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
Episode 108: Creative Spark Series - Breaking the Glass Ceiling in Our Minds with Melinda Rothouse and Charlotte Gullick
In this episode of our Creative Spark series, we explore how our limiting beliefs and scarcity thinking can hold us back from personal, creative, and professional opportunities. With examples from our own lives, we share how to invite more abundance and expansiveness into our mindset, from actually seeing ourselves as creative to allowing ourselves little luxuries. 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 encourage you to invite a bit more softness or expansiveness into your daily life, whatever that looks like for you, from an afternoon nap to fancy underwear or silk pajamas. What’s a positive risk that might bring a little more abundance into your mindset?
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 102: Creativity as a Path of Adventure, Episode 104: Creativity Can Save Your Life, and Episode 106: Creative Confessions.
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.
Episode-specific hyperlinks:
Show / permanent hyperlinks:
Melinda: Creativity and community are absolutely vital in challenging times. Creativity is also consistently named one of the top skills of the 21st century, especially with the advent of AI. 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.
What holds us back? How do we get stuck? And how can we fully embrace our creativity? We talk with visionaries and change makers, and everyday creatives working in a wide range of fields and media - 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: And I'm Charlotte Gullick. 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. Welcome to the podcast Quickies. At Syncreate, we’re so excited that you've joined us today.
We are going to talk today about breaking the glass ceilings in our own minds. And the idea here is maybe we've done a lot of work on like, “Oh, I give myself permission to call myself a writer…” or “I give myself permission to call myself a dancer...” and the old cobwebs in our brain go, “Okay. We might let you have that, but we're not going to let you have that pair of silk pajamas you really want.” (Laughter)
So, like, it's the idea here is, can we be more abundant in our own thinking about our creativity and about our lives? So, what I have been thinking about is, where do I have scarcity thinking? Where does it show up? I'm on the job market. It’s kind of a crazy time to be on the job market. I'm in education in addition to creativity. And the landscape is changing. And old Charlotte, the one who was afraid to take risks and who thought there wasn't enough to go around, my initial thought was like, “Oh, I’ll never find a job.”
And just that's just scarcity thinking right there. And now I’ve been thinking, I’m just so curious about what it's going to be like and really trying to check my own thinking, so that I'm not the person who's liminating… (laughter) eliminating? Eliminating? Eliminating possibility in my own mind.
Melinda: Yeah. Yeah.
Charlotte: Does that bring anything up for you?
Melinda: Yeah. I mean, I think we do this to ourselves all the time in all kinds of different ways. Like, you mentioned the job market, you know. Like, automatically dismissing. Like, we look at a job, it looks interesting. Or you're like, “Well, I'm not qualified for this…” or “Who am I to apply for this?” You know? And we know there's a gender disparity in perceptions, right? So that often men who feel that they have, you know, a certain… not the full amount perhaps, of the qualifications, but a bare minimum… will go ahead and apply for the job.
They have the confidence to apply, where women will only apply if they feel like they have, you know, the majority of the qualifications, or all of the qualifications, you know. So, there's something in our mindset that holds us back. And there's many different examples of this across, you know, our lives. You know, “Who am I to put myself forward in this way?” Or “Other people know what they're doing and I don't…” or “Other people have figured out life and I haven’t.”
And so, we keep ourselves back from potential opportunities, when paradoxically, if we put ourself forward a little bit, often we meet the person or we find out about the opportunity, and then we can take a step towards it that we never would have if we hadn't put ourselves out there, even just a little bit.
Charlotte: Well, I have won - humbly I say - I've won a couple of writing awards, and my big insight (which is super obvious) but I had to, like, live into it, was, “Oh. My chances of winning are so much higher if I apply than if I don't.”
Melinda: Yes.
Charlotte: And that's a big duh.
Melinda: But like 100% higher.
