E100: Reflecting on 100 Creative Juggle Joy Episodes: Growth, Gratitude & Community

In our 100th‑episode celebration, Kaylie and Delores look back on the journey that has shaped Creative Juggle Joy. 

From juggling motherhood and art careers to launching this podcast, they share heartfelt stories, hard‑won lessons and the joys of building community along the way. 

We chat about our favourite moments, the guests who inspired us, and how our perspectives have evolved since that very first episode. 

Whether you’ve been with us since day one or you’re tuning in for the first time, you’ll walk away feeling encouraged, motivated and seen.

Thanks so much for listening and being part of this journey! 

If our conversations have encouraged you, share the show with a friend or support us on Buzzsprout to help us keep bringing these stories to you.

Transcript

Kaylie Edwards: [00:00:00] Welcome back to the Creative Juggle Joy podcast. This is a very special episode because we have somehow wonderfully reached episode 100, and I feel like that deserves a proper little pause because 100 episodes is a lot of conversations

It's a lot of creative business chats, honest reflections, behind-the-scenes moments, ideas, launches, everything, life seasons, and probably quite a few, "Let's just record this and see where it goes," moments. 'Cause we do that a lot. And as we're recording this, the podcast has reached 17,911 downloads since publishing, which feels slightly surreal in the best way.

That's, 17,911 times people have chosen, to listen in while they were creating, walking, packing orders, [00:01:00] folding laundry, or just needing a bit of creative company in their ears. So today, Delores and I wanted to do something a little different. Instead of regular teaching episodes or guest episodes on business topics, we're having a more of a milestone conversation.

We're going to talk about what the podcast has meant, what has changed for both of us, and what we want to carry forward until the next chapter. Delores, how does it feel to be at episode 100? 

Delores Naskrent: Honestly, I never imagined we'd reach 100 episodes. When we first started, it felt a little bit like an experiment.

It was we both thought it would be fun to have these conversations, but neither of us, I think, really knew where it would totally lead in the end. What has surprised me the most is hearing from people who tell me that they're listening to it while they're painting in their studio, or they're out walking, or they're gardening, or they're driving, or doing dishes, or [00:02:00] somebody's having a nap.

It feels like we're just sitting down for a chat, and somehow thousands of people have invited us into their day. That's just really humbling, and I'm so grateful for everyone who's been along for the ride. 

Kaylie Edwards: Yeah. For me, I think it feels really meaningful because this podcast has always been about real creative life and not just the polished version that a lot of people see on Instagram.

Delores Naskrent: Yeah. 

Kaylie Edwards: It's been about the juggling, the business pieces, the creative sparks, the overwhelm and the systems, the messy middle, and the joy that keeps us coming back to the work. So episode 100 feels like a lovely moment to ask what have we learned, what has changed, and what do we want to keep carrying with us?

And when we first started the podcast, I think I hoped it would become a space where we could talk honestly about creative business. For us to have content just- Yeah ... to be able to talk about to grow both our businesses and not just [00:03:00] strategy, although I do love a good strategy chat. But the actual lived experience of trying to build something creative whilst still having a real life as well.

Delores Naskrent: Yeah. 

Kaylie Edwards: And we were in very different seasons from the beginning. I was juggling motherhood, which I still am. Lots of client work, my own business ideas and trying to work... out what Spellweaver Creative Studio was really becoming. And I think, I can't remember if I rebranded.

Did I rebrand before the podcast or after the podcast? 

Delores Naskrent: I think after. 

Kaylie Edwards: It was after, yeah. 

Delores Naskrent: Yeah. 

Kaylie Edwards: Yeah, so yeah, that changed as well, and obviously you were coming from decades of creative experience and teaching and doing your own artwork and Yeah ... you had students and courses already, and a whole creative world you had already built before I came along.

Delores, when you think back to the beginning of the podcast, what were you hoping it would become? 

Delores Naskrent: I know when we first talked about it, I just wanted it to feel really real. [00:04:00] You know that I've always loved teaching, but a class is usually focused on one specific topic, and I felt like the podcast would give us room to wander just a little bit, to talk about creativity and the business and the mindset and the things that happen behind the scenes that people don't always see.

