Creativity Miniseries: Preparation

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Creativity Miniseries: Preparation"

Episode Overview In the "Creativity Miniseries: Preparation" episode of Don't Cut Your Own Bangs, host Danielle Ireland engages in a deep and insightful conversation with her friend and creative collaborator, Emily Sutherland. The episode delves into the essential role of preparation in the creative process, bridging the gap between initial inspiration and the tangible creation of art. Through personal anecdotes and professional experiences, Danielle and Emily explore how thoughtful preparation can transform fleeting ideas into meaningful creations while maintaining joy and authenticity.

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1. Introduction to the Creative Process (00:29 - 01:07) Danielle Ireland opens the episode alongside Emily Sutherland, setting the stage for their discussion on making creativity accessible and fostering a supportive community. They emphasize the importance of creating structure to make creative endeavors feel tangible and achievable.

Quote:

Danielle Ireland (00:50): "We want to stoke the flames of the creative sparks in us, too."

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2. From Inspiration to Preparation (01:14 - 04:25) The conversation transitions from inspiration to the necessity of preparation in developing creative ideas. Danielle reflects on her experience writing the children's book "Wrestling a Walrus", highlighting the shift from seeking to impress others to prioritizing joy and playfulness in her work.

Notable Quote:

Danielle Ireland (04:03): "I wanted the process to be playful and joyful for me to make. And then I wanted the experience for the reader to feel playful too."

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3. Overcoming Perfectionism and "Shoulding" (04:25 - 09:03) Danielle candidly discusses her internal struggle with perfectionism and the pressure to create something "smart" for adults. Emily offers support, affirming that there is no wrong way to approach a creative project and that preparation involves aligning the creation with one's true excitement and intention.

Notable Quote:

Emily Sutherland (06:10): "Nothing is wasted. The process that you went through to play with that idea just proved all the more what it really needed to be."

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4. The Role of Community and Inspiration (09:03 - 16:40) Both hosts underscore the importance of community and mutual inspiration in the creative journey. Danielle shares how reaching out to Emily, a fellow creative, provided her with the confidence to pursue her project. They discuss how seeing others' successes can inspire and validate one's own creative aspirations.

Notable Quote:

Emily Sutherland (15:15): "There is room for every one of us to create as much beautiful work."

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5. Letting Creativity Breathe: Avoiding the "Accounting" Approach (16:40 - 27:59) Danielle and Emily contrast the creative process with rigid, task-oriented projects like accounting. They emphasize the need for flexibility, playfulness, and personal connection in creative work. Strategies such as walking with an idea or using voice-to-text to capture thoughts without self-editing are discussed as ways to foster genuine creativity.

Notable Quote:

Emily Sutherland (26:35): "Don't edit before you write or while you're writing. Let yourself just get the idea out there."

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6. Actionable Steps for Preparation (27:59 - 34:21) The discussion culminates in practical advice for creatives on how to prepare effectively. Danielle outlines her four-step approach: increasing awareness, acknowledging what's true, finding the right action steps, and allowing the process to flow naturally. Emily adds that preparation should never feel like drudgery but rather an engaging and enjoyable part of creation.

Notable Quote:

Danielle Ireland (31:14): "Don't treat it like an accounting job... There's no rules with how you make it happen."

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7. Conclusion and Final Thoughts (34:21 - End) Danielle and Emily wrap up the episode by reinforcing the cyclical nature of the creative process—moving from inspiration to preparation, perspiration, and creation, then reimagining. They encourage listeners to embrace their unique creative journeys without judgment and to rely on community support.

Final Quote:

Emily Sutherland (32:12): "It doesn't have to feel like work. It can be fun."

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Key Takeaways:

• Preparation Is Crucial: Thoughtful preparation transforms ideas into tangible creations while maintaining the creator's joy and authenticity.
• Embrace Flexibility: Avoid rigid, task-oriented approaches to creativity. Allow ideas to breathe and evolve naturally.
• Leverage Community: Surround yourself with supportive individuals who can inspire and validate your creative pursuits.
• Align with Intention: Ensure that your creative process and final product align with your true intentions and passions.
• Enjoy the Journey: Keep the process playful and enjoyable to sustain long-term creativity and fulfillment.

