Podcast
Unlock your Imagination and Create with Impact!
Hosted by Brian Dunn · EN
Every month, sculptor and portrait artist Brian Dunn hunts one inner demon and unlocks one inner hero — through clay, through story, and through showing up even when the monster has you paralyzed.
Sculptor's Quest is for busy adults who lost touch with their creativity and are ready to find it again. No experience needed. No perfection required. Just you, a block of clay, and the creative self that has been waiting to come back.
New episodes every Friday. The hunt is on. 🎃
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Author Flips the Script: Same Words, New Meaning | The Sculptor's Quest M3 Ep. 4
2w ago00:05:25Tap to summarizeMonth 3, Episode 4 — The Author Flips the Script: Same Words, New MeaningWhat we cover this week:Both sculptures reach completion: The Scribe and The Author, side by sideHow identical structure and pose tell two completely different stories depending on posture, expression, and energyThe Scribe stays curled inward, sheltered, weighted down — still absorbing, still being told who she isThe Author opens up: wild hairstyle with braids, more expressive shoulders and chest, tongue out, fully aliveThe reframe in action: weird stays on her forehead, but now means proud, different, special, unrepeatable — not a flaw, a signatureUgly becomes unique — the word didn't vanish, the meaning transformedThe core question of the month revisited: which beliefs about yourself did you actually choose, and which did you just inherit?The three options for any word stuck to your skin: wash it off, rewrite it, or flip its meaning entirelyLooking ahead to Month 4: a new demon and hero centered on dreams, visions, and "I can see it" — featuring some fun new sculptural elementsKey insight from this episode:The goal was never to remove the word. The goal was to take ownership of what it means. Weird doesn't disappear — it becomes a flag instead of a wound. That's the difference between the Scribe and the Author: not what was said about them, but who decides what it means.This week's action step:Pick one word that's been stuck to you for a long time — something you were called, something you absorbed, something that still shows up in how you talk about yourself. This week, don't try to erase it. Sit with it and ask: what would it mean if I owned this completely? What's the version of this word that becomes a strength instead of a scar? Write that new meaning down. That's the Author's pen at work.Next month: A new demon, a new hero, and a month all about your dreams, your visions, and learning to truly see what's possible for you.
Transcribe →Curling Inward: The Scribe Takes Shape | The Sculptor's Quest M3 Ep. 3
3w ago00:07:26Tap to summarizeMonth 3, Episode 3 — Curling Inward: The Scribe Takes ShapeWhat we cover this week:The Scribe gets her full form: hair, shoulders, base, and refined hornsThe shoulder shift — bringing them inward to create a curled, sinking, balled-up posture that reflects her emotional stateA new word added to her skin: shame — the belief that you shouldn't pursue your dreams, that you should settleThe texture choice: rough, malleable, unfinished clay — representing how easily outside words press into someone who hasn't yet built a filterThe open ear detail: still listening to every voice — parents, friends, society, news, social media — and absorbing without questionThe core distinction set up for next week: the Scribe takes everything in; the Author creates and pushes everything outThe sculpting challenge: create a quick self-portrait or character and write down the words you find yourself using to describe you — then ask if they're actually trueReframing exercise preview: weird → unique, ugly → beautiful — flipping the words instead of carrying themKey insight from this episode:The Scribe isn't broken by the words — she's shaped by the absence of a filter. She doesn't ask "is this true?" She just lets it become part of her surface. The work isn't fighting every voice that comes in. It's building the pause between hearing something and believing it.This week's action step:Spend a few minutes creating something quick in clay, on paper, or however you create — a self-portrait, a character, even a rough sketch. Then write down the words you catch yourself using to describe yourself. Sit with each one and ask honestly: is this true? Would I say this about someone I love? You don't need an answer yet — just the question is enough to start building your filter.Next week: The Author comes to life — and instead of absorbing the world, she starts creating from the inside out.
