Katie Woodruff, host of the Abundantly Aware Podcast, invited me on her show to talk about being a self-published author and working with creativity as an artist.
We recorded the episode in February 2022 and it aired on March 9, 2023. Here’s where you can listen:
On the Abundantly Aware podcast, Katie Woodruff explores how to help overwhelmed creatives move from paralyzed to empowered. It’s a transition so many of us want to make and aren’t sure exactly what to do, but as a coach it’s the kind of thing Katie thinks about a lot. Her episodes are conversational, revolving around relatable stories on a given topic.
Katie and I connected on Instagram. I saw Katie’s content mentioned by Kirsti McNabney, host of the Thinking About podcast who had me on her show last month. I went to check out Katie’s work, pitched her my story, and we hit it off.
We ended up having a great conversation about writing Chaos Calling and my journey through self-publishing. We also talk about the choices I’m glad I made on my journey and things I would adjust if I had my time over again.
Who is this conversation for? Anyone who wants to write a book or is interested in learning more about writing, self-publishing and chasing creative goals.
Topics we cover on the Abundantly Aware Podcast
- 1:00 — How I got into self-publishing and why it was the right choice for me
- 5:00 — The myth of overnight success in the arts and in other fields.
- 6:00 — How Chaos Calling came to me as a project.
- 10:30 — The importance of getting good feedback early and often.
- 12:00 — What choices I would make again with the creative process: The best decision I made was not to talk too much about the plot until the draft was finished and then when it was ready for primetime.
- 17:00 — My creativity model and why I don’t believe you have to suffer to make art.
- 24:00 — Why you can’t let fear drive when you’re building something new and how I think about writing books and reviewing books by other authors.
- 32:00 — The joy of crowd response when you achieve a goal you’ve been chasing your whole life contrasted to the resting power of the Velvet Ditch.
- 35:00 — Authors I’m reading and enjoying.
- 37:20 — I pitch Chaos Calling to Katie Woodruff’s audience and tell her where to find it on Amazon.
If you’d like to watch us talk, you can do that there:
The best part? Katie told me on International Women’s Day that she’s got a copy of the book, which is the greatest kind of message to get at 3 pm on a Wednesday.
For more, you can follow Katie and the Abundantly Aware podcast:
- Instagram: @abundantlyawarepodcast
- YouTube: Abundantly Aware’s channel