, she’ll tell you, is the floor. Not the ceiling.

“The core of a great book obviously is the content. If you don’t have that in there, then a pretty cover can only take you so far. But it is a compilation of inputs that makes a book really good.”

Structure. Story. Strategy. All three have to show up together. And most first-time authors only think about one of them.

What readers expect, even when they don’t realize it.

Here’s something Anita said that reframed how I think about nonfiction entirely.

Readers come to a book with invisible expectations. They expect the structure to make sense. They expect chapter two to follow naturally from chapter one. They expect you to close the gap between the lesson you promised and the one you actually delivered.

And if you don’t give them that, they feel it. Even if they can’t name why.

“You can tell me your 12-point process all day long, but if I can’t follow you and the structure isn’t there, then I’m confused.”

That confusion is the thing between your reader and your message. Remove it, and something opens up.

The moment she stopped working for other people for good.

Anita went back to corporate twice.

She’s honest about it. Cash flow dried up, the business got hard, and corporate looked safe. Both times she went back, and both times she left again.

The second exit was different. She hired a business coach who asked a simple question: what do you love? Writing and books, Anita said. And the coach told her something she hadn’t considered.

“You know, there’s people who teach other people how to write their books. That’s a thing? An author coach?”

She looked into it. She networked. She learned the space. Then she left corporate for the last time and built Write Your Life into what it is now.

Sometimes the business you’re meant to run is sitting right there in the thing you already know how to do.

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Why panicking is the most expensive thing you can do.

When revenue slows down, the instinct is to add things. New offerings. New platforms. A pivot. Something. Anything to make the numbers move.

Anita calls it out directly.

“We panic by adding new products. We panic by adding new platforms. We pivot when we shouldn’t, when we should stay focused on the thing we do best.”

And here’s what that panic actually does. It confuses the market. It confuses potential clients. And it closes off the momentum you spent years building.

The business you’ve been developing has a kind of gravity to it. When you scatter in every direction, you lose it.

Your superpowers are probably hiding in plain sight.

Anita has two superpowers she talks about that most people would overlook.

The ability to see the big picture and the small details at the same time.

And listening. Really listening to what a client isn’t quite saying.

“I need to hear what they’re not saying in a way.”

Neither of these sounds like a marketable skill on paper. But they’re exactly what makes her process work. They’re what lets her pull the right book out of someone who’s been sitting on the idea for five years.

Don’t downplay the soft stuff. It might be the thing that makes you irreplaceable.

The nine to twelve month process that changes everything.

This is where the conversation got specific in a way I think a lot of aspiring authors needed to hear.

Anita’s process at Write Your Life starts with a complimentary book strategy session. Then a VIP Day, six hours of structured conversation that generates the entire framework for the book, thousands of words of content pulled from the conversation itself.

Then months of writing, revisions, beta readers, final edits, cover design, interior layout, and book launch.

“Nine to twelve months from concept to completion, which is a drop in the bucket for most of my clients who say they’ve been thinking about writing a book for three to five, eight years.”

One year. That’s all it takes when you stop going it alone.

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Embrace your comfort zone.

Every entrepreneur has heard the opposite advice.

Get uncomfortable. Push your edges. Do the scary thing.

Anita disagrees. Or at least, she thinks we have the order backwards.

“Get into your comfort zone before you try to get out of your comfort zone.”

Find the process that works. Master it. Do it well enough that the results are consistent, that clients are satisfied, that you feel the flow of it. Then you can expand from there.

Mastery first. Then iteration. Not the other way around.

The challenge she wants to leave you with.

Stop trying to do a million things.

Stop trying to escape your comfort zone when you haven’t really found it yet.

“There is a flow that happens when you develop a process or a system. It impacts who you say yes to as a client. It impacts your enjoyment. And it also impacts the quality of the output.”

Find the thing you do well. Do it consistently. Let the momentum build.

That’s the whole game.

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Closing Reflection

Anita just wants to see creative entrepreneurs profit from their genius.

That’s the thing underneath all of it. The frameworks, the VIP Days, the nine to twelve month process. The years of figuring out her own comfort zone before she could help others find theirs.

She’s watched too many talented people write good books that never found their readers. Or never got written at all.

If you’ve been sitting on a book idea for three years, or five, or eight, this episode is the nudge.

You don’t have to figure it out alone. You just have to go first.

What if the thing that makes you feel like an outsider is actually your greatest business asset?

Danielle Anderson figured that out after 15 years as a paralegal.

She didn’t have an English degree. She’d never worked at a big New York publishing house. She wasn’t an agent with industry connections. But she had something else: a way of combining structure with soul that authors desperately needed.

In this conversation, Danielle, founder of Ink Worthy Books and creator of the Soulful Nonfiction framework, talks about building a business that honors both the creative process and the human being behind the book.

Highlights

Law school taught her how stories work.

Before Danielle was helping authors craft their books, she was crafting legal arguments.

The skills translated perfectly: the research, the structure, and building a case that moves people from point A to point B. The only difference was the outcome she was fighting for.

“What drew me to law wasn’t just the structure — it was the writing.”

That legal background didn’t disappear when she pivoted. It became the foundation for how she helps authors organize their ideas, strengthen their arguments, and build books that actually work.

She said yes before she knew how.

Danielle’s first real publishing client was a yoga instructor writing about recovering from an eating disorder.

Did Danielle know exactly how to guide someone through that process? Not really. But she knew something more important: how to show up with care and figure it out together.

“If you have a strong enough connection with somebody, you trust them enough to do things because you know they’re going to work as hard as they can to make something happen.”

That willingness to lean into connection over credentials became her business model. And it works because authors need someone who believes in their story as much as they need expertise.

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Soulful nonfiction is structure with heart.

Danielle coined the term “soulful nonfiction” for a reason.

Too many business books feel soulless. Too many personal development books lack structure. She helps authors find the sweet spot between both.

“It’s really bringing like that structure in with the creativity and the flow and allowing for that to be really supportive.”

Her authors don’t have to choose between being vulnerable and being clear. They get to be both.

She builds business around real life.

Danielle is refreshingly honest about the gap between business advice and actual life.

Most entrepreneurship content assumes you have unlimited time, energy, and resources. Danielle had to build differently.

“I got four kids. I’ve got a mortgage payment. Like I got to do this my way.”

That constraint helped her relate with clients who also have real lives, real responsibilities, and real limits on their time. She gets it in a way that matters.

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Free calls build the right relationships.

While other coaches are optimizing funnels, Danielle is offering free Zoom calls.

It sounds counterintuitive. But it works because book coaching is deeply personal work. People need to feel the fit before they commit.

“I think there is so much value in truly leading with your heart and like truly leading with such an openness and an authentic energy.”

Those calls help her convert the right clients. The ones who are ready to do the work and trust the process.

Your weird path is your competitive advantage.

Danielle’s unconventional background could have been a liability.

Instead, it became exactly what set her apart. She brings legal thinking to creative work. She combines structure with intuition. She understands both the business side and the human side of publishing.

“There’s absolute value in going out there and if you don’t know what you’re doing, finding a guide or a mentor or someone to help you find your way. But I always reserve a little bit of discernment to say, does this feel right for me?”

That discernment of knowing when to follow advice and when to trust your gut is what turns an unconventional path into an unbeatable advantage.

Bonus Challenge from Danielle:

Write a post sharing why you do what you do and a specific moment when things shifted for you. Make it vulnerable. Don’t worry about grammar or typos. “I want you to tap into the fact that this is probably going to feel a little vulnerable. I really want you to allow space for that.”