Conclusion This episode of Don't Cut Your Own Bangs serves as a profound guide for creatives navigating the often daunting space between inspiration and creation. Through genuine dialogue and shared experiences, Danielle Ireland and Emily Sutherland offer invaluable insights into making the creative process more accessible, joyful, and fulfilling.

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If you enjoyed this summary, share it with fellow creatives or subscribe to the Don't Cut Your Own Bangs podcast for more enriching discussions on navigating the creative journey.

Transcript

[Danielle Ireland]

Sorry, that bug was on my foot.

[Emily Sutherland]

Oh, yikes.

[Danielle Ireland]

Yeah. Oh, okay, let me. Let me pause the audio.

There was a very large, creepy, crawly.

Bug crawling on my foot.

We put her outside. She's alive.

So no animals were harmed in the process of this podcast recording. Hello.

[Emily Sutherland]

Hello.

[Danielle Ireland]

This is Danielle Ireland, and you are.

Listening to Don't Cut yout Own Bangs.

And I am sitting next to dear.

Friend and fellow creative ghostwriter and screenwriter.

And children's book author extraordinaire, Emily Sutherland. Together, we are going to talk about the creative process because we want to.

Make creativity accessible and alive in your life. And we also wanting to stoke the.

Flames of the creative sparks in us, too.

And so talking about it, not being alone in it, creating community around it and creating maybe a little bit of structure.

I'm saying that very loosely, a little a loose structure.

But creating some structure can also help it feel more tangible and possible to make the thing you want to make.

Welcome, Emily.

[Emily Sutherland]

Thank you. I love talking about this, as you know.

[Danielle Ireland]

Yes.

[Emily Sutherland]

Talk about it a lot.

[Danielle Ireland]

Thank you so much.

In today's specific episode, we're gonna talk about preparation. So last episode, we talked about inspiration, and that is where I love to swim. I love to swim in the Sea of Inspir.

[Emily Sutherland]

Oh, we all do. It's fun. Oh.

[Danielle Ireland]

I mean, we're actually looking at a body of water right now, and, like, I just want to float on my back, just float in the sun and.

[Emily Sutherland]

Just let the ideas come.

[Danielle Ireland]

And it's so delicious and sweet and exciting. And then the idea takes a little bit more shape.

And then if we sit with the idea long enough, then we want to make the idea a thing. It goes from an idea to a thing. And this is where preparation comes into play.

[Emily Sutherland]

It is always so fun to have a fresh baby idea. And you're like, oh, isn't it cute? Oh, I love it. It's so beautiful. And then you're like, okay, what might be my first step into the process of making this more than an idea? Will it hold up? And so there are questions that I always recommend asking ourselves. Are we really thinking about the fun of making the thing with context around it? Are we just going to make it for fun? If so, then just make the thing, you know? But if there's something that we are trying to say or accomplish or if there's a specific message that we want to convey through this project, I will use my children's book as an example, just because that's kind of what we've been creating together and working on when I had the idea of it, I didn't know anything about illustrators or any of the work part of it. But what I did do is like have somebody that understood poetry to talk to me. I wanted to read some books. I wanted to figure out what is. Who's my audience here? Like, who am I even talking to? And what would be fun about this? Like, what do I want somebody to feel when they interact with this idea?

[Danielle Ireland]

I love that question. How do I want the reader to.

Feel or the person receiving the art to feel when they interact with it?

And I even love the language of.

Interaction because it is such an interactive.

It's an offering to the person receiving.

It and then it's no longer yours. Once the viewer, the reader, whoever's consuming.

The art, it's no longer yours, it's now theirs.

Even like when I think of like chefs, the way that the artistry in that, it's like once I start eating.

The bread, it's not their bread anymore.

It'S in my body, right? But. But I love that I'm going to hold onto that. That's such great language. But I remember in a way that I don't before working on this children's book, Wrestling a Walrus, I was asked to consider, and I'm pretty sure I talked about this before, but I thought.

I was writing a book for adults because what I wanted was to write.

A very important, smart book for grown up, smart people. And my unconscious egoic motivation, in terms of the unconscious impression I wanted to make on the reader was I wanted.

Them to think I was smart, I.

Wanted them to like me, I wanted them to think I was smart, and.

I wanted them to feel impressed by.

Me, like, wow, this Danielle is really smart. And I don't think I've ever articulated that except in this moment because it's just becoming clearer as we're talking about it.

