The Creative Train Podcast
Explore and enhance your creativity and teaching abilities on the CreativeTrain.ca podcast! For over 30 years I have worked as an artist and arts educator, I understand the creative mind and the obstacles we all face. My job is to help you grow, succeed and find glorious satisfaction in your creative and educational results. From pep-talks to meditations with real world, hands-and-minds-on coaching strategies, CreativeTrain.ca is your resource for guidance on how to achieve your own creative goals and those of your students. These skills can be applied in any kind of venture, be it artistic, business and every social situation; your creativity, spontaneity and mental agility can be the difference between success and not-so-much-success. The mind of an artist is a much-misunderstood thing, but we are a special lot! Check out the titles of the podcast episodes and see if something resonates- these are ALL based on my real life experience. Hop on board at www.creativetrain.ca
Episodes
This is a bit of a "day in the life" of this particular artsie, but also some very do-able stuff for you if you are struggling to get some creative momentum and to do so GUILT FREE!
Your art/craft/passion/hobby takes time and eventually space. Making and allowing time and space is not being selfish, in fact it does a lot to make us better humans as well as artists!
Here's what I like to do and what I know from experience also work...
How and why we create, but also the same thought about why we surround ourselves with art.
Whether it's music, visual art, food, poetry, art brings us comfort, affirmation and energy.
This is for the artists and consumers alike- how do you choose to decorate your time and space?
As a performer and educator in the arts, I have had the joy of riding that frustrating and furious wave of creative inspiration as my job, but also being a "surfing instructor" to more than 50,000 private students over the past 30-something years.
I've heard every excuse for not practicing! But I have also come up with a response to each and every one of them!
Here are a few things to consider if yours, or your students well of ins...
Creativity is much more than "doing art" in much the same way that "Play" is much more than "doing sports".
To me, a creative mindset is one based in curiosity and honed through play and experience.
Play time is not a reward for good performance, it can be your refuge, your well of inspiration or just for fun. Either way, it is absolutely necessary to not only make your days a little more enjoyable but also more productive!
The artist's mind is usually pretty busy, planning, conjuring, creating and imagining.
It can be tiring, and distracting but still fulfilling and exciting and chance falling into depression if the well of inspiration runs dry.
So why do we allow ourselves to live this kind of life? Certainly there must be easier things to occupy our minds and hearts...I'm sure there are, but hey, artsie, ask yourself this: "What Else Are You Going ...
The mirror we're talking about here is your own work.
Do you see your self in your art?
Does it carry your "vibe factor"?
This self-assessment is pretty important as we grow and evolve; to keep our motivations, inspirations and goals foremost in our mind and heart requires a great deal of honesty in asking (and answering) some big questions!
This episode explores our transformation as artists, people and interpersonally with our fellows as we embark upon a creative journey.
Two recent very contrasting conversations were the inspiration for this- how the student/teacher relationship develops and how we as creators and artists start to change our view of the world and ourselves, as our abilities and perspectives grow, evolve and transform.
Leave a comment, lets have a ...
13 months ago I started the Creative Train Podcast with the hopes of reaching a few folks, today the podcast passed 500 downloads on the native/hosting site and I am thrilled, thank you!
I am looking to grow with new guests and new input from you!
For now, I will continue recounting my daily life as a musician, music educator and glass artist with the sole focus of inspiring and empowering as a fellow artist/creator and educator.
...It happens. Literally, to everyone. whether you're an artist or not, sometimes you will lose your groove.
This is my own experience with the same thing- how I regained momentum with a reminder of WHY art is my life's work, not just my hobby!
If you are a new artist or returning to a creative pursuit, this episode is for you!
Art is not a competition, a race, or a measuring stick between you and anyone else.
Art is an outlet, a vehicle to express joy and bring beauty into the world.
We all celebrate the creations and innocent expressions of children, but please remember that the most joyful part of you is awaiting your return to making fun stuff and having fun doing so...
In this episode I explore the quantity vs quality conundrum we as artists and creators and now faced with: can we or should we use AI tech to do the thinking for us when it comes to creating new things?
AI is great for gathering and parsing information already made available online, but can it create something totally original, something not sourced in another person's creations?
One of my 12 year old music students had a very int...
As an artist, there are many types of relationships you have with other artists.
Some are casual and brief, others take shape and evolve over many years; every single one of them is worth your effort to a degree.
This is my story of how an almost decade-long relationship dissolved in and into silence, how I came to terms with it and how I chose to move on.
There are many lessons learned in this one. My biggest take-away is that ...
On a similar vibe to episode 39 about creative teaching methods, this episode focuses on developing and earning respect in a student/teacher situation.
I recount one of my best and one of my worst experiences with this issue, I truly hope that if you are a struggling teacher you can find some inspiration here; and if you are a student having trouble engaging with your teacher(s) maybe you can find some tactics to help create a mor...
I have touched on this topic in past episodes, but some events from this past week really made the relevance of those points come back to mind!
As teachers/educators, we are not only responsible for delivering information but we are extra-responsible to deliver that information in an engaging and inspiring manner to those who have placed their trust in us.
It's about inspiring your students to trust and believe not just what you ...
A wonderful conversation with Stacy Anderson and TJ Corbet- two women finding not only therapy but healing and joy through their art and creativity after brain injury and the "big C".
Art therapy is a very real thing, and over the next 30-something minutes you'll hear how these two amazing humans overcame severe odds to not only rise up but thrive in their artistic expression and also in how to find the simple joys in life with a...
Here's some of my experience gained from writing podcast scripts, radio and social media ads, and from talking to people for more than 30 years as an educator and public speaker.
If you are going to start a podcast but are not sure how to start getting organized, have a listen- I outline my own process from idea, to documenting, recording and editing to create an engaging, interactive and convincing podcast that educates, entertai...
Inspired by a real conversation with a musician who instead of learning some new technology and adapting his workflow, decided he should just quit altogether.
I won't let him get away with it!
My big take-away is that it's important sometimes to ask ourselves how much we value "traditional ways", especially if they are an impediment!
Have a listen, let me know what you think.
Lacey King is a creator and writer with some very unique perspectives on creativity, inspiration and process.
In this episode, Lacey and I discuss those "subtle energies" which we all know are there, but we have difficulty defining or describing.
Call it the Muse, a Vibe, a whisper or a tap on the proverbial shoulder; whatever you call it is unimportant, but how you acknowledge it, foster it and flow with it is super important!
An...
This episode ties in to a few others, on developing your unique voice, getting stuck in a creative rut, and asking yourself some very important questions about your work, your process and especially your results.
This was inspired by a new music student, who is not new to playing or songwriting, but one who found himself predictably stuck (we ALL get that!) and how he opened up to me about his creativity and goals.
Have a listen a...
This goes beyond your speaking or singing voice; in this episode I'm going into the topic of originality, artistic identity and creative integrity. Just a few small things!
This theme comes up often with my music students who want to branch out into songwriting, none of them *want to sound like someone else, but it kinda always happens that their early influences become obvious.
Is this a good or bad thing? Actually, it's totally ...
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