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Closing Reflection

Danielle Anderson is proof that you don’t need the “right” background to build something meaningful.

You need the willingness to show up authentically, the courage to combine your unique skills in new ways, and the patience to build relationships that matter.

How does a daughter’s simple wish become a full creative enterprise?

Osayi Lasisi didn’t set out to launch a product line. She set out to find a brown plush doll for her daughter.

When that search came up empty, her daughter didn’t just get disappointed and move on. She said, let’s make them ourselves.

And that’s where everything started.

In this conversation, Osayi shares how Pocketlings was born, what it’s like to co-build a business with a 10-year-old, and the lessons that have emerged from just figuring things out as they go.

Highlights

Your idea doesn’t have to be brilliant.

Pocketlings didn’t start with a market analysis or a brand strategy.

It started with a kid who wanted something she couldn’t find.

“She couldn’t find brown plush dolls and she decided she wanted to start selling them.”

That’s it. That was the spark.

And it’s a good reminder that the ideas closest to our real lives, the ones rooted in genuine need, are often more powerful than the ones we manufacture trying to be clever.

Research is a skill.

Before anything was ordered or designed, Osayi asked her daughter to do the research: manufacturers, price points, competitors, and profit margins.

Not because she needed her daughter to do the work. But because she wanted her to build the skill.

“I asked her to research manufacturers and how much it would cost. She would find similar dolls and the pricing and then we’d discuss it.”

That’s real-world learning.

And it produced real-world results. Her daughter came back with data. They made decisions together. And the business became something they both owned.

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You can’t learn everything before you start.

There’s a version of this story where they spent months researching the perfect doll size before placing any order.

They didn’t do that.

They started with the size her daughter wanted. And only after shipping real dolls to real customers did they realize a smaller size would have been easier to manage.

“There are some things that we understood better after we started.”

That sentence says it all.

Not everything can be researched in advance. Some knowledge only comes from doing the work.

Quitting can be a strategy but it must be intentional.

Osayi brought up Seth Godin’s concept of the dip:

The hardest moments are often the thing separating the people who figure it out from the ones who walk away before they get the chance.

“Quitting is always okay. My only thing is, if you’re going to quit, you want to decide to quit. Not because it’s hard. Because you’ve decided to quit.”

Decide with intention. Not with exhaustion.

Building in public means learning in public too.

One of the unexpected gifts of starting Pocketlings has been the conversations it opened up.

Other parents started asking how they could give their kids the same experience. That led Osayi and her daughter to libraries, to workshops, and to community entrepreneurship sessions for kids who want to build something of their own.

“We didn’t think we were going to be doing that when we were starting out with just dolls.”

That’s how it usually goes.

You start one thing and it opens a door to something you never planned for.

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Closing Reflection

Osayi’s story isn’t just about dolls or books or tween period journals.

It’s about what happens when you take a child’s idea seriously.

When you let them research, make decisions, deal with real world problems, and experience what it means to build something from nothing.

And it started because a girl couldn’t find a doll that looked like her.

What if understanding money was the thing that finally set your creative work free?

That’s the quiet truth running through my conversation with . She’s a tax educator, an artist with over 20 years of experience, and the founder of Sunlight Tax.

We talk about why there’s no standard path for creatives, how the story you tell about your worth shapes everything, and why financial literacy might be the most underrated superpower in your business toolkit.

Highlights

There is no standard path. And that’s actually the point.

Creative careers don’t come with a rulebook and for a long time, that felt like a disadvantage.

But Hannah reframes it completely.

“Believing there should be a standard route stifles innovation and self-direction; embracing the openness enables more organic growth and resilience.”

When you stop waiting for someone to hand you the map, you start drawing your own. And that map tends to be more honest, more durable, and more you.

The story you tell about your work changes everything.

Marketing is hard for a lot of creatives. Not because they don’t have something valuable to offer. But because they haven’t fully claimed the value of what they do.

Hannah connects this directly to how we price, pitch, and show up.

“Valuing your authenticity and the unique perspective you bring makes marketing more genuine and attracts aligned clients.”

When you believe in what you bring to the table, you stop underselling and hedging. And you start speaking to the people who actually need what you have.

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Money is just value wearing a different name.

So many creatives carry a complicated relationship with money. It feels awkward to charge and uncomfortable to negotiate. It’s like asking for money means somehow caring less about the art.

Hannah flips that story.

“By reframing the way we perceive money in relation to our creative work, we begin to see it not as a barrier but as a reflection of the value we provide. This mental shift cultivates confidence and legitimacy, making it easier to set fair prices and negotiate contracts.”

Money isn’t the opposite of meaning. It’s what happens when your work matters to someone else enough for them to exchange something for it.

Financial literacy is a creative superpower.

Most of us weren’t taught this. We got great art education, maybe. But no one sat us down and walked us through estimated taxes, deductions, or what self-employment actually costs.

And that gap creates unnecessary stress.

“Financial literacy empowers creative professionals to maximize deductions, reduce anxiety, and reinvest in their craft.”

The less time you spend in financial fog, the more you can put into the work.

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Simple systems beat complicated intentions.

Hannah is a big advocate of this one. You don’t need a complicated accounting setup. You need something easy enough that you’ll actually do it.

“People are more likely to sustain beneficial habits that are effortless to maintain, leading to better long-term financial health.”

Things like creating a dedicated account for business expenses or building a habit of tracking can go a long way. Small sustainable things compound into real clarity over time.

You don’t have to do this alone.

One of the most powerful things Hannah talks about is collective action. The tax laws that have protected artists and creatives didn’t happen by accident. They happened because people organized, showed up, and made noise together.

“Building civic engagement and belonging to professional groups magnifies influence and creates systemic change.”

Your individual voice matters. But when you join it with others, the impact multiplies in ways that go far beyond your own studio or business.

The creative brain is built for entrepreneurship.

Hannah makes a case I think a lot of us need to hear.

Pattern recognition, lateral thinking, and standing out in a crowded room all make us good artists and writers. And those same skills can make for a remarkable entrepreneur.

“Recognizing their own superpowers can help artists and creators craft authentic, compelling brands and find underserved markets.”

You’ve been business skills your whole life. You just might not have called them that.

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Closing Reflection

Hannah’s work is about more than tax tips.

It’s about helping creatives step into the full picture of what they’ve built. To stop treating money like a foreign language and start seeing it as part of the creative practice itself.

Because when you understand the financial side of your work, you protect it. You grow it. You give it staying power.

If you’re a creative entrepreneur figuring out the money side of your work, leave a comment and tell us where you’re at. Because this conversation is worth continuing.

What if the stories you grew up with weren’t just entertainment… but training?

Dr. Lang didn’t become a book coach and editor by accident.

Her path moves from hyperlexic child… to marketing professional… to PhD… to founder of The Writing Desk. And when you zoom out, none of it is random. Every season sharpened how she sees story, structure, mindset, and the humans behind the pages.

In this conversation, Bailey and I talk about creative writing beyond fiction, the realities of academia, the power of marginalized voices, and why standing out has less to do with tactics and more to do with telling the truth about who you are.

Highlights

Creativity processes are personal and they evolve

So many writers assume there is one correct way to be creative.

One correct routine.
One correct drafting method.
One correct productivity system.

And when their process doesn’t look like someone else’s, they assume they’re doing it wrong.

Bailey gently dismantles that myth.