You're just looking at it from the outside in a way when you're following a teacher. I had also hoped that people would realize that no matter how long you've been doing this, you're still learning. So I still am at my age, so even after all these years, I'm still experimenting and I'm still making mistakes and I'm still figuring things out, and I think that's kinda reassuring for the most part because sometimes we assume everyone else has it all together, and the truth is none of us do.

Kaylie Edwards: Yeah, I think one of the things I love most is that we don't have to be in the same season to have meaningful conversations. 

Delores Naskrent: You 

Kaylie Edwards: know, we come at things from [00:05:00] different angles, but the questions overlap, how do we keep creating? How do we build something sustainable for both of us? How do you make the business side feel less overwhelming?

Delores Naskrent: Yeah. 

Kaylie Edwards: And how do you keep showing up without burning out, and how do you make room for joy when there's still loads to juggle? And I think let's talk about what has changed since the early episodes. Delores, when you think about your creative business, teaching, the community, or even your own confidence, what feels different now compared to when we started?

Delores Naskrent: I think the biggest change is that I've become much clearer about what my students actually need from me. In the beginning, I probably thought my job was more about teaching techniques and software, which, it partly is, but now I realize it's just as much about helping people build confidence and show them that they really can do this.

I think I've also become a lot more comfortable with my [00:06:00] live teaching. I was absolutely horrible at the beginning. That's why it was just straight recording and that's it. I used to worry about everything being perfect, but now I know that some of the best moments have happened when someone asked a question I wasn't expecting.

So those conversations often end up helping everyone, one person asks a question that everybody else wants the answer to. And I think personally, I've become more confident in my own business too. I'm much happier to let things just evolve instead of feeling like I have to have everything figured out before I move forward.

So that's been one of the things that's felt like real freedom to me, thinking it, about it in this way. 

Kaylie Edwards: Yeah. For me, a lot has changed in how I think about creative business. I used to feel like I needed to have everything neatly figured out before I could properly show up. 

Delores Naskrent: Yeah. 

Kaylie Edwards: The perfect offer, the perfect content plan, perfect brand direction perfect funnel.

But most creative businesses are not [00:07:00] built like that. They're built through testing, adjusting, simplifying, and changing your mind- Yeah ... coming back to the ideas later and learning what people actually respond to. So one of the biggest shifts for me has been letting the business evolve instead of feeling like every decision has to be permanent.

Delores Naskrent: Yeah. 

Kaylie Edwards: And I think my relationship with visibility has changed too. I no longer think visibility has to mean being everywhere all the time. Visibility can be quieter than that. It can be sending a thoughtful email, sharing something useful, having a good conversation with somebody repurposing one idea properly, and letting people see how you think, what you care about, and how you can help.

Delores Naskrent: Yeah. 

Kaylie Edwards: And I think creative people often need permission to make visibility feel more human as well. For this next part, I thought we could share a few lessons we're carrying forward from 100 episodes from business and from creative life in general. The first one for me is simple is often more sustainable than impressive.

I get so [00:08:00] stuck in the design part of it because everything's visual for me. Like- Yeah ... I'm designing, I'm tweaking, and I'm making changes, and it's not right, and I... Yeah, I had to really come down from that, 'cause I would spend hours and hours or days in Canva changing things and I would never get anything out.

And I've had to come back to it doesn't need to be perfect. It needs to be simplified and be usable for people. Yeah. So creative people are very good at adding layers to everything. Yeah. We start with a simple idea, then suddenly it needs matching graphics, extra examples, product photos, mock-ups, emails, social posts, and everything else, and entire plan before we feel allowed to put it out into the world.

But often the thing that works is the simplest version, the clear offer, the small finished collection, and that helpful tutorial that somebody might find a win from. Yeah. And I think that the one good idea that, that gets completed instead of the 10 extra ideas that keep delaying it. Delores, [00:09:00] does that resonate with you?

Delores Naskrent: Oh, gosh. Yeah. Absolutely. I see it with my students all the time. They think they need to master every single tool before they can make something beautiful, and they end up completely overwhelming themselves, I think. I'd much rather see someone learn a handful of tools really well repeat, repeat, and then start creating.

I've had to learn the same lesson in my own business, so that's why I know this. Yeah. Sometimes we make things much more complicated than they need to be, and I've discovered that simple doesn't mean it's any less valuable. In fact, I think it often makes it more valuable, and it's easier for people to take action.

