Ever wonder what it's like to be a romance novelist working to shift the narrative in a billion-dollar industry? What if you could capture your creativity, overcome blocks, and maintain your passion while navigating through vulnerability? Get ready, because Arden Coutts, a romance writer with a fascinating range of experiences, is here to take us on that journey.
Arden, a writer, social media manager, podcaster, and archaeologist, shares their creative process, how they break free from creative blocks using playlists and handwritten notes, and how their editor serves as an extra motivator. We dive deep into their experience in the romance industry and their determination to keep moving forward despite the vulnerability of sharing their writing. Arden also opens up about their journey from not writing at all to completing multiple novels, all while leveraging National Novel Writing Month as a catalyst.
We wrap up this episode discussing how Arden supports their creativity, the importance of self-acceptance, and the strategies they have planned for their upcoming book release. We also express our appreciation for the Mind Over Medium Podcast and its role in fostering creativity and community. Join us in this empowering conversation that puts a spotlight on the creative journey, reminding us that it's not just about the destination, but the path we take to get there. Trust us; you won't want to miss this one.
Connect with Arden:
Instagram
Website
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Ever wonder what it's like to be a romance novelist working to shift the narrative in a billion-dollar industry? What if you could capture your creativity, overcome blocks, and maintain your passion while navigating through vulnerability? Get ready, because Arden Coutts, a romance writer with a fascinating range of experiences, is here to take us on that journey.
Arden, a writer, social media manager, podcaster, and archaeologist, shares their creative process, how they break free from creative blocks using playlists and handwritten notes, and how their editor serves as an extra motivator. We dive deep into their experience in the romance industry and their determination to keep moving forward despite the vulnerability of sharing their writing. Arden also opens up about their journey from not writing at all to completing multiple novels, all while leveraging National Novel Writing Month as a catalyst.
We wrap up this episode discussing how Arden supports their creativity, the importance of self-acceptance, and the strategies they have planned for their upcoming book release. We also express our appreciation for the Mind Over Medium Podcast and its role in fostering creativity and community. Join us in this empowering conversation that puts a spotlight on the creative journey, reminding us that it's not just about the destination, but the path we take to get there. Trust us; you won't want to miss this one.
Connect with Arden:
Instagram
Website
Download your visual resume template
Welcome to Mind Over Medium, a podcast for artists who want to make money doing what they love. When you tune in a twink you will learn how to attract your ideal commissions, approach galleries for representation, have a great online launch of your work, and how to do it all with less overwhelm and confusion. You will have the opportunity to hear from amazing artists who will share how they have built their successful creative businesses. My hope is to create a space where artists and the creative curious can gather to learn about one of the most important tools creative entrepreneurs need in their toolbox their mindset. Thanks so much for tuning in to Mind Over Medium podcast.
Speaker 1:Let's get started Today. I am so happy and honored to be chatting with Arden Koots Rhymes with Boots, who is not only a writer and social media manager podcaster, but an all-around cool person. I appreciate you being here today. I have started asking guests a few new questions, so we're going to get that as well. I'd like you to introduce yourself, tell us who you are, where do you live, what do you do, and then, if you can, tell us what an average day looks like for you and describe a time in your life when you felt the most creative. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know I'm like, okay, I'm gonna have you remind me of these, but thank you so much for having me on. I'm super stoked to be here. So I am Arden Koots. As Leanne mentioned, I am a author, podcaster, stable in the social media world.
Speaker 2:I'm currently living in Wilson, North Carolina, which is this cool little spot outside of Raleigh. That's a very creative artistic space which is really neat and I don't know, but I'm an archaeologist. That's my other life. I actually still work in the historic preservation world and that is what I do on the daily. So my full-time job, a typical day for me, is doing historic preservation work in the morning and afternoons and then switching over to writer mode in the evenings and trying to get my books out and published. So that's a typical day for me. And then, when have I felt most creative? Probably when I am traveling. I find anytime I get to change up my space I get a real big creative burst. So one of the things I love to do is to go to Wilmington, be near the water and just sit on a balcony somewhere looking out over the ocean, and just that is my favorite type of space to be creative in. But anytime I'm traveling, especially abroad. It's all the creativity.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. Thanks for sharing. And how did I not know about the archaeologists?
Speaker 2:I'm surprised that you don't. I think that's the story, that we talked about it before.
