The Creative Life — with Jim Kroft

🎙️ The Creative Life Episode 49: Why We Stop Doing the Thing We StartedThis week, I’m exploring one of the hardest parts of creative life — why we stop doing the thing we started. Every project begins with excitement and momentum. Then comes the middle, where time, distraction, and doubt creep in. The work that once flowed starts to feel heavy, and the question becomes how to keep going when the spark fades.Recorded in one take from my studio in Berlin’s old power station, this episode looks at:why projects lose energyhow to find your rhythm againwhat it really means to finish the workIf you're struggling to finish something you've started, this episode is for you. I know this state very well—not just from the six documentaries and six albums I completed, but from the many projects that fell by the wayside. Today, I share everything I've learned from both sides of the struggle, drawing out the universal lessons for your own creative journey.As ever thank you for being here,Jim KroftLINKS📬 Substack - The Creative Life Newsletter https://www.jimkroft.substack📺 YouTube https://www.youtube.com/jimkroft🎧 Spotify Music: spoti.fi/4aHoI0Y📷 Instagram: https://bit.ly/3Scy6S3🎙️Podcast: https://bit.ly/3OycQVO ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

📬 Substack - The Creative Life Newsletterhttps://www.jimkroft.substackWelcome back to The Creative Life PodcastThis week’s episode is about the routines we’ve grown too attached to — the ones we built to survive another time in our lives but never thought to question.I realised mine were no longer serving me. They were built for who I was, not who I’m becoming. So I tore them up and gave up alcohol, not as a test of will, but to serve my creative energy better.It made me notice something larger. We’ve become strangely comfortable living with fatigue, low moods, and dark thoughts, without ever challenging the lifestyle that goes with them. We accept the symptoms without questioning their cause.What followed for me was a period of reawakening: better sleep, clearer thoughts, and a renewed excitement for life and work. In this episode, I share what I changed, why I did it, and how breaking old patterns can open space for who you’re meant to become.This isn’t about productivity. It’s about reclaiming the energy and clarity that make you feel alive.What you’ll learn:🧭 How to recognise when your routine belongs to a past version of you⚡ Why energy, not time, is the real creative foundation🍷 What giving up alcohol revealed about mood, focus, and clarity🔍 How to challenge habits that quietly dull your potential🔥 Why breaking one pattern can transform your creative lifeI'm your host, Jim Kroft, thank you so much for being here Let's dive in!📺 YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/jimkroft🎧 Spotify Music:spoti.fi/4aHoI0Y📷 Instagram:https://bit.ly/3Scy6S3🎙️Podcast:https://bit.ly/3OycQVO ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

✉️ The Creative Life NewsletterThe artist’s journey is long. I write a newsletter to help you stay on it 👉 https://jim-kroft.short.gy/0925A/Jim-Kroft-newsletterWelcome back to The Creative Life Podcast!Yesterday I walked into work with three thousand photos to edit, but an urge to create. Logic said “stick to the plan.” But something deeper said: create now.This episode is about that moment — when you’re torn between the work you should do, and the feeling something wants to break out of you.In it, I share what I learned about giving in to instinct, chasing the spark when it strikes, and protecting creativity in a culture that encourages over-planning.What we'll dig into:🌊 Why giving in to impulse can revive your spark when the plan feels dead🧠 The fight between head and heart — and how it shapes your work🔥 What happens when you follow the mood instead of repressing it🎯 How goals fit in without suffocating creativity or joy🕊️ Why creating from raw experience brings your work back to lifeI'm your host Jim, thank you so much for being here!If you'd like to support the podcast, please take a moment to rate and review - it helps so much.Let' dive in!📺 YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/jimkroft🎧 Spotify Music:spoti.fi/4aHoI0Y📷 Instagram:https://bit.ly/3Scy6S3🎙️Podcast:https://bit.ly/3OycQVOToday's music is from Artlist.  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