[Emily Sutherland]

That resonates like, yes, yes.

[Danielle Ireland]

But when I was asked before stepping into this process, what do you want the book to be for you?

What do you want the process of creating it to be for you?

And then what do you want the.

Experience of reading it to be with the reader?

And the thing that felt the most.

True and that came the most strongly for me when I sat with that question, was playful. I wanted the process to be playful and joyful for me to make. And then I wanted the experience for.

The reader to feel playful too. And that clarity of intention in the step of preparation allowed, I think allowed me to get out of my own way enough to see what this book wanted to be, not what I would have contorted it into if I had been writing it without that information before. So I think you've hit on something so important when it comes to preparing.

[Emily Sutherland]

And the idea might be able to take a hundred different forms. There's not always a right or wrong. Maybe it wouldn't have been wrong for you to create an adult, serious book. Get everybody understand how smart you are. We all know you're smart, so it's like, that's, you know, obvious. But when you think about that wouldn't have been wrong. Nobody would have been like, yeah, this should have been a children's book, you know. But when you're creating something from your soul, it's so good to prepare to make it by really exploring what is it about this idea that makes me excited. It would never have been a bad thing or wrong for you to write that idea as an adult book. You still can as long as somebody listening to this steals it. Don't steal again.

[Danielle Ireland]

Don't, please don't.

[Emily Sutherland]

But the process of, like, okay, making it something that brings you joy to bring into the world, you listen to that. That's valuable because maybe that idea, even though the other one wasn't wrong, that is the one that really brings out a quality of excitement and emotion and taps into you and what your body and soul want to get out that the other idea might not have accomplished, you know?

[Danielle Ireland]

Yeah. When you were describing that just now.

The word that came to mind for me was enthusiasm. Yeah. Once I got.

And I'll go back to.

Because I really want to try to.

Be as clear about what that part.

Of the process was in real time. Because again, it's so sometimes I think when. When we make something and then we try to go back months, months later.

And explain it, we feel so removed.

That for someone trying to make something or create something and they feel alone or nervous like that, I clarified for myself that I wanted the experience to be joyful and playful and that I.

Wanted that experience for the reader. I was still trying to write the.

Adult book after I articulated that, but I think what the feeling that I wanted to evoke and the feeling I wanted to experience getting that clear, it.

Was like a north star, but I.

Was still kind of out at sea. And I think sometimes I would lose.

That true north because I would think.

Well, but this is what I need to write versus, like, what you said, like what my soul was really calling for, what my heart was really longing for.

My mind was still very Locked into what I thought it should have been.

There goes this word should.

I was shoulding all over this idea.

That's that word, right? And so I was shoulding on the children's book idea, or actually I was even shooting on it, being joyful because it needed to be, you know, Renee Brown 2.0. And then there was a moment where I was being a diligent student of.

The serious book for about three weeks.

And then this post it note that.

Had wrestling a walrus written on it.

Because I liked the alliteration. I had done some social media content with it and it just happened to be sitting in a place where I.

Could see it while I was being.

The diligent, hard working student.

None of that was joyful and none.

Of that was playful what I was doing.

[Emily Sutherland]

It was forced.

[Danielle Ireland]

It was. But I saw that post it note and there was something about the juxtaposition.

Of that name that felt so playful and fun and what I was doing. And I could feel in that moment I was like, gah. No, it's like, it reminds me of that scene in Moana where she like.

The storm knocks her off course and.

She realizes she's gone so far off course and she's like learning how to.

Sail out at sea.

Like that. That is the feeling where I was like, oh my, I did the thing.

Even though I knew where I was supposed to go, I still did the thing. But had I not done that preparation.

Before, I don't think that moment would have struck me the way that it did.

[Emily Sutherland]

Sure I would. Really, truly. I'm not just saying this to make anyone feel better out there. Nothing is wasted. The process that you went through to play with that idea just proved all the more what it really needed to be. That time that you spent researching it was not wasted. Because when we're preparing for something, there's not one only right answer. There's all this love that goes into it and all this learning that goes into it. And the idea. Then eventually, when we're listening or looking at our sticky note and letting it talk to us, that we're saying, okay, I've thought about this. I've gone down this route and possibility and I've played with this idea and you're telling me what you want to be, let's do this. And I think that is preparation. Letting the idea tell you what it wants to be. And then maybe call your friend Emily, who has done this process and have some conversations and you don't have to know everything, but you can just start Taking that next step forward to say, okay, maybe this is a children's idea. But I want to say it out loud and see if I can walk in the direction of beginning to actually do the work.

