A chat between an artist and writer about navigating creativity, business and parenting and all the stresses and mental-health challenges that go along with it.
I’ve known my Dan Blank since high school. We were two of the weird artsy kids in a typical cacophony of personalities and teenaged egos. We re-connected a decade ago and have been in touch ever since.
Our friendship only deepened when we realized how we both committed to our creative pursuits. Dan with his Podcast, book and coaching and me with my art career and podcast and writing my own book. We both have young kids and we both put our creativity out there to help us earn a living for our families.
We’ve been on each others’ podcasts too. (Here’s Dan on my Podcast and me on his previous to this). During the start of this whole pandemic Dan and I texted back and forth. There of course was the typical, “how are you during this?”-kinda talk. Which led Dan to ask me on his Podcast again to discuss a topic I know better than I wish I did…Anxiety and stress.
This conversation is a raw one. We talked about some of the common struggles that every artist, writer or a musician can relate to. Including some of this…
As I spoke about with Dan, it’s not that surfers and “beach people” and skaters and artists are super chill by nature…most of us friggin’ earn our calm and inner-peace by maintaining a practice of surfing or making art or playing music or writing or yoga or meditating …or all of this.
We need these expressions of self-care to tame the chaos in our minds and as a result, I guess we come off like we’re super chill zen-masters.
Anyway, lately I’ve been extra-struggling with one day I’m optimistic and super “fine” and the next minute I’m in a panic. I’m worried about my career, and my family’s well being and my extended family’s businesses and friends’ jobs and peoples’ health and the economy & I miss going to the park with my kids and I ache for people who are sick and suffering and losing loved ones.
- Making a living as a creative.
- Balancing life and work.
- How to make time for your inspiration when you have a family.
- How to have faith that you’ll make it.
- Getting through the garbage self-critical talk in our minds.
- Carving out a creative routine.
- Meditation.
- Creating for your audience vs creating for yourself.
- Warning: I even suggested getting off caffeine (*gasp) to manage anxiety.
You can listen to the podcast by clicking ‘play’ below, or in the following places:
