Harnessing Hate: Fueling Creativity with Negative Energy

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Hello, friend, this is Timothy Kimo, Brian, your head instigator for create art

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podcast, where I bring more over 30 years of experience in the arts and educational

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world to help you tame your inner critic and create more than you consume.

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So this year in 2024, I am doing what's called the Making Fun a Habit series.

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And that's based on the book by Michael Brennan, who also runs the

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Creative Chats podcast, and who I had the privilege of interviewing on my

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other podcast, Find a Podcast About.

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What this book is, is a 30 day workbook to help you do exactly what it says.

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Make fun a habit in your artistic practice.

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practice.

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So make sure that you get a copy of the book and it is in my show

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notes for a link to that book.

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And this is really going to help us out in putting the fun back into whatever

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artistic project we're working on.

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So what I've decided to do is, since it's a 30 day workbook, I'm

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going to make 30 episodes out of it.

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And this episode marks the halfway point.

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That's right.

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Day number 15, episode number 15 in this series.

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So what are we talking about today?

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Well, we're talking about, um, having, you know, more problems and more projects

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and kind of using that negative energy in order to Fuel your artistic practice.

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Now, for me, that can be dangerous and it can be very helpful.

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So I, I have to be very careful with this type of type of stuff because

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for me, it can get me stuck into a certain pattern and getting stuck

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in a pattern is not a fun thing.

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So what Mike Brennan does in his book is he.

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Tells a little story at the beginning and then he gives us questions Uh, he

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also gives us action items and tips.

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So we're going to start with the questions that he poses to us.

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First question is what do you hate and why?

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So there's a lot of things that I hate.

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Um, but I think one of the biggest things I hate is, um, the injustice and.

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Uh, if we're talking in the world, I hate seeing injustice in the world.

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It's just, it doesn't make any sense to me.

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What do I hate in my immediate world that I can have an effect on?

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Well, sometimes I hate, uh, well, all the time I hate that I

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have MS and it zaps my strength.

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And it sometimes is difficult to, uh, get tasks done during the day.

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So that's what I hate about having MS.

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It's just, it can be a nightmare.

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Uh, you know, especially as a father of twin 10 year olds, you know, not having

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the energy to go out and play with them all the time, uh, it really impacts me

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and really does a number on my psyche.

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So that's what I hate.

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That's why I hate it.

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What's the problem, question number two is what's the problem that

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irritates you that has gone unresolved?

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Well, I think a problem with me is that

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I guess for me, the problem that I hate that I haven't resolved is,

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you know, getting out of my own way, um, and believing that any success.

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Uh, or any project that I do is worthy of, you know, showing to an audience.

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And it's a lack of self confidence.

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And I know, I'm sitting here on YouTube looking at you,

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uh, and you're looking at me.

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And yeah, I have four books of poetry out there.

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I have art all over my walls.

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I have this podcast that's been going on since essentially since 2006.

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But for me, that's not enough.

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And, uh, you know, I want, I want things to be very successful.

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So that's something that's gone unresolved.

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It's something that I'm continually working at.

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So that's just one of the things that, you know, really resonates with me.

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Question number three is, what are some of the challenges of using things

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you hate as a source of inspiration?

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So, for me, the challenge is, is two fold.

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One, I get stuck, I get fixated on that negative energy, that thing that I hate.

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And I keep on writing about it, or I keep on doing projects that remind me of it.

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The second thing is, if I'm using that energy, I'm just, Focusing on

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the problem, not on the solution.

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So I always have to remind myself, yeah, you can be angry about this.

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You can be mad about this, but what are you doing to get past it?

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And that's something that I'm still learning how to

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do get past certain things.

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Question number four is what are some of the benefits of using something

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you hate as a source of inspiration?

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Well, hate is a very strong emotion.

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When you hate something, you go out of your way to avoid it, to downplay

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it, to get it out of your life.

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Yeah.

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And that's why it's such a strong emotion.

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It requires, if you hate something, it requires action on you and

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it requires energy on your part.

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So, um, having that energy kind of negates the MS and, uh, it's

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a little bit of a vicious cycle.

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I, I know when I was first reading my poetry in, in public, uh, I looked at the

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audience as people I wanted to fight and I used that energy to fuel my performance.

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Uh, these days I don't really do that anymore.

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I, you know, I do talk to the audience when I'm up on the stage, uh, doing

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a poetry reading and uh, I, I do, you know, trade barbs with them, uh,

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I could say, but it's more for fun.

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It's more to kind of relax the atmosphere.

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So, um, that's how I use, uh, that energy.

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Um, do I like standing, standing in front of the audience and,

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you know, burying my soul?

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I must, because I do it week in and week out.

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So I like the energy that it produces.

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I don't like the subject matter or, uh, the fact that I focus on the issue or the

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problem or the thing that I hate, uh, to the detriment of focusing on other things.

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Let's go move into action items.

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First action item is read a short story or a poem about something you hate.

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I have done that so many times, so many times, but I, I think one

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thing that I need to do is once I write about it, be done with it.

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Get it all out, and just be done with it and let leave it out there in the world

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and don't let it bother you anymore.

