The Creative Train Podcast

Martyrs to Tradition? Adapting and Adopting New Things.

Inspired by a real conversation with a musician who instead of learning some new technology and adapting his workflow, decided he should just quit altogether. 
I won't let him get away with it!
My big take-away is that it's important sometimes to ask ourselves how much we value "traditional ways", especially if they are an impediment!
Have a listen, let me know what you think. 

In Conversation with Lacey King

Lacey King is a creator and writer with some very unique perspectives on creativity, inspiration and process. 
In this episode, Lacey and I discuss those "subtle energies" which we all know are there, but we have difficulty defining or describing.
Call it the Muse, a Vibe, a whisper or a tap on the proverbial shoulder; whatever you call it is unimportant, but how you acknowledge it, foster it and flow with it is super important!
And that's what we are discussing in this episode. All Aboard?

When Is Enough, Enough?!

This episode ties in to a few others, on developing your unique voice, getting stuck in a creative rut, and asking yourself some very important questions about your work, your process and especially your results.
This was inspired by a new music student, who is not new to playing or songwriting, but one who found himself predictably stuck (we ALL get that!) and how he opened up to me about his creativity and goals. 
Have a listen and see if any of this fella's issues sound familiar to you, and check out how we started to overcome that "stuck-ness".

Developing Your Unique Voice

This goes beyond your speaking or singing voice; in this episode I'm going into the topic of originality, artistic identity and creative integrity. Just a few small things!
This theme comes up often with my music students who want to branch out into songwriting, none of them *want to sound like someone else, but it kinda always happens that their early influences become obvious. 
Is this a good or bad thing? Actually, it's totally normal, expected and encouraged, but how do we get past that initial stage? Hop on board to find out!

In Conversation with Daniel Moisan, part 2

In this second episode, Daniel and I get into some pretty deep topics such as how people perceive us as artists and how that can affect family dynamics; our roles as mentors and educators, keeping focused and passionate when we feel overwhelmed and how your life inevitably changes from "normal people" mode when you are a full-time artist. 
 
I found this incredibly inspiring and buoying and I hope you do too! 

In Conversation with Daniel Moisan

Daniel Moisan is a renaissance man by every definition. 
His life in the visual, musical and performing arts and education has taken him around the world literally and virtually. 
This is the first episode of our talk about making a living as an artist; dealing with self-doubt, financial pressures, defining our niche, successes and failures and a lot more! 
Whether you are an established or emerging artist, this conversation will certainly give you some very well learned and hard earned advice from someone who is not only living but thriving as an artist. 
Find out more at www.danielmoisan.com

Focus Against the Odds

I had one of the toughest weeks of my creative career last week as we were without electricity and a vehicle for a week and ALL of my creative projects suddenly came to a halt. 
This episode is about how I had to creatively reorganize my routines to keep house and home functional and happy and the silly amount of effort it took me to get back to work once the lights came back on. 

I Have G.A.S.- Gear Acquisition Syndrome

I'm going to share an important realization about this thing we all joke about in our circles of peers.
It can be a distraction, a pleasure, and it can be expensive; but other than that- what does having Gear Acquisition Syndrome reveal about us as artists and creators? 
I honestly can't laugh this one off anymore!