September 3, 2025 • 12 mins
"Unused creativity is not benign. It metastasizes into resentment, grief, heartbreak, and depression." -Brene Brown
Welcome to DAY SIXTEEN of our new 30-day COMMUNITY PROJECT where we make something with our hands every day in order to improve our mental health. We all realize that creativity heals...it's time to put that knowledge into action.
These episodes will exist here, marked with the days numbered, in order for you to follow along at any speed that you like. Miss a day? Doesn't matter. Just pick up right where you left off and keep making things. These episodes will give us all some accountability, but if you need more, pair up with a partner. It really does help!
Join our creative community by making something today, whether it's for five minutes or several hours—your brain will thank you. Let's do this thing together and turn all of this sh*t into something beautiful!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Unused creativity is not benign.
It metastasizes into resentment, grief, heartbreak and
oppression.
Brene Brown, I heard that yearsago and I remember thinking,
whoa, that feels reallyexcessive.
Is this an exaggeration, orcould this really be true?
(00:23):
And then it becomes like thechicken and the egg.
Which one's coming first?
Is the resentment, grief,heartbreak, depression causing
you to not do the creativethings that bring you joy, or is
it the other way around?
But I guess this one isactually a both and it does not
(00:44):
have to be either or it actuallyjust becomes kind of a snowball
once you let it go too far,which I have done many times in
my past.
Actually, after a while it juststarts becoming like a clogged
drain, and then the longer thatyou let that clog sit there, the
more stuff accumulates in thereand then pretty soon, instead
(01:08):
of being able to just pour alittle Drano down there, you've
got to call a plumber and havethem come and bring that snake
thing.
I've been there, in fact Ibelieve I'm there right now.
It's here, it's happening,going on vacation this summer
and being able to just walkaround on foot and take photos
(01:29):
with a little film camera andobserve everything.
I feel like it was a huge, likethat snake, just coming into
the creative drain, emptyingmost of it not all of it, but a
great deal of it.
And now, just little by little,I'm working on keeping my head
above water by doing theseprojects with my hands.
(01:52):
Each day, I'm trying to unclogthat creative drain daily.
Although I haven't been able tocome here and make these
episodes as I planned, I'vestill been working on all of
this stuff and it's doing thejob, and I hope that you're
keeping up without me.
Well, I have not had a voice.
I kind of have one today, sothat's why I'm here.
(02:13):
But I will say that, being sickfor nearly a month now with
COVID and then bronchitis, Ihave learned the value of rest
again.
I keep learning the value ofrest, actually, but this has
been a very, very big one for mebecause it came the sickness
(02:35):
came smack in the middle of myfavorite time of the year, which
is summer.
I'm ruled by the sun, and thesun keeps my motor running, and
so when it's out and it's summer, I can't slow myself down.
I'm constantly wanting to beoutdoors or go do something, or
go on a walk or go to the beach,or I can't slow down.
(02:58):
So being sick for almost theentire month of August, besides
being gone for a week for awedding, it has been a big
awakening for me, something Idid not want to experience, but
something that I kind of feellike I needed to experience, and
it's given me time to reflecton a lot of things that I
(03:21):
normally wouldn't take the timefor while I'm in my happy summer
season.
But I didn't want to stay awayfrom this podcast for too long
during all of this, because Ireally do believe in the value
of giving you my experiencewhile I'm learning, instead of
turning up with hey, I've gotanswers.
(03:43):
You know, I want some of thisto be.
I am in the learning space andthis is what I'm uncovering.
Becoming sidelined like thishas been a huge thing.
I set out to do these 30 days onthis podcast.
I got myself prepped.
I recorded seven or eightepisodes in advance so that I
(04:04):
wouldn't leave anybody hanging.
And lo and behold, I didn'tchoose to leave anybody hanging,
but something happened to mewhere there was nothing else I
could do but just stop doingwhat I had promised.
I honestly don't think anybodycares, but I do.
You know I care.
(04:25):
In a month or two.
These 30 episodes will be thereand they'll all just be sitting
here forever for anybody toclick into and nobody will know
the difference.
The only people who know thedifference are the ones
following along, which, sinceI'm not on social media anymore,
is a much smaller audience thanI'm used to, and that is
(04:47):
another thing that I've beenreally learning during this
process.
My audience right now followingalong with each episode is
probably five, six, seven timessmaller than my typical audience
back when I was promotingthings on social media.
(05:09):
It is a huge difference.
To be frank, it has been a taddiscouraging to see that, but I
just kept pushing through sayingto myself this is not why I'm
doing it.
I'm not doing this forattention.
I'm not doing this to receiveanything.
