The Creative Train Podcast

Us & Them- the masks we wear

In this episode, I recount some very personal experience about a creative relationship built upon with a "fictional" character created by a fellow artist. I fell for the "masked persona" and so did several others. 
There are some hard questions to ask yourself within this episode- can you live up to the persona you present to the world? Do you have the courage to reveal your authentic self? Can you back-up your reputation or do you hide behind excuses?
This is a tough topic to face, but we all have to at some point.

Writer's Block- what it is and isn't

A more emotionally charged episode with some recounting of my own experience and catharsis.
Brief synopsis: "Your creative mind is not bound by time or place" 
Consider that. 
Let me know what you think, let's have a conversation. 

Making It Relatable

As a teacher, you are charged with many tasks- delivering information, testing, marking, monitoring class behaviour, and inspiring your students to want to learn. 
The last part is often the hardest; each student has their own learning needs and motivations so how do you as a teacher grab their attention, then retain it?
By making your lessons relatable instead of treating your classes like a sermon! Here's a bit of what I do to do that.

The Artist's Mission

In this episode I'm diving into the question of why we create things.
What inspired us to take up an artistic pursuit?
What do we hope to accomplish with all this investment of time, money, emotion and space in our homes?
I hope that all artists who listen to this will pick up on some new things to think about, new inspirations, motivations and affirmations. 
And if you are considering finally embarking on the artist's journey- let this add some fuel to your creative fire!
 
 

Alright, holidays are done- now get to work!

I have enjoyed almost three weeks off of work over the Christmas holiday season, I was very productive at home though! 
In this episode I let you in on a few things coming up for the podcast, guests, inspirations and some fun self-observation.
 

Why Are Artists Weird?!

I could talk about this for days, but here's 17.5 minutes of my thoughts on this!
When our goals and inspirations reach far beyond the normal things that day-to-day-life needs us to do, we tend to become dreamers, wanderers and dare I say, a bit weird?!
Artists- if you're struggling, listen to this, I hope this will ease your struggle. And if you have artsy friends, this episode might help you understand those often misunderstood folks in your life! 
 

In Conversation with Peter Kelly

Peter saw his teenage hobby turn into a thriving career! As a young man, he experimented with what was "new tech" at the time- hand-held video recorders and massive machines for editing his creations. 
Later in life, Peter found himself working in various aspects of the burgeoning film industry in Toronto, Ontario (Canada) and finally to his current gig as an independent contractor creating promotional and training videos,  captivating documentaries for major corporations, independent films, working  a day job for a major television production company as well as making social media ads for several local mom-and-pop-shops in his hometown.  
 
In this episode, we run the gamut of everything you might expect to find when you seek to turn your hobby into your career, from drawing up contracts, to negotiations, to working for "the man", nightmare clients and dream gigs. All of this and more as we discuss the ins and outs  of making a living in the arts! 

Creative Routines and Spaces

This is a bit of a "day in the life" of this particular artsie, but also some very do-able stuff for you if you are struggling to get some creative momentum and to do so GUILT FREE!
Your art/craft/passion/hobby takes time and eventually space. Making and allowing time and space is not being selfish, in fact it does a lot to make us better humans as well as artists! 
Here's what I like to do and what I know from experience also works for many others. 
Have a listen, let me know what YOU do for your creative routines and spaces!