“People kind of assume there’s one right way to do it. And that is where people get stuck. The same thing is true with our creative processes, right? The actual practice of showing up to write, I think people often assume, I’m supposed to do it this one specific way, right? And it’s, no, you can do it in infinite ways.”

Different seasons of your life require different approaches. Different projects demand different rhythms.

When you stop trying to copy someone else’s creative process, you free up energy to actually create.

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Marginalized voices reveal universal habits of mind

One of my favorite parts of this conversation is when Bailey talks about her dissertation research.

She studied women writers outside academic spaces and asked whether the same “habits of mind” celebrated in academia showed up in their reflections on craft.

“I was looking specifically at women writers who were not working in academic spaces... And do we see these same habits kind of showing up in how they’re reflecting on their own work... But the answer that I found in my dissertation was more or less, yeah.”

This is why diversity is a strength. Different lived experiences expand the creative toolbox for all of us. When we spotlight marginalized voices, we don’t narrow the conversation. We deepen it.

Mindset will make or break your progress

Craft matters.

But mindset is often the real bottleneck.

Bailey works as both a coach and an editor, and she sees how the inner critic shows up when revisions land in someone’s inbox.

It’s not just about fixing sentences. It’s about facing fear.

“Mindset is huge, particularly in coaching engagements, right? So I also do editing. At that point, a lot of mindset stuff is like dealing with how do you make revisions once I give them to you.”

Revision isn’t a verdict on your talent. It’s part of the creative loop.

If you can separate feedback from identity, you unlock growth.

Authenticity Over Visibility Tactics

There’s a difference between being loud and being aligned.

A lot of creatives think standing out means reaching more people. Bigger audience. More noise. More reach.

Bailey reframes that completely.

“Standing out isn’t about broadcasting to a broad audience but about amplifying your unique perspective and personal qualities. Genuine authenticity attracts the right audience organically.”

The right people are not found through volume. They’re found through clarity.

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Value of Authentic Self-Representation

We copy because it feels safer.

If it worked for them, maybe it will work for me.

But that instinct slowly erodes the very thing that makes your work compelling.

“Your unique personality, perspective, and vulnerabilities are your strongest branding assets—cloning or copying successful models dilutes genuine appeal.”

The more you sound like you, the less competition you actually have.

Adaptation Is Essential for Success

There is no fixed formula for a creative life.

What works this year may not work next year. What worked for one book may not work for the next.

“Different seasons of your life, different seasons of the year, different projects, they can all require some adaptation and flexibility.”

Flexibility keeps you in motion.

Rigidity is what burns people out.

The creatives who last are not the ones who find the perfect system.

They’re the ones who adjust without abandoning themselves.

Community is not optional

There’s a myth of the solitary genius.

Bailey rejects it completely.

“Find your people, make a cool thing, and then show it to all of the people that you know who like cool things. It’s great.”

That’s it.

Community accelerates courage. It also keeps you sane when the work feels heavy.

Writing is solitary. A creative life doesn’t have to be.

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Closing Reflection

Bailey’s story isn’t about choosing the perfect path.

It’s about noticing where your skills, values, and energy intersect… and building from there.

From hyperlexic kid to marketer to PhD to book coach, every chapter informs the next. Nothing is wasted.

If you need help building a creative business, writing a book, or trying to find your voice in a crowded world, sign up for a free call and we’ll figure out your best path forward.

If you liked this conversation or want to share your own insights. Drop a comment and tell us what you’re building.

Your story might be exactly what someone else needs to see.

What if the book you want to write isn’t waiting for the “perfect time” but for a version of you who’s willing to start messy?

Jennifer Locke helps people turn ideas into books.

Not someday books. Real books that get written in the middle of family life, busy schedules, self-doubt, and the very normal fear of being seen.

In this conversation, Jennifer shares what it really looks like to follow through on a writing life, how nonfiction and fiction require completely different muscles, why marketing can’t be an afterthought, and why community might be the thing that keeps you going when motivation disappears.

Highlights

Mastery comes from consistency, not perfection

Jennifer offers one of the simplest, and hardest, truths about writing.

You don’t finish a book by waiting for the perfect conditions.

You finish it by showing up.

“Writing a little each day, even if it’s just 10 minutes, accumulates into a completed book. Consistency outpaces perfectionism in long-term growth.”

Ten minutes doesn’t sound impressive.

But it’s how books get built.

Your unique voice is your greatest differentiator

So many writers spend years trying to sound like someone else.

Jennifer gently pulls you back to what actually matters.

The thing that makes your work stand out is you.

“Focus on what makes you feel alive and true to yourself, because no one else can replicate your authenticity, making it your most powerful asset.”

Your voice is your advantage.

Rejections and revisions are part of the job

Jennifer doesn’t sugarcoat the creative process.

Books don’t come out fully formed.

Drafts get rejected and ideas get reshaped.

The people who finish don’t avoid setbacks, they learn from them.

“My experiences with multiple rejections led to stronger drafts. Setbacks often precede breakthroughs when approached with curiosity and resilience.”

Rejection isn’t the end.

Sometimes it’s the edit that makes the work better.

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Marketing should start earlier than you want it to

This is the part writers love to avoid.

But Jennifer makes it clear: Marketing isn’t something you add on at the end.

It’s something you build alongside the writing.

“Identify where you enjoy showing up and dedicate your efforts there, instead of chasing every trend or platform.”

You don’t need to be everywhere.

You just need to be somewhere that’s enjoyable.

The core of a creative business is self-knowledge

Jennifer keeps coming back to alignment.

The writers who last are the ones who know what matters to them.

“Focusing inward, what excites and energizes you, rather than external metrics or comparisons, is the key to long-term differentiation.”

Your work grows when it’s rooted in who you actually are.

Creativity is meant to feel joyful

Revision doesn’t have to be misery.

Writing doesn’t have to be constant pressure.

Jennifer reframes the creative process as something that can still be playful even when it’s hard.

“Turning edit and revision into playful opportunities for discovery, not solely tasks to be endured, keeps the joy in crafting.”

Community makes the writing life possible

Jennifer pushes back against the myth of the lone genius writer.

Books are personal but writing doesn’t have to be lonely.

Feedback, support, and people matter.

“Critique groups and collaborative relationships foster resilience and inspire continuous improvement.”

Community keeps you going when your brain tells you to quit.

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Closing Reflection

Jennifer Locke reminds us that writing a book is about building trust with your own voice, starting marketing earlier than feels comfortable, and surrounding yourself with people who understand what it means to create something from nothing.

If you need help bringing your book to life or balancing your endless to-do list, I want to help. Sign up for a free call where we get all those ideas out of your head and into the world.

What if the thing you thought was pulling you away from writing was actually preparing you for it?

didn’t set out to follow a single creative lane. His path winds through anthropology, academia, fiction editing, and now novel writing, all held together by curiosity and a deep respect for story.

In this conversation, Andy and I talk about what it really means to balance structure and freedom in your creative work, why genre expectations matter more than many writers want to admit, and how building a sustainable creative life often requires letting go of the paths that once felt “safe.”

This episode is for writers who love the craft, feel pulled in multiple directions, and are trying to figure out how to make creativity fit into real life, not an idealized version of it.

Highlights

Creative freedom is intentional

Andy speaks candidly about choosing creative work because because it felt necessary. Writing fiction became a way to reclaim time and energy for the work that made him feel most alive.

“I just thought, well, you only live once. And I really, really want to spend some of the time that I have on this Earth doing this kind of creative work, like writing a novel, writing short stories, learning the craft of all of that.”

