In this newsletter: building my inner child home & Creative Sunday Afternoon has moved to March 16th - get your ticket here!

Being creative while adulting is hard—whether it’s those cherished side projects, creative hobbies, creative work, or simply having the time/space to think, brainstorm, problem-solve, and respond creatively to life.

We’re caretaking, paying mortgages, and fixing broken water heaters. We have careers that are going well, not so-well, or circling retirement. We used to be able to live off pizza and beer, and now track cholesterol and need two days to recover from two drinks.

And our strongest creative guide—our inner child—seems to be getting quieter and fainter.

Thanks again, Society.

How can we reverse this creative downward spiral? Not by wishing we could turn back time or giving up; but by reintroducing our creative, nonjudgemental, excited inner child to our older, wiser, more experienced selves.

One of my favorite creative childhood memories spans fifth grade when my parents were building the house they have since lived in for 35 years. My mom is an interior designer so this was basically her dream job—besides that they had to pay for it this time.

We’d drive just 20 minutes—though it felt like worlds away—from the suburbs to the “country” most weekends so my parents could build our excitement for the move (which worked). During the colder months in Northeastern Ohio, we’d bring Quik hot chocolate in a thermos.

I have very clear memories of standing on the second story of the house while it was still studs and plywood (safe-ish?) and feeling as if all my favorite childhood games were coming to life—playing house, building houses out of the cardboard rectangles my dad’s work shirt dry cleaning came back in (please tell me someone knows what I mean), collecting dollhouse furniture, rummaging through all my moms wallpaper and fabric samples for craft projects. My imagination was on fire. I can even still remember the scent—a blend of the house wood and the actual woods surrounding us.

Experiencing the house being built was also my first real world glimpse into the creative process at scale: an empty piece of land transformed from a vision to blueprints to samples to a home. I remember learning how my mom would pad deadlines because people naturally run late and need lots of check-ins—that it’s just part of the creative process.

Today, as a creative “adulting” adult, the image of my 10-year old self running around this in-progress home brings me back to unadulterated feelings of pure excitement, exploration, imagination, confidence, and independence. All things that support my creative flow. Imagining myself running around the property—where we thought we DISCOVERED the river that ran behind it—and the house still at the studs with all the endless possibilities of what might be, clears my mind and quiets my inner critic in seconds.

Do you have a childhood memory that conjures up creativity boosting feelings? If so, is there a photo of it you can keep in view?

I recognize for some it’s harder to have positive memories from childhood. And that for many, creativity was not always promoted or celebrated in childhood. If that’s the case, can you think of any time you felt inspired in a open, child-like way?

Wherever you stand with your inner child, I’d love to help you explore that core part of yourself—because, after all, creativity in its purest form is simply a reflection of you, right?

Join us for a Creative Sunday Afternoon on March 16th in Oakland!

**Note: event date has moved from March 2nd to March 16th**

Join us for an afternoon of creativity where you can choose to work solo on your creative projects, engage in creativity boosting prompts, hear about other people’s projects or get feedback on your own, read, journal, daydream, draw, brainstorm, meet with current and potential collaborators and friends - all culminating in a happy hour for more mingling and connection.

This is for you whether you have a project in mind or simply want dedicated time to think/create while surrounded by creative people in the beautiful, bright, inspiring Gold Palm. This is also a great time to work on your creativity workbook, Prioritize Your Creativity (plus I’ll have a copy there to leaf through).

Schedule:

• 2:00-4:30pm: Official workshop time. Will include brief introductions to help you make connections, majority self-guided time, and closing thoughts.

• 4:30-5:30pm: Happy Hour (drinks not included in ticket price)

What to bring:

• Charged devices (plugs are limited)

• Hotspot if wifi is needed

• Notebook and writing utensil

• Headphones (if your project has sound or you prefer your own music)

• Books, magazines or other creative things to read/share

What NOT to bring:

• Creative projects that are super messy (paints, charcoal, etc)

• Noisy creative projects that cannot be contained with headphones

Cost: $10-$40 suggested donation.

Read/Watch/Listen/Inspire

Here are a few things I’m finding inspiring lately and thought you may too:

• The latest episode of Select Five with Isa Nakazawa, astrologer and host of the Stars and Stars podcast

• Sir Ken Robinson’s 2006 Ted Talk, Do schools kill creativity? & his book, Out of Our Minds: The Power of Being Creative

• Austin Kleon’s Substack which recently shouted out the incredible and bizarre 1985 film about food and love, Tampopo

Let’s Work Together!

Simply reply to this email if you’d like to explore any of the following.

For Individuals:

• Discover the creative process that works for you, whether you’re re/starting a practice or an established artist navigating the array of creative challenges.

• Approach your career with more intention, clarity and ease.

  • Includes one-off sessions to prepare for a job interview or important meeting/conversation to longer term commitments to reimagine and activate your next moves.

For Corporate/Teams:

• I partner with leaders and teams who want to inspire and enable more creativity at work. Bring me in to:

  • Find out how your team is really doing and uncover great ideas;

  • Identify and fix parts of your process that are killing creativity;

  • Facilitate workshops and talks that spark inspiration.

For Groups & Community:

• Join a Creative Sunday Afternoon on March 16th

• Reach out if you’d like to curate an event together!

And that concludes newsletter Vol 10, February 2025. Please share with others who may enjoy it! Anyone can sign up and read past newsletters here.

Cheers,

Kate