[Danielle Ireland]

I got chills at one part when.

It wasn't specifically when you said, nothing.

Is wasted, but it's all preparation.

I didn't have access to that as.

Being true until I heard you say it. That the work that I did on.

The other book was still in service of this one.

Because what I can think back on, I don't have specific memories. Because I think, like, when an idea is just a whisper of an idea. And then I don't write it down. I don't do anything with it.

Who knows where it goes or what it becomes?

[Emily Sutherland]

It's just in there. Bruin. Who knows?

[Danielle Ireland]

But I can think of times where.

I've probably abandoned the whisper of an idea. Because I could see how maybe me, five to 10 years ago, realizing that I wasn't writing the quote, unquote right book.

I would have maybe abandoned the process altogether. And looked at that step along the.

Way as a failure.

Not a step along the way. Sure.

[Emily Sutherland]

Part of the process.

[Danielle Ireland]

Yeah. And so that preparation of how do.

I want to feel, what do I want it to be? How do I want the reader to feel?

Or in whatever form of artwork you're.

Allowing this process to be in your life. Allowing someone to hear your song or watch your play or read your script or whatever that is.

But the preparation of how do I.

Want the experience to be for me? Because so much of what this is.

Is only experienced by me. Like, everything about this book has essentially been my experience. And the maybe half now, maybe dozen people who have read it. And so if it isn't something meaningful for me, then I feel less inclined to put forth the perspiration.

[Emily Sutherland]

That's really key. Because the preparation is what lights the fire. To say, this is something that I am willing to commit to. And if you're not getting excited about it in the preparation that says something. What does it need to be? Is this mine to do? Do I need to collaborate with somebody? Like what? What is this part of the process telling me about this idea? What is this idea trying to communicate or bring out or accomplish? And I say accomplish loosely. I mean, something can just be beautiful and that is its accomplishment, and that is enough. But it's nice when we understand that this preparation is just. A lot of people say the term trusting the process. And a lot of people will throw that around. But really it's about letting yourself explore, think about, is this worth all the work that will go into it?

[Danielle Ireland]

Yeah. And all the work that you can't know until you start.

So you're sort of saying yes before.

You know, which, I mean, gosh, marriage, having children.

You're saying yes before you have any idea what you're really agreeing to.

[Emily Sutherland]

That's for sure.

[Danielle Ireland]

And I'm using those as examples just because they're more top of mind.

But I'm sure there's others too.

Like you're saying yes to the job.

Before you really understand the whole culture.

I mean, you can't know a whole company in one interview. But I think there is.

I mean, in terms of preparation, it does require saying yes.

There's a level of agreement with creativity.

I agreed to let the idea.

I didn't know it with the same clarity I have now.

But I think what I can see.

Is that I was giving myself to the idea and then I was giving.

Myself permission to enjoy it.

Yeah. And that is as like an overdoer, over functioner.

That. That's new.

I was really committed to it being joyful. And what's interesting is in preparation for.

The perspiration conversation, there have been. We were just joking before we pressed.

Record the more technical, nuanced things that are no longer solely about crafting the beautiful words or admiring the gorgeous illustrations.

That lift the words and bring them.

To life, but then the ones and.

Zeros in the matrix that actually make.

The thing a thing that someone can purchase or someone can own in that technology. We were just both commiserating about this technology.

Sweat.

[Emily Sutherland]

Yes. Oh, literally. Middle of the night, sweating by myself, mad. Because you've got to really love an idea to be willing to give birth to it.

[Danielle Ireland]

Right?

[Emily Sutherland]

Right. To do the perspiration part. And I think too, it's really important to think about the things that other people have created that mean something to you. What if they hadn't created it? What if it stayed an idea and they never really even entertained? What does this want to be? What could it be? You know, maybe I'll share the idea with a friend and see what happens and see if it resonates. And those are all preparatory things that somebody went through to create that thing that meant the world to you. For me, there are books about writing that if they had not been there in my path at the right time, I would not be where I am right now. These women that wrote, you know, a very small number of books. Like I can remember two books that Changed the landscape for me. If they had not written those books, I don't know where I would be. And we have to remember that this idea that wants to live could be that to somebody. And what if they hadn't done it?

