The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity
Welcome to Syncreate, where we explore the intersections between creativity, psychology, and spirituality. Our goal is to demystify the creative process and expand the boundaries of what it means to be creative.
Creativity. It’s a word we throw around all the time, but what does it really mean? On the Syncreate Podcast, we share stories of the creative journey. We talk to changemakers, visionaries and everyday creatives working in a wide array of fields and disciplines. Our goal is to explore creativity in all its facets, and to gain a better understanding of the creative process – from imagination to innovation and everything in between.
The Syncreate Podcast is hosted by Melinda Rothouse, PhD. She helps individuals and organizations bring their creative dreams and visions to life through coaching, consulting, workshops, retreats, and now, this podcast. She's written two books on creativity, including Syncreate: A Guide to Navigating the Creative Process for Individuals, Teams, and Communities (winner of a Silver Nautilus Award for Creativity and Innovation), with Charlotte Gullick. She's also a musician (singer-songwriter and bass player) and photographer based in Austin, Texas.
The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity
Syncreate Podcast Episode 80: Creative Spark Series - Narrating the Syncreate Audiobook with Melinda Rothouse & Charlotte Gullick
In this episode of our Creative Spark series, Charlotte and Melinda share the experience of narrating the audio version of our Syncreate book, including our flubs, insecurities, and humorous moments, the highs and the lows, warts and all. We think it’s important to share our own process, and how we all inevitably stumble along the way to a finished creative product. So if you’ve ever wanted to peer behind the veil of the creative process, this episode is for you. This episode, like the mini-episodes that preceded it, also includes insights from our book, Syncreate: A Guide to Navigating the Creative Process for Individuals, Teams, and Communities.
For our Creativity Pro-Tip, we demonstrate a mirroring exercise (easier to follow in the video version of the episode) that can be used as a fun icebreaker or warm-up for any creative collaboration.
Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.
If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 20: The Syncreate Model of Play, Plan & Produce, Episode 31: The Power of Collaboration, and Episode 41: Creative Practice, Process, and Product.
At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors. If you have an idea for a project or a new venture, and you’re not sure how to get it off the ground, find us at syncreate.org. Our book, also called Syncreate, walks you through the stages of the creative process so you can take action on your creative goals. We also offer resources, creative process tools, and coaching, including a monthly creativity coaching group, to help you bring your work to the world. You can find more information on our website, where you can also find all of our podcast episodes. Find and connect with us on social media and YouTube under Syncreate. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review! We’d love to hear your feedback as well, so drop us a line at info@syncreate.org.
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Melinda: Creativity and community are absolutely vital in challenging times. Welcome to Syncreate, a show where we explore the intersections between creativity, psychology and spirituality. We believe everyone has the capacity to create. Our goal is to demystify the process and expand the boundaries of what it means to be creative. We talk with visionaries and changemakers, and everyday creatives working in a wide range of fields and mediums - from the arts to science, technology and business.
We aim to illuminate the creative process - from imagination to innovation, and everything in between. I'm Melinda Rothouse, and I help individuals and organizations bring their dreams and visions to life.
Charlotte: Hi! I'm Charlotte Gulick, and I'm a writer, educator, and writing coach. We are the co-authors of a book on the creative process, also called Syncreate. At Syncreate, we’re here to support your creative endeavors. If you have an idea for a project or a new venture, and you're not sure how to get it off the ground, find us at syncreate.org. Our book, now available in both print and audiobook format, walks you through the stages of the creative process so you can take action on your creative goals.
We offer resources, creative process tools, and coaching to help you bring your work to the world. Our monthly creativity coaching group has begun. We'd be delighted for you to join us. We'd also love to hear your feedback on the show. Please drop us a line at info@syncreate.org. We're looking for feedback on how we can improve the show, what's resonating for you, and what future topics you'd like us to cover.
Welcome back to the Syncreate podcast. We're so excited you're here. Today, we want to talk about the process of recording the audiobook version of the Syncreate book. And it was hilarious!