So, no matter how much lowerthe amount of listeners are with
(05:34):
me not promoting on socialmedia, I'm gonna keep going.
Every now and then I'll pop inand do a little something.
But my engagement on socialmedia is so low at this point
because I don't use it that itdoesn't really do much anyway.
So I would have to be workinghard to try and get this thing
seen and heard and honestly, Ikind of like it the smaller
(05:58):
audience.
I feel like anybody who's stilllistening is on my wavelength
and they're not listening justbecause they saw a post and they
want to check it out.
It's people who actually feelwhat I'm feeling and I'm
connecting with on a deeperlevel, a different level, and it
(06:18):
feels more intimate and itfeels honestly safer safer to be
myself and not try and makethis more exciting, just kind of
be there.
This is what's going on.
This is what I've got for youtoday, which is something I'm
working on in life all around.
So when it comes to uncloggingthe creative drain and getting
(06:43):
things moving through that pipe,it's just got to be easy Give
yourself the rest that you need.
You don't have to be aproduction machine.
It could be the smallest,smallest things, just in the way
that you cook dinner or make asandwich or cut flowers and
(07:04):
place them on the table.
We have to start noticing thosethings every day that feed us.
Find what feeds you, what feedsyou.
Be more aware of what's aroundyou.
Notice things Truly, trulynotice them.
Art is the essence of awareness.
That's a quote by JohnO'Donohue.
(07:26):
It just couldn't be more true.
It's the essence of awareness.
Couldn't be more true.
It's the essence of awareness.
That's what.
When I take photos, I'm justbeing aware of what's around me.
When I went on my color walk inPortugal, it was just being
aware oh, look at that color,look at how that mixes with that
.
Oh, I've got to photograph that.
(07:47):
It just frees you.
When I go on my walks throughthe same trail almost every
single day, I stop.
I make myself stop and noticenew things.
Which of the flowers areblooming, what color are they
right now?
Which ones are going away?
(08:07):
Oh, look at that swallowtail.
We have swallowtails runningaround right now.
I go and I check all themilkweed out at the park to see
how much is there and if thereare any caterpillars.
I no longer wear headphonesever on my walk by getting a
podcast in, while alsoexercising.
Now it's more of an exercise ofgetting my body moving,
(08:40):
breathing fresh air, smelling it, hearing the sounds, looking
for new things.
This has all been a part oflearning how to calm my nervous
system.
If you've ever heard of, yourBody Keeps the Score, the book,
you know what I mean.
Your body remembers everything.
(09:01):
So I really do think that Brenewas right.
I really do think that unusedcreativity is not benign.
I really do think it doesmetastasize, and another point
that I've really wanted to talkabout for a long time is that
not only is creating a healingthing, but the act of learning
(09:24):
how to heal and healing yourselfis a creative act in itself is
a creative act in itself.
Around 2018, 2019, I startedreceiving the screams from my
body, and by 2020, I wasbeginning to open up to a
(09:49):
healing expedition.
I'm now realizing this is goingto be a lifelong process and
there's no end, but through allof this, I have come to realize
how much art is healing, andhealing is a form of art.
It's a day-by-day process ofimplementing positive, healing
things into everyday life, andif I can incorporate actual
(10:10):
making of any type of art intothat, that's the ultimate,
ultimate goal.
There are still so many thingsthat I want to touch on that
have been going on throughoutthese years, but I want to keep
these episodes short and sweet.
So remember these things Slowdown, find what feeds you, find
(10:33):
little, tiny ways each day tounclog that creative drain if it
is backed up and if you can.
Don't allow it to get toobacked up, like I have, or else
you have a lot more work aheadof you.
But if you already have, don'tworry, you're in good company.
Little baby steps, slowly,slowly, find a way to schedule
(10:56):
an artist date with yourself.
If you don't know what I mean byartist date, this is the Julia
Cameron's book the Artist Way,and she recommends that we take
a day each week, hopefully forat least two hours if possible
which I know some people arelaughing right now but if you're
(11:16):
able to do that, an artist'sdate is a solitary, planned
excursion for oneself to a placeor activity that sparks wonder
and joy, serving as a way torecharge the creative spirit and
connect with one's inner artist.
So an idea of that would belike visiting a museum or an art
(11:37):
gallery, taking a walk innature, exploring a new part of
your town, listening to somemusic, people watching at a cafe
, visiting a favorite place fromyour past, taking some photos
whatever feeds you.
There's actually also an artistdate book, maybe like a journal
(11:58):
type thing.
I just looked it up.
I don't have it, but I mightneed one to get myself to be
doing them a little bit moreoften and keeping track.
But that's it.
Today was a little more of abrain dump, since I've been
restricted from being here by myvoice.
