Unless there's a tiger right behind you about to eat you or somebody is currently in this moment bashing you over the head with something, there's nothing wrong. So for most people in the present moment, it's the most powerful, the safest, the most creative place to be. This is the show for creative entrepreneurs who have a message to share and want to live a life of freedom. Learn how to grow your network, and net worth, hear from exciting guests, and more. My name is Dylan Schmidt, and welcome to Digital Podcaster. Thank you so much for joining me on Digital Podcaster. Today, Bill, I recently had your co host, your partner in crime your partner in creativity. Miles recently on was he scary? Or did he do Oh, yeah. very intimidating. Didn't let me talk. I didn't even use very loud. He was super loud. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Hold on. And I was like, that's strange for because your guys's podcast is called the subtle art of not yelling? Well, it's like a retraining. No, that's great. I'm glad you had him on. He said he had a great time. You both are so great. I'm glad you're here. And my first question for you. And I keep the questions open ended and a little bit abstract. Mainly because, yeah, free will. And you're one of the most creative people I've heard talk. So where do you look when you want to be inspired? Ooh. Right now, I just had this picture of my head spinning all over the place. You know, it can be so many different places. Sometimes I look out my window, it's that simple are out my door. And look outside, I live in a kind of a pretty place. Lots of trees, lots of nature, that's usually good. Sometimes I look a little more inside the house, I see what's going on with my, my people, my little family. And then a lot of times, I'm inspired by things that I read. I remember even a long time ago, reading some book and having a song idea like right then and there from that book, and kind of taking some piece of it. And, you know, making my own story out of it. It can be things like that through things when you became a dad, how old is your kid? By the way? He just turned 1111. So did you find how you would consume content change quite a bit? Yeah, I think so. And then also you figure 11 years ago, that also coincides with a lot of other ways to consume content that weren't there before. I have more short form, things that I read, whether there's it's a newsletter, I can't stand the news. And I actually one of the things I do with almost all my clients, especially if they're experiencing some level of anxiety, or existential dread, is I just tell them to stop all consumption of the news. Because the news is not meant to make you feel good, and most of what you're consuming, you can't do anything about nothing, just nothing. So I thought, you know, I really still like to stay up on things that are happening in the world. But I'd like a different perspective. So I recently subscribed to National Geographic online, and I find that they touch on important current events. But they don't do it from the same perspective as like, you know, CNN. And I also get to read about all kinds of history and other things that I find much more interesting. Whatever today's political division challenge is, do they give the elephant's perspective on Ukraine? That would be really cool, I would actually subscribe. What is your favorite way to get in your own creative flow? Favorite way, or most useful way? That's a favorite way. I don't know if I have a favorite way. Because creative flow oftentimes is incredibly uncomfortable, particularly at the outset. It really depends. And for me, I think creative flow takes a lot of different forms. I just came back from a two week tour playing 10 shows. And there is a creative flow that you get into for a performance. And that one sometimes is easier for me to access, or maybe the easiest one to access because there's nothing else to do. I'm there. There's people, I have to do it. And so whether whatever I may feel about it. I have to flip the switch and go and it's and it's something I've done a lot of times so there's some muscle memory involved in that. I think most of the rest of it is I have to force myself in some way I have to have a structure a deadline a partner. I find that most of the songs Long as I've written in the last several years have either been with a co writer, or because it was an assignment of some sort. Otherwise, I won't do it. And I think that's true of anything I do creatively, I need some kind of structure around it, or I just won't do it. And I don't know why. I know artists who can't wait to show up in their space and make stuff. And I don't have that. I love to make stuff. And once I do it, it's great. It's fun, I dig it. But I have to kind of make myself do it. I love that you recognize that too. So many years, personally, I would look at myself like, why am I not doing it? Like, the way I would see artists that I look up to doing it when naturally feel like I'm not creative. And I was just telling my wife the other day, like, I spent so many years of my life not feeling creative. And more recently, I feel creative. But it's such a difference to be in the flow and not feel like you are even near anywhere near that flow. You mentioned uncomfortableness around creativity, do you mind sharing more, just a little bit about that? Well, creation is uncomfortable. It just is, you know, from giving from actual giving birth. Now I haven't done it. But I've seen it done. And it looks pretty uncomfortable. There's a level of discomfort, whether that's because there's some story in your head that whatever you're doing isn't going to be very good. Or that you don't know what to do. Or you're telling yourself oh, I'm not creative anyway. Or whatever it is. There's always some level of discomfort. I think that goes along with creativity. And learning to allow that. Just let it be there is a big part of the deal. I think it's also why you find that artists at times can be, let's say drawn to things that might cover up that feeling whether that's drugs and alcohol or, you know, any other things that might make it easier to deal with the uncomfortableness feels like such a wave of creativity itself is just a to me I just as a fascinating idea. Because Dylan, I mean, think about it, you asked me how do you get in the flow, but in the flow of what is if we're talking about creativity, life is creative you whether you're doing it with a certain