October 6, 2024 • 13 mins
Making Fun A Habit Series
30 days to add fun to your creative practice. I will be going through Mike Brennan's Make Fun A Habit workbook and help you make fun a habit. I had the pleasure of interviewing Mike on my other podcast Find A Podcast About and talking about his podcast Creative Chats. This workbook leads you through steps to rekindle the fun in your life and get you into a space where you are your most creative. This is a 30-day book and I will tackle each day as if it were a week and provide insights on how to use his ideas in your creative practice. Each chapter is broken up with a short story, questions to ponder, action items, and tips.
Assignment
Questions
- What do you hate? Why?
- What's a problem that irritates you that has gone unresolved?
- What are some of the challenges of using things you hate as a source of inspiration?
- What are some of the benefits of using something you hate as a source of inspiration?
Action Items
- Write a short story or poem about something you hate.
- Design a product or service that solves a problem that you hate.
- Start a blog or podcast about things you hate.
Tips
- Look for the silver lining.
- Turn your hatred into humor.
- Use your hatred as a source of energy.
How do I get such great guests?
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To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:09):
Hello, friend, this is Timothy Kimo,Brian, your head instigator for create art
podcast, where I bring more over 30 yearsof experience in the arts and educational
world to help you tame your innercritic and create more than you consume.
So this year in 2024, I am doing what'scalled the Making Fun a Habit series.
(00:31):
And that's based on the book byMichael Brennan, who also runs the
Creative Chats podcast, and who I hadthe privilege of interviewing on my
other podcast, Find a Podcast About.
What this book is, is a 30 day workbookto help you do exactly what it says.
(00:51):
Make fun a habit inyour artistic practice.
practice.
So make sure that you get a copyof the book and it is in my show
notes for a link to that book.
And this is really going to help us outin putting the fun back into whatever
artistic project we're working on.
(01:14):
So what I've decided to do is,since it's a 30 day workbook, I'm
going to make 30 episodes out of it.
And this episode marks the halfway point.
That's right.
Day number 15, episodenumber 15 in this series.
So what are we talking about today?
Well, we're talking about, um, having,you know, more problems and more projects
(01:39):
and kind of using that negative energyin order to Fuel your artistic practice.
Now, for me, that can be dangerousand it can be very helpful.
So I, I have to be very careful withthis type of type of stuff because
(01:59):
for me, it can get me stuck into acertain pattern and getting stuck
in a pattern is not a fun thing.
So what Mike Brennandoes in his book is he.
Tells a little story at the beginningand then he gives us questions Uh, he
also gives us action items and tips.
(02:21):
So we're going to start with thequestions that he poses to us.
First question is whatdo you hate and why?
So there's a lot of things that I hate.
Um, but I think one of the biggestthings I hate is, um, the injustice and.
Uh, if we're talking in the world, Ihate seeing injustice in the world.
(02:44):
It's just, it doesn'tmake any sense to me.
What do I hate in my immediateworld that I can have an effect on?
Well, sometimes I hate, uh,well, all the time I hate that I
have MS and it zaps my strength.
And it sometimes is difficult to,uh, get tasks done during the day.
(03:05):
So that's what I hate about having MS.
It's just, it can be a nightmare.
Uh, you know, especially as a father oftwin 10 year olds, you know, not having
the energy to go out and play with themall the time, uh, it really impacts me
and really does a number on my psyche.
So that's what I hate.
(03:28):
That's why I hate it.
What's the problem, question numbertwo is what's the problem that
irritates you that has gone unresolved?
Well, I think a problem with me is that
I guess for me, the problem thatI hate that I haven't resolved is,
you know, getting out of my own way,um, and believing that any success.
(03:55):
Uh, or any project that I do is worthyof, you know, showing to an audience.
And it's a lack of self confidence.
And I know, I'm sitting hereon YouTube looking at you,
uh, and you're looking at me.
And yeah, I have fourbooks of poetry out there.
I have art all over my walls.
I have this podcast that's been goingon since essentially since 2006.
(04:17):
But for me, that's not enough.
And, uh, you know, I want, I wantthings to be very successful.
So that's somethingthat's gone unresolved.
It's something that I'mcontinually working at.
So that's just one of the things that,you know, really resonates with me.
Question number three is, what aresome of the challenges of using things
you hate as a source of inspiration?
(04:40):
So, for me, the challenge is, is two fold.
One, I get stuck, I get fixated on thatnegative energy, that thing that I hate.
