Aka "The One where she Sings". So we're heading into it: whether we like it or not. It's called "Silly Season" for a reason... We think of people running around like headless chickens, trying to get everything done before the holiday season is in full swing and it feels like there's not nearly enough hours in every day. And if you're running a small business - you might feel the weight of the increasing load of orders and customers breathing down your neck to meet their deadlines. Now with any increased demand on your time, it's always a good idea to have a plan or system in place. That way, things won't feel like they are so out of control all the time. So in this episode, let's take a look at a few ways to Survive the Silly Season... Please share your takeaways and "ponder points" from this episode and please tag me @creativ.and.kin or leave a review so others can continue to find inspiration here! Connect with the Creativ & kin community via the following links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creativ.and.kin Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/creativ.and.kin Email: [email protected] As always, stay connected and keep creating! xx

In this episode, Lauren and I chat about the launch of her beautiful new book: "Bold Bible Girls". We discuss the calling that led her to write on this particular topic, as well as what it means to raise bold and brave young women in order to change the narrative about girls and their position in society. Lauren has such a passion for women's rights and her gift of writing was nurtured from a young age. She has stepped boldly into her purpose and it is always such a delight chatting to her about the topics near to her heart. So whether you are raising bold girls, or possibly raising strong boys to respect bold girls - this promises to be an enlightening conversation with someone with so much passion for bringing truth and light to the female historic narrative. And if you are secretly nurturing a dream of writing a book "someday" - please reach out to Lauren, maybe choose a good mentor and then start setting those dreams alight!

Whoa, this is one special episode right here!! Just before the launch of our 2021 #creativandkinplanner, Jess and I sat down to discuss the journey that led us from the very start, all the way through to a finished product. But here's the twist: she was interviewing me and so for the first time, I was in the hot seat! In this 37th Episode we take you through the ups and downs of the creative process. We touch on the beauty of a good partnership, what it takes to collaborate on a big creative project and how we have tried to balance work and family life through it all. We've shared what it means to plan through difficult times, as well as our vision for what the 2021 Planner might be to you ~ an opportunity for us to dream and create alongside you in a year of new growth. Please share your takeaways and "ponder points" from this episode and please tag us @watercolour_heart_illustration and @creativ.and.kin, or leave us a stellar review so others can continue to find inspiration here! Find us at the following links: Jess ~ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/watercolour_heart_illustration Website: www.watercolourheart.com Email: [email protected] Barbara (Creativ & kin) ~ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creativ.and.kin Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/creativ.and.kin Email: [email protected] As always, stay connected and keep creating! xx

Hold onto your knickers ~ Shante is in the house!!! But seriously, what an amazing interview with one of the interweb's snackiest little firecrackers! Join us in this 36th episode as we chat all things collaboration... We talk you through the ins & outs of gifts, trade exchanges, paid partnerships and sponsorships. I also get up close and personal with Shante about her journey into photography, entrepreneurship and her online presence. And of course we ride the wave of #womensupportingwomen and #collaborationovercompetition all the way out to the shore in order to dig deep into these amazing, but often heavy and heated topics. Please share your takeaways and "ponder points" from this episode and please tag us @shante_hutton and @creativ.and.kin, or leave us a stellar review so others can continue to find inspiration here! Find us at the following links: Shante ~ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shante_hutton Website: www.roseandthorns.co.za Email: [email protected] Barbara (Creativ & kin) ~ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creativ.and.kin Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/creativ.and.kin Email: [email protected] As always, stay connected and keep creating! xx