📬 Substack - The Creative Life Newsletterhttps://www.jimkroft.substackWelcome back guys! If you'd like to support the podcast, taking a moment to rate and review is so very appreciated! JimTODAY'S EPISODEWe’ve been sold a lie: that creativity is a goal, something you reach if you hustle hard enough, suffer long enough, sacrifice deep enough.But here’s the truth: that path doesn’t just fail you — it erodes life itself.This episode is about breaking free from the outcome-obsessed culture that keeps us trapped on the treadmill of productivity, and rediscovering creativity as a way of living — something to embody, nurture, and expand every single day.Whether you’re building a project, chasing a dream, or simply trying to reconnect with joy in the process, this episode is about choosing immersion over obsession — and reclaiming your creativity as part of life itself.What's Inside:🌀 Why obsession kills creativity — and immersion sustains it⏳ How chasing goals too hard makes life itself vanish❤️ Why joy, love, and connection are fuel for breakthroughs🌈 How to stop running after the rainbow and actually live under it🔥 Why creativity isn’t a goal — it’s a way of being aliveI'm your host, Jim. If you're ready, then let's dive in!📺 YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/jimkroft🎧 Spotify Music:spoti.fi/4aHoI0Y📷 Instagram:https://bit.ly/3Scy6S3Today's music is from Artlist.  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Welcome back to The Creative Life Podcast!Life is a drifting from — and a returning to — ourselves. At any moment, we can almost read it like a gauge: where am I now?In this episode, I share what I learned after breaking from my own routine — travelling across Scotland, spending time with family, and stepping away from the tyranny of schedules and screens. What began as guilt over losing consistency turned into something else: a reminder that pauses can reset your course and bring you back to what feels creatively alive.If you’ve been feeling out of kilter, burnt out, or trapped in hustle culture, my hope is that this episode helps you reconnect with that spark that’s still inside you.Ideas Inside:✨ Why “consistency” can suffocate your creative voice🌊 How breaks and pauses reset your inner course⚡ The hidden cost of chasing growth online🌲 Why space, nature, and family matter more than metrics🔄 Simple ways to return to yourself when you’ve drifted awayIf you'd like to support the podcast, dropping a comment and leaving a rating is greatly appreciated!I'm your host, Jim Kroft, so if you're ready, then let's dive in!Jim📬 Substack - The Creative Life Newsletterhttps://www.jimkroft.substack📺 YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/jimkroft🎧 Spotify Music:spoti.fi/4aHoI0Y📷 Instagram:https://bit.ly/3Scy6S3 ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

🎙️ This episode of The Creative Life is for Solo Creators.Whether you're building a podcast, growing a YouTube channel, or writing a newsletter—staying motivated on your own can be tough.In this episode, I share some hard-won encouragement for those walking the path alone. If you're feeling tired, unseen, or unsure if it's worth it, I hope this brings a little courage, uplift—and a spark of renewed zeal.With love from the road, Jim KroftThe Creative Life NewsletterThe artist’s journey is long. I write a newsletter to help you stay on it 👉 https://jim-kroft.short.gy/0725E/Jim-... ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