Speaker 1:I think I would remember that. That's really cool.
Speaker 2:That's a whole. I did archaeology for years, probably seven or eight years, hopping around the country, yeah.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. I know you most as a writer and also as podcast host because you had me on your podcast. That's how we met. Yes, I did A long time ago. That was fun. Tell me where you are in your writing pursuits because I know you're hot and heavy in it and that's what you and I have been coaching about, like when I coach you. So tell me about that.
Speaker 2:Yes, I am deep into publishing my first book. I'm super close. I have about a month left and then my book will be coming out. Hopefully everything goes according to plan, it should come out in October. My goal is to publish it on my birthday, which is October 16th. Hopefully my book will be coming out on that day. A little birthday present to myself, for sure. But I am deep into just finished another round of editing on it the final, hopefully editing and formatting. And now it's getting copies of it, which I'm super excited about to see what it looks like printed for the first time. It's going to be so exciting. So that's the next step.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. You've been working so hard on this Like I've been with you for a portion of it, not all of it but you have been working so hard, so diligently, sometimes feeling like you've been knocked down, getting backed up and you just keep pushing through and moving through it, so you should be really proud of yourself.
Speaker 2:Yeah it's definitely I'm surprised at myself, I will say, because I am definitely someone who gets hyperfixated on things. Having ADD, I find something, I hyperfixate on it and I go all in and then I lose interest in it and push it to the side. So I'm surprised that I've been able to maintain my interest in writing for as long as I have. But it's honestly been something I've wanted to do and have done since I was little, Like I used to write poetry when I was tiny and would participate in writing competitions, and so finally I feel like coming full circle and really leaning into my passions that I had when I was 8. So it's cool.
Speaker 1:That is great. A lot of people that I talked to, who are creative, had that something happened when they were young. Where I know it happened for me like figuring out that maybe you were good at something in that area and it made a big impact on me and it sounds like it did for you because I didn't like necessarily struggle in school, but I was just pretty middle the road, except in this one particular area, and I think it helped too.
Speaker 1:I had a really great art teacher when I was young, so was that your experience, or?
Speaker 2:Oh, most definitely I, having grown up in really rural Nebraska where there was literally nothing around right, I always give the example. The closest was about an hour away, so that's.
Speaker 1:I could totally relate.
Speaker 2:That's how I grew up in Illinois we didn't have a subway or any type of fast food place until it was in high school, I think, when we got our first subway. It was like the pocket of town, but just growing up in this really remote area, the library was a safe haven and so it was my escape from everything and I read a lot as a child and my mother was a really avid reader so she instilled that in us kids when we were younger. But, man, I could chew through a book so fast. Back in the day I definitely do not read as much or how I used to, but again it would. I would hyper fixate on a story or a movie even, and then essentially I do fan fiction. Before fan fiction was like a thing, but I'd love a movie so much I'd be like I'm gonna write my own version of this movie oh, that's so cool yeah, and so I just rewrite the story from, like, a different perspective or add a character.
Speaker 2:In a lot of times I would make the characters female, because I watched a lot of like action adventure movies which all the characters are men, right, and then you have your damsel in distress and I was like, no, we're gonna flip this. So, yeah, all the characters women and rewrite the story from that perspective, which is what I'm still doing in a way with my book that's getting ready to come out. So it's interesting yeah, even from a young age I was trying to do something a little different.
Speaker 1:Going back a couple sentences I can relate to growing up in a very small town, so much so that when I was in high school the big talk was we didn't get a hearty, we got a fake hearty's it was called dandy's nice I think it's a hearty's now, though, so anyway, that's so cool that you can see that through line. It's been with you this whole time. Last time that you and I met, I was coaching you and we talked about that. You're having a hard time calling yourself a writer yes.
Speaker 2:I don't know about that oh, I struggle with it a lot. I'm getting better with it, I will say because I think what it is. I finally feel like I'm in the mix a little more than what I was. So I'm talking to people, other people who are authors, I'm Instagram groups, and so I feel like I'm in the community a little bit more. So it's helping me be like yes, I am a writer, I'm in this. But when I meet a stranger and someone asked me what I do, I'm always like, oh, I'm right. I'm like very cautious and like a little oh, this is silly to be telling people that I'm a writer and I don't know, I feel not nervous, but I get a little weird about it for sure why do you think that is I?