Unleash that creativity inwhatever way you can, little by
(12:18):
little, day by day, hour by hour.
Whenever you can Go on anartist date, make something with
your hands.
Today, my project was writingin a journal, with a pen, of
course, and not typing, becauseI think that that's what they
recommend for the fulltherapeutic effect.
All right, until we meet again,stay curious.
Unused creativity is not benign.
It metastasizes into resentment, grief, heartbreak and
oppression.
Brene Brown, I heard that yearsago and I remember thinking,
whoa, that feels reallyexcessive.
Is this an exaggeration, orcould this really be true?
(00:23):
And then it becomes like thechicken and the egg.
Which one's coming first?
Is the resentment, grief,heartbreak, depression causing
you to not do the creativethings that bring you joy, or is
it the other way around?
But I guess this one isactually a both and it does not
(00:44):
have to be either or it actuallyjust becomes kind of a snowball
once you let it go too far,which I have done many times in
my past.
Actually, after a while it juststarts becoming like a clogged
drain, and then the longer thatyou let that clog sit there, the
more stuff accumulates in thereand then pretty soon, instead
(01:08):
of being able to just pour alittle Drano down there, you've
got to call a plumber and havethem come and bring that snake
thing.
I've been there, in fact Ibelieve I'm there right now.
It's here, it's happening,going on vacation this summer
and being able to just walkaround on foot and take photos
(01:29):
with a little film camera andobserve everything.
I feel like it was a huge, likethat snake, just coming into
the creative drain, emptyingmost of it not all of it, but a
great deal of it.
And now, just little by little,I'm working on keeping my head
above water by doing theseprojects with my hands.
(01:52):
Each day, I'm trying to unclogthat creative drain daily.
Although I haven't been able tocome here and make these
episodes as I planned, I'vestill been working on all of
this stuff and it's doing thejob, and I hope that you're
keeping up without me.
Well, I have not had a voice.
I kind of have one today, sothat's why I'm here.
(02:13):
But I will say that, being sickfor nearly a month now with
COVID and then bronchitis, Ihave learned the value of rest
again.
I keep learning the value ofrest, actually, but this has
been a very, very big one for mebecause it came the sickness
(02:35):
came smack in the middle of myfavorite time of the year, which
is summer.
I'm ruled by the sun, and thesun keeps my motor running, and
so when it's out and it's summer, I can't slow myself down.
I'm constantly wanting to beoutdoors or go do something, or
go on a walk or go to the beach,or I can't slow down.
(02:58):
So being sick for almost theentire month of August, besides
being gone for a week for awedding, it has been a big
awakening for me, something Idid not want to experience, but
something that I kind of feellike I needed to experience, and
it's given me time to reflecton a lot of things that I
(03:21):
normally wouldn't take the timefor while I'm in my happy summer
season.
But I didn't want to stay awayfrom this podcast for too long
during all of this, because Ireally do believe in the value
of giving you my experiencewhile I'm learning, instead of
turning up with hey, I've gotanswers.
(03:43):
You know, I want some of thisto be.
I am in the learning space andthis is what I'm uncovering.
Becoming sidelined like thishas been a huge thing.
I set out to do these 30 days onthis podcast.
I got myself prepped.
I recorded seven or eightepisodes in advance so that I
(04:04):
wouldn't leave anybody hanging.
And lo and behold, I didn'tchoose to leave anybody hanging,
but something happened to mewhere there was nothing else I
could do but just stop doingwhat I had promised.
I honestly don't think anybodycares, but I do.
You know I care.
(04:25):
In a month or two.
These 30 episodes will be thereand they'll all just be sitting
here forever for anybody toclick into and nobody will know
the difference.
The only people who know thedifference are the ones
following along, which, sinceI'm not on social media anymore,
is a much smaller audience thanI'm used to, and that is
(04:47):
another thing that I've beenreally learning during this
process.
My audience right now followingalong with each episode is
probably five, six, seven timessmaller than my typical audience
back when I was promotingthings on social media.
(05:09):
It is a huge difference.
To be frank, it has been a taddiscouraging to see that, but I
just kept pushing through sayingto myself this is not why I'm
doing it.
I'm not doing this forattention.
I'm not doing this to receiveanything.
So, no matter how much lowerthe amount of listeners are with
(05:34):
me not promoting on socialmedia, I'm gonna keep going.
Every now and then I'll pop inand do a little something.
But my engagement on socialmedia is so low at this point
because I don't use it that itdoesn't really do much anyway.
So I would have to be workinghard to try and get this thing
seen and heard and honestly, Ikind of like it the smaller
(05:58):
audience.
