Hey podcast friends! This week our conversation was sparked by a book, Deep Work by Cal Newport, Marian is reading. So what is deep work? What is shallow work? We think these answers are personal to you, and the work you do. We chat about: Defining deep and shallow work in your life & the difference between the two How the online climate is pushing us to work in the shallows and we can struggle so much to work in the digital world, when so much of our work is deep. How we sense the shift of peers on social media platforms…we are all just a little tired of the pressure to show up on these platforms as a second (shallow) job on top of our deeper work. The permission we all have to share online as simply a way to share the work we actually do. The “soul tax” of social media platforms and their intended purpose (and it doesn’t have anything to do with growing your business). How to show up online in a way that feels authentic to you, so you can spend your days on the deep work of your life. Our creative contraption for the week: A Painter’s Color Diary You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com, Marian at www.missstudardseed.com and Shaunna at www.perfectlyimperfectblog.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.

5.2 Talent & Work, Let's Discuss… by Marian Parsons & Shaunna West

5. 1 We’re back and talking about when life is bananas So where have we been, what have we been up to, and what has been going on in our lives in the last year?? By the way, we can’t believe it’s been a year, we have MISSED YOU, but you’ll certainly get a better understanding into why it has taken this break to begin recording again. So when life is actually bananas…not just sort of busy, but very, very up in the air, where does our creative work go? Anywhere, everywhere, nowhere, somewhere, and all the seeds planted along the way for the future. Marian shares about her move and her six months in a boot barely moving and Shaunna shares a little about her year long custody journey, as well as their moments trying to appreciate the seasons they are in, how they have coped, the way they don’t have the answers, but ideas to help yourself ask the right questions that work for you. Our creative contraption for the week: Japanese Watercolor Brush Set with Brush Roll Up Holder https://www.amazon.com/dp/B097MJTLQ8?psc=1&linkCode=sl1&tag=thecreati06de-20&linkId=fe195f1e7aaa24e91aabb489ed854ee8&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com, Marian at www.missstudardseed.com and Shaunna at www.perfectlyimperfectblog.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.

4.4 - Living A Life In Art by Marian Parsons & Shaunna West

4.3 - Know What You Want Out Of Social Media Before Opening The App 1 by Marian Parsons & Shaunna West

4.2 - Say Yes, Life After The Death Of Dream With Scott Erickson by Marian Parsons & Shaunna West

4.1 - Filling Your Space With Pieces You Love by Marian Parsons & Shaunna West

3.24 - Permission To Change Your Mind by Marian Parsons & Shaunna West

3.23 - Cozy White Cottage Season & Blogs aren't dead with Liz Marie Galvan by Marian Parsons & Shaunna West

3.22 - On Judging Your Creative Work Fairly by Marian Parsons & Shaunna West

3.21 - Taking Calculated Risks by Marian Parsons & Shaunna West

3.20 - Ruth Chou Simons & Creating A Market For Your Work by Marian Parsons & Shaunna West

3.19 - All Of The Details About Getting Published by Marian Parsons & Shaunna West

3.18 - When You Hit A Life Wall by Marian Parsons & Shaunna West

3.17 - Creative Collaboration by Marian Parsons & Shaunna West

This topic comes up a LOT for us in our mentoring group and Community, in conversations with other creatives, between ourselves...we are consistently talking through this and striving to navigate the weird world of social media in our own ways. Todd Henry says, “Technology is really outpacing us.” We talk about this and why it is so difficult to show up as yourself, as you are, on social media and also why we all just can’t stop talking about it. How do we use it as a tool, and use it positively for ourselves, without absorbing all of the negativity of sameness, comparison, and simply not feeling like you or your work is enough. You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.

We love having guests...we love the rich conversation, and so do you guys. And when we asked Jena from A Spoonful of Faith one of many questions, “So tell us about your style,” her answer blew us away. “Your Style is Your Voice.” You will love hearing Jena’s story around the beginnings of her business, how she discovered her voice, and how she tries to use her platforms and work to bring beauty into the world and to bless others with positivity and goodness. You can find Jena on Instagram @aspoonfuloffaith and her website https://www.spoonfuloffaith.com. You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.

It happens. You’ve gotten older. You’ve gotten wiser. You have so much experience, and a lot of it is good. Out of nowhere, it seems just like in our lives, we face situations and feelings within our business that force us to feel like it’s just not like it used to be. After you have been in business for quite a while, there is simply more time for things to go wrong and to face disappointments. In the beginning, even though you may not be where you want to be yet, there is literally nowhere to go but up. Everything is fresh and new, and there is really only opportunity (or the hope of it) ahead. We talk about the mid-life crisis of a creative business and how we try to navigate it ourselves. It is normal, it is to be expected, and you most certainly can navigate through it as well. You can find us, Marian and Shaunna, at www.thecreativeexponent.com where we continue our passionate conversation around all things creative.

3.13 - How To Prepare For A Creative Retreat by Marian Parsons & Shaunna West

3.11 - How Overthinking Kills Creativity & Joy by Marian Parsons & Shaunna West