Genre tropes aren’t creative limits

Andy breaks down why understanding genre expectations isn’t selling out, it’s showing respect for your audience. Readers come to a book with emotional expectations, and ignoring that can break trust fast.

“There’s expected tropes when you’re writing for certain genres, especially, like you said, the mystery and the romance and people are expecting what they expect and that’s the reason they picked it and that’s reason that they like it.”

You can still surprise readers. Just don’t surprise them by giving them the wrong book.

There is no single “right” way to write

Andy pushes back hard on the idea that writers need to follow one approved process. His early fiction work was intuitive, unpolished, and deeply influenced by everyday life, and that wasn’t a weakness. It was the point.

“There’s no one right or wrong way of doing things. I think it’s important to lean into your intuition and do things in a way that just sits right with you.”

The goal isn’t to copy someone else’s system. It’s to build one that actually fits how your brain works.

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Sustainability protects your creative work

Andy is clear that balancing editing, consulting, and writing wasn’t about diluting his passion. It was about protecting it. Financial stability gave his fiction room to grow instead of forcing it to perform.

“My route into that in a way that was sustainable for me was to strike a balance between doing this sort of academic editing and consulting work and the fiction stuff. The fiction stuff is the stuff I’m really passionate about.”

Originality comes from combination, not invention

Andy reminds us that no story exists in a vacuum. Every book is both familiar and new, shaped by what the writer loves, reads, and notices.

“Every new novel is not a completely novel invention. It’s very familiar in some way and it’s new in some way.”

Building an audience is about ownership, not platforms

After stepping away from social media, Andy refocused on what he could actually control. His takeaway is simple but powerful: your book doesn’t stand alone. It lives inside a bigger ecosystem.

“Your book is not just a book by itself, but it’s part of a wider platform that you cultivate.”

“Loads of people actually do make a decent living, not from the book by itself, but from the kind of ecosystem that they have linked to their book.”

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Closing reflection

Andy’s journey is a reminder that creative careers are rarely neat or linear. They’re built through experimentation, financial recalibration, uncomfortable transitions, and a willingness to learn new skills without abandoning your core interests.

Whether you’re navigating publishing paths, trying to balance creativity with stability, or questioning how much structure you really need, I’m here to help you on your journey.

Sign up for a free consultation to see how we can build a better path creative path forward together.

My friend Christi Johnson asked me to come onto The Dream Biz Podcast and talk about my creative business journey and how I made my biggest dream come true: moving to Costa Rica last year.

After recording this episode, I kept thinking about how often creatives wait to share their story until it feels finished.

But most of the interesting stuff happens way before that.

What we talked about wasn’t a highlight reel. It was a brief snapshot of where I am right now and how I got here.

Still balancing. Still experimenting. Still figuring things out as I go.

Here are some of the highlights.

Put Yourself First

One thing I shared that feels small but has changed everything for me is how I start my day.

If I don’t work on my own creative projects first, they got lost. When I first moved here, I lost sight of this and pushed my projects to the side. Big mistake.

My projects got pushed to “later.”
Later turned into “tomorrow.”
Tomorrow turned into never.

So I went back to doing thing the way I did before I moved. I turned my first hour into sacred for my creativity. Not because it’s productive but because it’s mine.

Once I do that, everything else feels lighter.

It’s Okay to Balance Stability and Freedom

This came up a lot in our conversation.

I still do contract work. About four hours a day. And for a while time, I felt weird about that. Like I was supposed to be “past” that stage by now.

But here’s what I’ve learned.

Stability gives me room to breathe.
Room to create.
Room to experiment without panic.

That balance is what makes the creative work sustainable for me right now. And I think more people need permission to admit that.

Get It Out of Your Head

Another thing I can’t stop repeating because it helps creatives in many ways is: write things down.

If you keep everything in your head, it disappears.

Ideas blur together.
Good thoughts get buried.
Your ideas never have a chance to fully bloom.

Writing things down is how I figure out what I actually want. Not what I think I should want.

It’s messy and imperfect. But it’s how every great idea starts.

Our Move to Costa Rica

The Costa Rica move didn’t start as a plan.

It started as a feeling.

My wife went on a bachelorette trip a few years ago and came back glowing. I went a year later and couldn’t get enough. And we both had the same quiet thought we weren’t saying out loud yet.

Wouldn’t it be amazing to live here one day?

I wrote all about my Costa Rica moving journey here on Substack and now it’s slowly turning into a memoir.

Not because I had a strategy.
But because I followed my curiosity.

I loved sharing my journey with Christi because she knows what it’s like to run a creative business herself. She gets the tension, uncertainty, joy, and fear of it all.

If you’ve made a business dream come true, let Christi know.

If you want to come onto The Standout Creatives and share your journey with us, you’re always welcome.

And if you’re still in the middle of your journey, you can leave a comment and let us know where you are right now.

What if the thing you’ve been taught to ignore is actually the thing guiding you?

In this episode, I talked with Julia Carmen, a curandera, spiritual healer, and founder of the School Without Walls. Julia has spent her life walking between the physical and non-physical worlds. Seeing, sensing, listening. Not as a party trick, but as a way of being.

Julia talks about presence, self-worth, grief, choice, and the courage it takes to listen to your soul in a very loud world.

Walking Between Worlds

Julia was born into a lineage of healers. Seeing spirits, hearing guides, sensing the unseen wasn’t something she learned. It was always there.

“I don’t know what it feels like not to see things.”

But walking in both the spiritual and physical worlds came with real challenges. Confusion. Fear. Being misunderstood. Learning how to stay grounded while holding what most people can’t see.

Actionable Insight:
You don’t need to escape the human experience to be spiritual. Take a moment that is especially chaotic and ground yourself.

Bonus:
Today, pause once. Put your feet on the floor and notice where you are.

The Container of Unconditional Love

At the heart of Julia’s work is one idea: the container of unconditional love.

Just hold space for yourself and for others.

This is the foundation of the School Without Walls, where learning happens through relationship, soul care, and deep listening rather than rigid systems.

Actionable Insight:
Growth requires a container. Ask yourself where you feel safe enough to tell the truth.

Bonus:
Identify one relationship or space where you can show up without performing.

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Intuition vs. the Soul Self

One of my favorite moments in this conversation is when Julia separates intuition from the soul self.

Intuition, she says, is human.
The soul self is eternal.

Your brain matters. Logic matters. But so does the quiet voice underneath all of it.

“Shhh. Be still. Get quiet.”

That’s where clarity lives.

Actionable Insight:
Stop asking for louder signs. Start listening more carefully.

Bonus:
Before making one decision this week, sit in silence for two minutes.

Self-Worth, Creativity, and Value

Toward the end of the conversation, Julia drops something creatives especially need to hear.

Your work has value.
Your presence has value.
You don’t need to give yourself away to be worthy.

Self-worth is quiet. Steady. Rooted.

Actionable Insight:
Stop underpricing your energy, time, or creativity.

Bonus:
Ask yourself where you’re overgiving to earn belonging.

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Key Takeaways

• Being present is a spiritual practice

• You can walk both worlds and still be human

• Healing requires unconditional love

• Intuition is human, the soul self is eternal

• Grief can deepen, not derail, your growth

• Self-worth is something you practice daily

• Your creative work deserves respect and care

Closing Reflection

Julia didn’t set out to build a brand. She chose herself over and over again.

If you’re a creative or writer who knows there’s more in you, but you’ve been second-guessing your voice, your value, or whether your work even “fits” anywhere… you’re not broken. You just need the right container.