And I keep on writing about it, or I keepon doing projects that remind me of it.
The second thing is, if I'm usingthat energy, I'm just, Focusing on
(05:01):
the problem, not on the solution.
So I always have to remind myself,yeah, you can be angry about this.
You can be mad about this, butwhat are you doing to get past it?
And that's something thatI'm still learning how to
do get past certain things.
Question number four is what are someof the benefits of using something
you hate as a source of inspiration?
(05:23):
Well, hate is a very strong emotion.
When you hate something, you go outof your way to avoid it, to downplay
it, to get it out of your life.
Yeah.
And that's why it's such a strong emotion.
It requires, if you hate something,it requires action on you and
it requires energy on your part.
So, um, having that energy kindof negates the MS and, uh, it's
(05:50):
a little bit of a vicious cycle.
I, I know when I was first reading mypoetry in, in public, uh, I looked at the
audience as people I wanted to fight andI used that energy to fuel my performance.
Uh, these days I don'treally do that anymore.
I, you know, I do talk to the audiencewhen I'm up on the stage, uh, doing
(06:12):
a poetry reading and uh, I, I do,you know, trade barbs with them, uh,
I could say, but it's more for fun.
It's more to kind of relax the atmosphere.
So, um, that's how I use, uh, that energy.
Um, do I like standing, standingin front of the audience and,
(06:33):
you know, burying my soul?
I must, because I do itweek in and week out.
So I like the energy that it produces.
I don't like the subject matter or, uh,the fact that I focus on the issue or the
problem or the thing that I hate, uh, tothe detriment of focusing on other things.
(06:56):
Let's go move into action items.
First action item is read a short storyor a poem about something you hate.
I have done that so many times,so many times, but I, I think one
thing that I need to do is once Iwrite about it, be done with it.
Get it all out, and just be done with itand let leave it out there in the world
(07:19):
and don't let it bother you anymore.
That's a way to get, get ridof that, to go through those
feelings and just get rid of it.
Number two, design a product or servicethat solves a problem that you hate.
I have to think about that one, but thatdoes sound kind of interesting is, you
know, something that you hate, you know,maybe you design the next robot robo
(07:43):
vacuum or something along those lines.
So, uh, that's something I'm goingto have to really think about.
Uh, you know, what do I hate somuch that I could do a product or
a service that would get rid of it?
Who knows?
Number three, start a blog orpodcast about the things you hate.
Oh, that would be a huge podcast becausethere's a big list of things that I hate.
(08:08):
So, uh, I think I have enough podcastsright now, but maybe a blog would be
something or, you know, add a blogto podcasts about things that I hate.
Um, so maybe that would be a good.
Uh, thing, uh, good newslettertype thing, or a, uh, blog post
for my find a podcast about, so I,that one I can take to heart now.
(08:34):
Mike's tips.
He has three of them.
First one is look for the silver lining.
So he's talking in this, uh, in thischapter about, you know, addressing
the things you hate, using that asyour fuel, using it health, healthily.
And I think also with this tip,you know, the thing that you hate
(08:59):
isn't going to be there forever.
And if you're working to get rid ofit, you're at least doing something
with that emotion, with that energy.
So, you know, envision a time whenthat thing won't be around, when
that issue will be resolved, or thatthing you hate will be resolved.
Second tip is turn your hatred into humor.
(09:20):
I love that.
I love humor and turning the thingthat I hate into something humorous,
that's an easy do and that wecan start working on right away.
You know, if we're laughing at somethingwe hate or we may realize how ridiculous
it is that we hate that thing.
So try some humor and tryadding some humor to it and see
(09:41):
if that doesn't work for you.
And then the third tip is useyour hatred as a source of energy.
I've done that for many, many decades.
Uh, and it, it's a cheap way of doing it.
Uh, but you have to remember that itcan't be your only source of energy.
So try other things.
(10:02):
Uh, such as meditation, such as, you know,long walks in the park, or, uh, if your
astrological sign allows long walks onthe beach, you know, I'm a Sagittarius.
So I'm always doing long walks on thebeach, but you know, you can use that,
uh, hatred as a, as a source of energy.
Just don't fixate on it.
(10:23):
Just don't let that overtake youand become what you're known for.
And, uh, you know, beable to expand yourself.
Use it for a time, but then let it go.
Find that silver lining.
Think about when that thing that you hatewon't be around anymore and use that.
(10:45):
I definitely want to thank you for joiningus here on, uh, create our podcast.