Charlotte: Like, you know, “You miss 100% of shots you don't take.” And so… but just making sure that we're paying attention to it, and also clarifying that it's not necessarily easy. It's not like, “Oh, just get over it.” It is… there are systems, there are messages. You know, the comfort zone for certain people is so much stronger than it is for other people. They’re very valid reasons that we might have a mindset that is embedded in scarcity thinking. And so, just, you know, to acknowledge that they are systems that also play a role in this isn't just like, “Think you're way out of it…”, but what we're suggesting here is a couple of things.
One is observe ourselves. Like, where might I be holding myself back? For me, it's come up in two areas: aprons and pajamas. (Laughter) I wrote an essay that was talking about food, and my friend who gives me feedback on it, she's like, “Come on. All this time, I think you have… you're just… you just don't sleep, you do so much. And then I realized you don't cook.” (Laughter) “Like, cooking is so important to me.” She's like, “I spend so much time there.” And then the essay I'm talking about, like, we have two cans of beans, like a pantry… the word pantry feels indulgent to me because I didn't grow up with that kind of space.
And so, “Oh, I can have four cans of beans… like, wild.” And then, the question came up about aprons and I'm like, “Oh they're just prissy.” She said, “No. This is not… they’re really practical Charlotte.” (Laughter) And so, I think that for me, it's just a shift about things that I have said… “Oh, I don't want that…” or “That’s not part of my world because I don't have the resources.” Or… but I think the other thing is like, how do I want to feel on a consistent basis? Do I want to feel like I'm depriving myself, or is there more? Are there small ways that I could say yes more often?
Melinda: Right. Right. Even like, wearing nice underwear.
Charlotte: Yeah. What?!
Melinda: Like, most of the time, no one else is going to know. But you know. And it makes you feel good, right?
Charlotte: Yeah. I think that my, the same friend I was talking about this… like, working with a style coach, and she's like, “Don’t judge me.I've worked with a style coach.” And the main thing was, how do you want to feel?
Melinda: Yeah.
Charlotte: It’s not about expensive things or flashy things. That same point that you're saying, like, “Oh, I'm going to feel a little fun.”
Melinda: Yeah. And when we dress nice or when we dress up, you know, it's mostly for ourselves, like you're saying. Not necessarily for other people. But it changes the way we carry ourselves. We're more uplifted and maybe more confident…
Charlotte: And not more uplifted just because we have a better bra.
Melinda: That's right. But that could also be true. (Laughter)
Charlotte: So for me, in the practicality of this is where am I saying, “Where am I being a little bit small in my thinking about myself?” And it has really come up with novel writing. I had a novel, published many, many years ago, and I've worked with two other ones. I've written three drafts and, so, in my journaling, before I begin my creative stuff, I have just started to say, “I want to feel empowered and purposeful.”
Melinda: Yeah.
Charlotte: I'm like, “Oh, that’s pretty cool.” And then I'm like, “I want to feel like an empowered, purposeful novelist…” And that has blown the roof off.
Melinda: Really?
Charlotte: (Laughter) I'm a creative… I’m a creative firestorm.
Melinda: Wow.
Charlotte: Last weekend, I wrote 11,000 new words on a novel.
Melinda: Amazing. Just because of that mindset shift… do you think that had a big part to do with it?
Charlotte: I think it had a huge part come up… part of it. The seed got planted in our coaching group. One of our participants talked about, she may not have published those books, but still allowing herself to be very proud of the fact that she had written those books.
Melinda: Yes.
Charlotte: And that kind of percolated in my mind and this kind of coincided with this idea of like, where am I being… where am I having scarcity thinking? And like, “Oh, I don't know.” It just blew the lid off.
Melinda: That's great.
Charlotte: And then it's rough. Right? And it's a first… I mean, I've written like, the first 50 pages three times. But now I'm on page 140.
Melinda: Amazing.
Charlotte: And just going, so I think… and of course, not everyone's going to have that creative firestorm with them. But I think part of it, it's like a series of things of saying, “Oh, could I be a little more expansive in my thinking in this area and this area, and this area? And in kind of a surround sound of mindset inquiry?”