🎙️ You Will Lose Your Way How to find the path back to the work — and to yourselfEvery ambitious project comes with a hidden truth: at some point, you’ll lose your way. Not because you’re weak. But because you’re being asked to go deeper.In this episode, I reflect on the drift that happens mid-journey—the moment when momentum fades, doubt creeps in, and the original spark feels out of reach. I share my own struggles with finishing and releasing my new album Chromatic Zero, and the realisation that creating the work is only half the task. The other half? Finding the courage to carry it all the way.🔹 Why drifting isn’t failure—it’s initiation 🔹 The 10-step creative arc that repeats across every project 🔹 Questions that help me course-correct when I’ve gone off track 🔹 How to face the darker spaces that call you to evolveIf you’ve lost your way, this is your reminder: you’re not at your end—you’re just getting started, my friend.—✨ Subscribe to The Creative Life for weekly reflections, songs, and stories from the path. 🎵 New song out soon: At Your End — 7th release from Chromatic Zero 📝 Newsletter & music: jimkroft.substack.com ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Welcome back to The Creative Life.There’s a moment every artist faces — not just once, but again and again.You’ve put in the hours. You’ve pushed through resistance. And then one day, you ask the question:Should I just… stop?This episode is about that question — and what happens if, instead of giving up, you keep going.It’s a reflection on the reckonings we face as creatives — and how those moments can either end a journey… or begin a new chapter.Whether you're in the thick of doubt or on the cusp of your next phase, I hope this brings some fire to your step — and courage to go on.What you’ll take away:🪞 Why “give up” moments are often invitations to grow⚔️ How to meet the threshold every artist encounters🎛️ A creative process that sustains when momentum fades🔁 How joy returns after the work nearly breaks you💡 Why meaning often hides on the far side of resistanceThank you for all the support, everyone - if you have a moment to rate and review it is greatly appreciated!Jim🎵  Jim Kroft on Spotify 📝 Newsletter: The Creative Life 📸  YouTube 💬 Instagram  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Welcome back to The Jim Kroft Podcast.After 117 consecutive weeks writing my Substack, I’ve learned this:Consistency isn’t about willpower. It’s about building the kind of system that sustains you when life doesn’t.In this episode, I break down the 4 practices that helped me join Substack’s top 1% for consistency — without burning out or losing the joy of writing.Whether you're starting a creative routine or trying to reconnect with your voice, this episode offers tools you can actually use — and a mindset to help you keep going.What you’ll learn:🗂️ How I capture ideas so I never start from scratch💬 Why commenting on Substack Notes leads to better writing than scrolling📓 How private writing unlocks your clearest public work🧱 Why essay writing is the fastest path to finding what you really think🔥 What 117 weeks taught me about staying consistent — and staying humanLet’s get into it.All music in this episode is mine — stream it on Spotify.Jim Kroft Links: YouTube | Newsletter | Spotify | Instagram | X ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jim's Substack: "The Creative Life"Welcome back to The Jim Kroft Podcast.Today’s episode is called “An Artist’s Assault on Niching Down.” It’s for creatives who never fit the playbook—who felt something calling, even if they didn’t yet know what it was.While others picked their lane and built a brand, maybe you were staring out the window—hungering after life in all its wild, unknowable complexity.Niche down? Or Niche out?This episode explores what gets lost when you niche too early—before you’ve lived enough to know who you are.Because drift, detours, and failure don’t hold you back—they build the voice and story only you can tell.We explore:⚠️ The real cost of niching too soon🌱 Why your voice takes time, failure, and becoming🎭 The value of being the clown for the Great Idea🧬 Why you are not a genre🌍 How the artist expands—not shrinks—into the worldThis is for those still searching for their through-line, before reducing themselves to a category.Let's dive in!Your host, Jim KroftMusic in today's episodeJim KroftArtlistJim Kroft links: YouTube | Newsletter | Spotify | Instagram |  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Hello, and welcome back to The Jim Kroft Podcast.The creator economy promised freedom. For many of us, it delivered burnout, invisibility, and a slow erosion of meaning.In this episode, I explore what we lose when we hand our creative process to machines. Because it’s not just about output — it’s about the transformation we abandon when we skip the hard part. When we let AI do the work, we sacrifice the very struggle that shapes our voice, our vision, our humanity.This isn’t a rant against technology. It’s a defence of the self — and a call to reclaim the depth that only comes through doing the work ourselves.In this episode:🧠 How “content” replaced creation — and why it’s draining the soul from the work🎭 Why personal branding has become a survival mechanism — and what it’s doing to our sense of self⚙️ How AI’s promise of ease flattens the very process that forms our voice🌀 Why performing for the feed leaves us burned out, fractured — and often ashamed🔥 Why the only way out is through: real work, real struggle, and the transformation it offersLet’s dive in.Your host, Jim Kroft (All the music today is mine and available on Spotify)Jim Kroft links: YouTube | Newsletter | Spotify | Instagram | X ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

🎥 New! Watch the Podcast on YouTubeI’ve just launched a dedicated YouTube channel for The Jim Kroft Podcast—where you can watch the episode and follow the key moments as they unfold. It’s brand new and shared only with listeners for now.____🎯 One Clear Purpose Per Day How I’m building a creative life without burning out.In this episode, I share a breakthrough that’s reshaped how I work, create, and stay sane as a one-person business.We all know the pressure: create content, stay visible, market yourself. But in a world where Alex Hormozi is spending millions a month on content and ad teams—and Gary Vee is shouting "post 24/7"—what does that mean for the rest of us?The ones without teams. The ones juggling freelance work, family, burnout—and still trying to make something meaningful.This episode isn’t about rejecting content. It’s about finding a rhythm that respects your limits and moves the needle.I talk about:How I structure my week across newsletter, podcast, and YouTubeThe principle of “One Clear Purpose Per Day”—and how it’s helped me regain focus and protect my energyThe story of almost quitting post-pandemic, and what pulled me backThe deeper cost of hustle culture—and how to build a sustainable path as a creativeIf you’re a creator, artist, or indie builder feeling overwhelmed or behind—this is for you. Not a masterclass. Just a fellow traveller sharing what’s working right now.🎧 Your host, Jim KroftFind me here:YouTube | Newsletter | Spotify | Instagram ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