Speaker 2:think a lot of it for me goes towards like titles and also education, because I grew up where it was like in a time which I'm sure you can relate to, but it was like you get out of high school, you get a degree. If you don't have a degree, you're never gonna get a job and you're nobody like. That was like the mentality back in the day, and so that is so ingrained in me even to this day where if I meet somebody I'm like oh, nice to meet you. What do you do? Where did you go to school? Do you have your master's? Do you have a PhD? These are some of the questions that come up, especially when I used to work for the federal government. It was like we must know your title, we need to know your background, everything in order to gauge if you're worthy enough, and so I think with writing it goes towards I haven't published anything yet, so I'm always like a little writer wait, didn't you?
Speaker 1:don't you have a book of poetry?
Speaker 2:I do, yeah, so I have just that little book. I forget about it. I have published something and then there's like the self-published verse traditionally published because some people are like if you're a self-published author you're not really an author. Like you need to be traditionally published in order to like be a quote, unquote, real author. So that kind of sits in the back of my brain a little bit. But then I like I didn't go to school for writing, I don't have a background in writing other than just doing it as like a hobby.
Speaker 1:All those little things, I think, wear away a little bit at my confidence a lot of limiting beliefs in a lot of, like old stories about what makes something true or not true, or important or not important, which we all have that. But it's funny a lot of times when we're talking or other people that I'm talking with, when I'm coaching them, the stories go way back, like your old job or how it was when you were growing up. You had to have these credentials. And it's so interesting when we let those old stories impact us today, in the present, because we have a choice, but we think we don't. So that's one of the interesting things that we've been talking about is you can make different decisions about that yeah, and it's definitely.
Speaker 2:I think it was after our last session, because I was just thinking about that, what you said, what you just said, my gosh, it might have been yesterday or the day before, because I was going down memory lane. I was like this is what it was like back then and blah, blah, blah and I was like why am I still? That was 20 years ago. Like why am I still letting something that happened 20 years ago impact what I'm doing today and I think a little bit of it too. It's easy to fall, to play the victim a little bit and to fall back on things like if you're, if you aren't successful, you can always be like, oh, 20 years ago I was told it wasn't a real right. Yeah, and it's impacting me today.
Speaker 1:So it's like a weird safety net in a really strange way yeah, it's, oh, I think, a tricky way of our brain trying to keep us safe when we're trying to do something new. That feels scary and uncertain, which is totally normal, but it also really limits the amount of power and autonomy we have in the situation that we're pursuing. Yeah, it's just really fascinating, because one thing you said that I found interesting it's what I experienced a lot of times it's people, like wanting to be able to call themselves an artist, a writer, whatever this new thing, this new identity that you're stepping into, usually feels the most uncomfortable with people who knew you as your other thing. So people who knew are now as the archaeologist. It's it harder to tell them you're a writer than it is to tell people that you're meeting for the first time, because you can just put on that new identity with people who don't know you as this other thing.
Speaker 2:I actually think it's harder for new people for me, because a lot of the people that have known me throughout my life or like in other careers have always known I have this desire to write or I'm creative and do creative things. So I don't think it was ever really a surprise or like that far outside of the norm for people that know me well. But what really gets me is when I'm like out with a friend and like they introduced me to someone and they're like, oh, this is Arden, they're a writer. And I'm like, am I? There's always that pause and then I'm like, yes, I write. And then the dreaded question what do you write? And I'm like, ooh, romance.
Speaker 1:Why do you think so? If I came to you and said I was a writer and I wrote romance, would you be like cringe? No, I'd be like that's dope.
Speaker 2:I'd be like tell me more about the romance you write, with type of romance to you write.
Speaker 1:I'd be totally interested in it, but I don't know it's a weird it's.
Speaker 2:I get this it's. I've been experiencing this as well through some of the reviews that I get. I get like secondhand embarrassment almost because I'm like these people have read like the spicy scenes that I put out there and it's like people are looking in your underwear drawer or something. Yeah, and I'm always like yeah embarrassing. Like, I've read this like spicy scene and the strangers are reading it and now commenting on it, so it's weird.