That's right.
I said us, and that meansme and our new cat socks.
Um, he's in the background here.
You may hear him.
He may decide to pop in on future podcastepisodes and share his mind with you.
He's a really lovable cat.
So, um, make sure you can.
(11:07):
Send emails to me, Timothyat createartpodcast.
com, uh, send questions toSocks the Cat about how much he
enjoys belly rubs around here.
Uh, no, but seriously, folks, definitelywant to thank you for joining me
here today for this episode and uh,thinking about, you know, what fuels
(11:29):
your creativity and maybe using thingsthat you hate to fuel your creativity.
Just want to give you acouple of announcements.
Um, first.
Is that as many, you know, I do,uh, I do have guests on the show
and how do I get those great guests?
Well, I use a service calledpod match and it gets me.
(11:51):
It gets me matched upwith fantastic guests.
Now, if you want to be a guest on shows,you can use my affiliate link, sign up
for pod match, and there's thousands ofshows there that are looking for your
expertise that are looking to talk to you.
So definitely check that out for yourself.
(12:12):
Another thing I want to talk toyou about is, you know, making
it easier to share my podcast.
Um, I have joined up with podcastbeacon and what they have is they
have these little beacons that youcan wear like a wristwatch or key fob.
And if you have a podcast, you want todefinitely check this out because Instead
of, you know, heading somebody a card ora sticker or something along those lines,
(12:35):
you can have them just hold their phoneover the wristband or the key fob, and
it'll automatically bring up your podcast.
So check that out.
If you have a podcast, check it out.
I do have the links in the show notes, andthat is my affiliate link there for you.
(12:58):
So
that's what I have for you here today.
Again, you can reach out to me andtell me what you like about the show,
what you don't like about the show,what you'd like to hear more of less
of, or if you want to become a guest,go to timothyatcreateartpodcast.
com.
I would love to hear from you andwhat's going on where you're at in your
(13:19):
creativity, in your creative journey.
I want to also let you know that Ido run another podcast called find
a podcast about you can find it atfind a podcast about dot X, Y, Z,
and that's where I combed throughmillions of podcasts to find you the
ones that are the most binge worthy.
Check that podcast out and let mehelp you outsmart the algorithm.
(13:46):
And this is all part ofthe TKB Studios network.
TKB Studios, we help you.
Through all the noise.
We lead you through all thenoise in podcast production.
So that way your message can cut through.
Yes, TKB Studios, we arethe quiet professionals.
(14:06):
Alright, that is all that Ihave for you here this week.
Again, thank you so muchfor listening on in.
Now go out there andtame your inner critic.
Create more than you consume.
Use that thing you hate as a sourceof energy for you, if that helps.
Go out there and make some artfor somebody you love, yourself.
(14:29):
I'll talk to you next time.
Hello, friend, this is Timothy Kimo,Brian, your head instigator for create art
podcast, where I bring more over 30 yearsof experience in the arts and educational
world to help you tame your innercritic and create more than you consume.
So this year in 2024, I am doing what'scalled the Making Fun a Habit series.
(00:31):
And that's based on the book byMichael Brennan, who also runs the
Creative Chats podcast, and who I hadthe privilege of interviewing on my
other podcast, Find a Podcast About.
What this book is, is a 30 day workbookto help you do exactly what it says.
(00:51):
Make fun a habit inyour artistic practice.
practice.
So make sure that you get a copyof the book and it is in my show
notes for a link to that book.
And this is really going to help us outin putting the fun back into whatever
artistic project we're working on.
(01:14):
So what I've decided to do is,since it's a 30 day workbook, I'm
going to make 30 episodes out of it.
And this episode marks the halfway point.
That's right.
Day number 15, episodenumber 15 in this series.
So what are we talking about today?
Well, we're talking about, um, having,you know, more problems and more projects
(01:39):
and kind of using that negative energyin order to Fuel your artistic practice.
Now, for me, that can be dangerousand it can be very helpful.
So I, I have to be very careful withthis type of type of stuff because
(01:59):
for me, it can get me stuck into acertain pattern and getting stuck
in a pattern is not a fun thing.
So what Mike Brennandoes in his book is he.
Tells a little story at the beginningand then he gives us questions Uh, he
also gives us action items and tips.
(02:21):
So we're going to start with thequestions that he poses to us.
First question is whatdo you hate and why?
So there's a lot of things that I hate.
Um, but I think one of the biggestthings I hate is, um, the injustice and.