Today's episode is on a topic I absolutely love! Collaboration!! If you've listened to a few episodes on here, you'll know by now that my heart beats for community - in the sense of women working together and supporting each other. I am an encourager at heart and just a general dream-believer and supporter. So when someone says "collaboration", I am there! So let's quickly unpack what a "collab" is and then I'll share a bit about what it has meant for me this year... A collaboration is a working practice whereby individuals work together to a common purpose to achieve business benefit. Other words to describe it would be: partnership, alliance, teamwork, cooperation and my favourite: connection. Collaboration enables individuals to work together to achieve a defined and common business (or creative) purpose. So collaborations, when done right - can result in beautiful partnerships where the journey together brings out each individual's strengths and marries them into something that is exponentially better than those of each individual in isolation. There is so much magic in shared creativity, ideas and knowledge. You play to each other's strengths, learning where to take over and where to let go. And when one of you is down, the other lifts up. When one is unsure, the other finds a way to provide clarity or certainty. I think you can hear the passion here - man, I've just learnt so much from it this year. So on to my partnership with Jess of Watercolour Heart Illustration. Designing a planner with Jess was my one big dream for 2020. And then the pandemic and lockdown happened, and I kept stalling on when I would contact Jess to start collaborating on the idea and hopefully the project. When I finally realised that it was halfyear, and an in-person coffee date was not going to happen anytime soon, I took the plunge and asked Jess whether she was still keen on designing a year planner with me and whether she thought we still had enough time left. Her answer was that with it being June already, it would be tight, but that she was in and we could definitely make it happen! It had been a big dream of hers for a long time as well and she was as excited as I was for the journey ahead!! So we started with a discovery call on zoom the very next week and then started taking it one step at a time. We set a clear timeline, with priority steps and goals for each of us. We used Asana, a LOT of whatsapp messages and voice notes and MANY zoom calls. There were many shared references and ideas, many revisions. Many happy dances! Many good and sound compromises to keep things local and conscious. The whole process has been thoughtful, intentional and so, so empowering. One of the most amazing things about this collaboration has been the open communication and in-tuneness (if there is even such a word, hah) with Jess. And that can be applied to any partnership. Towards the end of August, Jess and I were checking in on our timeline and proposed launch date. We were both starting to feel pressured, rushed and uneasy about our launch date. We had an open conversation and decided to move it. Give ourselves more time. This was a unique year and we both felt it would be so good to give people (including ourselves) more time to come to grips with the fact that the year was moving on into a new year, with the uncertainty but also the hope that it would bring. It also gave us more time to enjoy each step of the journey and the process. To pour intention and purpose into each little detail of the planner, to consider different options, sometimes even just for the sake of considering it and to refine each element to a point where we were both happy and almost giddy with excitement about the end result. It ...

Copying and Imposter Syndrome - wow, two VERY touchy subjects...!! In our 34th Episode I chat to Khanya Ngumbela about navigating her online community through the often difficult topics of copying and confidence. We dive into her approach and how she landed her first brand deal at just 800 followers. She shares what she sees the women in her circle struggle with most often and how she structures her topics of teaching accordingly. This woman is a force to be reckoned with and such a natural when it comes to teaching and guiding others! Tell us what stood out to you in this episode and please tag us @xxkhanyaxx and @creativ.and.kin, or leave us a stellar review so others can continue to find inspiration here! Find us at the following links: Khanya ~ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xxkhanyaxx Youtube: xxKhanyaxx Email: [email protected] Barbara (Creativ & kin) ~ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creativ.and.kin Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/creativ.and.kin Email: [email protected] As always, stay connected and keep creating! xx

Ok, so today's one is a touchy subject. Copycats. You feel hurt. You feel like stopping. You feel like: what's the point if people are just going to copy me. But hold on there girl, back up a few steps. What I'm going to say might not be exactly what you want to hear right now, but just hear me out for a second. People can feed off of your current work, but they can never anticipate where you're going next. As long as you keep on innovating, bringing new spice and flavour into your brand and business, they will stay in your rearview mirror. And I don't mean this in a bad way - you can take them along for the journey, but just don't allow them to hijack your ride. Ok enough figurative speech, what I mean is this: once your ideas are sent out into the world, you might forever be finding reinterpretations of what might look very much like your own creations, art or products. But everyone draws inspiration from somewhere, (we all do), and most often these interpretations might be too vague to call out. And I'm not talking about stolen images, yet, we'll get to that. But don't let inspiration drawn from your work by others just starting out, steal your thunder or your magic. They actually need your encouragement and direction. Let's dig a bit deeper into this. When I interviewed Nick Dreyer of Veldskoen shoes this topic came up. His words were: We just maintain a good company culture and if we see exact knock-offs of our product, I just send them a message saying: Come on guys, you're better than this. Go and put your own spin on it!! And Heike of Fleur le Cordeur and I have done some Instagram lives together, where this exact topic came up a few times. Her approach really inspired me and changed my mindset even more: She said that it took her quite a few years to be ok with people using her ideas and as others call it, copying her. But she also said that there is very little under the sun that is truly new, and our ideas and the creations we put out there, will always be open for interpretation by others. She shifted her mindset to start seeing it as a compliment, which she admits is very hard to do. And she started encouraging people and motivating them instead of feeling robbed and fuelling the scarcity mindset. So you'll see you generally have 2 options in how to deal with copying: Confront when needed, or avoid and continue on your own path. Now if someone is stealing your exact work, or using your self-created original images as their own, you'll have to confront them. That's just not cricket. Ask your community to call it out when they see your images being used without your consent. Usually they don't even need to be asked. Most of the really engaged online communities and fiercely loyal. I've seen it done before and I've called people out myself. I've even called people out when they weren't tagging artists but using their artwork in a post of theirs. Now I hate confrontation as much as the next person, but what's right is right and what's wrong is just wrong. On the other hand, unfortunately, we don't have much possession over our unique ideas. Unless of course, you have it patented. Different story for a different day. The bottom line is, we draw inspiration from different places and those around us do the same. Now, as with most things in life, a mind shift will soon have you looking through a different pair of goggles. They might not be rose-tinted, but let's make them a carefree shade of yellow. There is more than enough to go around. If we can use this feedback and remain in the role of the leader, or thought-leader even, it should allow us and even push us to continuously innovate. Which is not a bad thing. It's a goo...

