Sorry creatives! We had every intention of recording episode 16, but Eric's soul had other ideas. Suffice it to say, another week of failure has bought up a lot of existential questions. So instead of beating a dead horse, he's going on a journey. Here's a postcard from him. We'll be back with our regularly scheduled programming on September 1st! Until then, get working ... unless you need to go on your own searching. Praise be golem.
Why are you faffing about with all this creative fluff? How does your personality affect your creativity? Do you pray every night to the leech golem? Praise be leech golem! We have escaped the torture porn dungeon and are once again making progress on our creative projects. In this episode’s “Week in Review,” Eric admits that he was too ambitious with last week’s goal and is adjusting his expectations for this week. He describes how he was stalled by dwelling too much on artistic fluff (themes and narrative framing and character backstory) in this early stage, and how he managed to get back on track. Wesley’s been struggling for weeks with how to recast his ghost stories into a contemporary idiom. He has written three different drafts, each with their own style, and then tossed them all out. This week he realized that something about his core concept simply wasn’t working, thanks to an insight about primary gameplay loops he heard from video game critic and developer, Yahtzee (which starts at 5:48 in the link). In the second segment, Eric and Wesley find out what their enneagram type says about their creativity, courtesy of The Glitter Guide. How helpful are these kinds of quizzes? Did we learn anything useful? What does your enneagram say about you?
Week in Review Last week, Eric abandoned his card game, which is looking at him with puppy dog eyes from the corner of the room. He has a new project now … drumroll please. Wesley is yet again a miserable failure. He reflects on the lessons a distraction-heavy summer has taught him about living a creative life. Setting Time Constraints Last week we introduced a new format. After each episode's "Week in Review," we'll have a discussion about a certain topic or tactic related to creativity and accountability. This week we're talking about putting time constraints on your project. H/T to Yahtzee for the inspiration! Yahtzee is a video game critic and amateur game developer. He has set himself a challenge to create and finish a brand new video game every month for the next twelve months. As of this episode, he has finished three. Yahtzee admits in the introduction to his challenge that long projects burn him out, and Eric and Wesley know the feeling. Maybe there’s something to having an end-point for your project. Finish it within this relative short period of time so the process doesn't drag on, and then never think about it again. Eric and Wesley react to Yahtzee's idea, talk about their own experience with deadlines, and then set time limits for their projects.
How do you scale up your ambition so you can create even more? What’s left when you vanquish all the monsters? Where did all the birds go? Week in ReviewEric and Wesley have been scheduling one-hour work sessions (or, what they ridiculously call, “brain 60s”) throughout the week to ensure that their creative work happens. And it’s been successful … for the most part. So what’s worked and what hasn’t? And how can they increase their ambition? They also discuss the importance (and the challenge) of prioritizing their creative work among the many other demands of the day, and throw some shade at Albertin Einstein and Thomas Jefferson. Boogeyman in the StudioThere are no boogeyman left. They all went out to tea. What’s left when you run out of excuses? Do you have any ideas for a future segment of the show? What would you like us to talk about? Let us know by emailing us at buddiesmailtime@gmail.com or commenting on Facebook.
Is your accountability system working for you? Do you have someone who will call you out on your bullshit? Sir, excuse me, do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior, the leech golem? Week in ReviewIn Episode 10, Eric and Wesley staged an intervention … with themselves. After weeks and weeks of not meeting their creative goals, they decided to try out a new accountability tool. How did it go? Did it work? They also give an update on where they’re at in their projects. Boogeyman in the StudioThis is the fourth episode of our segment, “Boogeymen in the Studio!” Each week, we’re profiling one of the many paralyzing stories creatives tell themselves and discuss how to overcome it. This week the boogeyman is “If I just do [xxx], then I can be creative.” If only I had the right space to do my work in. If only I had enough time or energy for creativity after coming home from work. If only, if only… In our effort to construct the perfect environment for our creative work, we forget to do it. We spend so much energy cultivating the “right” habits and mindsets, that we trick ourselves into thinking we’ve done actual work. But we haven’t. How do we disarm this boogey? Well, do you have someone who’ll call you out on your bullshit? If not, that’s what we’re here for. MailtimeThanks for sending us your questions! Quilivia Plath asks us “am I manic or just an artist?” If you think you’re experiencing mental illness, then please seek professional help. There is no shame in seeing doctors, going to therapy, or taking medication. It’s not brave to bottle up your condition. What’s brave is asking for help. On the subject of creativity, there is definitely a dangerous stereotype (a boogeyman, perhaps) that artists need to suffer in order to produce good art. This, my dears, is total crap. Yes, suffering can inform art, but it cannot create it. That said, creativity can be an effective way to heal from trauma. For example, art is helping veterans overcome PTSD. Do you have a creative question? Maybe your creative experience could help others? Send us an email at buddiesmailtime@gmail.com. This Week’s ResourcesBecause the topic of mental health came up this week, if you need professional care, please seek it out. The Open Path Collective is an affordable way to find mental health care in your area. Finally, we are excited to announce two new resources from us! We created a website! And we wrote an ebook too! It’s called The Accountability Buddies Handbook: How to start a creative project, hold yourself accountable to goals and deadlines, and actually enjoy the process. Crazy, huh? We especially hope the ebook is as helpful for you to read as it was for us to write. It even includes worksheets.