Transcribe →The Words on Your Skin: Bringing the Scribe to Life | The Sculptor's Quest M3 Ep. 2
4w ago00:08:34Tap to summarizeMonth 3, Episode 2 — The Words on Your Skin: Bringing the Scribe to LifeWhat we cover this week:How the Scribe sculpture evolved — shoulders pulled in, eyes closed, head tilted, making herself small and absorbing every outside voiceThe power of closed eyes in the sculpt: shutting out visual input to take in everything coming at herThe words now pressed into her skin: not ready, weird, ugly — and the personal stories behind each oneWhy the clay texture matters: the Scribe is deliberately left soft and unfinished — because she's pliable, the words press in easilyThe Author in contrast: more refined, more expressive, wilder, more herself — same pose, transformed energyThe mirror moment: why we defend our friends fiercely from self-criticism but savage ourselves in privateHow to identify beliefs you didn't choose — the ones that just appeared and became yours by defaultThe connection back to Personal Frankenstein: pieces added onto us, some healed and ingrained, some still being worked inTaking words like weird and giving them new life and new meaningNext week: the Author rewrites the words, and the sculptures get deeper detailKey insight from this episode:The Scribe isn't loud. She doesn't argue. She just stays still and lets the words press in — because she's soft enough to receive them. The work isn't just identifying what was written on you. It's asking: did I ever actually agree to that?This week's action step:Think about the words you say to yourself when no one is listening. Write three of them down. Then ask yourself honestly — where did each one come from? Did you choose it or did someone else write it on you first? That moment of questioning is the Author picking up her pen. You don't have to rewrite it today. Just notice whose handwriting it's actually in.Next week: The Author steps forward, the words get rewritten, and the sculptures get their finishing details.
Transcribe →A New Demon Arrives: The Scribe and the Words Tattooed on Your Skin | The Sculptor's Quest M3 Ep. 1
Jun 500:04:50Tap to summarizeMonth 3, Episode 1 — A New Demon Arrives: The Scribe and the Words Tattooed on Your SkinWhat we cover this week:Introducing The Scribe — the demon who blindly allows outside words, labels, and beliefs to stain your skin before you're old enough to choose what sticksHow words from parents, peers, society, and school become internalized beliefs about who we areThe first word pressed into the Scribe's clay: not ready — and the honest story of how that belief operated disguised as Analysis ParalysisIntroducing The Author — the inner hero who takes the pen back, edits the story, washes off what doesn't belong, and rewrites what hurtsHow The Author transforms the language: different → unique, ugly → beautiful, weird → ownedFirst sketches of both characters — going deeper into expression, emotion, and movementThe sculpting challenge: create your own Scribe and Author — what words live on your demon's skin?Key insight from this episode:The Scribe doesn't need to be loud. He just holds still and lets you keep reading the words other people wrote on you. The Author doesn't erase the words — she edits them. She decides what they mean. That's the power shift.This week's action step:Write down three words or labels that were put on you by someone else — a parent, a teacher, a peer, society. Words you never chose but somehow started to believe. Now write what The Author would replace each one with. You don't have to believe the new word yet. Just write it. That's the first mark your Author makes.Next week: The characters go deeper — more body, more movement, more expression, and more words pressed into the Scribe's skin.