Speaker 1:You're being vulnerable.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, which can be uncomfortable? Yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm terrible at being vulnerable as well, so that might be why I have such a hard time with it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, as the more you tell yourself you're terrible at something, yes yes, the more it stays with you. So anyway, but you are doing a good job of working through that and being vulnerable feels really bad sometimes, but it's not something that should keep you from moving forward, as because you're doing it, you are moving forward. Yeah, you're feeling the uncomfortable feelings and you keep going and uncomfortable it is, and it's funny, it doesn't really go away.
Speaker 2:Oh no.
Speaker 1:As it gets different, you're able to handle it better or you like notice, you're like, oh, this feels familiar, this won't kill me. Basically, this feeling of vulnerability, but it still like a little bit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I get that like internal cringe, yeah, when I'm like, oh, I write or I think. Also, there's like a small part of me that thinks romance and the larger scheme of writing is looked down upon in a way or not. I don't know. I want to say like top tier writing or fantasy. It's not like literature.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and so I've always like waiting for someone to be like, oh, romance, and no one has ever done it. I was going to ask that, but I'm just like I'm preparing myself so I can defend it Like yeah, man, romance is the best.
Speaker 1:Honestly, if you think about it, you're projecting like there's something in you that feels like it's like you haven't accepted it as being valid for yourself and it is. It's like a bajillion dollar industry in that world, isn't it? People love romance. Yeah, who doesn't love romance? What's not to love?
Speaker 1:Exactly, yeah, it's, and it's super fun to write so you know, when we're coaching off, oftentimes I'm like let's not thought swap. It's hard to go from feeling a little bit embarrassed or cringe, as you said, to like fully accepting, like changing your thought. Like I love romance, I love calling myself a romance writer, but what's the next best thought that you could come up with that moves you a little bit closer towards that feeling of acceptance?
Speaker 2:I think just being able to say I write romance period without making a face or being like I'm sorry, I write romance because I'll often crack a joke about it, because humor is my defense mechanism for literally everything. I think just yeah, just being able to say I write romance and we're very confident.
Speaker 1:Period.
Speaker 2:Accepting voice yeah.
Speaker 1:And I I'll challenge you to do that Like, the more you do it, the easier it's going to get and then it's just going to be second nature and just feel the feelings inside, breathe through it, like, okay, this feels weird, I'm feeling uncomfortable, but I write romance.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:I can do it. You absolutely can do it. Moving on from that a little bit, do you set goals for yourself with your writing? Tell me how you've gotten from no books to multiple books.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, it's been a wild journey. I've probably went through a oh my gosh, probably almost five year period of no writing at all, and then the start of this whole writing journey in earnest was when my dad died. I got really and this was back in 07 and I got really bad in Samia and could not process what was going on, and so I decided to start writing a book and the main character is like going through some, going through some shit, and I'm still working on that book. It's been like 15 years in the making but I'm getting really close to having it done. But that was the start of writing.
Speaker 2:And then I wrote off and on, and then I started doing Nana Raimo, which is National Novel Writing Month in November, because you have the month of November to write 50,000 words, which is the average length of a novel, and I was like you know what I'm going to do, that it gives me structure, it gives me a time limit, so I'm not just sitting on a book for years. And then I did it back in 2020, I think it was and made it. I hit my 50,000 word mark, which was insane to me, and then I did it again in 2021. And that's where Fall into Me, or Fall into Midnight, came into being, which is the book that's coming out in October. But I wrote that entire book in that month. Wow, I spent the next two years like editing and doing rewrites and now we're finally publishing. But I did. Now I just keep doing Nana Raimo and every year it comes around I like try to finish a book.
Speaker 1:And so.
Speaker 2:I did the same thing with the sequel Fall into Me, and so this upcoming Nana Raimo I'm hoping to write third book in the trilogy. It really pushes me to do it. And then I just set aside time at the end of every day to keep writing and finalizing stuff.
Speaker 1:What do you think it is about the structure of that challenge? Would you call it a challenge? What do you think it is about that that sparked that or created that structure for you, that helped you do that?
Speaker 2:It's a competition. Okay, I was like, all right, now we're talking and you get like little rewards If you hit the 1k mark. You get like little badges that you can collect virtually and everything. And there was just something about knowing that when I hit certain marks, I was going to get something, even like a little virtual badge that I can literally do nothing with. But I was like, man, I got to get that 10k mark so I can get that badge, and then I got to go another 20k, and so there was just like that motivation to like keep going. That's great. And there's a great community within Nana Raimo. There's an online community, yeah, and it's just so cool to pop on social media or get within the Nana Raimo website and just have all these people like being on the same journey as you. It's so motivating and everyone is super supportive, so it's just a great experience.
