The Creative Train Podcast

The Tortured Artist: Meme, Menace or Mentor?

In this episode, I'm going to take a swing at an icon. Not because of his work, but at the quality of his character. A recent docu-drama cast a new light upon this icon of Canadian literature and I honestly found him repellant after this. Although I almost hate to say such things- this has been on mind mind so much that I have to speak it to the world; not for confirmation but more as a cleansing. 
Let me know what you think. Let's discuss this "tortured artist" thing.

Workplaces and the Water Cooler of Truth

What kind of workplace vibe do you have?
Do you encourage your peers, your clients and students?
Or is the vibe one more about division, separation and an us/them kind of thing?
This episode was inspired by a rapid dissolution into chaos I watched happen in a music teacher's forum on social media where one person's negativity infected the page for a whole day and sent a lot of members off into rants and other really horrible things! 
This isn't all about bitchy people, this is about what to look out for, how to handle it and how to create the best vibe-factor for your own workplace! 
 

The Elite Mindset- setting yourself apart from the crowd.

This episode was inspired by a conversation about professional hockey! 
Within any group of similarly-focused or job oriented people, there will always be those who stand out as being perhaps more naturally gifted. It can be frustrating for the folks in the middle/lower ranks to feel satisfied or accomplished in the shadows of those "top line" players. 
So how do they raise themselves up and become the contributors, leaders and earn the accolades and respect they come to achieve? 
Mindset. It takes a lot of work, but to achieve high end results you need an elite mindset toward everything you do. 

The Accountability Factor

So, you're a teacher, coach, mentor, instructor; whatever you call your gig you are responsible for delivering digestible information to paying students, customers and clients. 
Is it your responsibility to hold them accountable?
I say, YES ! Trust me, they want it!
There is a risk/reward in all such relationships- this is my take on how to foster mutually beneficial business  relationships and even friendships along the way. 

Making Your Hobby a Business: Can You Do It?

In this episode I'm digging into a few things from my own experience as a working artist that you have to be prepared for if you wish to make your hobby a functioning business. It's not an easy road to travel but you can do it with the right mindset, attitude and preparedness.  

Individuality vs Conformity: A Clash of Teaching Styles?

This is something I am very passionate about, which explains why this episode is 3X longer than most others so far!
Here, I am exploring how different teaching styles impact students retention, ability and engagement. 
It's all true to my own experience except for a few anecdotal comments, hop on board and join the discussion!

Creative Self Care

Inspired by a very unexpected topic of conversation, my mind kicked into "scripting gear" and conjured up this episode about self-care for the artist. The artist's lifestyle has it's highs and lows as does every other one, but when we are trying to make our way in this world as creatives, the likelihood of self doubt and imposter syndrome are that much higher.
Listen in for a bit of my recent experience facing self care definition and explanation but also how to do it almost unconsciously in a moment-to-moment exercise of mindfulness.  

The Rules of Engagement: Inspiring or Infuriating?

In this episode I'm digging in to three important aspects about how we conduct ourselves as creatives in social and virtual situations; these are how we present ourselves to the world as artists in person, on social media and our own self perception. 
Everyone has had to endure some of these things to a degree and everyone has probably done these things as well.
We're going to take a look at those folks who are boastful, who are fragile and those who are stuck in the dreaded imposter syndrome and use some interesting insights about psychology and body language to better understand others and ourselves.