Transcribe →Frankenstein Wins: Owning Your Scars and Calling It Done | The Sculptor's Quest M2 Ep. 4
May 2900:05:40Tap to summarizeThis is the moment Frankenstein takes over.Month 2 of The Sculptor's Quest is complete — and what a battle it was. The Perfectionist Demon came out swinging, wanted every edge crisp, every fingerprint erased, every scar smoothed into oblivion. And Frankenstein? He looked at every single one of those imperfections and said — these make me who I am.This week we close out the hunt. The Perfectionist gets a leash. Frankenstein gets his life. And we walk away with two finished pieces and a truth that goes way beyond the studio.Because here's what this month was really about: the Perfectionist Demon doesn't just live in your art. He lives in your schedule, your relationships, your plans, your habits. He shows up the moment you start moving — right where Analysis Paralysis left off — and keeps you on that hamster wheel of fixing, smoothing, and refining forever.The answer isn't to destroy him. It's to own him. Pull him out when you need him. Put him away when you don't. You hold the leash.And Frankenstein? He's the reminder that the clay that's been twisted, folded, creased, and scarred is always more interesting than the clay that's been smoothed flat. Every piece of you that got added along the way — the lessons, the wounds, the habits still healing — that's not damage. That's depth.🎯 This month's challenge: Look at what you created this month. Call it done. Own every imperfection in it. Then get ready — a brand new demon is waiting in the shadows next month.The hunt never stops. See you next month.👇 Drop a comment: What did YOUR Frankenstein end up looking like this month?🔔 Subscribe — a new demon and a new hero are coming next month.📌 Follow along: [your handles]
Transcribe →The Perfectionist Steps Forward: Learning When to Say Done | The Sculptor's Quest M2 Ep. 3
May 2200:09:51Tap to summarizeMonth 2, Episode 3 — The Perfectionist Steps Forward: Learning When to Say DoneWhat we cover this week:How the Perfectionist Demon was lurking in the background while Frankenstein was being built — and why that energy is so recognizableThe bouncing trap: fixing one side, then the other, then back again — endlessly chasing symmetry until the piece is lifelessHow the Perfectionist picks up right where Analysis Paralysis left off — from "don't start" to "never stop fixing"The honest truth about the Perfectionist: he has real value — he pushes us to grow, refine, and finish. His flaw is not knowing when to stopWhat gets lost when you smooth everything out: the tilt, the tension, the texture, the humanityAdding the playful crack to the base — a deliberate act of defiance and ownershipFocus on strengths, not weaknesses: where you explode vs. where you simply functionWhat to expect next week: Frankenstein returns, deeper and more personal than everKey insight from this episode:Perfection removes fingerprints. And fingerprints are proof that a human made this. The moment you smooth away every imperfection, you don't have a masterpiece — you have a mannequin. The craft lives in the marks.This week's action step:Find the thing you've been endlessly refining. Look at it honestly. Is the next change actually making it better — or are you just moving clay from one side to the other? Practice drawing a line and calling it done. Then put that energy into the next piece, the next plan, the next rep. That's where the real growth lives.Next week: Frankenstein returns and we go even deeper into what makes you you.
Transcribe →Showing All the Scars: Building Your Personal Frankenstein | The Sculptor's Quest M2 Ep. 2
May 1500:08:51Tap to summarizeMonth 2, Episode 2 — Showing All the Scars: Building Your Personal FrankensteinWhat we cover this week:The behind-the-scenes mess: wrong file, missing audio, duplicate upload — and why showing that IS the message this monthWhy every mistake makes you a little bit stronger and a little bit more preparedThe three layers of your personal Frankenstein broken down in full detail:Layer 1 — Blended pieces: Traits, habits, and quirks so ingrained they're just you now — subtle texture shifts, no visible stitchingLayer 2 — Fresh stitches: New habits and learnings still being worked in — healing but not yet fully part of youLayer 3 — Infected wounds: The ones that hurt, the ones festering, broken down into four types:The Perfectionist Demon watching from the background — and why you let him sit there while you buildThe feeling of creative freedom vs. the energy of perfectionist disdainKey insight from this episode:You were born a blank slate in many ways — but everything that happened after that became a piece of you. The good stuff, the hard stuff, the stuff still healing. That's not damage. That's depth. And depth is what makes a sculpture — and a person — worth looking at.This week's action step:Sit with your Frankenstein and map your three layers. Grab a journal or your clay and ask: what has fully become me? What am I still stitching on? What wounds am I carrying that I've been avoiding? You don't have to fix them all today. Just name them. Seeing them is where the healing starts.Next week: The Perfectionist has been watching long enough. He's coming back — and he's ready to take over.