That’s where I come in.

I help authors and creatives get clear on their message, build visibility in a way that actually feels like them, and turn their work into something sustainable.

If you’re ready to stop circling the same questions and start moving with intention, let’s talk. You can book a free, low-pressure clarity call at The Standout Creatives.

What if the thing you’ve been trying hide is actually the reason people remember you?

Rachel Lee is a brand stylist and designer who built her business by doing the opposite of what she thought “serious” creatives were supposed to do. From growing up as an imaginative art kid to hiding parts of herself in traditional design roles, Rachel spent years trying to fit in before realizing that belonging to herself mattered more.

In this conversation, she shares what happened when she quit a stable job, stopped performing professionalism, and let her real personality lead, cat ears and all.

From Art Kid to Self-Trust

Rachel’s story starts the way many creative stories do: curiosity, imagination, and a slow drift away from those instincts in order to be accepted. The farther she moved from herself, the harder it became to feel fulfilled.

“I spent so long thinking that fitting in was the safer option, but over time I realized it was costing me way more than it was giving me.”

That realization didn’t arrive all at once. It came through frustration, burnout, and the quiet feeling that something was off.

Actionable Insight: Pay attention to where your work feels heavier than it should.

Bonus: Name one part of yourself you’ve been muting to feel more legitimate.

Choosing Alignment Over Safety

Rachel left a steady job because she refused to keep living out of alignment. She talks openly about fear, family expectations, and learning business without a roadmap.

“Walking away from something stable was terrifying, but staying would’ve meant ignoring the part of me that knew this wasn’t it.”

Actionable Insight: You don’t need certainty to move forward, just clarity on what you’re done carrying.

Bonus: Identify one small step toward work that feels more like you.

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Personal Branding That Feels Human

For Rachel, personal branding stopped being about aesthetics the moment she stopped pretending. Her brand worked when she did.

“Personal branding isn’t about looking polished or put together. It’s about letting people see who you actually are when you’re not performing.”

The cat ears weren’t a tactic. They were a signal. And people remembered her because she felt real.

Actionable Insight: Make your brand feel like you.

Bonus: Ask yourself where you’re trying to sound like someone else.

Attracting the Right People by Being Clear

When Rachel showed up as herself, the right clients leaned in and the wrong ones drifted away.

“The moment I stopped trying to appeal to everyone was the moment the right people started finding me.”

That clarity made everything simpler.

Actionable Insight: You’re allowed to be specific, even if it means being less universal.

Bonus: Remove one message from your site or bio that feels watered down.

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Staying Human in a Noisy World

As Rachel moves into content creation, her focus stays the same. Connection over polish. Practice over perfection.

“With everything becoming faster and more automated, the thing people are craving most is something that feels human.”

Let yourself evolve without abandoning who you are.

Actionable Insight: Growth comes from repetition, not reinvention.

Bonus: Show up once this week without overthinking the outcome.

Key Takeaways

• Fitting in costs more than it gives.

• Your quirks are signals.

• Personal branding starts with self-trust.

• Art and business don’t have to compete.

• Standing out begins with letting yourself be seen.

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Closing Reflection

Rachel didn’t want to fit in. She wanted to be memorable by telling the truth.

Remember, the people you’re meant to reach are looking for you, not a generic version of you.

If you want support marketing your book or creative business that showcases the real you, I’m here to help. Sign up for a free consultation at TheStandoutCreatives.com.

Let’s amplify your work in a way that is fun for you.

What if the thing that makes you feel “different” in business is actually the thing that makes you magnetic?

In this special conversation, I sit down with Aicila from the Business as Unusual, where we talked about what it’s like to build a business as an introvert. If you’ve ever felt drained by networking, overwhelmed by visibility, or unsure how to show up without feeling fake… this one will feel like a deep exhale.

We talk about what it really means to be an introverted creative in a world that wants you to be “on” all the time. The pressure. The awkwardness. The energy dips.

But also the parts we don’t talk about enough: the power of authenticity, the ease that comes from true connection, and how collaboration can actually give introverts energy when it’s rooted in trust.

This episode is an invitation to stop forcing yourself into strategies that don’t fit, and to start building your creative business in a way that feels like you.

Highlights

You’re not broken — you’re wired differently, and that’s a strength

Many creatives are introverts, and the business world wasn’t built with you in mind.

“Creatives are often introverts.” — Aicila

Authenticity makes networking tolerable — even enjoyable

When you stop performing, conversations get easier.

“Authenticity leads to genuine connections.” — Aicila

Relationships matter more than the transaction

Networking isn’t a sales funnel — it’s a human one.

“Networking isn’t just about sales.” — Kevin

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Energy awareness is a form of self-trust

You get to honor your limits without apologizing for them.

“Energy management is crucial.” — Aicila

Collaboration doesn’t have to drain you

When you’re with the right people, co-creation feels nourishing.

“Co-creation fulfills introverts.” — Aicila

Your lived experience is your creative advantage

AI can help, but it can’t replace your perspective.

“AI lacks the human touch.” — Kevin

Authenticity lands because it’s human

When you show up as yourself, your work resonates more deeply.

“Presence enhances creative impact.” — Kevin

Real success is built on reciprocity

Positive, generous relationships carry you further than any strategy.

“Positive relationships drive success.” — Kevin

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Closing Reflection

If you’ve ever felt like you had to push, perform, or “be more extroverted” to succeed… this conversation is your permission slip to stop.

You just need to learn how you work best and build from there.

If you want support creating a book or creative business that honors your energy, I’m here to help. Sign up for a free consultation at TheStandoutCreatives.com.

Let’s build something that feels true to you.

What if growing your business didn’t require grinding harder, but actually slowing down, tending to your nervous system, and building something that feels human and sustainable?

Heidi Weiland is a holistic business coach and strategist who went from burned-out freelance web designer to someone helping entrepreneurs blend smart strategy with real self-care.

Her work sits at the intersection of nervous system support, authentic marketing, and human-centered business.

In this episode, she shares the turning points, hard lessons, and gentle reminders that helped her rebuild her business from the inside out.

From Burnout to Real Balance

Heidi’s story starts where so many creative businesses hit a wall: doing everything, being everything, and pretending it’s fine until it isn’t. Burnout pushed her into yoga, deep self-care, and eventually a whole new way of supporting clients.

“I got to a point where I was just so burned out. I didn’t know what to do with myself.”

Try this: Check in with your body before you check in with your to-do list.

Bonus: List three tasks draining your energy right now. What can be paused, delegated, or simplified?

Human-Centered Business Isn’t Optional

For Heidi, business work is human work. Your energy, your nervous system, your values are all the foundations.

“Business should be human-centered. We are the foundation of everything we do.”

Try this: Before taking on a new project, ask: Does this support the version of me I’m becoming?

Bonus: Rewrite one boundary that needs strengthening in your business.

Authenticity as the Strategy

One of my favorite things about Heidi is how simple she makes authenticity feel. It’s not a branding exercise or a persona. It’s just… you.

“I’m me and that’s enough. That’s great, actually.”

Try this: Notice a moment today where you filtered yourself. How would it feel to soften that filter?

Bonus: Share something real with your audience this week: a story, a lesson, a moment.

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Blending Smart Strategy with Nervous System Support

Heidi’s approach is part intuitive, part tactical. She’ll talk funnels, then ask what your body is telling you. She’ll map your plan, then help you regulate so you can actually follow through.

“Blend strategy with nervous system support.”

Try this: Before planning your week, take three deep breaths and let your shoulders drop.