[Danielle Ireland]

I don't know if I would have had the confidence to follow this idea through and get it over the finish line had I not known, at least with, yes, I know that children's books.

Exist, but you wrote and published a children's book.

And I knew. All I knew is that there was a person peripherally through the seven degrees.

Of Kevin Bacon in my life, that.

There was a person who I knew close enough that I could send an email to, but wouldn't say that I really knew before. It's like it was complimentary through. Through the social interwebs.

[Emily Sutherland]

We had mutual friends that we both adore.

[Danielle Ireland]

So that was enough to say our one degree. We had our one degree of Kevin Bacon. But because I knew you had done it, it gave me enough confidence and belief that it was possible to do, even though I didn't know how. And I would say that in terms of preparation, like, to your point of work that inspires you, but also sometimes knowing that there are people who have.

Done this thing that you're trying to.

Do can sometimes give you the confidence.

To know that it's possible 100%. If you can see it, you can believe it. And yes, imagination's powerful, and you don't have to see it to believe it.

But in the moments, in the sweaty moments at 1am when you're by yourself with an idea, knowing, okay, there's a woman named Emily, and she has written and published a children's book. And this feels really daunting. But I can figure this out somehow. I mean, I remember that was the confidence that got me through a driver's test when I was, like, 16, 17, I just remember thinking, there's all kinds.

Of people in the world that have this thing.

I can do this.

[Emily Sutherland]

It is so true. I mean, I think that we inspire one another without even realizing it. I mean, I had no idea you even knew about that book, because it was just kind of one of the first things I did when I launched my own ghostwriting business. And I just thought, well, I've got this idea, and it'd be kind of. It'd feel kind of good to finish something, you know, and been sitting there 10 years. So it's really. I appreciate you sharing that because I feel like I've passed the torch from people that wrote things that I needed to know existed and I needed to believe that I could do and other women had done it. So it's like it's a passing art is a beautiful passing the torch because there's not a limited number of things that can be created. There is room for every one of us to create an as much beautiful work. And I say fun work, playful work, but work that we feel good about and that there's not a quota. Well, the world has reached its quota of beauty. So we are going to need that. You know, there is so much possibility and that's why I love cheering other writers on. I love cheering other creatives on because you and I could take the very same idea and have completely different versions of it. And yay for both of us, you know, and I, that is my favorite thing that we can continue to pass the torch to one another, another and we say that to you out there that you know, you might have this little like seed of an idea, like could I water it? Could I put some fertilizer on it and just acknowledge that it's there? Yes, you can. And do it because you never know what it could grow into.

If you've been enjoying this time with Emily Sutherland and myself, I want you to know that there are still ways that you can connect and collaborate with her and continue to learn from all of the wisdom she has in a more in depth and personal way. We have another upcoming event, Storytelling for business. It's April 4th and this is great if you're a solopreneur, part of a marketing team or a presenter and you want to take your storytelling to the next level in the workplace later in the year. On May 9, there is another really special event called nurturing your creative self. This is for anybody who used to lose time when they were coloring as a kid or loves to just mix new ingredient combinations together in a bowl and see what you can bake. However creativity manifests for you, it doesn't.

[Danielle Ireland]

Have to be writing.

[Emily Sutherland]

But this event does give you the opportunity to reacquaint yourself with your creativity and hopefully reignite a spark. So if you need help, support, you.

[Danielle Ireland]

Need a community and you don't want.

[Emily Sutherland]

To figure this out alone. You don't have to check out the link in the show notes and you can have all the detailed in depth information and can sign up there. Thanks so much for listening.

[Danielle Ireland]

The four steps we're trying to include.

Within each episode is increasing awareness, trying to acknowledge what's true, finding the right.

Action steps to take and then allowing the process to be. And the awareness seems to be in.

Terms of preparation, being aware of how.

You want the process to be for.

You, how you want it to be experienced by the person consuming it, and then also not doing it alone. And maybe your team are authors you've never met that are books. I have books on my shelf that.

Are my emotional support books that I.

Just need to see.

I just need to see the back.

[Emily Sutherland]

Yes, I get it.

[Danielle Ireland]

And those people are on my team. You are on my team.