Melinda: It was! We had a lot of fun. So, we just did that. When was that? That was the end of last year, right?
Charlotte: October.
Melinda: Oh, October. Gosh! It was that long ago. So, yeah. So, we recorded it and it is now out there in the world, available on Audible or wherever you find your audiobooks. So, we wanted to give you a little behind the scenes peek - like, you hear a finished audiobook and maybe you hear the authors narrating it and you know, it sounds seamless. The process itself is not quite so seamless. (Laughter)
Melinda: So we wanted to give you a little peek behind the curtain of what the creative process of narrating an audiobook is actually like.
Charlotte: I think it's important for folks to know the context. So, you have a degree in performance studies, is this not true?
Melinda: That is correct. (Laughter)
Charlotte: And you perform quite a bit with your band?
Melinda: Yes.
Charlotte: So you bring a lot of experience to performance, and thinking about the audience experience, correct?
Melinda: Yes.
Charlotte: Let's just say Charlotte does not have a degree in performance studies - (Laughter)
Charlotte: So, we came into this project with very different levels of ability and expertise. And for me, there was a lot of highs and lows. So, the audacity or the - I got on a plane and I was telling myself, “I’m flying to Austin for the weekend to record an audiobook…” - and I liked that narrative. “This is who I am in this life.” And then I got there and I stumbled so much, it was ridiculous. And it was - but also very funny.
Melinda: It was hilarious. Yeah!
Charlotte: And then Grant, our amazing producer - one of the things he said before we started is - we're getting set up, getting some water, making sure -
Melinda: - our teeth don’t stick to our lips.
Charlotte: I have a random - well, not random - I have an in-and-out again accent. And I said to Grant, “Sometimes my accent will just get in the way”. And like, you know, “I was walking up that heel [hill]…” (Laughter)
Charlotte: - and Grant goes, “Now, do you think that's part of your charm or should I stop you, and we re-record it?“ And I thought for a moment and I was like, (puts on voice) “That’s part of my charm!” (Laughter)
Charlotte: So, if you listen to the audiobook - which one of my nephew’s partner - no, my niece’s partner - is listening to it now and he's like, “Ohhh! It just made me - like, it was so great to hear your voices!” There's a lot of warmth in the audiobook. And I think that comes from our relationship, knowing each other and having fun - even though we were at very different levels.
Melinda: Yeah.
Charlotte: And the other thing I wanted to say is that you were so gracious. So gracious, and supportive and patient. That is not my experience with some things, when I was learning things as a child. It was like, expected that you would have immediate mastery of it or be an immediate expert. And, so, I'm a little nervous when I'm trying something new - that I need to get it right, right away - or else I will be judged or maybe even punished. You were so kind. So thank you for that.
Melinda: Oh, gosh. Absolutely. And I mean, I've never recorded an audiobook before either, you know? So, we come into the studio - not this room, but the room next door - and they've got the audiobook text up on a screen. And then we decided, “Okay. We’ll take turns. We’ll, you know, each read it - like one of us will read a chapter, then the other will read the next, and we'll kind of go …” - we divided it up so we knew who was doing what.
And also that we could each take a break, you know, in between. Because that's a lot. I mean, it was like a full eight hour day or something - this recording process. And of course, your eyes get tired, your voice gets tired, your energy levels drop, especially after lunch.
So, we had to be creative in how we were doing this. Like, how do we keep the energy up and, you know, no one's going to see this but let's be really animated with our gestures and really get into it! You know? And in fact, the episode that just came out this week with Marcus McQuirter from ACC - from the drama department - he was talking about his narrative podcast and how when he records it, how the actors get really into it with all the body language and everything. And that helps, even though no one's ever going to see it.
Charlotte: Well, I think the other thing is - another component where you were extremely helpful with the gesturing is that - I'm losing my hearing a little bit, and we talked about it at lunch and you said, “Yeah, I can tell that you're, I'm quieter.” And it's like, a whole crazy making thing - like, “I think I'm projecting, but I'm not.”
