Recap of Episodes 1-11: Analysis Phase of Creative Work

 It’s our 12th episode as we head into the last month of the year.  December is an excellent time to check in on progress started in the earlier months, so this episode will serve as a reminder of what this podcast is all about, who it’s for and reflect on how each of us are doing.  We will then recap everything we have covered so far this season to feel fully energized to move onto the next phase in our creative journeys together. 

Welcome to Beyond the Template... the more than "just talk" podcast.

If you’re ready to explore what real partnership could look like for your project, your business, or your creative direction, I invite you to reach out. 

You can email me directly at camelieleboeuf@gmail.com to book a FREE, 30-min 1:1 with me to explore how I can help.

And if you want to learn more about some of the ways I work with my clients, you can visit www.amecollaborative.com where Âme Collaborative is continuing to take shape. 

You don’t have to do this alone.  I don’t believe you were ever meant to. 

Keep it up. Keep it Creative!

- C.

Transcript

Hello to all my makers and shakers!  We’ve got a micro episode today, as I am delighted to be checking in with all of you POST packing up my home to fit my entire life into a Honda Civic and 8 x 8 POD cube.  This past week had me finishing up a 13-page list of To-Do’s I had created for myself… and I am only just getting started!  

I am sure I am not the only one still reeling from the activities over the past week.  If you are in the USA, Thanksgiving Weekend just happened.  Holidays are great, but let’s be real, everyone needs a day off or two to recover once they are over.

To embody what I advocate for others, I am giving myself some grace this week and this episode is more of a check-in and recap.  I am also going to share the raw recording versus edit for hours on end.  It’s more important to me to reconnect with you after my crazy week in a timely manner.  It’s also important to me show versus tell in my messaging for others so no one feels they have to push when their energies have been expended elsewhere.  Let’s all do what we can out of self-love and self-care. 

If you have been following along, you know by now that this podcast is meant to encourage and inspire Creators (the MAKERS) and Innovators (the SHAKERS) who want to bring something new into the world!  I designed this podcast to be educational, soulful, and with heart-to-heart connection in mind. 

For those who are new, welcome!

When I was in the initial phase for this podcast, I learned that sometimes they end up becoming something different organically just like any creative work.  For those who have been listening since episode 1- you all have had a front row seat for this.  For those who are just joining us, let me share a bit more about what this podcast has slowly become, and who it is for at this point.  But first let me tell you about a problem I think most of us can relate to.  

Here is something I have witnessed too many times to count… more often than not brilliant minds… are too afraid put themselves out there, get overwhelmed with their ideas, lose their balance when life’s responsibilities pull them in too many directions, buy into the belief that there is less value in what makes them light up versus what pays the bills, or find they get crushed by the wave of details when deciding how to get from where they are today, sparked and ready to go, to where they imagine, the final edited work.

Maybe this sounds like you?  Or maybe you know someone who this might resonate with?  If so, make sure to share this podcast with them!

I believe my purpose is to be a bridge between daring ideas and their fruition for those looking for a partner in their creative process.  We all need support.  The most successful individuals you see in the world have partners, collaborators, and even entire teams behind them and their work.  I designed this podcast to be a partner for you.

Here is what I mean:

§  This podcast will never run over 30-minutes… and quite often runs under 20-minutes.  You can easily listen while getting ready for the day, on your commute, or on a lunch break.

§  Storytelling is central to this podcast.  I tell my own stories, the stories of others, and eventually would like to share YOUR stories. More on this at the end. Telling stories is one of the strongest ways to share information with others.  Our brains are naturally geared to learning this way.  

§  This podcast is not meant to just be listened to passively as entertainment.  I am acting on my own goals through the creation and adaptation of this podcast (my own creative project), and you are encouraged to do the same. 

§  Each season loosely follows the design structure of ADDIE, and often episodes provide detailed explanations of how one might use this structure in consideration and creation of their own projects.  At this point we have gone through Identifying Needs, Audience and Context Analysis, Task Analysis, Creating Aligned Objectives, and the importance of Sequencing.  Each of these areas were covered in full in previous episodes, so please check them out if you missed one.  I will also be giving a short summary of each today for you.

§  Each episode follows the style of a lesson where information is provided to you and then at the end, I offer reflection questions to consider regarding what we talked about.  This way you will make progress every single week on your own work, by simply following along.  

§  Just as I am doing today, I will often recap.  This is another best practice in design as our brains can get overloaded, and pushing new information into our long-term memory takes staggered repetition.  There is no pressure on you to memorize anything, although I do recommend following along and taking notes if what I am sharing is helpful!

So, I am showing up here for YOU… to build a safe space and foster growth, where you feel seen and valued.  I am here to help break the mountain down into tiny stepping stones.  I am here to show you that I understand that these deep and very personal creative struggles can be transmuted into purposeful action and wisdom which others can benefit from. If you feel burnt out or dejected, I am here to fill your cup and help you rebuild trust in yourselves.  I am here to help your shift your perspective and belief into one of blind optimism. I am here to guide you through transformation, because I personally have reinvented myself through risk and courage enough times to feel helpful.  

This message is embedded into the mission of my business, my social media content, and this podcast.  