There are people that I've called in, and this actually, I think, feels more. Less linear and more cyclical in the.

Inspiration, preparation, perspiration, creation.

Because at some point, I got the.

Words as far as they could go to the extent that I was capable, and then that's when I called you in.

So there was an element of perspiration, writing what I could.

Creation.

I made something, and then I was like, I think this has been taken as far as I can go without some other level of. What's the word? I'm trying to find the polishing of it.

Yeah.

[Emily Sutherland]

Yes. Refining the idea and all this.

[Danielle Ireland]

Yes.

And then that was absolutely.

What you introduced was how to polish, how to refine.

You helped me find the rhythm. And that was such a beautiful technical.

Exercise, which was another element of preparing to sort of paving the way for the next draft. So it's like, once you figure out.

What the process is, at least from.

My view, and I would imagine you would agree, but it's sort of like.

That rinse, repeat, cycle of, okay, you've gone through every step, and then you.

Reimagine, you become inspired all over again.

Like, now that I'm seeing the illustration.

Come to life, because I've, Working with an illustrator, his interpretation of the words. And it's so beautiful to see how there are some things he sees that are exactly like I see them. And then there are things that I.

Don'T know if I would have put.

Together without his beautiful own, like, unique magic. Because his. His art is different than my art, but together, they're coming together to make.

This thing, which is so fun.

[Emily Sutherland]

That's amazing. Awareness of preparation is acknowledgement. In some ways, these little pieces and parts of preparation aren't always linear. Sometimes you can acknowledge the idea, and then all of a sudden, you become aware of another way you could do it or of this idea that inspired you to play with it a different way. And all of the steps are fluid. It's kind of like the grief process, only it's the creation process. In that you might skip around and you might do some perspiration, and then you step back and think, oh, you know what? I have a program, and I want to run it through and see what the reading level is. And all of the parts of the work that you do to set it up are just a beautiful, fun, sometimes scary part of the inspiration and the perspiration. It's like the little connector between just an idea and the finished thing. It's like, okay, what do we need to put into place that could make this live? And then it's gonna maybe take on a life of its own, like you've said, you know, And I love it when that happens.

[Danielle Ireland]

I would also add that one of the things. And again, we're using the experience of writing this book sort of as like the through line for the process. And so it's not always going to be this specific, but one of the things I did in terms of action.

So we have the awareness, the acknowledgement, and then the action.

I remember once I decided I wanted to write, I remember going on walks.

And taking myself on a walk where I wasn't consuming information.

I wasn't listening to a podcast.

I wasn't even listening to music. I was just taking my mind on a walk or I was taking the idea on a walk. And so there's something about.

For me, when I would try to.

Be the good student and sit with the blank sheet of paper and just.

Write, there was something about that that made my shoulders raise and I just felt myself tighten and curl in. Because I think at that point in.

The process, I was trying to be.

What I thought a good writer was. That was the preparation or the awareness I had at the time. But once I decided to take the.

Idea and move, my mind frees up.

When I move my body. And I'm also in different phases of my creative process. I'm more of an external processor and an internal processor.

And in this particular phase, I'll say for this project, the external process, it.

Was almost like I went for a.

Walk and I was talking to myself.

But I was really talking to the idea. I just had a glimmer of what I wanted the heart of it to be like, what's the point I really want to make, which is the paradox.

Of when you hold a big idea.

Lightly or when you hold a big obstacle and you lighten the grip. And so that was the only thing I knew. But I would walk that idea for.

Miles and miles and miles.

And so for me, in preparation, the action step that felt the most accessible.

Was to make space for it, just.

Making space for the idea. And because I had the clarity of.

What I wanted the experience to be.

Sitting at my desk by myself with a pen and paper, that felt. That didn't feel joyful, but going out and admiring squirrels and birds did feel more joyful. So I was like, well, let's do a little bit more of that.

[Emily Sutherland]

I love that.

[Danielle Ireland]

Yeah. So walking the idea felt far more.

Joyful than trying to force it to look like what I thought writing should look like.