Speaker 1:That's awesome, that's really great. Yeah, and who knew you could have tried it and been like, but it really spoke to you and it really added that structure and it gave you external validation and the community aspect and the things I like and need.
Speaker 2:So yes, and I'm hoping this year, I started my own little creative guild here in Wilson and there are a couple of other writers, so we're going to try to do some prep in October leading up to it so we can all go into NaNoWriMo ready to rock and get our books done. So I'm creating my own little writing community within Wilson to keep us all moving forward.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's wonderful. That's really wonderful. How do you deal with creative blocks?
Speaker 2:Not well, no, I actually create playlists for all my projects. So, on Spotify, yeah, all my books have Spotify playlists that, and you can find them at the front of every book. You can scan like a little QR code and it takes you to the playlist. Yeah, and they're not necessarily songs that go with the book, but they're songs that I used in my writing process. So they're the songs that inspired me while I was writing, and some of the playlists are two hours long.
Speaker 2:Some of them are like 10 hours long, but it's if I'm feeling a little stuck, I will put on my playlist and just sometimes I'll just lay flat on my bed and listen to a couple songs and I'll be like, all right, I know what I want to write. Now I've got like the mood set for writing and I just have to start. So that's the big thing, is just like getting the motivation to sit down and do it. But if I'm really stuck, I will take a note, pad your notebook and I will go to one of my favorite places in town. I'll sit outside and I will hand write just notes about where I want the story to go.
Speaker 2:The character background is just anything to try to like get motivated and I find that helps quite a bit because I'm changing my location.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it sounds like you've set up a good foundation of structure for yourself to do this thing. That's hard to do. Sometimes you and I both me painting, you writing it's very solitary. You can really get in your head. There's really no one holding you accountable Absolutely. You do have to create that structure and know yourself well enough to beyond yourself when you're not doing it and know what things will trigger you to do it. So it sounds like you've done a very good job of that. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, you've created a system for yourself.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's taken me a long time to create any type of system and it's also great now that I have an editor, who is wonderful. But to have someone else be like, okay, I've got, if you want me to edit your next book, we have to do it in this month, and I'm like, okay, shit, I got 20 days to finish whatever I need to do in my writing and get you my book. So having another person also holding you accountable really pushes me, because otherwise I will just sometimes I will just sit.
Speaker 1:I'm familiar with the just sitting part too.
Speaker 2:Yes, it can be great, it can be wonderful.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Sometimes it's like we're all the like percolating happens to be able to get you to go to. Okay, now I can do it.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. And reading is another great way to get unstuck, because I'll pick up a book and try to read stuff that's in my genre as well, because one research and two I love romance.
Speaker 1:Because you write romance period.
Speaker 2:Yes, Because I am a romance writer and so sometimes it's just like taking a day or two to read a book, and then I'm like, okay, well, shit, I have all these ideas now. I loved how they did this mess, so how can I implement that same process in my own book? And yeah, it's, I don't know. It's definitely improved over the last like a year, I would say. I think I found my groove.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's great. I have another question for you.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:What is the biggest emotional block that you've had to overcome to get your creative career going?
Speaker 2:We touched on it earlier. Vulnerability, for sure, I would say I've always been able to be vulnerable in my writing, especially when I was younger. That was how I expressed my sadness was through poetry. I wrote a lot of really sad poetry as a child, and my book of poetry that's out now started as a way to process the death of my dog, which is why it's called where everyone's existed. It's about the places where we used to exist together, and then it morphed into, or morphed into just love poems in general about love, loss and grief. So writing's always been a way for me to process my emotions, but I have to be really deep in my emotions and sometimes that's a good thing and a bad thing and can hinder and help in a way. So being vulnerable, being able to tap into that in a healthy way, has definitely been a challenge. Yeah, if that made any sense, I feel like I.