Uh, if we're talking in the world, Ihate seeing injustice in the world.
(02:44):
It's just, it doesn'tmake any sense to me.
What do I hate in my immediateworld that I can have an effect on?
Well, sometimes I hate, uh,well, all the time I hate that I
have MS and it zaps my strength.
And it sometimes is difficult to,uh, get tasks done during the day.
(03:05):
So that's what I hate about having MS.
It's just, it can be a nightmare.
Uh, you know, especially as a father oftwin 10 year olds, you know, not having
the energy to go out and play with themall the time, uh, it really impacts me
and really does a number on my psyche.
So that's what I hate.
(03:28):
That's why I hate it.
What's the problem, question numbertwo is what's the problem that
irritates you that has gone unresolved?
Well, I think a problem with me is that
I guess for me, the problem thatI hate that I haven't resolved is,
you know, getting out of my own way,um, and believing that any success.
(03:55):
Uh, or any project that I do is worthyof, you know, showing to an audience.
And it's a lack of self confidence.
And I know, I'm sitting hereon YouTube looking at you,
uh, and you're looking at me.
And yeah, I have fourbooks of poetry out there.
I have art all over my walls.
I have this podcast that's been goingon since essentially since 2006.
(04:17):
But for me, that's not enough.
And, uh, you know, I want, I wantthings to be very successful.
So that's somethingthat's gone unresolved.
It's something that I'mcontinually working at.
So that's just one of the things that,you know, really resonates with me.
Question number three is, what aresome of the challenges of using things
you hate as a source of inspiration?
(04:40):
So, for me, the challenge is, is two fold.
One, I get stuck, I get fixated on thatnegative energy, that thing that I hate.
And I keep on writing about it, or I keepon doing projects that remind me of it.
The second thing is, if I'm usingthat energy, I'm just, Focusing on
(05:01):
the problem, not on the solution.
So I always have to remind myself,yeah, you can be angry about this.
You can be mad about this, butwhat are you doing to get past it?
And that's something thatI'm still learning how to
do get past certain things.
Question number four is what are someof the benefits of using something
you hate as a source of inspiration?
(05:23):
Well, hate is a very strong emotion.
When you hate something, you go outof your way to avoid it, to downplay
it, to get it out of your life.
Yeah.
And that's why it's such a strong emotion.
It requires, if you hate something,it requires action on you and
it requires energy on your part.
So, um, having that energy kindof negates the MS and, uh, it's
(05:50):
a little bit of a vicious cycle.
I, I know when I was first reading mypoetry in, in public, uh, I looked at the
audience as people I wanted to fight andI used that energy to fuel my performance.
Uh, these days I don'treally do that anymore.
I, you know, I do talk to the audiencewhen I'm up on the stage, uh, doing
(06:12):
a poetry reading and uh, I, I do,you know, trade barbs with them, uh,
I could say, but it's more for fun.
It's more to kind of relax the atmosphere.
So, um, that's how I use, uh, that energy.
Um, do I like standing, standingin front of the audience and,
(06:33):
you know, burying my soul?
I must, because I do itweek in and week out.
So I like the energy that it produces.
I don't like the subject matter or, uh,the fact that I focus on the issue or the
problem or the thing that I hate, uh, tothe detriment of focusing on other things.
(06:56):
Let's go move into action items.
First action item is read a short storyor a poem about something you hate.
I have done that so many times,so many times, but I, I think one
thing that I need to do is once Iwrite about it, be done with it.
Get it all out, and just be done with itand let leave it out there in the world
(07:19):
and don't let it bother you anymore.
That's a way to get, get ridof that, to go through those
feelings and just get rid of it.
Number two, design a product or servicethat solves a problem that you hate.
I have to think about that one, but thatdoes sound kind of interesting is, you
know, something that you hate, you know,maybe you design the next robot robo
(07:43):
vacuum or something along those lines.
So, uh, that's something I'm goingto have to really think about.
Uh, you know, what do I hate somuch that I could do a product or
a service that would get rid of it?
Who knows?
Number three, start a blog orpodcast about the things you hate.
Oh, that would be a huge podcast becausethere's a big list of things that I hate.
(08:08):
So, uh, I think I have enough podcastsright now, but maybe a blog would be
something or, you know, add a blogto podcasts about things that I hate.
Um, so maybe that would be a good.
Uh, thing, uh, good newslettertype thing, or a, uh, blog post
for my find a podcast about, so I,that one I can take to heart now.
