Make Space for Your Art

From Amy:

In the early days of my podcast, I hired Molly Darling and her now husband, Christian Rivera, to help me understand what it was to be a working creative with a business (as opposed to a dedicated real-life creative). I thought I was hiring them to help make my Instagram design more visually appealing, but I ended up rethinking my Courageous Wordsmith brand in significant ways. This includes renaming my podcast from Frau Amy's World to today's Courageous Wordsmith. (Good name for a business, equally good name for a podcast. Frau Amy was the remnants of a teaching identity that I loved, that planted enduring seeds, that didn't end well and I still hadn't processed. I'm not even German. Or barely. Parts of this story appear in both books.)

Much of what I learned from Molly back then have provided foundations for my business that endure to this day.

Fast forward to this time last year. I was looking at my online community space that I had built way too large for what I really wanted. I thought I wanted a bustling hub for real-life writers to follow up between calls, where the real connection happened. What I had created instead was more like "sprawling-but-dead shopping center." I was ready to throw in the towel. Molly was moving on from a longtime facilitator position and asked if I could use her help again. I thought she could build engagement.

Instead Molly helped me start to distill the online community down to the library that I truly want. Because, as I said, the calls are the center of our work. Everything else stems from there. One year later, I have the right-sized creative space I actually wanted.

When Molly posted about downsizing her own art spaces, I knew it was time to reminisce. This episode was a fun one.

Molly Darling is a mixed media artist, storyteller, and creative guide with a passion for uncovering the beauty in life’s messiest moments. Rooted in the philosophy that “it’s all compost,” Molly’s work transforms the highs and lows of existence—love, shame, resilience, and struggle—into layered, thought-provoking pieces that invite viewers to explore their own stories. In addition to her art, Molly is the creator of Compost & Creation, a Substack where she shares behind-the-scenes glimpses of her creative process, reflections, and poetry. She also co-hosts the podcast Behind the Studio Door, where she interviews fellow creatives about their journeys and the human side of making art. Through her work, Molly inspires others to embrace vulnerability and creativity as tools for self-discovery and connection, whether through her courses, community projects, or mentorship. She believes that every layer of life has something to teach us—and that art has the power to hold it all.

thedarlingrevolution.org

compostandcreation.substack.com

instagram.com/thedarlingrevolution

thedarlingrevolution.org/podcast

Amy Hallberg is the author of Tiny Altars: A Midlife Revival and German Awakening: Tales from an American Life. She is the host of Courageous Wordsmith Podcast and founder of Courageous Wordsmith Circle for Real-Life Writers. As an editor and writing mentor, Amy guides writers through their narrative journeys—from inklings to beautiful works, specifically podcasts and books. A lifelong Minnesotan and mother of grown twins, Amy lives in the Twin Cities with her husband and two cats.

 

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