In this episode, Therese and I chat about beautiful beginnings, how to build a business with pure intention and that feeling of "homecoming" when you finally find the perfect name for your business or brand. We also explore the idea that beautiful packaging can very much respect and nurture the relationship between a customer and a small business. Share with us what stood out to you in this episode and please tag us @missmillysa and @creativ.and.kin, or leave us a stellar review so others can continue to find inspiration here! Find us at the following links: Therese (Miss Milly) ~ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missmillysa Website: https://www.missmillysa.co.za Email: [email protected] Barbara (Creativ & kin) ~ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creativ.and.kin Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/creativ.and.kin Email: [email protected] As always, stay connected and keep creating! xx

Hi everyone, and welcome to another power pod. That just means that this is a super short & punchy episode, and that it's jam-packed with value and tips. And basically you can listen to this one on the go or even simply to get your creativity started for the day. Chances are good that if you're listening to this, you are a creative soul. And you either have the dream of starting a really mindful & intentional business or have already begun that journey. In this episode, I explore what it means to be intentional about your creativity, your brand and your business. It's so much more than building a tailor made little empire around yourself and really about enjoying and allowing yourself to fully experience and immerse yourself in every step of the way. Maybe that's what 2020 has taught us. To just be present in the moment - whether it's good or just pretty awful, or hard or weird. And to make something mostly just for the joy of it. So whilst intentional means: done on purpose, deliberate, conscious and intended, for us as creatives we should very much also give focus to it being a considered and purposeful journey. Because face it, that's where you'll find a lot of your energy and inspiration. So for this week, I'll leave you with these questions: are you truly being intentional about how you are growing your creativity and your business? Are you allowing time for the experience and the journey by affording yourself pauses in between to rest and take stock? And the most important one - are you allowing yourself to enjoy it? Because if you haven't yet, I think you need to tell yourself to just let go a little and enjoy the ride! Share with us what stood out to you in this episode and please tag me @creativ.and.kin, or leave us a stellar review so others can continue to find inspiration here! Find us at the following links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creativ.and.kin Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/creativ.and.kin Email: [email protected] As always, stay connected and keep creating! xx

Hi everyone, so the buzzword is still: Authenticity and today I am chatting with the wildly popular and much-loved local creative and DIY-queen, Lindall Atkins, as we discuss what authenticity means for a small startup in the digital and social era, in terms of online presence and stepping out of our comfort zones. We touch on the idea of sharing relatable content for your brand, showing up regularly and in an authentic way and what that really means on a day to day basis. Share with us what stood out to you in this episode and please tag us @nwabisas_little_things and @creativ.and.kin, or leave us a stellar review so others can continue to find inspiration here! Find us at the following links: Lindall (Nwabisa's Little Things) ~ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nwabisas_little_things Website: https://www.nwabisaslittlethings.com Email: [email protected] Barbara (Creativ & kin) ~ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creativ.and.kin Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/creativ.and.kin Email: [email protected] As always, stay connected and keep creating! xx