On this episode of The Floating Experiment, I interview Maria, a creativity guide and artist. She is the founder of The Philosopher’s Stem, where she draws out the latent creativity and sense of playfulness that we’ve stamped down inside our adult selves. When working with a client, she sets goals or deadlines to hold the person accountable and to give them motivation to pursue their creativity. She also provides positive feedback to highlight the most promising aspects of her clients’ work, to help them overcome their negative inner critic voices.
Together, Maria and I discuss the ins and outs of a creative life, from what creativity actually is, to how exercising creativity ties in deeply with our sense of wellbeing. She also outlines what the role of a creativity guide is and how a creativity guide can help you overcome your creative blocks. Maria believes that creativity is a muscle and should be treated as an exercise, where you give yourself permission to warm up and have a few bad attempts before you launch into your main project. We should value these bad attempts as part of the process, rather than beating ourselves up for not being perfect the first time round.
Listen out to the end of the episode to discover what Maria’s most recent creative projects are, and her advice on how to make space in your life for your creativity.
Please subscribe to the podcast for more interviews with passionate, creative individuals and share this episode with someone you know who’s struggling with a creative roadblock in their life.
Timestamps
[1:35] Maria introduces herself and talks about her creative pursuits
[3:50] Can creativity be structured?
[5:35] Maria’s transition into her role as a creativity coach
[7:42] What actually is creativity?
[9:48] Maria’s advice to get in touch with your creativity: Reinstate your sense of play
[11:07] The origin of Maria’s business and business name
[14:42] What is Maria’s role as a creativity guide?
[16:30] The benefits of working with a creativity guide
[18:06] An underrated feedback technique that encourages you to keep exercising your creativity superpower
[20:47] Creativity and our sense of well-being
[23:20] When’s the right time to bring a creativity guide on board?
[25:47] Powering through the first few difficult tries in a creative project
[27:00] Creativity and intuition: two sides of the same coin
[30:26] Introducing yourself to others as a creative individual, not as a professional
[31:10] Maria’s most recent creative projects
[33:50] How to create space for your creativity
[37:18] What floating means to Maria
[39:15] Where to go to find out more about Maria
Links
The Philosopher’s Stem website
The Philosopher’s Stem on Instagram