Kaylie Edwards: Yeah. The second lesson for me is your current season matters more than someone else's timeline. That has been a big one personally. I can have all the plans in the world, but if the season I'm in has limited time, energy, school holidays, client deadlines, health stuff, or too many moving pieces, then the plan has to adapt.

Yeah. [00:10:00] That doesn't mean I'm not serious. It means I'm building with actual materials I have and not imaginary ones- Yeah ... that somebody else has put boundaries up for. And I think a lot of listeners will relate to that. We compare ourselves to people who have more time, more support, older children, bigger teams, or businesses that are 10 years further along than us.

But maybe we were never meant to keep up with someone else's season, and maybe we're meant to build in a way that respects the season we're actually in. And I find that's definitely the second one that I need to even keep reminding myself of, is that, yeah, I miss deadlines, and yeah, it seems to me sometimes I'm it's not responsible or something and I've had somebody mention before "You miss quite a lot of deadlines."

In my own business or, I don't send out newsletters as often as I should be. I'm trying, but I've gotta do with the season I'm in and the timeline and the, the time I've got. A lot of it is out of my [00:11:00] control. If my son's not well, then my son's not well.

Delores Naskrent: Yeah. 

Kaylie Edwards: And I, yeah, so Delores, how do you think about seasons in business now? 

Delores Naskrent: I think that's something I've become more aware of over the years. I'm sure, when you've lived through three or four seasons- ... then it makes it a little bit more easier to recognize that life isn't just one long, straight line.

And there have been seasons where I've been teaching full time, raising my family of my health challenges I've had. I've been looking after, my loved ones, obviously my mom and my kids, and all the while trying to grow my business alongside it, and sometimes it just was absolutely impossible.

Yeah. So every season has looked different. I can see your season, and I can remember it very well. If any of you feels behind, I would tell you to stop looking sideways. You're comparing your everyday life with someone else's highlight reel really, and that's never a fair [00:12:00] comparison. The only question that really matters is what is the next right step for you today?

If you keep taking those little steps, they really do add up, and I am proof. 

Kaylie Edwards: Yes. And I think sometimes I look at your business, and I think, "Oh, why aren't I that far along?" And then I'm like I can't compare myself." It's just- Yeah ... it's so unrealistic. 

Delores Naskrent: True. 

Kaylie Edwards: And the third lesson is the real connection matters more than perfect content.

I think sometimes we hide behind the polishing of everything that we do. Yeah. We think if something isn't perfect, it isn't valuable. But often the most useful things are the real things, the honest reflection, the behind-the-scenes explanations, the simple live session, the conversation that helps someone feel less alone, and the email that sounds like a human wrote it.

Delores Naskrent: Yeah. And 

Kaylie Edwards: I think that's part of what this podcast has done well. It's given space for the real version, not just the shiny finished version that people see. [00:13:00] 

Delores Naskrent: I could not agree more. This is so true, Kaylie. And you and I have talked about this before, and, I know from messages I receive, some of them aren't about that perfectly edited class or that super exciting project.

It's from people who say, "Thank you. I really needed to hear that today." And it, a lot of times it's just really spontaneous. And I think what people really connect with is honesty, and they like knowing that we all have days when technology doesn't cooperate. People have witnessed it firsthand with me, and when ideas don't work the first time, or when we're just so tired.

I've been so tired this week. And it's just real life, and I think it gives people permission to stop expecting perfection from themselves too. They see it. They see it and they feel it when it's coming from someone as much as we can through our podcast here. And I've always just wanted [00:14:00] my community to feel like they're sitting around the kitchen table with me just having a conversation.

And to me that, that's just much more valuable than trying to look polished all the time. 

Kaylie Edwards: Yeah. I know there's so much more going behind the scenes. Like- Oh, yeah ... in the UK we've had the heat wave last week. Oh. And, oh my God, it nearly killed me. It was the worst. And obviously my son is, three, turning four this month, and he just struggles so much with going to bed.

And it was just a nightmare, absolute nightmare to get him to go to bed. And I was just thinking, "And I've still gotta go downstairs, and I've still gotta do some work." And I'm trying, obviously, shouting doesn't help, but you know when you're in that com- y- you're- Yeah ... you're sweating. You're literally just sat in a chair and you're sweating, and I'm just like, "I just want you to go to bed."