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That's a way to get, get rid of that, to go through those

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feelings and just get rid of it.

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Number two, design a product or service that solves a problem that you hate.

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I have to think about that one, but that does sound kind of interesting is, you

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know, something that you hate, you know, maybe you design the next robot robo

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vacuum or something along those lines.

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So, uh, that's something I'm going to have to really think about.

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Uh, you know, what do I hate so much that I could do a product or

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a service that would get rid of it?

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Who knows?

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Number three, start a blog or podcast about the things you hate.

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Oh, that would be a huge podcast because there's a big list of things that I hate.

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So, uh, I think I have enough podcasts right now, but maybe a blog would be

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something or, you know, add a blog to podcasts about things that I hate.

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Um, so maybe that would be a good.

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Uh, thing, uh, good newsletter type thing, or a, uh, blog post

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for my find a podcast about, so I, that one I can take to heart now.

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Mike's tips.

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He has three of them.

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First one is look for the silver lining.

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So he's talking in this, uh, in this chapter about, you know, addressing

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the things you hate, using that as your fuel, using it health, healthily.

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And I think also with this tip, you know, the thing that you hate

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isn't going to be there forever.

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And if you're working to get rid of it, you're at least doing something

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with that emotion, with that energy.

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So, you know, envision a time when that thing won't be around, when

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that issue will be resolved, or that thing you hate will be resolved.

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Second tip is turn your hatred into humor.

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I love that.

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I love humor and turning the thing that I hate into something humorous,

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that's an easy do and that we can start working on right away.

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You know, if we're laughing at something we hate or we may realize how ridiculous

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it is that we hate that thing.

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So try some humor and try adding some humor to it and see

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if that doesn't work for you.

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And then the third tip is use your hatred as a source of energy.

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I've done that for many, many decades.

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Uh, and it, it's a cheap way of doing it.

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Uh, but you have to remember that it can't be your only source of energy.

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So try other things.

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Uh, such as meditation, such as, you know, long walks in the park, or, uh, if your

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astrological sign allows long walks on the beach, you know, I'm a Sagittarius.

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So I'm always doing long walks on the beach, but you know, you can use that,

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uh, hatred as a, as a source of energy.

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Just don't fixate on it.

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Just don't let that overtake you and become what you're known for.

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And, uh, you know, be able to expand yourself.

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Use it for a time, but then let it go.

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Find that silver lining.

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Think about when that thing that you hate won't be around anymore and use that.

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I definitely want to thank you for joining us here on, uh, create our podcast.

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That's right.

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I said us, and that means me and our new cat socks.

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Um, he's in the background here.

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You may hear him.

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He may decide to pop in on future podcast episodes and share his mind with you.

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He's a really lovable cat.

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So, um, make sure you can.

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Send emails to me, Timothy at createartpodcast.

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com, uh, send questions to Socks the Cat about how much he

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enjoys belly rubs around here.

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Uh, no, but seriously, folks, definitely want to thank you for joining me

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here today for this episode and uh, thinking about, you know, what fuels

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your creativity and maybe using things that you hate to fuel your creativity.

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Just want to give you a couple of announcements.

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Um, first.

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Is that as many, you know, I do, uh, I do have guests on the show

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and how do I get those great guests?

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Well, I use a service called pod match and it gets me.

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It gets me matched up with fantastic guests.

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Now, if you want to be a guest on shows, you can use my affiliate link, sign up

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for pod match, and there's thousands of shows there that are looking for your

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expertise that are looking to talk to you.

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So definitely check that out for yourself.

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Another thing I want to talk to you about is, you know, making

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it easier to share my podcast.

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Um, I have joined up with podcast beacon and what they have is they

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have these little beacons that you can wear like a wristwatch or key fob.

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And if you have a podcast, you want to definitely check this out because Instead

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of, you know, heading somebody a card or a sticker or something along those lines,

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you can have them just hold their phone over the wristband or the key fob, and

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it'll automatically bring up your podcast.

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So check that out.

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If you have a podcast, check it out.

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I do have the links in the show notes, and that is my affiliate link there for you.

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So

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that's what I have for you here today.

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Again, you can reach out to me and tell me what you like about the show,

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what you don't like about the show, what you'd like to hear more of less

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of, or if you want to become a guest, go to timothyatcreateartpodcast.

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com.

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I would love to hear from you and what's going on where you're at in your

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creativity, in your creative journey.

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I want to also let you know that I do run another podcast called find

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a podcast about you can find it at find a podcast about dot X, Y, Z,

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and that's where I combed through millions of podcasts to find you the

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ones that are the most binge worthy.

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Check that podcast out and let me help you outsmart the algorithm.

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And this is all part of the TKB Studios network.

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TKB Studios, we help you.

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Through all the noise.

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So that way your message can cut through.

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Yes, TKB Studios, we are the quiet professionals.

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Alright, that is all that I have for you here this week.

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Again, thank you so much for listening on in.

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Now go out there and tame your inner critic.

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Create more than you consume.

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Use that thing you hate as a source of energy for you, if that helps.

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Go out there and make some art for somebody you love, yourself.

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I'll talk to you next time.