Welcome to the first official episode of Season 2 of The Mindful Creator: All of our guests and the topics we discuss this season will focus on what it takes to develop the right mindset for showing up to our creative work with confidence – or in some cases, in whatever way we can.
In Episode 26 of The Mindful Creator, I chat with Melissa Dinwiddie –  an Artist, Writer & Creativity Instigator – about the creative gap between our current realities and the outcomes we hope to achieve.
In our conversation, Melissa and I break down the process of understanding this creative gap, some of the factors that trap us inside of it, and a few methods for effectively bridging the gap.

Link Love
The Imperfectionist Manifesto – Melissa Dinwiddie
Keys to Creative Flow – Melissa Dinwiddie
The Art of Work – Jeff Goins
Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor Frankl
In this Episode

* The quote from Melissa’s blog post that inspired this topic: “The fact is, there’s always a gap between what you want to produce – the Platonic Ideal that you have for your creative work – and what you’re able to create in reality.”
* Melissa shares her story of her early creative adventures as a child, the evolution of creativity in her growth process and her passion for dance through high school and her brief stint at Juilliard, and how she discovered and embrace her true creative nature as someone with multiple passions.
* Why creativity doesn’t find us (we’re born with it) or really ever leave us, but can get rusty from disuse.
* Melissa talks about her experiences with calligraphy, writing, and paper cutting, and how those influenced her journey of creative discovery.
* Melissa talks about losing touch with the impulse to create in the chase to build a sustainable business.
* Melissa talks about her rock bottom facing the sudden end of a long-term relationship and the harsh reality of not knowing where the next paycheck would come from.
* Melissa talks about starting her blog – Living a Creative Life – five years ago with the intention of using it to chart her journey toward the creative life she wanted (and how the unfolding of this process surprised her).
* How the metaphor of “playing in the creative sandbox” helped Melissa reconnect with her deeper creative self.
* The misconception of “the muse placing our calling on a silver platter,” and why it distracts us from tackling the more challenging process of cultivating our calling and navigating the creativity/commerce conundrum.
* Why we need the struggle to gain the self awareness needed to recognize our true passion.
* Melissa: “Your bliss is going to evolve.”
* Why there is no “one way” to living a big, bold creative life.
* Why the two ends of the spectrum (work for someone vs. work for ourselves) are not the only means to fufilling your creative passions,