Delores Naskrent: Yeah. 

Kaylie Edwards: It's awful. Yeah. And I'm so glad it's cooled down, but we're expected to have another heat wave next week, and I'm just like, "I don't know what to do." Oh my goodness You can't [00:15:00] plan for it either, so it's so difficult. And I also thought it would be interesting to talk about what we no longer believe as well.

Delores Naskrent: Yeah. 

Kaylie Edwards: Because I think growth often looks like changing your mind. One thing I no longer believe is that consistency has to mean showing up constantly. I think consistency can mean returning to your work, returning to your audience, returning to your ideas or your values, your creativity, and it doesn't mean you never pause or never have messy weeks, 'cause it means you keep coming back.

I certainly have to keep doing that. 

Delores Naskrent: Yeah. 

Kaylie Edwards: Delores, what's something you no longer believe? 

Delores Naskrent: One of the things I definitely don't believe anymore is that success comes from simply working harder. For years, I literally thought that if I just put in a few more hours, or if I just created a few more classes, or if I said yes to absolutely everything, eventually I'd get to where I wanted to be.

But honestly, this year has been a real eye-opener, 'cause I [00:16:00] think success is much more about building something that's sustainable creating the systems that we've created, asking for help when I need it, protecting my creative time, things like that, and remembering why I started this in the first place.

Personally, I'd much rather build something I still love 10 years from now than burn myself out trying to do everything right now. Perfect. 

Kaylie Edwards: Another one for me is that I no longer believe marketing has to feel loud. Because obviously when I first started you felt like you had to be out there all the time to be able to get any traction or traffic, and it can be helpful.

Marketing can be generous, it can be clear, and it can be a way of saying, "Here's something that might help you," rather than feeling like you're dragging people towards an offer with a giant net. Yes. And I, I think that's especially important for artists and creatives. A lot of them don't want to feel pushy, but they do need to be visible if they want people to find their work.

Delores Naskrent: [00:17:00] Yeah. 

Kaylie Edwards: And since the podcast is called Creative Juggle Joy, I think it would be nice to ask what those words mean to us now. When we say creative juggle joy, I don't think we mean that everything has to feel light and happy all the time. 

Delores Naskrent: No. 

Kaylie Edwards: No. Creative business is still real life. There are busy seasons, messy weeks, messy months.

Half-finished ideas, invoices, inboxes full family responsibilities, tech issues, 'cause, you know- Yeah ... every time we wanna do something, some- something happens with the tech. Health you can't plan for these things, and days when the plan falls apart before breakfast. 

Delores Naskrent: Yeah. 

Kaylie Edwards: But I do think joy matters, and not in a forced way, not in a pretending everything is fine way, 'cause that doesn't work.

But in a steadying way, it helps us come back to the work with a little more kindness. And- Yeah ... Delores, what does creative juggle joy mean to you now after 100 episodes? 

Delores Naskrent: I think joy has become much simpler for me than it used to be. So years ago, I probably [00:18:00] thought it had to come from those great big milestones, the successful launch finishing a huge project, or reaching a goal, whether it's a personal goal or a financial goal, and now I find joy in much smaller things.

So it's like getting a, an email from a student who finally got it, somebody saying thank you to me for something that they've learned. It's like watching someone who's been really afraid of the software suddenly realize that they can do it, they are doing it. It's like finishing an artwork or a pattern that makes me smile, or spending an afternoon creating just because I love it.

That's how a lot of my evenings are now. The term, Creative Juggle Joy reminds me that life is always going to be a little bit messy. 

Kaylie Edwards: Yeah. 

Delores Naskrent: We are always juggling. There'll always be deadlines, and there's things that don't go according to [00:19:00] plan. And not just once in a while, but like every week or every day-

there's something that doesn't go quite according to plan. And if we can still find those little moments that remind us why we love creating, then I think we're doing okay. What do you think? 

Kaylie Edwards: Yeah. For me, Creative Juggle Joy is about building a creative life that has room for being human. 

Because we- otherwise, we're forced into a box that wasn't made in the society that we're in.