Speaker 1:No, totally yeah. It's almost like when the cup's too full then you can express, but that feeling of the cup being too full can be hard.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and there was definitely a time when because I have severe depression and anxiety and was unmedicated for a really long time and that's when I did some of my best writing because I was very just in my emotions and we could feel everything and did a ton of writing at that time, but it was also like spiraling mentally. So I finally got into therapy and got medicated. But one of the things I was worried about was would I be able to write still if I wasn't in that dark space that I was in before? And luckily, I think my writing has actually improved a little bit because I'm still able to tap into those emotions, but doing it in a healthier way.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, it's been a journey. Yeah, I'm glad that you're taking good care of yourself, right, did I know? Yeah, good, I'm glad. I bet you have a lot of ideas. How do you decide which one to follow?
Speaker 2:Oh my God, I literally clenched my hands because I'm like so full of ideas it's hard to keep them in. I don't know.
Speaker 2:It's hard to explain because I sleep with a journal next to my bed, because I will have dreams and I will wake up and be like, oh my God, this is a book. I got to write down as much as I can while I remember it and then turn this into a book later. And so I've got at least four or five other stories that I want to write, but I guess an example is the last NaNoWriMo, the one that was last year. I had a story in mind that I was going to write. It was super pumped to write it. I sat down, looked at that page and was just like, nope, nothing is coming to me. There was nothing there, nothing. And so I was like, okay, I'm not going to write that. I'm going to write the second book in the Fall trilogy. And I pumped that one open and it just immediately came to me and before I knew it, I had like 10, 12 chapters done in one day and I was like, holy shit, so I just let the project speak to me.
Speaker 2:And when they're ready to come out though making a regards.
Speaker 1:So it sounds like you try to capture the idea, like that spark of an idea, and then create space to flush it out, but you're okay if it's not coming. It sounds like you don't force it too much.
Speaker 2:Yeah, something else I like to do is I'm very visual and so I will sit down and take time to build mood boards about the characters or like the general, like feeling or vibe of the book.
Speaker 2:So I'll create all these like visual things to get me going, and sometimes even that if that's not hitting right or it's just not going where I want it to, I'll be like, okay, okay, might not be time for this one, but I spoke with an author once and this always stuck with me because she also writes romance and she said I let the characters take me where they want to, and at the time I did not understand that. I was like what do you mean the characters are taking? You're the one in charge of the characters, so how does that work? But with these latest books I began to understand that it's literally just they become their own people and you're just the vessel to write their stories. And I experienced that for the first time last year while writing and I was like holy shit, this is amazing to just have it flow and, yeah, it's so fantastic.
Speaker 1:Man, there is nothing better than when you're in that quote unquote flow state that they talk about.
Speaker 2:It's awesome, it was magical. I was like oh, this is what people talk about.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it is magical for sure, and it's can feel it coming. Yeah, it's so good. Yeah, that's great. That was I like how you explain that, Thank you. How do you support your creativity? Obviously, you journal. It sounds like you go. You like being outside. What else do you do? Do you meditate? Do you do anything like that?
Speaker 2:Not a good meditator.
Speaker 1:My brain is too busy, too busy.
Speaker 2:Don't worry, too busy. I do journal, I journal, I do sticker. Journaling is what I call it.
Speaker 1:I don't know if there's like a proper term.
Speaker 2:But again, because I am so visual, what I like to do is buy all the stickers and then I will build just giant sticker spreads in my journals and sometimes I'll write as well, but other times it's just like a pretty picture that I've made out of stickers and that's how I'm feeling. So sometimes that's how I express myself. If I wanna do something creative that also doesn't take up a lot of energy, I will do that, cause I'm like it's almost like a form of meditation, cause I am just focused on this one thing. I'll put some music on and just sticker my way through the day. But yeah, journaling in like all forms is a lifesaver, honestly. And then reading, I do a little bit of like graphic art. So sometimes I'll sit down and, just again, it's almost like a form of meditation. I'll just draw flowers, like really simple patterns, and just zone out for a bit and then get into that creative mood and go.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's great. I like the idea of sticker journaling.
Speaker 2:That sounds like fun it's when you get to buy stickers. I know it brings me so much joy.
Speaker 1:What does self acceptance mean to you?
Speaker 2:I think just being comfortable within myself and not having those full cringe moments, I think it's okay to still feel nervous about things, right, cause that's natural and I think it keeps us humble and on our toes a bit, which is good. But I think for me not being embarrassed by what I do or what I write, we're feeling like shame or guilt about it, cause we've talked about that before. Those are like my top two emotions about everything. It's shame and guilt, it's true. So those are your two favorites.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:We're best. We're the famous figures.