I feel like anybody who's stilllistening is on my wavelength
and they're not listening justbecause they saw a post and they
want to check it out.
It's people who actually feelwhat I'm feeling and I'm
connecting with on a deeperlevel, a different level, and it
(06:18):
feels more intimate and itfeels honestly safer safer to be
myself and not try and makethis more exciting, just kind of
be there.
This is what's going on.
This is what I've got for youtoday, which is something I'm
working on in life all around.
So when it comes to uncloggingthe creative drain and getting
(06:43):
things moving through that pipe,it's just got to be easy Give
yourself the rest that you need.
You don't have to be aproduction machine.
It could be the smallest,smallest things, just in the way
that you cook dinner or make asandwich or cut flowers and
(07:04):
place them on the table.
We have to start noticing thosethings every day that feed us.
Find what feeds you, what feedsyou.
Be more aware of what's aroundyou.
Notice things Truly, trulynotice them.
Art is the essence of awareness.
That's a quote by JohnO'Donohue.
(07:26):
It just couldn't be more true.
It's the essence of awareness.
Couldn't be more true.
It's the essence of awareness.
That's what.
When I take photos, I'm justbeing aware of what's around me.
When I went on my color walk inPortugal, it was just being
aware oh, look at that color,look at how that mixes with that
.
Oh, I've got to photograph that.
(07:47):
It just frees you.
When I go on my walks throughthe same trail almost every
single day, I stop.
I make myself stop and noticenew things.
Which of the flowers areblooming, what color are they
right now?
Which ones are going away?
(08:07):
Oh, look at that swallowtail.
We have swallowtails runningaround right now.
I go and I check all themilkweed out at the park to see
how much is there and if thereare any caterpillars.
I no longer wear headphonesever on my walk by getting a
podcast in, while alsoexercising.
Now it's more of an exercise ofgetting my body moving,
(08:40):
breathing fresh air, smelling it, hearing the sounds, looking
for new things.
This has all been a part oflearning how to calm my nervous
system.
If you've ever heard of, yourBody Keeps the Score, the book,
you know what I mean.
Your body remembers everything.
(09:01):
So I really do think that Brenewas right.
I really do think that unusedcreativity is not benign.
I really do think it doesmetastasize, and another point
that I've really wanted to talkabout for a long time is that
not only is creating a healingthing, but the act of learning
(09:24):
how to heal and healing yourselfis a creative act in itself is
a creative act in itself.
Around 2018, 2019, I startedreceiving the screams from my
body, and by 2020, I wasbeginning to open up to a
(09:49):
healing expedition.
I'm now realizing this is goingto be a lifelong process and
there's no end, but through allof this, I have come to realize
how much art is healing, andhealing is a form of art.
It's a day-by-day process ofimplementing positive, healing
things into everyday life, andif I can incorporate actual
(10:10):
making of any type of art intothat, that's the ultimate,
ultimate goal.
There are still so many thingsthat I want to touch on that
have been going on throughoutthese years, but I want to keep
these episodes short and sweet.
So remember these things Slowdown, find what feeds you, find
(10:33):
little, tiny ways each day tounclog that creative drain if it
is backed up and if you can.
Don't allow it to get toobacked up, like I have, or else
you have a lot more work aheadof you.
But if you already have, don'tworry, you're in good company.
Little baby steps, slowly,slowly, find a way to schedule
(10:56):
an artist date with yourself.
If you don't know what I mean byartist date, this is the Julia
Cameron's book the Artist Way,and she recommends that we take
a day each week, hopefully forat least two hours if possible
which I know some people arelaughing right now but if you're
(11:16):
able to do that, an artist'sdate is a solitary, planned
excursion for oneself to a placeor activity that sparks wonder
and joy, serving as a way torecharge the creative spirit and
connect with one's inner artist.
So an idea of that would belike visiting a museum or an art
(11:37):
gallery, taking a walk innature, exploring a new part of
your town, listening to somemusic, people watching at a cafe
, visiting a favorite place fromyour past, taking some photos
whatever feeds you.
There's actually also an artistdate book, maybe like a journal
(11:58):
type thing.
I just looked it up.
I don't have it, but I mightneed one to get myself to be
doing them a little bit moreoften and keeping track.
But that's it.
Today was a little more of abrain dump, since I've been
restricted from being here by myvoice.
Unleash that creativity inwhatever way you can, little by
(12:18):
little, day by day, hour by hour.
Whenever you can Go on anartist date, make something with
your hands.
Today, my project was writingin a journal, with a pen, of
course, and not typing, becauseI think that that's what they
recommend for the fulltherapeutic effect.
All right, until we meet again,stay curious.
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