Business was created by men, and we're in that kind of era that we're still being taught we need to do it a certain way. And it's no, 'cause it's not realistic for a mother, for a start. Yeah ... it's so difficult to do that, it's like when I went on holiday to Scotland last month, , I was stood in the kitchen making myself a coffee and was just looked out the window, and there's rabbits just playing. And I thought, it's just something that you don't always see, and, that was every [00:20:00] day on holiday.

And even though I live in the countryside, I do live next to houses, so you don't see it as often. And then it's just that little moment of, ah, just look at that. They're so cute. 

Delores Naskrent: Yeah. 

Kaylie Edwards: It's that moment in the morning just before Aston got up, and I was just like, just, it's just that.

You just need, sometimes you just need that. 

Delores Naskrent: Yeah. 

Kaylie Edwards: It's about ambition, but not at the cost of yourself. It's about creativity, but not only when everything is calm and perfect. 

Delores Naskrent: Yeah. 

Kaylie Edwards: It's about business, but not in a way that strips all the personality and meaning out of the work.

Yeah. And it's about finding those little moments of joy in the middle of the juggle. A good idea, a kind message, a student having a breakthrough, a system that makes life easier. 

Delores Naskrent: Yeah. 

Kaylie Edwards: And you know what? AI has done so well in the fact that you can create a system now that helps you get rid of all the repetitive tasks that you don't like doing.

Delores Naskrent: Yeah. Yes. For 

Kaylie Edwards: sure. Just a piece of art that finally clicks or a tiny pocket of breathing room. [00:21:00] Those things matter, too. So as we move into the next chapter- Of the podcast, what do we want to carry forward? For me, I'd love to keep having honest, practical conversations, and the ones that help creative people feel less alone, but also give them something they can think about or try.

I'd love us to keep talking about sustainable creative business, because that's where we need to move to. And not just how do we do more or how we make more, how do we build something that fits our life? How do we work with our energy, and how do we make marketing feel more human? How do we use the tools and systems without losing our creative heart?

And how do we create income streams that don't rely on constant starting from scratch? 

Delores Naskrent: Yeah. 

Kaylie Edwards: Delores, what kind of conversations would you love to have and carry forward? 

Delores Naskrent: You know what I've really loved this year was having behind-the-scenes conversations with other artists, because I know that's what people are curious about.

They see the finished class or the finished artwork, [00:22:00] they see a person's abilities and skills, but they don't always see everything that happens for getting that person to that spot. And I'd love to keep talking about the practical creative business topics too. Sustainable ways to earn an income, workflows that genuinely save time, interviews with artists who are figuring out these things in different ways.

It's great to talk to other people who are doing the thing, but have done the thing differently than you are doing, 'cause there's no one right path, and I love hearing how these different creative people build businesses that fit their own lives. Everybody's got a different circumstance that they have to deal with.

So it's quite interesting to hear about it. And of course, I never wanna lose the teaching side for me. So I like the part where I can help people grow creatively, and I will always know that is really at the heart of what I do. 

Kaylie Edwards: [00:23:00] Yeah. And that's another thing that obviously I'm in talks at the moment with potential guests for myself.

So there'll be some coming in from the UK some successful people that we are going to be having on. And I can't say too much- ... 'cause we haven't got a date yet. So yeah. And that's gonna be something as well that I'm gonna be doing more of for the podcast. And this year as well, 'cause I've been working with other creatives doing client work, and seeing behind their businesses as well and how, like I

Helping them build more sustainable business or building their brand up again. And just having the nice comments back from them has just been Like, just so nice, 'cause I've worked with you for so long, but then having to work with other creatives as well has been a really good win for me this year, is being able to see other people behind the scenes.

Having our conversations with other artists and that on the podcast, but then I get to see behind people's businesses. I'm in their websites and everything, so it's like- Cool ... how people are working behind the scenes, and it's, like, how they [00:24:00] layer their income. It's been really trippy, but really cool as well, and it also helps me with my business, which has been another thing.

Delores Naskrent: I'm happy for you. 

Kaylie Edwards: Thank you. I'm really happy for you. Yeah. To be fair, one of ... I ... We actually had a bit of a misconversation. I thought one of my clients was talking about her husband, and I thought his name was Bill. But it turns out Bill meant brother-in-law.