Bonus: Choose one strategic task and break it into the smallest next step. Your body will thank you.

Energy + Task Alignment

This is where so many creatives get stuck. You can do the work. But should you?

“What is sucking your energy? Are there tasks outside your zone of genius that we can shift?”

Try this: Highlight everything in your business: green for energizing, yellow for neutral, red for draining.

Bonus: Delegate or delete just one red task this week.

Relationships, Referrals, and Being a Real Human

Heidi builds her business the same way she lives her life—through genuine connection.

“Referrals are just what I call being in the world.”

Try this: Reach out to one person you appreciate in your creative circle.

Bonus: Share your work in one community space where you already feel comfortable.

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Key Takeaways

• Burnout is often the doorway to a more honest business.

• Human-centered business leads to sustainable growth.

• Authenticity is your greatest marketing strategy.

• Your nervous system matters as much as your strategy.

• Alignment comes from knowing what energizes you.

• Relationships build stronger businesses than algorithms ever will.

Ready to Grow Your Business Without Burning Out?

Heidi’s journey is such a good reminder that you don’t have to choose between success and self-care. You can build something meaningful, aligned, and fully yours without sacrificing your wellbeing.

If you’re ready to grow your creative business with more clarity and ease, book a free strategy session at TheStandoutCreatives.com. Let’s make your business feel more like you.

What if finding your creative voice wasn’t about adding more to your plate, but about slowing down, listening inward, and allowing yourself to realign with what feels true?

Britta Buchanan is the founder of Aligned and Undefined, where she helps spiritually conscious creatives reconnect with their authentic voice and creative flow.

After leaving her career as an elementary school teacher, Britta began guiding others through Human Design and the Akashic Records, helping them align with their soul’s blueprint and create from a place of authenticity and ease.

In this episode, Britta shares her journey of transition, transformation, and learning to trust her intuition—plus what it means to see creativity not just as something you do, but as a way of being.

The Power of Transition and Transformation

Britta talks about leaving behind a career that no longer fit and stepping into entrepreneurship with an open heart. For her, it wasn’t a sudden leap—it was a series of small, honest realizations.

“I always knew it wasn’t going to be a lifelong thing for me.”

Try this: Reflect on an area of your life or business that feels like it’s shifting. What truth are you ready to admit to yourself?

Bonus idea: Write down one small step that would bring you closer to what feels more aligned.

Creativity as a Way of Being

Britta believes creativity isn’t limited to art—it’s how we think, connect, and move through life.

“Creativity is a way of being, it’s a way of thinking.”

Try this: Approach your next decision or conversation like an act of creation. What’s possible if you treat it as a canvas?

Bonus idea: Start a short daily ritual—five minutes to sketch, write, or simply imagine freely.

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Aligning with Your Soul’s Blueprint

Using Human Design and the Akashic Records, Britta helps people understand who they are at their core.

“Human Design is really great for that, but so are the records.”

Try this: Look up your Human Design type or journal about what alignment feels like in your body.

Bonus idea: When something feels off, pause and ask, “What would feel lighter right now?”

Living with Authenticity

At the heart of Britta’s work is the belief that when you show up as yourself, you naturally attract what—and who—is meant for you.

“When you show up as you, you attract the people that are for you.”

Try this: Notice moments where you filter yourself out of fear. What would it look like to speak or create from full authenticity instead?

Bonus idea: Reach out to someone who sees the real you and thank them for holding that space.

Quick Recap

• Change starts with honesty and self-trust.

• Creativity isn’t something you do—it’s something you are.

• Alignment begins when you listen to your own energy.

• Authenticity attracts the right people and opportunities.

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Ready to Explore Your Own Alignment?

Britta shows that your creative path doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. You just need to come home to yourself and create from there.

If you’re ready to take your own creative business to the next level, without losing yourself along the way, book a free strategy session with me.

Let’s make your next chapter feel aligned, grounded, and uniquely yours.

What if the secret to impactful design isn’t talent or aesthetics, but responsibility to your community, the planet, and the people you’re building for?

As the co-founder of Reny, a certified B Corp agency, Ben Rennie has built his career around using design as a force for impact. The agency now works with global brands like Patagonia, Google, and Nike. But that wasn’t the starting line.

Ben started as a self-taught designer, shaping his craft over time while developing a worldview anchored in responsibility, sustainability, and community.

From Grassroots to Global Reach

What began as a personal practice turned into a studio and eventually, a full-scale agency operating on a global level. Reny didn’t grow because it chased trends. It grew because it stayed grounded in purpose, credibility, and long-term thinking.

Ben learned early on that visibility matters but alignment matters more. The work had to stand for something.

“Design should make you feel something or change something.”

Actionable Insight: Start with a clear vision, but be willing to evolve. Consistency over time is what creates traction in creative businesses.

Bonus: Spend 10 minutes today identifying one small creative habit you can repeat weekly. Pick something so simple you can’t avoid doing it.

Creative Control as a Business Strategy

A big part of Reny’s staying power comes from creative autonomy. Instead of relying on outside permission or gatekeepers, Ben built the platform around ownership: of ideas, of impact, and of the process itself.

That choice wasn’t just aesthetic. It was strategic.

“Design isn’t just about things that look good. It’s about the impact they make.”

When you control the work, you control the integrity.

Actionable Insight: Identify one area of your creative process where you can step into full ownership even if it makes you uncomfortable.

Bonus: Look up one independent designer or creative studio you admire and note how they control their platform.

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Building a Brand People Notice

Work this intentional doesn’t spread by accident. Rennie put in the reps through strategic marketing, community-building, positioning, storytelling, and showing up where the right audience gathers.

Actionable Insight: Commit to being visible. Start small: post, publish, share, and see what resonates.

Bonus: Engage with at least 5 people in your audience this week. Not “posting at them” but actually interacting with them.

Balancing Work While Building the Vision

None of this happened overnight. There were years where the agency grew in the margins — nights, early mornings, pockets of time between responsibilities. Creative entrepreneurship is a long game, and Ben understood that early.

“It’s a long-ass marathon, not a sprint.”

That mindset of patience + forward motion became their competitive advantage.

Actionable Insight: Block out a small, consistent window of creation each week.

Bonus: Use a single 20–30 minute session to plan your one creative priority for the week.

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What Ben’s Journey Teaches Us

• Passion might start the work, but persistence finishes it.

• Design is both a craft and a lever for change.

• Creative control requires boundaries and leadership.

• Brand recognition is earned through consistency and clarity.

• Growth comes from being visible, not waiting to be discovered.

Bringing It All Together

Ben didn’t wait for permission. He built his own lane conversation by conversation, collaboration by collaboration. His story shows that you don’t have to start early to land big. You just have to stay committed long enough for your work to matter.

Want help growing your own creative business?

If you’ve been sitting on an idea: a creative project, a business, a new direction, but don’t know where to start, I’m offering a free strategy session to help get you on track.

Just sign up at TheStandoutCreatives.com

What if your next event didn’t have to feel overwhelming? What if it could actually be aligned, intentional—and even profitable?

Heather Black is here to show you how.

She’s the founder of Phoenix Collaborations and has spent 25 years in the event world, helping solopreneurs, small businesses, and nonprofits turn events and speaking gigs into meaningful, money-making opportunities.

In this episode, Heather shares her signature S.O.P. method for event planning, breaks down what it really takes to host events that work, and gives practical advice for those of us who are already feeling maxed out. If you’ve ever wanted to share your message on a bigger stage—but the logistics have held you back—this is your starting point.