[Emily Sutherland]

Right. And I think we judge creativity in the same way that we might judge, like, a accounting project, you know, where it's like butts in the seat, time spent. We're clocking in, clocking out. And this is a very different process. You know, that's so good. And I often tell people who are facing a blank page and maybe not feeling that sense of joy and inspiration that they hoped they would come to when they began to sort of move from just inspiration into, like, playing with the idea, see what it wanted to be. And I always tell my writers, and this applies to, I think, every kind of creation. But don't edit before you write or while you're writing. Let yourself just get the idea out there. Play. You might write 2,000 words and keep 20 of them. Like, that's not wasted. Part of the preparation of making your idea into something is seeing what it isn't, you know, and there's no way to do that if you're trying to judge yourself on the amount of time that you've spent on it or that you haven't spent on it, or the amount of time that you sat looking at it. You know, it's really about letting yourself brew. Like, you don't see a teapot judging itself. Like, I didn't pour that tea. You know, and it's like, well, you're still brewing. You know, just calm down and let it brew. You know, and it's like, I love tea. And I like to use that metaphor because I think so many ideas, the preparation is don't try to do the perspiration too soon. Let it just brew. Sit with it like you did. Walk with it, whatever feels good. And then, you know, a lot of times, people will mistake preparation for procrastination.

[Danielle Ireland]

Yeah.

[Emily Sutherland]

Where they're like, you know, well, I should study all these children's books, be with the idea. Let the idea brew. You can do all that research at some point. You know, you can sit and sweat over that baby all you want. But before it becomes what it wants to become. Let it brew, let it be with you. And being together is something that you don't have to do on an accounting project. But art and creation and expression is different and that's why we love it.

[Danielle Ireland]

Okay, I need to comb back through. You said so many great things. Don't force your art to be like accounting. Like you have to sit down and crunch the numbers.

That mentality has to have been just drilled in and beaten in through the public school system of like how kids.

Are taught to approach any project. You have the assignment, you're given your materials. You accomplish the assignment by this date and you do it sitting at your desk. There is definitely.

Of all the different parts of my personality, there is a good student and she was not who I needed in the moment that the idea was germinating.

She has been instrumental and she will continue to be in terms of perspiration.

When it comes to crunching in the.

Numbers and putting the damn book on the interwebs.

That's where my good student, she's really.

Going to shine and get that gold star.

But in the letting the idea breathe and become. I needed more play. I needed the little girl that wanted.

To go run outside and play in recess.

And that's why going outside felt so much better than sitting at my desk with my good big books.

[Emily Sutherland]

Yes. Can I just interject a little? I'm going to just get up on my little soapbox here. Do it if you are. Or work with creative people, and I'm talking about web designers, people who are creating art for professional reasons purposes. Let them walk, let them be with the idea, let them have space to create. Because if you want great work, just sitting in a cubicle pounding it out isn't how you're going to get it from your creatives, from your true creators. They might feel guilty, but they need to be able to create in a place that's beautiful, perhaps. Or have music in their ears or not be wall to wall meetings and trying to flip between accounting version of work and creative version of work. Because it's not a flip, a switch that we can just flip on and off at will without a whole bunch of practice.

[Danielle Ireland]

The concept of editing an idea as.

You'Re writing it, or like editing it and judging it as you're creating it would be like when I'm newly pregnant trying to play with my baby and.

Teach it how to walk while it's.

Still inside my body. Like I'm the vessel for the baby, but the baby's still Inside, like just.

Take the baby for a walk. Go for a walk, Danielle.

Just take the baby for a walk, like inside you.

And then when it's ready to be outside of you, then that's something that you can interact with in a different way. And there were some, oh, so many.

Other good things you said. Don't treat it like an accounting job or like an accounting project. Don't edit while you're writing it, which is so good. And I will say something that helped.

Me in terms of an action step, and this is maybe more of the actual creation process or even perspiration process, but I don't mind skipping ahead a.

Little rather than forcing myself to sit and write.

What helped me not self edit was I did talk to text on my phone as the idea started to come. So because I was moving with the.

Idea, other parts of my brain were engaged.

I wasn't just in my left brain trying to analyze the words. I was moving with the words and I was speaking the words into something.

That I couldn't actually see or rather.

Was choosing not to see. I could have stopped and looked, but.

I just let the idea come until I felt like I had drained the well. And then later that day, or maybe.

Even the next day, then I looked.

At what I had and I was.

Like, oh, I think there's something here. And then that re sparked a new sense of inspiration. Like, oh, I think this is really a thing.

Love that.

[Emily Sutherland]

And that's fun. Right? You know, it doesn't feel like drudgery.