She's ... I ... she ... And then she typed it back. She was like, "I don't know who this Bill is." And then she was like, "My brother-in-law's called Mark." And I was like, "What? I had 

Delores Naskrent: no-" 

Kaylie Edwards: I didn't realize that she was doing that. She was just putting B-I-L. Oh, my Bill. My Bill. So I thought she was talking-

about her husband. Yeah. So it was just ... it really tickled me, 'cause I was just like ... Just ... It's a slight miscommunication, because obviously she was putting it B-I-L for brother-in-law, and I wasn't sure what she was talking about. I thought she was talking about a husband. And it's just ... Yeah, it's just those things.

And I think it really fits nicely because we're recording this right in the [00:25:00] middle of your Mastering Surface Pattern Design in Affinity Designer launch. 

Delores Naskrent: Yes. So 

Kaylie Edwards: we had to create such a long one for the course name, didn't we? Yes. But M-S-P-D-A-D. Yeah. It's only ... We're on day three right now, aren't we, and we're recording.

And it has already been a really encouraging launch. So in the next- Yeah ... co-hosted episode, I think makes sense for us to talk more about what creative business growth actually looks like behind the scenes. But this episode is the pause and reflection, so the next one can be a practical behind-the-scenes growth conversation.

Delores Naskrent: Cool. 

Kaylie Edwards: Otherwise it'll be too long. Before we wrap up, we wanted to turn the reflection back to you, the listener, because even if you haven't recorded 100 podcast episodes like we have, you have probably lived through your own creative milestones this year or years. Maybe you've started something. Maybe you've kept going longer than you expected, or maybe you've changed direction.

Maybe you've outgrown an old version of your creative work, or maybe you've been quietly building roots, even if the outside world can't [00:26:00] see much yet. 

Delores Naskrent: Yeah, so maybe after listening to this episode, take a few minutes and ask yourself, "What has changed in my creative life over this past year? What am I ready to simplify?

What am I still carrying that I don't need to carry anymore?" And I love this one . What does success need to look like in your season of life? And of course, what small piece of joy do I want to make more room for? I'd like to encourage you not to overlook these milestones because they often don't feel very dramatic while they're happening.

It's really easy to just miss it. 

Kaylie Edwards: Yeah. 

Delores Naskrent: But learning a new skill, finishing a project, opening your sketchbook again after a long break, sending your first newsletter, or even making time to create for half an hour, these are all steps forward. Don't compare your chapter one to someone else's chapter 20.[00:27:00] 

Chapter 66 in my case. Keep showing up and keep learning and keep giving yourself permission to grow at your own pace. That's how every creative journey is built. 

Kaylie Edwards: Yeah, I love that question especially. What does success need to look like in your season of life? Because it might not look the same as it did five years ago.

Yeah. It certainly didn't for me. Yeah. Five years ago I didn't have a son. And it might not look like someone else's version. It might not even look the way you thought it would, I certainly didn't have this in mind, but that doesn't make it wrong. Thank you so much for being here with us for this 100th episode.

Delores Naskrent: Wow. 

Kaylie Edwards: Whether you've listened from the beginning, found us somewhere along the way, or this one of your first episodes, we're so grateful that you've spent this time with us. And 17,911 downloads, it still feels a little bit wild to say, but behind the number are real people, real artists, real makers, real creative business owners, and real listeners who have let us be a [00:28:00] part of their day, and that genuinely means so much.

Delores Naskrent: Yeah. I just wanna thank you from the bottom of my heart for spending your time with us. I know there are so many podcasts and videos and courses you could choose from, so the fact that you've chosen to listen to us means more than you probably realize. Like 17,000, over 17,000. Yeah. That's crazy. Whether you've been with us since the beginning or you've just discovered us, either way, thanks for letting us be a part of your life.

We hope that these conversations have really encouraged you and inspired you and maybe even reminded you that none of us has it really figured out. Just keep creating and keep learning and be kind to yourself. I think that's a good one too. Yeah. Remember that small steps really do lead to big changes over time.

Kaylie Edwards: Yeah. As we move into the next chapter, we'd love to hear from you. What has been your favorite episode [00:29:00] or conversation so far, and what do you love us to talk about next? And what does Creative Juggle Joy mean to you in your own creative life or business? Here's to 100 episodes, here's to the next chapter, and here's to building creative lives and businesses that feel supportive, sustainable, and truly your own.

Thank you for listening. Keep creating, keep juggling, and keep finding joy in the process.