🎥 New! Watch the Podcast on YouTube I’ve just launched a dedicated YouTube channel for The Jim Kroft Podcast—where you can watch the episode and follow the key moments as they unfold. It’s brand new and shared only with listeners for now.________How to Keep Going When Life Loses Meaning 🎙 The Jim Kroft PodcastEver feel like you’re doing all the right things—showing up, staying creative, staying committed—yet the meaning behind it all quietly disappears?This episode is for every artist, writer, and maker who’s hit that invisible wall. When the results don’t come. When your energy drains. When you wonder, what’s the point of any of this?I walk you through that space—not with quick fixes, but with hard-won insight from years on the creative path. This is about how to stay connected to your “why” when you’ve lost the thread, how to face the inner voices that sabotage you, and how to keep going—especially when it feels like no one’s watching.Whether you're in a creative burnout, doubting your purpose, or simply trying to stay inspired in a world full of noise—this episode offers a way back to the work that matters most.Here’s what we explore:🔥 Face the Voice in the Dark: Why the thoughts you fear most might just be here to help you grow.🛑 The Courage to Stop: How stopping is often the beginning—not the end—of creative movement.✨ Break the Mould: Why the version of yourself you’ve outgrown is blocking your way forward.🌌 Meaning Is the Work: Not something you wait for—but something you practice, daily.🪞 Forgive the Shame, Catch the Cynic: How to stop projecting your pain—and begin transmuting it.🌀 Stuckness Precedes Breakthrough: Why the feeling of being stuck is part of the cycle—not a sign you’ve failed.This is a personal, scripted reflection on how to keep going—especially when everything in you is asking whether it’s still worth it.— 🎧Your host, Jim KroftFind me here: YouTube | Newsletter | Spotify | Instagram ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Should I Finish It or Let It Brew?Hello and welcome back to The Jim Kroft Podcast.This episode is for anyone caught in that timeless creative tension: should you finish what you’ve started, or let the idea simmer?I take you inside the creative process behind making my new album—grappling with writer’s block, navigating false starts, and learning to keep going without the help of a label, rival, or sparring partner.But this isn’t just about music. It’s about how we all move through uncertainty in creative life, and how finishing something often begins with simply showing up.Because sometimes, waiting is the block. And moving is the muse.Highlights from this episode:🧠 Writer’s Block Real Talk — What it feels like, and how I faced it head-on🎯 Self-Deadlines That Work — Why booking the studio in advance changed everything🪞 The Imaginary Collaborator — A mind trick that helped me finish songs🔥 Healthy Rivalry — How comparing myself to my heroes sharpened my edge🌀 Emptiness & Inspiration — Why they’re not enemies, but dance partnersThanks for being here. And wherever you are in your creative process—keep going.Your host, Jim KroftJim Kroft links: YouTube | Newsletter | Instagram | Spotify  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Hello everyone and welcome back to "The Jim Kroft Podcast"Do you have the courage to write badly?In this episode, I dive into the messy, liberating truth that to create something meaningful, you first have to give yourself permission to be bad.Inspired by comedian Steve Martin's playful approach to songwriting, we'll explore how embracing imperfection can free your creativity—and why intentionally writing badly might unlock your best work yet.Questions we explore:How can deliberately creating 'badly' overcome creative blocks?Why does embracing imperfection lead to authentic creativity?How can playful experimentation rejuvenate your artistic spirit?Highlights:🎲 Courage in Imperfection🎭 Rediscovering Levity📈 Kaizen for Creatives💔 Forgiving Yourself🎨 Ritualising PlayThanks for the support as always, everyone! JimYouTube | Newsletter  ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★