(08:34):
Mike's tips.
He has three of them.
First one is look for the silver lining.
So he's talking in this, uh, in thischapter about, you know, addressing
the things you hate, using that asyour fuel, using it health, healthily.
And I think also with this tip,you know, the thing that you hate
(08:59):
isn't going to be there forever.
And if you're working to get rid ofit, you're at least doing something
with that emotion, with that energy.
So, you know, envision a time whenthat thing won't be around, when
that issue will be resolved, or thatthing you hate will be resolved.
Second tip is turn your hatred into humor.
(09:20):
I love that.
I love humor and turning the thingthat I hate into something humorous,
that's an easy do and that wecan start working on right away.
You know, if we're laughing at somethingwe hate or we may realize how ridiculous
it is that we hate that thing.
So try some humor and tryadding some humor to it and see
(09:41):
if that doesn't work for you.
And then the third tip is useyour hatred as a source of energy.
I've done that for many, many decades.
Uh, and it, it's a cheap way of doing it.
Uh, but you have to remember that itcan't be your only source of energy.
So try other things.
(10:02):
Uh, such as meditation, such as, you know,long walks in the park, or, uh, if your
astrological sign allows long walks onthe beach, you know, I'm a Sagittarius.
So I'm always doing long walks on thebeach, but you know, you can use that,
uh, hatred as a, as a source of energy.
Just don't fixate on it.
(10:23):
Just don't let that overtake youand become what you're known for.
And, uh, you know, beable to expand yourself.
Use it for a time, but then let it go.
Find that silver lining.
Think about when that thing that you hatewon't be around anymore and use that.
(10:45):
I definitely want to thank you for joiningus here on, uh, create our podcast.
That's right.
I said us, and that meansme and our new cat socks.
Um, he's in the background here.
You may hear him.
He may decide to pop in on future podcastepisodes and share his mind with you.
He's a really lovable cat.
So, um, make sure you can.
(11:07):
Send emails to me, Timothyat createartpodcast.
com, uh, send questions toSocks the Cat about how much he
enjoys belly rubs around here.
Uh, no, but seriously, folks, definitelywant to thank you for joining me
here today for this episode and uh,thinking about, you know, what fuels
(11:29):
your creativity and maybe using thingsthat you hate to fuel your creativity.
Just want to give you acouple of announcements.
Um, first.
Is that as many, you know, I do,uh, I do have guests on the show
and how do I get those great guests?
Well, I use a service calledpod match and it gets me.
(11:51):
It gets me matched upwith fantastic guests.
Now, if you want to be a guest on shows,you can use my affiliate link, sign up
for pod match, and there's thousands ofshows there that are looking for your
expertise that are looking to talk to you.
So definitely check that out for yourself.
(12:12):
Another thing I want to talk toyou about is, you know, making
it easier to share my podcast.
Um, I have joined up with podcastbeacon and what they have is they
have these little beacons that youcan wear like a wristwatch or key fob.
And if you have a podcast, you want todefinitely check this out because Instead
of, you know, heading somebody a card ora sticker or something along those lines,
(12:35):
you can have them just hold their phoneover the wristband or the key fob, and
it'll automatically bring up your podcast.
So check that out.
If you have a podcast, check it out.
I do have the links in the show notes, andthat is my affiliate link there for you.
(12:58):
So
that's what I have for you here today.
Again, you can reach out to me andtell me what you like about the show,
what you don't like about the show,what you'd like to hear more of less
of, or if you want to become a guest,go to timothyatcreateartpodcast.
com.
I would love to hear from you andwhat's going on where you're at in your
(13:19):
creativity, in your creative journey.
I want to also let you know that Ido run another podcast called find
a podcast about you can find it atfind a podcast about dot X, Y, Z,
and that's where I combed throughmillions of podcasts to find you the
ones that are the most binge worthy.
Check that podcast out and let mehelp you outsmart the algorithm.
(13:46):
And this is all part ofthe TKB Studios network.
TKB Studios, we help you.
Through all the noise.
We lead you through all thenoise in podcast production.
So that way your message can cut through.
Yes, TKB Studios, we arethe quiet professionals.
(14:06):
Alright, that is all that Ihave for you here this week.
Again, thank you so muchfor listening on in.
Now go out there andtame your inner critic.
Create more than you consume.
Use that thing you hate as a sourceof energy for you, if that helps.
Go out there and make some artfor somebody you love, yourself.
(14:29):
I'll talk to you next time.
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