I embody this mission by sharing my own processes and ways to reach my goals and dreams.  I also share stories of those who came before us who weren’t born into privilege but were able to overcome obstacles in finding a way forward.  I am drawn to stories of creative risk because I understand the emotional journey behind them.  I know what it feels like to reach a turning point where I had to face my fears, make a pivot, or break through the resistance (whether through my own mindset and cognitive patterns or other barriers in my way).  Being creative and innovative is scary and isolating.  I am afraid of something almost every single day.  But I can promise you that even when you are filled with fear, there are ways to restore agency in yourself.  

My content models the sort of hope and intentionality that might invite others to step into their own power and authority.  I do this through lenses of art and design, business, learning design, counseling psychology, and just good old plain hard work, diligence, and stamina.  I endorse that taking gentle, small, meaningful steps is all any of need to do to continue towards finding our footing towards success. Before this season in my life as an entrepreneur, for over a decade I held space in a similar capacity for people ranging from 17 to 50 years old who were managing their own transitions.  I have an amazing track record in taking someone’s chaos (whatever that may be) and refining it into a clear pathway, whether that be a comparison analysis to assist in decision making, a customized roadmap for goal setting, mediated small group discussions and activities to reach consensus, creating an organizational architecture in course creation, event design, or data visualization, or just deep empathy and connection using cognitive behavioral, active listening, and positive psychology techniques (with a little mysticism on the side).  So basically, this podcast is meant to help people ground their ideas into reality haha. 

If you are still listening at this point, please follow me on YouTube.  I am slowly narrowing down how I create my content into a format that makes sense in what I can do for others.  I will have my YouTube account information in the description as well.

I mentioned giving a recap on what we have already done, which will help us as next week we should be ready to head into the design phase of our work!  So here you go…

We have completed the first phase of ADDIE- Analysis, including the following areas:

·       Identifying Needs- Your creative and innovative work should be filling a need for yourself or your audience, so knowing exactly what those needs are is helpful in getting started.  I have just shared my own ultimate WHY for creating this podcast.  I am filling a need in my work that I believe is useful.

·       Audience and Context Analysis- Needs are one thing, but building an empathy-based understanding of your audience and how your work will be experienced is a level up in working through what your creative and innovative work will be adding to the world.  You now have heard how I have considered you and the where, when and how you might listen to this podcast.  This is what I was doing here.

·       Task Analysis- We quite often assume that our audience will innately and intuitively “get it” when creating, but without breaking down exactly what they need to know before, during and after their experience, audience members often miss some steps.  I immediately think of how a movie theatre, IKEA, Disney World, or a museum exhibit is designed in terms of task analysis.  You don’t want anyone wandering about and missing something important (especially when first introduced to the work).  If you are an artist, think of this in terms of how you want to lead your audiences’ eye across your piece.  Same thing.

·       Creating Aligned Objectives- Objectives are the end zone for your work, or the reasons in your heart and gut that are pushing you to create.  Why do you feel your work will be an important addition?  What will be the effect on your audience through experiencing your work?  These are your objectives, and everything you do should show a clear pathway towards them.  I will share my objectives for this podcast again for us next week.

·       Sequencing- There are many ways to sequence, or create the building blocks for your work. I think of writing here, just as I write my podcasts first in my own process, whether that be a film script or a novel.  You have got to block out your own plot in the way that will ensure your audience can follow along.  Sure, some will want to purposefully jut off from traditional sequences… but if you do so, make sure you do have a purpose for this choice, and that is still aligns with your objectives in the end.

And that’s it for Analysis!  For creatives, this part might feel the most daunting and tedious.  I recognize that.  I have said it before, this structure is meant to provide insights for us, not to be followed in a strict and confining way.  That’s not how creativity and innovation work.  Some of us just need the right lightening bolt at the right time and in the right place (and the right helpers) and they are able to do amazing things.  Even if listening to this podcast gives you one single “Ah-Hah! I hadn’t considered that before” lightning bolt for you… that is a win for me.

As we head into Designing next, we will consider strategies for our work and how to flesh out the audience experience to ensure they have everything they need to experience the work fully.  

I will also tell you the story of an artist whose life reads like a map scribbled in pencil, erased, redrawn, and patched together across continents. They were a child of two worlds, rejected by one and misunderstood by the other, and grew up believing they didn’t quite belong anywhere.  So, they began to shape places of belonging for themselves… and sought out deep connection from those who could coexist in those spaces with them.  They would become the kind of creator who never worked in isolation, someone who built entire worlds by joining their vision with the visions of others. Their story isn’t about privilege or ease. It’s about resilience, reinvention, and the quiet power of refusing to create alone. I am excited to step into their world with you, so make sure to listen in next Friday, December 12th. 

Before I leave you, as with all Beyond the Template episodes, here are some “Check-In” questions to reflect on as you manage your own creative work, and the thoughts, feelings, and hurdles that come with it.  Let’s engage with one another in conversation.

I want to ask each of you: 

“What is a creative obstacle you are facing right now?” 

“What are you struggling with which is eating up your energy and taking up the space needed for creativity to thrive in your minds and bodies?” 

“What feels endless to you at the moment, which seems impossible to get past?” 

It’s one thing for me to share my experiences, but as a community we can lift this platform through active participation.  Do you remember the radio show called Delilah?  The best segment from her show was when she was able to respond to those who wrote to her.  We all benefit from sharing and collaborating. So, tell me what you are working through.  Send me an email at camelieleboeuf@gmail.com.  This will be in description for you.  No one monitors this email but me.  So, I welcome your thoughts.  And I would love to address them (with anonymity) in future episodes.  Unburden yourselves so we may all grow together.