From Chaos to Clarity

Heather knows how easy it is to get lost in the weeds of event planning. With so many moving parts, it's no wonder people give up before they even start. But she believes events don’t have to be chaotic. With a clear strategy and a plan that fits your goals, events can become a major part of your business growth.

“Event planning is easy if you give yourself the right runway. But if you try to take a Boeing 747 off on a runway for a Cessna 180, it will not be pretty.”

Try this: Map out what a successful event looks like for you—what would you want people to walk away with?

Bonus idea: Write down your biggest fear about hosting or speaking. Then write a plan to work around it.

The S.O.P. Method

Heather’s signature approach helps mission-driven entrepreneurs move from idea to action using three key steps:

• Strategic – Align the event with your goals and create a clear plan.

• Organized – Use checklists and timelines so you know exactly what to do and when.

• Profitable – Make sure it’s actually worth your time and energy by tracking expenses and revenue.

Try this: Think of your next event idea. What would make it feel more doable?

Bonus idea: Break it into phases—planning, promotion, delivery—and focus on just one at a time.

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The Power of 1:Many

Whether it’s hosting your own event or speaking on someone else’s stage, Heather is a big believer in the power of connecting with many people at once. It’s a visibility tool, a trust-builder, and a major income generator when done well.

“When it comes to being a speaker, I kind of break the speaking engagement down into three phases: the spark phase, the flame phase, and the ember phase.”

Try this: Make a list of 3 topics you’d love to speak about. These can turn into workshops, talks, or even content for an event.

Bonus idea: Reach out to one podcast, community, or group you’d love to speak to. Just start the conversation.

Why Events (Still) Matter

In a world where we’re all glued to screens, events offer something different—connection, presence, and real-time transformation. But it doesn’t have to be fancy. Heather reminds us that even small, focused gatherings can make a huge impact.

“Just be your authentic, fun self, whatever that looks like. Don’t get in that box that says we have to do it this way.”

Try this: Think small. What’s one micro-event you could host—online or off?

Bonus idea: Invite 3–5 people to a mini workshop or Q&A. Keep it simple, and focus on connection.

Quick Recap:

• Events don’t have to be overwhelming when they’re aligned with your goals.

• Strategy, organization, and profitability are the keys to making events work.

• The power of 1:Many helps you expand your reach without burning out.

• Small, focused events can have a big impact.

• A clear plan beats a big production every time.

• You don’t need to do it all—you just need to do what matters.

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Ready to Bring Your Event Idea to Life?

Heather’s story is a reminder that events and speaking don’t have to feel stressful or out of reach. With the right support, they can be the thing that unlocks the next level of your business.

If you’re ready to get clear, organized, and actually follow through on that event or speaking idea—let’s talk.

Book a free strategy session at TheStandoutCreatives.com.

We’ll figure out where to start and how to make it feel like you.

What if your next creative breakthrough doesn't come from doing more, but from doing what truly matters?

In this episode, I’m talking directly to you—the creative soul who sometimes wonders

Am I on the right path? Or worse, Am I behind?

Spoiler alert: you’re exactly where you need to be.

We’ll explore what it means to create intentionally, how to stop spinning your wheels, and how to start steering toward the life and work you actually want. I share my own turning point—the moment I realized moving to Costa Rica wasn’t just a random whim but a signal to step into who I really want to be.

This isn’t about vague “woo-woo” stuff (although I'm into that too). It’s about practical, purposeful action. If you have a creative dream quietly tugging at you, this episode is for you.

Why Intentionality Matters

Not all busy work is progress. I break down how to spot what’s worth your time and energy, and why you have to align your actions with your values.

Becoming Who You Want to Be

It’s less about checking off tasks — although there's plenty of that —and more about evolving your identity. I also talk about how tiny shifts in what you do daily connect to your bigger vision.

Reading the Signals

That recurring idea or dream isn’t random. It’s your creative compass. I share how I recognized my own signal and used it to navigate my real-life move.

Taking Action Without Overwhelm

I’ll walk you through how to lean into your calling without burning out, plus some mindset shifts to help you move forward.

You’re Not Alone

Creative work can feel lonely, but it doesn’t have to be. I touch on the power of community and support along the journey.

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Try this:

• Reflect: What’s the one creative idea or dream that keeps coming back to you? Could it be a signal to act?

• Shift: What’s one small action you can take this week that aligns with who you want to become?

• Reach out: Need a sounding board? I’m here. Book a free strategy session or send me a DM on Instagram.

Your creative journey is uniquely yours. But with intention and a little support, it can be the most fulfilling thing you ever do.

Resources Mentioned

• Instagram: @standoutcreativebusiness

• Coaching & brainstorming sessions: standoutcreativebusiness.com

What if the key to unlocking your creativity as a writer wasn't about perfection, but about embracing the messy process, taking risks, and finding support along the way?

is a writer, artist, and certified coach who has spent over two decades helping creatives finally get their ideas out of their heads and onto the page. As the founder of Original Impulse, she's guided countless writers to focus, follow through, and finish their books without burning out.

In this episode, Cynthia talks about how to stay committed to your writing, why accountability is key, how to handle rejection without losing your spark, and what it really takes to finish your book.

Embrace Imperfections and Be Vulnerable

Cynthia talks openly about the vulnerability involved in writing. She believes that writing requires a deep level of self-expression. By embracing our imperfections, our best stories can come forward. "Writing is an act of generosity," she says. It’s about sharing your story with others, even when it feels scary.

Try this: During your next writing session, write without worrying about how it will turn out. Just let the words flow and see if it helps you write faster.

Bonus idea: Reflect on a moment where you felt vulnerable in your own work. What did you learn from it?

Accountability Helps You Keep Writing

When it comes to staying on track with your writing projects, accountability is a game-changer. Cynthia shares how having the right support system, whether through coaching or writing groups, has helped her stay focused and motivated. Collaboration is an important element of the creative process. "You can’t do anything alone," she says.

Try this: Find someone to check in with on your writing goals. Accountability through a coach or a fellow writer helps you stay committed.

Bonus idea: Join a writing group or community where you can share your progress and get feedback.

Embrace Rejection and Build Confidence

Rejection is a part of every creative’s journey. Cynthia talked about how it has shaped her growth. "You never know what’s going to happen," she says, because big risks can lead to big rewards. You have to try and lot of things and be unafraid of rejection.

Try this: Reframe rejection as part of the learning process. What can you take from each "no"?

Bonus idea: Make a list of past rejections that later led to something better. You might be surprised by what you uncover.

Don’t Give Up, Enjoy the Process

Cynthia’s journey to writing her first novel, Chasing Sylvia Beach, took 12 years and 17 drafts. But for her, it was more than just writing a book. It was about the growth that happened along the way. "Writing a book is quite the thing," Cynthia says. It’s a slow, humbling process that requires patience, persistence, and a willingness to fail.

Try this: Break your writing into smaller tasks. What’s one scene or chapter you can focus on today?

Bonus idea: Set a timer for 15 minutes and write freely, without editing. Let go of perfection.

Don’t Stop Marketing

Writing a book is one thing. Getting it out into the world? That’s a whole other challenge. Cynthia talks about the importance of ongoing marketing efforts, and how it’s not just about pushing your book at launch time. "Marketing is an ongoing effort," she says. It’s about building relationships and staying consistent over time.

Try this: Think about how you can build relationships with your readers. What’s one new way you could engage with your audience?