Speaker 1:You've done such good work on it, though.
Speaker 2:I couldn't have done it without you.
Speaker 1:I just ask good questions. You answer them for yourself.
Speaker 2:You make me think about things, though, which is good, cause otherwise I would not. But yeah, I think being fully fettled, which is another word settled and unsettled we like to use, but in my creative being, I think that's a good way to say that.
Speaker 1:Nicely said, thank you. Is there anything else that you want to share about your process or Anything else you want to touch on?
Speaker 2:I would love to share something that I've learned through this, that I'm still learning when it comes to writing, because I still do it, but it's and it's hard not to do but comparing yourself to others.
Speaker 1:The compare and despair cycle, as we like to call it.
Speaker 2:Oh it's the worst, the worst, and I still do it, but I don't do it as bad as I used to. But I find myself. Even the other day I was like one of my author friends. His book has just blown up, it's doing amazing, just fantastic, and I'm like, oh my gosh, I want my book to do that. But I'm also I'm like I need to brace myself because not everyone has an experience like that. I still have five books, and that's OK. Not comparing your creative journey to others is hard not to do, but it's definitely something to watch out for Because, yeah, it'll get you.
Speaker 1:It doesn't bear any good fruit, that's for sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it's I want to. I'm happy, genuinely happy, for those people that I admire, and I think it's OK to aspire to things and yeah things and also being aware of when it slides into that place. That isn't healthy or good for us. Exactly, it doesn't help us in any way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I like to ride that line of almost tipping over and I'm like self awareness.
Speaker 1:It's normal human behavior to do that, but it's just not living there, being like, OK, I'm not going to live in that place. The soft words it's good. So your book comes out October 16th.
Speaker 2:Yes, it comes out October 16th.
Speaker 1:On your birthday.
Speaker 2:On my birthday. It's very exciting.
Speaker 1:It's going to be promos.
Speaker 2:Thank you, I love Canva, I live there.
Speaker 1:Canva's the best.
Speaker 2:I'm like, let me just, that's another creative space, oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:I get lost in Canva Anytime I have a project.
Speaker 2:I'm like, yes, let's go Nice, that's great. But yeah, it comes out October 16th. It's available for pre-order now on my website OK, and we'll link it. Yep, argancutescom, and you can also get the ebook pre-order on Amazon. But the book will be available everywhere and hopefully in a bunch of local bookstores and yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm super stoked for it. I know I'm excited. I hope you come and do a tour and stop at Cherish.
Speaker 2:I'm, Atlanta is my starting point actually. Oh, awesome. Because I was like I think it's like the southernmost I'm going to go. So I was like I'm starting Atlanta and then just loop my way to the coast to, like Maine, Hit all these little indie bookstores along the way. Yeah, that's the plan.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I would definitely be there. Nice, this has been a delight. I always love my time with you and you have been so helpful for me. You produced my podcast.
Speaker 2:I do.
Speaker 1:I couldn't do it without you. Honestly, there have been many a desperate Marco Polo.
Speaker 2:I love it. I get to listen to the episodes first before anyone else. And yeah, it's a joy, I really enjoy it, you're such an encourager.
Speaker 1:I was like I don't know if I can do this, and you're just like you can do this, this is great. And I'm like, oh my gosh, I can do it. Arvind says I can do it, I can do it, so thank you.
Speaker 2:I mean, I'm such a big fan of you, you have been such a gift. You have to have podcasts. It's such an amazing way to connect with people.
Speaker 1:Wow, I appreciate all your help and I always love my time with you and I appreciate you being on the podcast. It's very meta.
Speaker 2:It's strange, I'm not going to lie.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's great, thank you. I'll talk to you soon. Yes, absolutely, bye, bye. Thank you so much for listening to Mind Over Medium Podcast today. If you found the episode inspiring, please share it with a friend or post it on social media and tag me on Instagram at Leigh Ann Slotkin, or head to my website, wwwleighannslotkincom to book a discovery call to find out more about working with me one on one. You can also head to my website to get a great tool I've created for you to use when planning your own online launch of your artwork. It's an exercise I've taken many of my coaching clients through and it's been very helpful. It's my way of saying thank you and keep creating.