No matter what career stage you're at right now, you've probably at some point been told to "Network!" Well, truth is, collaborations are key for success in professional and personal growth. Yet, so many people, including artists, fail to do this effectively. As stressful as it sounds, it doesn’t need to be that way. Your network is the group of people that have similar interests to you, or that think like you, which can help you bring new and exciting ideas to life. And likewise, you offer the same support in return. Don’t think of networking in terms of what others can do for you, think about what you can do for them. How can you support their current projects with your skills and experience? We are still pretty new to this ourselves, but we are learning together and are here to share our networking journey with you.

This is it, the moment you’ve been waiting for. You worked so hard to get to this point! You are prepared, you know your stuff, you have everything you need, and the opportunity finally comes...but then, you freeze, you start doubting yourself, you even try to talk yourself out of it. All of the sudden, you think you are not good enough, or you start believing that this whole thing is going to fail. But truth is, it is all in your head. People around you see how good you are. They know and  value your work. You just need to give yourself a little push to get out there and get the momentum going. This is a story about overcoming insecurities and learning how to get out of your comfort zone in order to grow.

“Yes! I can do that for you!” “Sure, I’ll get it done by tomorrow!” “This takes a lot effort but I don’t want to bother you so I’ll do it by myself”... We all have said those words at some point in life. If you are a “yes” person, like us, then you probably have experienced being tired and exhausted way too many times, putting more stress on your shoulders than you can actually handle. Burnout is what happens when you try to avoid being human for too long. When you reach that point, you have to find the way to get out of there as quickly as you can. This is the story about the cake that ruined Christmas for Karina, and how she learned that she can’t do it all.

There it is, the moment you were waiting for, you finally have the time to start your new project, or perhaps continue some old ones; but then, nothing comes to your mind. You are suddenly rusty or out of ideas. You are having difficulty finding the right words to write that novel, or the right colors for your paintings, or the chords for that melody, or the patterns for your quilt. You are experiencing a Mental Block! Getting stuck creatively is certainly not a pleasant feeling, but it happens to all of us. The key is to know what to do to and, get out of there quickly to avoid frustration and tears. We’ve experienced it too! More often than we would like to admit. However, we’ve tried a couple of “tricks” to help us avoid that danger zone...

We all need someone who we could rely on for genuine feedback and constructive criticism. In fact, science says a strong support system is essential, and can even help improve health outcomes. When you think of a support system, you might imagine yourself as a character in Friends or How I Met Your Mother. You and your five best buddies, hanging out at your favorite coffee house or an apartment, ranting about your day. As great as that sounds, the roots must go deeper, to the point they can be part of your creative, professional, and personal journey. A support system is the safety net when times get tough. These are the people who will pull you up no matter what. It’s time to invest in them so that they’ll be there for you! This episode is dedicated to the many amazing people who have been there for us in the best moments and the not so great.

As creative and busy people, our brains are constantly reminding us of the many things we need to do or finish during the week, while simultaneously thinking about the cool new projects from Pinterest that you couldn’t resist to “pin” with the hope of trying them later. Furthermore, sometimes we feel scared of getting into something new because we’ve been guilty of buying materials that end up stashed somewhere in the house or your studio because we never got the time to use them. If you are like us, this can get very stressful to the point that it can keep you awake at night, stressing about how, where, or when to start your ideas. Did you think you are alone in this? No, you are not! We all suffer from this “creative disorder”. Although there’s no cure for it, we know there’s a remedy. It’s called organization. Check out this new episode to hear more about how we organize our ideas in order to become more successful in our creative journey.

We all got to start somewhere. It doesn’t matter your age or your educational background. You can get trained in a professional environment or learned all the techniques from a YouTube tutorial. In this episode we are sharing Stephanie’s story of how she found her artistic niche. Keep in mind that this is a journey, not a destination. Don’t focus on finding the “it” factor, but instead focus your energy on enjoying the process while exploring your creative side. We all have a creative process, can you identify yours?

Have you ever felt like you don’t know how much your talent is worth? Have you ever second-guessed yourself after putting a price tag on something you made? What about your full-time job? Do you know what your target salary is? If you are like us, then you probably feel uncomfortable saying the amount that you really want, so you tend to ask for less. This is the story about standing up for yourself and feeling confident about it. We challenge you to reevaluate the way that you look at your work and your time in order to get what you really deserve.

Are you trying to start a new habit? Get better at something? Or start a new hobby? But no matter how much you want it, you just don’t seem to have enough time?

Get to know your host, Karina.