[Danielle Ireland]

No.

[Emily Sutherland]

I think we all have these feelings of what a creative process is supposed to be. And I have a secret. There are no rules.

[Danielle Ireland]

This is what creative big. Oh God, what's the.

There's no rules.

Like, this is what big creative doesn't want you to know.

[Emily Sutherland]

Yeah. There's no rule with how you make it happen, you know, and we, you know, there are structures you can follow if that helps you, but there isn't one right way to create.

[Danielle Ireland]

Yeah.

[Emily Sutherland]

And that's freeing.

[Danielle Ireland]

So freeing.

I feel like we have and to reference, like draining the Well, I feel like we've reached a point in the conversation with preparation that it's really wanting.

To lend itself to a new topic, which is perspiration and then creation.

And so what I'd like to do is wrap up the preparation episode and.

Allow so the final step, being aware, acknowledging, taking the right action steps at the right time and then allowing it to be.

I want to end on that note to allow this part of your preparation.

To Be the step that it is.

And it doesn't need to be the finished project. Draft one. And that's okay.

Keep creating.

But, Emily, do you want to offer any final thoughts before we wrap up?

Yeah.

[Emily Sutherland]

It doesn't have to feel like work. It can be fun. It can look like a walk or a kickboxing session. Or for me, right now, honestly, watching movies is research for me because I'm learning story structure in that. In that way. And me sitting and watching a movie may look to you like I'm avoiding work, but it's inspiring work, and it's part of the preparation of knowing, like, what do I love about this story and how it comes out? And that is all part of the beautiful process. And it can be fun.

[Danielle Ireland]

Oh, that is so, so good. And that makes me think of something else.

That the intention.

Like, you're watching movies looking for something.

To inform your art. That intention feels engaging and exciting, not numbing and not shutting down, which is.

Also a lot of times in the work that I do, clients want to know what is the right thing?

And they're talking about behavior.

Is it okay that I do this?

Is it okay that I say this?

Basically, they want, like, what are the rules to be a good person? And I'm paraphrasing. I don't think anyone's ever asked that, actually. But what I go back to often is intention. So I can say something, but if.

It'S infused with judgment criticism, it may come out in the form of sarcasm. So nice words will wound. But if my intention is to uplift or connect, those words are gonna be.

Felt differently by you, and they're gonna.

Come from a different place in me.

And so what you just said that watching movies is part of your creative process right now, I have watched movies too. Numb or for comfort or like, I'm knee deep in a chaotic mess at home. And so I am not looking to my television for inspiration. I'm looking to it for comfort, which.

Is why I'm rewatching Gilmore Girls.

That is my new yes, I am. I am re watching Gilmore Girls, and.

I want my 90s fashion and my.

Oversized coffee mugs and to eat pizza every week and still look like Lorelei Gilmore.

[Emily Sutherland]

So.

[Danielle Ireland]

But that's the intention that I'm searching for.

It's the same behavior, but it's from a different place.

And so to not judge your process.

Whatever that process is, and if you.

Are in doubt of what it may.

Be, I would just invite you to maybe clarify the intention with that. I do wanna wrap up this particular conversation. But don't worry if you're like, wait.

No, we can't be done. There's so much more to say. There is so much more to say.

And we are. Yeah, we are. We're gonna go there, we're gonna start.

Perspiration, we're gonna talk about creation, and.

Then we're gonna wrap up this whole.

Beautiful process, hopefully in a lovely bow that leaves you with support and guidance.

And maybe even a little bitty blueprint on how to make something beautiful come.

Alive inside you, and then that can be shared with us. As always, your time, your care, and your attention here in this podcast and this community.

It means so much to me.

The best things in life are shared. So share this episode with a friend or fellow creative that you think can.

Benefit from this or just someone that you think like, hey, I don't even know if you want to make something.

But here it is.

This is awesome, because that's how I always find things that I like is.

When they're referred to people I know and trust. And one of the better ways to help this podcast reach other people like you is to rate, review, and subscribe.

When you interact with the podcast, the.

Algorithm clicks on and somehow makes me.

Easier to find to other people.

So that would be a huge service to the podcast, the community, and me and other people like you that want to learn. If you could please do that as well. Thank you so much for tuning in and for listening, and I look forward to connecting with you next time.

Sa.