In this episode, the Creative Work Hour crew discusses how change impacts creativity, with insights on how different types of changes—both self-initiated and external—affect their creative processes. The hosts also share the best creative advice they've received, ranging from practical tips like getting enough sleep to maintaining a playful mindset

Greg

Hello and welcome back to another edition of The Creative Work. Our podcast. Today is November the 15th, 2024. In case you didn't know, this month is National Podcast Month and Creative Work Hour is doing an entry on the call. 

Today we have Alessandra, myself, Greg, we have Bobby. W, Devin, Adriene, Bobby. B, and Ella. And I will start out with a question to get the conversation going.

How does change affect your creativity? 

How does change affect your creativity and just jump in.

Alessandra 

Well, I can say with the travel schedule that I've had this year and last year with the creative work, our tour, every time I travel, I break my routine and just that kind of change. Like everything kind of starts to fall apart, like in the end of an old video game, and then it takes some time to kind of pull the routine back together. And I haven't gotten used to that yet. And that's just like that's not a big change. That's just a little temporary thing. So I'll just start with the temporary and hand it over to whoever wants to go next. 

Greg

Bobby Wasserman. Do you have a thought on that? 

How Does Change Affect Creativity?

Bobby. W

You know what? It just depends. I sometimes like to change things up just for more inspiration and just for what I'm doing, you know, just to think clearer. And then sometimes I just hunker down and just keep going. So it just really depends on the mood and actually what I'm, what I'm trying to do.

Ela

I find I like having a stable system that I use for doing creative things. So like having a book that I bring with me to write in and draw in or whatever, or having certain things set up in certain ways makes it easier. But then having changed more in the environment and inspiring myself in different ways. So going for walks through the neighborhood, learning about different cultures, like not necessarily changing how I do my creative expression itself, but learning more about things and changing how I see things can then change how I express myself. 

Greg

Devin, do you have a thought?

Devin

Yeah, well, Bobby kind of made me aware of the difference. If it's a change that I've initiated, then it helps creativity. I've done something to say. Yeah, just like refresh, get a fresh start that can help but change exposed externally, like having to move or something, or a complete change of my routine that, to quote the great southern humorist Lewis Grizzard, just stomped that sucker flat. In terms of my creativity, I go very uncreative and my canary in my personal coal mine is my reading. So, like I can tell, I've got to get my vibe back and my stop. Because if I'm not reading, I'm not doing anything else creative. 

Devin

So external change. I kind of have to get over that in order to get the creativity flowing again. But if I choose it, then oftentimes it helps. 

Greg

Next on my screen I have Adrian. Do you have a thought on that? How does change affect your creativity? 

Adriene

It depends on what kind of change it is. Kelly with Devin was saying that if it's changed outside of me, like out of my control, I don't do well, it's that I don't do well. It takes me a minute. Depending if it's a positive or negative change, it was a negative change or I see a negative change, then all my creativity is out the window.

Adriene

If it's a positive change then it's like, okay, give me some minute now my juices are flowing, something I like. My energy is liking this. Let me go think about this. Let me help you with this, or think about all the ideas. I love thinking of ideas and outside of the box. Now my other problem is if there's change within because I am definitely like the movie up with the dog squirrel, squirrel, squirrel. 

Adriene

Okay, like so much that I have to tell myself that I can't stay here and change my business or way of doing my creative art all the time, or come up with something new and never finish any project that makes sense to everybody, right? So because I get distracted by new shiny things, because of my creativity, because I need to foster that. Right? So it really just depends. Right? It depends on if it's an external positive, negative impact or internal. I'm just getting excited by different things because maybe I'm bored. 

Greg

Bobby, you're next on my screen. You have a thought on that. How does change affect your creativity? 