We need to talk. The same old, same old isn't gonna cut it anymore. It's time for an intervention.
How do you get back into the creative swing after a long time? Why even bother? What’s love got to do with it? Week in ReviewWesley has survived the jungle, but his creative goal didn’t fare as well. After three weeks of travel, he’s ready to get back to work. Plus, his adventures have given him a bunch of new ideas. Eric, on the other hand, was sad without his accountability buddy and he’s looking to get back on track too. Can he reverse course on a month long failure streak?Boogeymen in the StudioThis is the third episode of our segment, “Boogeymen in the Studio!” Each week, we’re profiling one of the many paralyzing stories creatives tell themselves and discuss how to overcome it. This week the boogeyman is “Why bother.” When you’re just one lonely speck on a ball of dust hurtling towards the destruction of the cosmos, what’s the point of it all? *cue angsty music you listened to in high school* But seriously, how do you handle not feeling inspired anymore? When your creative project has lost its luster, how do you motivate yourself? And what impact will it make anyway? So how can we disarm this boogeymen? Wesley thinks Disney’s Coco may have the answer.Mail TimeThanks for sending us your questions! Kyle wants to know “what’s the relationship between creativity and sleep?” Do you have a creative question? Maybe your creative experience could help others? Send us an email at buddiesmailtime@gmail.com.
Sorry creatives! We had every intention of recording an episode while Wesley is traveling, but it seems the jungle has other ideas. So instead, here's a postcard from Guatemala. We'll be back with our regularly scheduled programming on July 1st! Until then, get working.
What does it take to get back on track after two weeks of failure? How do you talk yourself off the ledge when you think your project isn’t good enough? What happened to all the leeches?Week in Review - 5:02It’s been another off week for Eric. Now he’s asking himself what’s not working with his creative process and how he can fix it. Wesley is excited about his research, but he can’t keep reading forever (much as he may want to). What’s his next step?Boogeymen in the Studio - 35:01This is the second episode of our new segment, “Boogeymen in the Studio!” Each week, we’re profiling one of the many paralyzing stories creatives tell themselves and discuss how to overcome it. This week the boogeyman is “My project isn’t good enough.” How many creative projects have you abandoned because it’ll never be as good as [insert your favorite creative work here] or because it won’t defy your genre/revolutionize the format/cure cancer? Why do we strangle our projects with these impossible expectations, and how can we disarm this boogeymen. Wesley and Eric have three tips that might do the trick.Mail Time - 1:04:49Thanks for sending us your questions! Margot’s got two for us this week: Are you two “messy desk” or “clean desk” people, and do lists like “100 Books to Read Before You Die” help or hurt? Wesley is definitely a “clean desk” person and Eric - well, Margot, Eric is offended that you would confine him with your binary way of thinking. He is both, thank you! As for those academic-y listicles that white lit crits like to publish, should you read them? Should you break out for the box? Maybe you should do both. (We sense a theme here.) Do you have a creative question? Maybe your creative experience could help others? Send us an email at buddiesmailtime@gmail.com.This Week’s ResourceIt’s not a creativity resource, but Wesley wants to recommend a book from his research, Night Riders in Black Folk History by Gladys-Marie Fry. If you think the boogeyman from this week is terrifying...
