In today's episode, I'm opening up a conversation about taking things slowly at our own pace and being okay if it is taking more time than we thought it should take for us to make our creative ideas, businesses or projects happen. I am also sharing a few personal stories to make my point.

In today's episode, I'm sharing my experience with feeling the fear and doing it anyway. There are also some stories of me feeling oh so afraid and in the process, doing the things that I am now most proud of. Also sharing a visualization exercise that I use to ground myself whenever fear-based responses show up for me.

In today's episode, I'm sharing my thoughts about originality and the idea that it's all been done before. How to approach if you struggle with this thought and mental block around not being original/ unique or new enough. Through my personal struggles and examples around it, I'm sharing some helpful actionable steps that you can take to reframe it for yourself and the way you show up in your creative work and life. Why it is so important to share your story, your experience, and your take on it all? What happens when we share our vulnerable, raw, and unedited stories without falling into this trap of 'it's all been done before. What's even the point?'

Today's episode is about embracing the idea that you already have all the answers inside of you. You need to learn to believe that, tune in and listen to the voice of your own inner mentor. Otherwise, you'll end up feeling frustrated, lost, and overwhelmed. I am sharing what worked for me when I was feeling like that and how I manage to find my still in the midst of all the chaos.

Today's episode is about giving ourselves permission to begin and be okay with not being as good at the things that we are really passionate about right from the beginning. I am sharing three simple steps to take if you struggle with giving yourself permission to be a beginner. I am also sharing my own example of what struggling with this looked like for me. 

Today's episode is about why it is important to define our very own version of success and also naming the metrics we are going to measure our success against. I am sharing my lived experiences of learning to question the preconceived notions of success. Also, I'm sharing a few journaling prompts for you to start this journey of redefining success for yourself. For episode show notes & links, head to https://hirasahmed.com/podcast/

In this episode, I am sharing why I think it is okay to begin even if we don't have all the answers right away. I am also sharing my personal experience as to what it looks like when we are building a creative work and life practice that would work for us but we don't know what it could possibly look like yet. I'm sharing encouragement for you to begin even if you don't yet know where you are going.

In this episode, I am sharing why I think we need to part ways with the should do's from our creative work and lives, what do I mean by should do's, and what I don't mean. I am sharing examples of some amazing artists who chose to go against the tradition and ended up creating some exceptional works of art. I am also inviting you to consider the way you approach the should do's in your life and sharing an alternate approach.

Welcome to the second season of the podcast. In this episode, I am sharing updates, behind the scenes pre-pandemic + post-pandemic, and introducing the second season. I am also sharing some vulnerable truths and how recording this season is making me feel the discomfort. The discomfort that an inevitable part of the process and I am also inviting you to ask some deeper questions while you tune into this season.

Agnes is an artist, freelance science communication consultant and creator of the online shop, we are stardust. We are stardust is a print design shop where art and science collide.

Rubeena is the business owner of a creative shop, The Gray Muse, a social worker and a psychotherapist by profession. The Gray Muse was founded in 2019 and it is the first enamel pin shop designed specifically with crafters and artists in mind. In this episode, we talked about setting up a creative business for yourself, enjoying the process more than the outcome, finding your own version of success and the importance of listening to your own intuition to guide the way.

Sarah is a watercolor artist, photographer and nature enthusiast based in Seine et Marne, France. She paints beautiful landscapes and she teaches online on Skillshare. I have been following her work for a while and it was such an honour to invite her and talk to her about her process. In this episode, we chatted about her love for nature and how it inspires her to paint, why is it important for her to create and how it all began. Sarah creates every day. At least one painting a day. I find it fascinating. I hope you'll enjoy learning about her journey too!

Rebecca is a southwest-based multi-passionate creative; photographer, jeweler, painter, and writer. She likes keeping her hands and mind busy, in the studio and out in nature. She has self-published over 20 artist books. She makes jewelry by hand with recycled gold and silver, conflict-free diamonds and ethically sourced stones. She uses natural light and elements to tell stories with her photography. Her paintings focus on light and highlight climate change. In this episode, we chatted about what it is like to be a multi-passionate with an interdisciplinary approach towards making art. This episode is more like a casual conversation where Becca is sharing her story, how she sees the world and what has shaped her approach. If you consider yourself a multi-passionate too, this episode will encourage you to give permission to follow your curiosities in a way that works for you and keep going.

Maria is an artist living in Stockholm, Sweden. She paints mostly abstract landscapes in watercolors and acrylics. Her aim is to capture the majestic nature and reserved cultural atmosphere of Scandinavia in her art. Her hope is that her work will bring a sense of calm to the viewer.

Ruth is a creative business mentor to quietly ambitious women based in the UK. She has been in the online business world for about 11 years. Ruth recognizes herself as a massive introverted shy human.

Huma is a writer, a journalist and an award-winning author, and she writes about the extraordinary joy and beauty that can be found in ordinary little things, creating a home, navigating motherhood, and living simply and purposefully. In this episode, we talked about her love for the written word, how her south Asian heritage has influenced her as a person and as a writer as well, learning to say no and navigating writing, life, and motherhood all at the same time. Huma and I share the same cultural heritage as we are both from Pakistan. I grew up in Pakistan and she didn't but still, our experiences are quite the same in many ways. We also talked about inclusion, why representation matters and why we need to hear, see and read more stories in which we can see ourselves reflected to create space for what's possible for us.

Giulia is a writer and a translator. She lives in Scotland where she is trying to slow down her life in order to live it to the fullest. She is still figuring things out, and she shares all her thoughts on the matter on her blog. She cares deeply about meaning, nuances and the power of language to form an identity. In this episode, we talked about her journey of leaving a dream corporate job, travelling for a year and then finally slowing down to sit with her thoughts, figure out what she'd rather love doing. We also talked about the power of stories and how sharing our true not so perfect messy parts can empower others to see what's possible for them too. We talked a lot about the process and how going through the process and the discomfort is inevitable if you wish to deviate from the should do's in your life. My conversation with Giulia made me realize how even though we both grew up in different cultures but are so very alike and have similar kinds of struggles. I hope our experiences resonate with yours too!

Jill Dimond Art is an artist, photographer, and transcriber. She likes to draw nature and celebrate wildlife through her art. In this conversation, we talked about her journey of embracing her love for making art, doing the work, finding the courage to share her work online and building creative confidence along the way too.

Sarah Fraser is an editor, writer, teacher, and blogger and we talked about her personal journey of reconnecting with her creativity. She took us back on the journey along with her through her early childhood and how she always wanted to be an author but somehow along the way got distracted by the shoulds and quote-unquote real-life responsibilities of finding a well-paid career instead. She further shares how she is reconnecting with her creativity now and showing up for it. Through my conversation with Sarah I realised some things about my own creative process and reconnecting with my own creativity, so I hope you find this episode as thought-provoking as I did.

Welcome to the first-ever episode of living your truth podcast with Hira Sameer Ahmed. In this solo episode, I share my story, why I do what I do, what did the journey of me getting where I am now looked like and also me explaining what this podcast is going to be about. What does this phrase, 'living your truth out loud' means to me and what it could look like for you. I share how I believe that owning our stories and loving ourselves through the process is the bravest thing we will ever do. I also talked about what does living a wholehearted creative life look life for me. I hope it holds space for you to define success on your own terms and give you permission to follow your curiosity. Your journey doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. You are allowed to carve a path of your own on your own terms and in your own way.