Bobby. B

Generally? I'm open to change to see what it excites and how you know if I were to embrace it, how do I feel about what I know about the change, but also my reactions is dependent on is it going to shake my foundation, or is it just adding another color to the palette and that really has a huge bearing on how I feel about it. So sometimes it's better to walk away and come back and look at it a second time. But yeah, that's how I perceive it. 

Alessandra 

How would you answer that, Greg?

Greg

I don't do well with change. 

Alessandra 

There we go. Somebody honest.

I really really don't, but change. Change is inevitable, right? Everything's going to change. And I think that change is needed. But I just don't do well with change. I'm a creature of habit and a few habits and that. But what? Change can be good, right? We shouldn't fear change. 

Greg

Through change. We gain new experiences which can open us up to new possibilities. And yeah, so there is not. I think I have time for one more question.

Greg

If you could sum it up with maybe one sentence, what is the best creative advice that you've ever received? What is the best creative advice that you've ever received? 

Alessandra. 

Get some sleep. What I have found. What I have found is if I'm not getting enough sleep, it's much more difficult to emotionally regulate. And if I can't emotionally regulate, then I can't physically regulate that. I can't reach that state of flow. So, you know, like that tongue in cheek kids book, go the Fuck to Sleep. 

Greg

I have a copy of that read by Bryan Cranston.

Alessandra 

Oh my God, that would be so good. We should have Bryan Cranston on creative work hour.

Greg 

Oh, he would be a great addition. 

Greg

What about you, Bobby Wasserman? The best creative advice you've ever received. 

Bobby. W

I have nothing for you. 

Greg

That's okay. That's okay. Devin, you have a thought on that? 

Devin

Yeah. My. It's my same quote. That's for life in general, which is just because you can doesn't mean you should. And that ties into the squirrel comment by Adrian I chase some of these girls like, oh, I want to do this. I should do this. 

Yes. I'm going to fully commit myself to platform bungee jumping. Cool. And then I've lost all this time and energy to something that quickly loses its appeal to me. So I have to be careful.

Ela

I find working around things can sometimes be helpful. So like if I hit writer's block, it's less about trying to write the same thing, but to find a different creative way to express moving forward, whether that's writing but writing a side character or like something else about the world that I'm working on, or drawing something about it, you know, like finding a different way to express what you're stuck on and then it can help you move past it. I like that change of modality. Yeah. 

Greg

Adrian, the best piece of creative advice you've ever received. 

Adriene

You're never too old to be a kid. I think that's like my mom used to always say that. So I know how old you are. Is to have fun, have imagination. Don't let it get bogged down by becoming an adult and losing that creativity. Imagination. 

Alessandra

Yeah, right. I love that we have a set of values around that. Well, it's the foundation of everything. The creative work is built on. And one of those cornerstones is playfulness. So you're in the right place, lady. 

Greg

Bobby, the last piece of creative advice?

Bobby

Don't stay in the pool too long. I start to shrivel. 

Greg

Is that like, don't eat the yellow snow or. 

Bobby. B

No no no, it's that, you know, look, I go I chase things down dark holes all the time. And, you know, if I stay in the pool too long, everything else about me will just start to shrivel up and, you know, and such. So I got to keep myself fresh by getting out of the pool every once in a while, and then toweling off and looking around and maybe jumping back in. 

Alessandra

What is yours, Greg? What's the best advice you've received? 

Greg

I don't know, creative advice, but maybe you could stretch it to creative advice. Being from England, right? We have pounds instead of dollars and my granddad always said if you lend someone £10, which is £10 and you never see them again, it was probably well worth it. But that's not necessarily creative advice, but good advice nonetheless.

Alessandra

Don't get stuck, don't lose, don't.

Greg

And don't eat the yellow snow. Definitely don't stay in the pool too long. 

Alessandra

There we go!

Greg

Well, it happened again, you wasted a perfectly few good minutes listening to the Creative Workout podcast. If you have any comments or a question you would like to hear us discuss, you can send us an email to me@creativeworkhour.com. Come back tomorrow. We'll be here.