How do you recover from an emotionally draining week? Can negative criticism, or even your technology addiction, help your creativity? Is that the boogeyman?Week in ReviewThings haven’t gone so well for Eric. Now he’s figuring out how to get back into the creative groove after an emotionally draining week. Wesley’s reading list has multiplied and he’s afraid of getting bogged down in the research stage of his project. Is there light at the end of the tunnelBoogeymen in the StudioWe’ve introduced a new segment to the show, “Boogeymen in the Studio!” Each week, we’re going to profile one of the many paralyzing stories creatives tell themselves and discuss how to overcome it. “Top Tip of the Week,” so long for now. This week the boogeyman is “I’m not good enough.” This is probably the most common boogey to terrorize creatives, and it has many disguises: from comparisonitis (“I’ll never be as good as [insert impossible standard here]”) to exaggerating perceived imperfections (“I’m so bad at [insert random skill here] that it doesn’t matter how good I am at [insert several skills you’re actually very good at here]”). How can we disarm this fearsome foe? We share some of our strategies, but we’ve also got reinforcements: cue Joli Jensen’s book Write No Matter What and Anna O’Brien of Glitter and Lazers fame.Mail TimeThanks for sending us your questions! Rodrigo wants to know “when you share your creative work, how do you handle negative criticism?” Well, the first order of business is to separate the assholes from the genuinely helpful critics. The creatives at Start With This also have some great advice. QuillviaPlath asks “how can I make my technology addiction foster and not kill my creativity.” Quillvia, it may be time to delete Candy Crush … but don’t worry, we’ve got some smartphone-based alternatives. Do you have a creative question? Or maybe your creative experience could help others? Write us an email at buddiesmailtime@gmail.com.This Week’s Resources One of our favorite books ever, Write No Matter What by Joli Jensen: https://www.jolijensen.com/write-no-matter-what “4 Simple Ways to Be More Confident” by Anna O’Brien at Glitter and Lazers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmGG9RimOhA “Feedback” by the creatives at Start With This podcast: http://www.nightvalepresents.com/startwiththis#listen
In this week’s episode, Wesley talks about how neglecting his mental health and emotional hygiene effected his creativity (hint: not in a good way). Eric argues that ambition is overrated. Did some redecorate the torture porn dungeon? For Wesley, this week was stressful. A bunch of stress-demons got together and dropkicked him into a cesspool of anxiety. Instead of figuring out how to climb out, he wallowed in it for a few days. Why was it so easy for him to let the stress take over? Enter the concept of emotional hygiene, which he first heard about from Guy Winch, Ph.D. Dr. Winch explains: “In much the same way that dental hygiene involves brushing our teeth and flossing every day, and personal hygiene involves cleaning ourselves and taking care of physical injuries when we sustain them, emotional hygiene refers to being mindful of our psychological health and adopting brief daily habits to monitor and address psychological wounds when we sustain them. Currently, our general neglect of our emotional hygiene is profound. How is it we spend more time each day taking care of our teeth than our minds?” How is it, indeed? Wesley considers how he can take better care of his emotional hygiene going forward. How can you? Eric, on the other hand, is being challenged by one of our listeners. On “Episode 5 – Find Fun! Why Work?,” he claimed he wasn’t all that ambitious, that it doesn’t motivate him. Wait, how does that work, one listener asked? Simple, Eric said. Ambition is overrated. Other things motivate him: curiosity, amusement, spite. Have we become too reliant on ambition when it comes to creativity? What do you think? If you’re more of a podcast person, you can listen to episode 6 here: https://accountabilitybuddies.podbean.com/e/episode-6-butts/ You can follow Accountability Buddies on Twitter too: https://twitter.com/abuddiespodcast And finally, you can find Dr. Winch’s article on emotional hygiene here: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-squeaky-wheel/201412/5-steps-better-emotional-hygiene
How can you harness the power of fun to make the creative process easier? What is your creative "why"? When will the Disney crossover get here? The sad music is "November" from Bensound.com.
What is distracting you from your creative work? What is your "why"? Will you help us discover new magic? This week's resources are Big Magic by by Elizabeth Gilbert and Emotional Agility by Susan David, Ph.D. The sad music is "November" from Bensound.com.
How do you deal when life upsets your plans? What do you do to overcome creative inertia? And what's up with this dementor? This week's resource On Writing by Stephen King
What happens when you fail? How can you set better goals? Why is Elmo here? This week's resources Write No Matter What by Joli Jensen
Resources "What It Takes to Put Your Phone Away" by Jia Tolentino Business for Authors: How To Be An Author Entrepreneur by Joanna Penn The Business of Being a Writer by Jane Friedman
While we were editing the audio for this episode, we had to change our Twitter handle. So it's actually @ABuddiesPodcast. Ignore what we say inside. And the email address is buddiesmailtime@gmail.com. Send us your questions for the next episode! The SMART goals worksheet we were referring to is here.
Welcome to “Accountability Buddies,” a podcast where two brothers struggle to make their creative dreams a reality, and then talk about it on the internet. I’m Eric (the beard). And I’m Wesley (the glasses). We’ll be here each Monday so you can learn from our mistakes, laugh at our pain, and create some cool stuff along the way. We’ve had a lot of ideas that went nowhere, and started a lot of projects we never finished. This podcast is about changing that. And if any of that describes you, then we’re here to be your accountability buddies.