Transcribe →A New Hunt Begins: The Perfectionist Demon vs. Personal Frankenstein | The Sculptor's Quest M2 EP: 1
May 100:08:20Tap to summarizeMonth 2, Episode 1 — A New Hunt Begins: The Perfectionist Demon vs. Your Personal FrankensteinWhat we cover this week:Recapping Month 1 — how we tamed Analysis Paralysis and unleashed Mr. HydeWhy a new demon always shows up right where the last one left offIntroducing the Perfectionist Demon — what he looks like, how he operates, and why he's so dangerous to creative workThe story of a portrait worked on for four or five years — and what that really costWhy overworking a piece destroys the very thing that made it specialIntroducing your personal Frankenstein — the hero of Month 2The deep concept: we are ALL our own Frankensteins, built from pieces of every experience, lesson, person, and scarBreaking down the three types of stitches: healed pieces, fresh habits, and infected woundsHow this month's structure is different — hero and demon battle from the very startThis week's sculpting challenge: concept your Perfectionist and your FrankensteinKey insight from this episode:The Perfectionist Demon doesn't destroy your work by making it bad. He destroys it by making it too perfect — smoothing out every fingerprint, every imperfection, every human mark until nothing real is left. Your scars aren't flaws. They're the most interesting thing about you.This week's action step:Sketch or sculpt your Perfectionist Demon — cold, smooth, expressionless, always demanding more. Then sketch your personal Frankenstein. What pieces make you you? Which ones are healed? Which ones are fresh? Which ones need to come out? Let the clay show you what you've been carrying.Next week: The sketches deepen and the battle between perfection and uniqueness heats up.
Transcribe →The Hunt is Complete: When Your Demon and Your Hero Work Together | The Sculptor's Quest M1 Ep. 4
Apr 2900:12:12Tap to summarizeEpisode 4 — The Hunt is Complete: When Your Demon and Your Hero Work TogetherWhat we cover this week:Wrapping up Month 1 of The Sculptor's Quest — the full arc of Analysis Paralysis and Mr. HydeWhy Analysis Paralysis isn't purely the enemy — his fatal flaw is blocking the one thing he needs most: experienceThe leash method: how to use your inner critic without being controlled by himThe full Mr. Hyde origin story — the inner child buried by a world that handed you a checklist instead of a callingWhy these two characters actually complete each other — and how that dynamic can transform the way you workThe Post-It note system: a real, practical tool for taming your over-planning demonThe sculpting challenge: create your own demon and hero in clayWhat's coming next month — two brand new characters enter the studioKey insight from this episode:Analysis Paralysis finally becomes useful the moment Mr. Hyde gives him something real to work with. Action creates data. Data fuels better analysis. Better analysis sharpens the next action. That's not a vicious cycle — that's a creative one.This week's action step:Grab some clay — or even just a sketchbook — and put a face on your inner demon and your inner hero. You don't need to be a sculptor. You just need to be willing to look. What features come up? What emotions surface as you build? That face becomes something you can stand in front of, something real you can fight — and something real you can set free.Next month: A new demon. A new hero. The hunt deepens.
Transcribe →Unleashing Your Inner Hero: Mr. Hyde Was Never the Monster | The Sculptor's Quest M1 Ep. 3
Apr 2900:06:22Tap to summarizeEpisode 3 — Unleashing Your Inner Hero: Mr. Hyde Was Never the MonsterWhat we cover this week:The sculpting process behind finding Mr. Hyde — three sketches, two misfires, and the one that clickedWhy the bad sculpts matter — getting the cobwebs out is part of the workA full reimagining of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: what if society was the real monster all along?How the world slowly replaces your creative self with a "responsible" one — and why that's the greatest heist of your lifeEvery single one of us was born creative — and how to start reclaiming thatThe hero format: every month, a new hero emerges alongside the demonsHow Mr. Hyde is going to help us fight back against Analysis ParalysisKey insight from this episode:Dr. Jekyll didn't need a potion to become dangerous. He needed one to get back. To strip away the conditioning, the lab coat, the boxes society handed him — and find the wild, real, creative self underneath. That's the quest.This week's action step:Go back. Think about what you made, built, drew, or created as a kid purely for the joy of it. Give yourself a small window — 5 minutes, 10 minutes — and do that thing again. No pressure. No product. Just play. See what your inner Hyde has been holding onto for you.Next week: Mr. Hyde gets deeper. The clay takes over and the hero starts to fully emerge.
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