And after lunch, I was starting to get a little bit lost in my head, like, “Oh, I’m not good in this”. Who I am in the world, isn’t who I think I am - because the energy level - and you looked at me and I was kind of - not tanking - but I was like, (purposely speaks quietly) and you were like, “Big! Big!” And that was really helpful. And it reminded me of how creativity and risk taking - it's so important to have other people help us hold it.
Melinda: Yes.
Charlotte: So. And yeah, it was fun. There were a couple people's names I definitely tripped on. I definitely tripped on those names. (Laughter)
Charlotte: - Their names. But, so -
Melinda: But, you know. Like you're saying, we have to encourage each other, you know? And that's why I love our collaboration so much. It’s because, you know - and people - I just had lunch with somebody who listened to the audiobook yesterday and she's like, “I love it. You guys have different vibes and different styles, but very complimentary, you know?” - And I love our collaboration because, you know, when you're working solo on something it's just you and however you're showing up or however you're feeling that day, that's all it is.
But when you collaborate with someone you can feed off each other's energy. Or if one person's feeling more low energy, the other person can lift them up and vice versa. And just be like, “You got this!” You know? WE got this!
Charlotte: We got this. We got this. And I think that the other thing that's super cool about the audiobook is - I don't know how long we've been friends but it's been a long time. Maybe 15 years -
Melinda: Yeah.
Charlotte: I think we started to meet, you know, to talk about the study abroad thing. I don't know if we ever thought we'd be - (Laughter)
Charlotte: I don't know if we ever envisioned ourselves recording an audiobook.
Melinda: Right! That's true. And that's the thing in our personal adventure of creativity, we're always exploring new things. And, you know, we wrote the book, we published the book, and then several years later, it was like, “We should make an audiobook. You know, people have asked us about this. Like, how does one go about that?” And here I have this podcast studio. And it was like, “Oh - they can do it! They can help us. They can edit it all together. Great. Let's do it.”
Charlotte: I think - and it's another example of the risks that we need to take to grow.
Melinda: Yeah. Yeah.
Charlotte: So our Creativity Pro Tip around this collaboration and being present, is mirroring. And so, will you tell us what we're doing with this Melinda?
Melinda: Yeah. So we're going to demonstrate this for you. It's kind of like an improv exercise where you're just standing facing someone or like, we're here virtually together on screen - but where one person makes some kind of movement or gesture and the other person just mirrors them, as though you were a mirror. And it's an exercise of really paying attention and following, and tuning in to the other person. So, let's try it, Charlotte.
Charlotte: What were the famous Marx Brothers? (Laughter)
Melinda: Oh! There’s - maybe. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly.
Charlotte: Okay. So what do I do now?
Melinda: Okay. Well, you just do anything and I'll mirror you.
(Silence)
Charlotte: Oh my God! It’s making me laugh. (Putting on voice) “And then the reindeer said….”
(Laughter, more silence)
Charlotte: People are going to think we're crazy!
Melinda: People are going to think we're crazy! (Laughter)
Melinda: And so on, and so on. You could go on with this, but it's a really great exercise, especially if you have somebody that you collaborate with. You know, really tuning into that person's energy and movement. And there's this thing of like, resonance. It's like you get into a resonance with someone - and I don't know about you, but I just all of a sudden felt really energized by that. It was fun. It was silly. I couldn't be self-conscious. I just had to pay attention to what you were doing.
Charlotte: Absolutely. Got me out of my own head.
Melinda: Alright! So try this. Try this mirroring exercise with a friend or a colleague and see what happens.
Charlotte: Find us and connect with us on YouTube and social media under Syncreate. And we're now on Patreon as well. If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe and leave us a review.
Melinda: We're recording today from Record ATX Studios in Austin, with Charlotte joining us from the Hudson Valley.
The podcast is produced in collaboration with Mike Osborne at 14th Street Studios. Thanks so much for being with us, and see you next time.
