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KATE SULLIVAN CREATIVE

In this monthly newsletter: road trip recs, this week’s Creative Sunday, family art, making gifts, field trip love

 

In an attempt to avoid airport woes, I’ll be driving to LA for Henry Stewart’s Creative Ops Summit this week and I’ve decided to make the most of my time on the tedious I-5 with some inspiring listening.

So far these podcasts are on my list:

  • Fela Kuti: Fear No Man from Jad Abumrad who also did Dolly Parton’s America which I’ve been meaning to check out.

  • Risk!, “a live show and weekly podcast where people tell true stories they never thought they'd dare to share in public.” I love The Moth so have high hopes.

  • The latest episode of Heavyweight, one of two podcasts I never miss.

  • The audio book of Mark Ronson’s new memoir, Night People for a possible future episode of Select Five (the other podcast I never miss for obvious reasons). His Fresh Air interview was good.

Here’s another podcast that inspired me lately that I’ll share:

  • Telepathy Tapes (Season 2, Episode 3): The Consciousness and Creativity: Are Ideas Alive and Do They Choose Us? It features Rick Rubin who talks about creators being antennas in The Creative Act too; Elizabeth Gilbert who, I have to admit, I have resisted over the years for a number of reasons, but found her pov compelling in this episode; Martha Beck about her recent book, Beyond Anxiety, which I just bought; and Dead to Me creator, Liz Feldman. We also hear about the origins of the Telepathy Tapes.

What would you add to help make my drive more inspiring? It can be music too! Simply reply to this email with your suggestions.

 

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I also created this fun explainer on IG recently, if you prefer more images!

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Nov 16 Creative Sunday + Family Art

 Reserve your spot! 

Our next Creative Sunday is this Sunday, November 16th @ 2:00-4:30pm! Reservations are also open for December 7th (moved up due to holidays) and second Sundays starting January 11, 2026.

Creative Sundays are self-guided time for anyone who wants to make time for creativity, from creative professionals craving a change of scenery to the creative-curious playing with the array of creativity boosting materials I provide and seeing where it leads. Bring a project and/or come to read, journal, draw, type on the typewriter, meet new people, brainstorm and daydream.

November’s featured artist is my dear friend and Creative Sunday regular, Andrew Clark, showcasing his mother’s art and his mission to preserve it.

Andrew's mom, Barbara Clark, is 95 years old and a painter who has been creating and teaching art in the Bay Area since 1970. Andrew recently embarked on a mission to ensure the hundreds of pieces she created throughout her life do not collect dust in storage. He is giving away, yes for free, all of her drawings and paintings with one request: recipients must promise to hang them, and to send him photos of them hanging in their space to show his mom. 

On Nov 16th, you’ll get to hear more from Andrew about his mission to preserve his mom’s art, the influence she’s had on him as an artist, and choose pieces from his photo gallery to hang on your wall (artwork delivery/pick up to be coordinated after).

Art created by ancestors and family members often carries a great deal of emotion and impacts us deeply. In this spirit, we invite you to bring/think about a piece of family art that means something to you. This can be to share with others, to use as a prompt in your own creation that day, or to reflect on how your family's creative practices impact you today. 

We hope to see you Sunday! I’m also offering 2026 memberships for $120! Go to January 11, 2026 here and select the membership option.

Reminder: The kitchen is closed during this private event; light snacks are provided and the bar is open.

A small sampling of Barbara Clark’s art (not to scale)

 

‘Tis the Season

Pushing homemade gifts since the 80’s

The world doesn’t need another gift guide.

What may be useful however is a gentle nudge that now is a good time to think about gifts you may want to make.

One of my favorite gifts I’ve ever received was a short story written by my partner, David. There’s no Bezos 4am rush delivery for that. Homemade artsy cards and thoughtful letters are usually winners too.

Not feeling particularly crafty? Try experiences! Let’s just try to be more creative and less wasteful this holiday season.

 

Field Trip Love

Our latest field trip to the Japanese Tea Garden

Emily Benjamin and I had a feeling adults would be into field trips and turns out we were right. This year, we toured the Oakland Museum, Paramount Theatre, Japanese Tea Garden, and joined one of East Bay Yesterday’s Oakland History Boat Tour. It’s so inspiring to take breaks from your daily routine and experience new things—or familiar things in new ways.

We’re figuring out what 2026 will look like and would love your feedback or suggestions. Please share your thoughts here.

 

That’s it for this monthly newsletter! Since you got this far, please help me grow by:

  • Forwarding this newsletter to your creative friends, family and colleagues and asking them to sign up here.

  • Following me on Instagram and/or LinkedIn for some news and inspiration that doesn’t always make it in here. I don’t overdo it, promise.

Thank you!

Kate

KATE SULLIVAN CREATIVE

Kate Sullivan Creative, LLC, Carleton St., Berkeley, United States

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