Melinda: Yeah, I think this also… there's a component of this, you know, we talk a lot about community and creativity, and you know, being part of groups. Like, joining creative circles, whatever that might look like for you in your field and whatever you do. You know, I always marvel at people who, maybe they're in between jobs, but they're networking by joining different communities and participating actively as a volunteer. Like, they may not be getting paid for it. But they are taking an active role in different communities, and thus, they are building connections that can lead to other opportunities.
And sometimes when I witness other people doing this, I'm like, “Oh, yeah. Of course.” I don't always do that. But I'm trying to do it more. You know, I've mentioned on here before - and actually I'm going to be talking… I'm going to have my friend Hannah on the show tomorrow. We're going to be recording. Who I started this songwriting group with. And I tell you what, that group has been so amazing, not only for the accountability of, like, writing a song every month and having a group to check in and get feedback with.
But just the sense of community that it fosters. And like, all of us are feeling so inspired by it. And it's fueling our creativity and in different ways. So, like, maybe it's joining a community, you know. Of something that you're interested in, or maybe it's starting a community.
Charlotte: I think the other piece of that is recognizing that - maybe because of the job search - but like, there's so many ways to make a contribution.
Melinda: Yeah.
Charlotte: And that's like you… you're part of a songwriting group, and you share your song that sparks something for someone else. And that if we can think about how community… the relationship between abundance, community, contribution, resonance. Like, again, it’s some mind shift, but we're thinking about, how much plenty there is. (Laughter)
Melinda: Yes. Yes. Definitely. So, you know, the other piece of this is just even within our own minds, like, allowing ourselves to see possibilities we hadn't allowed ourselves to consider before. Like, you know, we tend to get so narrow often in our focus of not only like, what we're doing, but what's possible. And, you know, the possibilities are always so much more infinite than we realize. So , like, how… what are ways that we can widen that realm of possibilities for ourselves in our own minds?
Charlotte: And that leads us to our Pro Tip. And we're asking folks, like, what's an indulgence? Where could you be soft, rather than hard on yourself? Thinking about, like, you were just saying, if we've narrowed ourself in some area of our life, can we expand a little bit, take up a little more space? And, the idea of like, what's a positive risk that you can take that feels expansive? And it could be a thing that you do, or it could be something you do with your time. Maybe it's a nap in the afternoon. Maybe it's a walk with a friend. Maybe it's the underwear. (Laughter)
Melinda: Or the silk pajamas. Or the fancy apron.
Charlotte: The silk pajamas. The fancy apron. And, you know, maybe that's how a first step is. Like, what feels indulgent to you? Because maybe you narrow down and you don't even know. And it doesn't always have to be about things that take money.
Melinda: Right. I know, I just, like… here's just a really super mundane example. I was on my way home from wherever yesterday, and I was going to be going right by Trader Joe's, which I don't get to all that often, but they have certain things that I really like there. And I was running out of something. And so it was like, “I'm not feeling well. Maybe I'll just go home. I'll just skip it.” But then it's like, “Well, when am I going to be going by there again?”
Like, “I'm just going to do it.” So I went. I found a parking spot right out front… (laughter) and I got a bunch of stuff. And then, I looked at my refrigerator this morning and I felt so abundant. Like, I have lots of really nice, healthy food to eat that I wouldn't have if I hadn't stopped yesterday. (Laughter) You know?
Charlotte: It’s a great example. A great example. It's kind of like getting back at like, how do we want to feel? And like, what's the visual narrative around how we feel? And where might the glass ceiling be. And do we want to break it?
Melinda: Yeah. And the answer is yes.
Charlotte: Yes.
Melinda: We want to break it. (Laughter)
Charlotte: Yes. Don't get cut, Mordecai. (Laughter)
Find and connect with us on YouTube and social media under @syncreate. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review.
Melinda: We're recording today at 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.