amount of presence, or not, you are creating every moment of your life. And so if we go if we're going to drill down that bar, then the idea is to always be in the flow, there is no, not in the flow. When you're not in the flow, it's when you're not present, it's when you're lost in your head, thinking about the past or the future, or the what ifs or the what was when I am present in the moment I am creating. And even if I talk about performance, really the the switch that gets flipped is to be present to actually be there in that moment. And no other because there is no other when I wasn't paying attention, what was that lesson? I'm just kidding. That is the most accurate description. I feel like I've ever heard not that I was looking for some accurate description, but just the way you described it. And I think of how I was just saying that. I felt not creative at one time. I wasn't present to a lot of things, you know, so many other things going through my mind High School different, you know, life. And then looking back on it. I'm like, Oh, well, I had the tools if I was able to see it in front of me. But in those moments, it's hard to see it. You know, it just how you said that is such an empowering viewpoint of creativity versus the alternative, which is I'm just not a creative person, which a lot of people have said out loud, you know, yeah, they say it like, if they don't play music, or they don't paint or whatever. They're not creative. And that's crap. I'm like, Have you ever cooked dinner? Have you ever stood up and given a speech at a wedding? Have you ever I don't know there's a million different things, things you could do at work things you can do anywhere. Have you ever made up a story for your kid before they went to sleep, or a game or anything else? It's all creativity. If you've listened to Digital Podcaster more than once and you're enjoying the episodes, you've probably noticed that I don't have ads where I try and sell you something the reason for that is because I'm just simply trying to share tools and strategies that will help you become a better podcaster if you're a repeat listener, all I ask is that you help the show by taking 30 seconds and leaving a quick rating and review at read this podcast.com/dylan it really only takes 30 seconds helps the show out and would mean the world to me. All you have to do is go to rate this podcast.com/dylan dy LA and thank you so much for listening take a quick moment to do that. Let's dive back in. Last question for you, what is one of the most important lessons you've learned over your career? I think I think we just talked about be here. Now I am, like many people, I think, left to my own devices, I will get lost in my head, thinking about what's next. Thinking about a someday, one day, hope it might be future that if I don't pull back from that I actually miss my life as it's happening. And I think I might have missed a couple of years, one time, because I was so busy trying to make some thing happen some, some day One day, this is what I want it to look like thing that I was not, I wasn't really present to what was happening in the moment, ever, when I remember. And I bring presents to anything I'm doing, from being here with you, to playing music to being with my son, to doing anything. When I bring that everything works better. Can you be present to two things at once? Why not? When you say like, maybe there were a couple years where you weren't present. But you were probably present to something right? I guess I mean, I must have been, I'm sure I had moments of it. But I certainly didn't. I didn't understand it the way that I do. And I think I just spent an inordinate amount of time lost in my head, you know, wishing, hoping wandering, wanting, instead of just being. And the other thing that does is that when you're lost in the past or the future, you often find something wrong. Right? If I'm constantly looking at in the future, then when I get present to is when I don't have right now. Or if I'm looking at the past, I'm probably thinking about choices I made that, you know, maybe I could have made a different one or whatever. The thing about the present moment, is that there's nothing wrong. In this moment right here. There's nothing wrong. I mean, unless there's a tiger right behind you about to eat you. Or somebody's currently in this moment bashing you over the head with something. There's nothing wrong. So for most people in the present moment, is the most powerful, the safest the the most creative place to be. That's fascinating. Who do you normally work with? And then how do you work with them, love to a lot of things. So I work with people in different areas. And I find, although I think it's amazing to see people who it looks like they do it all by themselves. You know, whatever it is they're doing, I'm not good at that. Nor do I really like it, I get kind of tired of me. So for example, in the music world, I was in a band here in Texas for 14 years. And in that band, we all made our own records, we made records together as a band, we work together in the studio at the studio with other artists. So there were a lot of different ways that we did stuff together. I still play with some of those people. So I work as a performer. With some of those folks, I have a one sort of primary songwriting partner that we work together. And usually he brings me some kind of start some kind of idea, maybe half of something and we go from there. I really love finishing stuff like that. I may not always have a great idea to begin with, but I love taking his and you know, fleshing them out and crafting that and making that really good. As you know, I have a partner in the podcast miles. And so interesting, I find more and more that our skill sets are so opposite. That it works great, because the stuff that I can't stand and just plain wouldn't do. He's not only good at it, I think he likes it, which is mind blowing to me. And vice versa. You know, the things that I do, he would not it would be a deal breaker. You know, he just wouldn't, wouldn't do the thing. It's feels like a full circle. Because when you are mentioning how creative wise you like working and not alone. And then when you're working with people, it's just like shows up there too, whether it's in podcast, in music with clients. Thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today, Bill. It's been a pleasure. Oh, thank you. It's always good to see you. Thanks for having me.