Bonus idea: Write a blog post, share an insight, or connect with readers on social media. Start building your community today.

Tap Into Authenticity and Be Vulnerable

Through her coaching work, Cynthia has seen firsthand how embracing vulnerability and authenticity in writing leads to profound transformations. "Writing is an act of generosity," she says. It’s about sharing your truth with others, and in the process, you can help someone else find theirs.

Try this: Think about a story you’ve always wanted to share. What’s stopping you from writing it?

Bonus idea: Reach out to someone who has inspired you through their writing. Let them know how their work has impacted you.

If you found this helpful or inspiring, consider supporting my work by buying me a coffee. And if you're looking for more creative inspiration, check out my book We Are All Creative — it's full of prompts and quotes to fuel your creativity every day!

Quick Recap:

• Writing is about embracing vulnerability and imperfection.

• Accountability helps you stay committed to your creative projects.

• Rejection is part of the journey, and it can lead to unexpected opportunities.

• Writing is a slow, humbling process, but it’s worth every step.

• Marketing your book is a long-term commitment, not just a one-time push.

• Writing is an act of generosity that can transform both the writer and the reader.

Ready to Unleash Your Creativity?

Cynthia’s story is a reminder that every creative journey is different, but it’s also filled with opportunities for growth and self-expression. If you’re ready to take your writing, and your creative business, to the next level, I’d love to help.

Book a free strategy session at TheStandoutCreatives.com. Let’s dive into your creative journey and make it even more fulfilling. Spots are limited, so grab yours while they’re open.

What if success as a creative wasn’t about being the best but just showing up, experimenting, and giving yourself permission to start messy?

didn’t start out with a perfect plan or a polished resume. He was a former musician and “non-traditional” marketer who slowly found his groove by helping creatives find confidence, consistency, and clarity—without needing to go viral or wait for permission.

This episode originally aired on Cracking Creativity back in 2017, but the wisdom still hits today. Especially if you're feeling behind, overwhelmed, or unsure how your creativity fits into your life (or business) right now.

From Self-Doubt to Self-Published

Bob didn’t wait to feel ready. He just got started. One book turned into several. One small action led to a creative career helping artists, writers, and performers believe in their work and get it out into the world.

“You don’t have to wait for someone to choose you. You can choose yourself.”

This convo is a reminder that you don’t need a giant audience or fancy credentials. You just need to care enough to keep showing up and to share what you’re learning along the way.

Try this: Think of one tiny project you’ve been putting off. Could you take one step toward it today?

Bonus idea: What’s one way you could “choose yourself” this week without waiting for anyone else’s permission?

The Real Talk Behind Building a Creative Career

There’s no one path. Bob talked about how he followed curiosity, stayed consistent, and built a sustainable creative business that’s helped thousands of artists over the years.

“I didn’t feel qualified at all. But I kept doing it anyway.”

We talked about fear, procrastination, and why so many creatives get stuck in their heads instead of sharing their work. Bob doesn’t sugarcoat it but he does make it feel doable.

Try this: Instead of waiting to feel ready, try doing something before you feel ready. What’s one thing you can act on right now that you’ve been holding off on?

Bonus idea: Write a list of 3 things you have done creatively. Let that momentum fuel your next step.

How to Stay Consistent Without Burning Out

Don’t feel like you should be grinding or treating your creative practice like a chore. Make it a natural, enjoyable part of your life.

“It’s okay to start small and imperfect. The key is to keep going.”

Bob shared how he approaches writing, marketing, and showing up online in a way that feels aligned instead of exhausting. It’s the perfect message if you’ve been spinning your wheels or stuck in perfectionism mode.

Try this: Set a 10-minute timer and do something creative without pressure, expectations, or goals.

Bonus idea: Let yourself be a beginner again. Pick something you’ve never tried and just play.

Quick Recap

• You don’t need to be an expert to get started.

• Sharing your creativity can open unexpected doors.

• Small steps lead to big changes especially when you stay consistent.

• Permission doesn’t come from outside. It comes from you.

Ready to Start Messy and Make Progress Anyway?

Bob’s story is proof that you don’t have to have it all figured out. Just take the next small step.

If you're ready to stop overthinking and start sharing your creative work with more ease, let’s talk.

Book a free strategy session at TheStandoutCreatives.com

Spots are limited—grab yours while they’re open.

Let’s get you moving again.

What if getting your creativity back wasn’t about talent or waiting for the right time. What if it was about getting messy, trying things, and not doing it alone?

Steven Light, aka , stopped making art for 20 years. One blog post pulled him back in. That little spark kicked off a whole new chapter filled with experimenting, building a creative business, and figuring out how to make art work in real life.

He opens up about everything from self-publishing and collaboration to dealing with social anxiety and maximizing tech (yep, even AI) as an artist.

From Creative Hiatus to Artistic Revival

After two decades away from art, SLART picked up a pen again and everything changed. His story is proof that your creativity doesn’t just disappear. It hangs out in the background, waiting for you to come back.

"I just bought some pen and ink from Amazon." That’s it. No big plan. Just a small step that opened the floodgates.

It wasn’t just about drawing again. It was about finding a way to make creativity feel good, sustainable, and connected with the right people and support.

Try this: What’s one small thing you can do today to reconnect with your creativity?

Bonus: Set aside 15 minutes to play and explore an old passion. Don’t worry about the result. Just have fun with it.

The Art of Balancing Creativity and Commerce

Making art is one thing. Making a living from it? Totally different game. SLART gets real about the internal tug-of-war between making what you love and making enough to pay the bills.

"It’s a real internal struggle." Yeah. It is.

So what’s working for him? A mix of income streams, building a community of fans, and treating his art like a real business, and doing it without killing the joy.

Try this: Think beyond galleries. Could you try self-publishing? Commissions? Digital downloads?

Bonus idea: Write down one new way you could make money from your art, even if it feels a little scary.

The Power of Mentorship and Community

Nobody does this alone. SLART talks about how mentorship and creative friendships helped him grow faster and feel less overwhelmed.

"We’re not alone as artists."

Having people in your corner, cheering you on, giving feedback, or just understanding what you’re going through, makes all the difference.

Try this: Reach out to another artist today. A DM, a comment, a quick hello. Just connect.

Bonus idea: Join a group or community where other creatives hang out. You never know who you’ll meet.

Experimentation, Technology & The Role of AI in Art

AI is everywhere and it’s got everyone talking, especially creatives. SLART doesn’t see it as a threat. He sees it as a tool. Something to play with. Something to learn from.

"There’s no rules in art."

That’s the way we need to look at tech. Use what helps, ditch what doesn’t. Stay curious and keep evolving.

"We need to embrace AI."

Whether it’s automation, digital brushes, or finding new ways to share your work. Tech isn’t the enemy. It’s part of the toolkit now.

Try this: Test out one new tool this week. It doesn’t have to be AI. Just something new.

Bonus idea: Look up an artist who’s using tech in a cool or unexpected way. See what ideas it sparks.

Quick Recap

• Your creativity never left. It’s just been waiting for a little nudge.

• You can balance making art and making money.

• Community and mentorship are fuel for your growth.

• Tech and AI? Tools, not threats.

• Sharing your work opens doors you didn’t even know existed.

Ready to Take Your Art to the Next Level?

SLART’s story is a reminder: you don’t need permission to start. You just need to take one small step.

If you’re ready to take your art (and your creative business) to the next level, let’s talk.

Book a free strategy session at TheStandoutCreatives.com.

Spots are limited, so grab yours while they’re open. Let’s get you moving again.