Somehow, I find the the white bot

way too ambitious at times. Good evening.

We're talking about inspiration.

to say it's it's feral.

would be to say nothing.

of course, the photographer and painter chuck close.

had this to say on the subject.

the advice I like to give young artists to already

anybody who listen to me is not to wait around for inspiration and

is for amateurs.

The rest of us just show up

and get to work if you wait around for the clouds to part.

and a bolt of lightning to strike you in the brain.

you are not going to make an awful lot of work.

all the best ideas

come out of the process.

they come out of the work.

itself.

which, of course, is

is all well and good.

and showing up and getting down to work certainly has a way of

helping the the creative juices to flow.

But some, it's... Oh, just

no use.

which is a problem, of course, since the

The general aim of the creative professional is to ship

you deliver or well,

You may not

have another opportunity to do her for a while.

to help me an that's tangled, not

quite guardian, but still pretty naughty.

not

I've asked into this the

create farm studio tonight, a regular

coming in from Vancouver.

The multimedia producer, writer and educator, Erica High,

So we're sitting here.

the harvest.

And considering what if anything

might be

akin to a recipe for what to do when

when the users are proving to be particularly requested.

Erica welcome again to the creative farm.

Thank you, Ralph, and thank you for

having me back on the show. I'm happy to be here.

europe

got a sunny afternoon here in Vancouver.

Oh, lovely, Are you reliably inspired all the time.

No.

I

I mean, I constantly have ideas that flow through my head and

seems never enough time to do them all or enough money.

but I have

moments when

I'm sort of

when I have a particular project,

or or new

new thing that thrown at me and

sort of in a demand to to create something to

to go with that. And and I find sometimes

when it when it comes to

to that form of creativity it

it often takes me a bit of work.

Where do you start?

to to find the inspiration and to to find

Well, so so this is this is actually... You you're coming as

you so often do are coming in it to a

a timely time because

Gosh. It's a talent.

because I've I've just got when... One such new project at the moment

So

So with this one, it's it's a new newer platform.

and a pan box, and they're they're looking for

creative right now, And I believe for any of you who are

interested in kind of researching that and and possibly seeing if it

something you'd like to create too. I think they're pat box

dot com. And so they're looking for new creative.

to create before they go live with their platform.

so that they have content there and and things to get people

cited about the possibilities.

So right now, there at

inviting in a number of different creative from a number of

different different genres, different

What... What are you doing on death?

different styles of creativity.

I don't know yet. So

Oh, excellent. Yeah. So this is exactly what we're talking about.

I just got introduced to the flop for about a

but just under there a week ago now. And so

in order to kind of figure out

what

you know,

what it is that that I'm gonna create

usually, the place where I start with a new project like that

is to immerse myself in it to start

to tinker her, you know, if it's a new platforms tinker with the new platform,

to do my research, see what, you know, in the case of

a new platform that involves new tinkering and new ways, telling stories that

it's, you know, seeing what's possible

And then once I kind of have an idea,

What's possible than sort of figuring out okay,

what would I like to create to this space?

And for me, one of the ways that I set of

light of fire underneath the that creativity

or a little bit of a spark catalyst list is

stop some of us just just just a call it lighting

a fire under our box, but, you know,

Well, let's let's go along with that.

Yeah. So it's... So for me, often... That's

creating myself some form deadlines so that

so that I... And and a deadline I actually have to stay

too. So I've just started a new course in my masters

and the first project

in that course has to do with playing with mobile technologies, which

pan box is ultimately creating stories to

to enter through that people with

entered and engage with through mobile device. So I am

My initial plan was actually to to use Fireside for the project

but because I just found my group project of the courses

is on podcasting. So

I'm I'm gonna shift this now and the podcasting will go

to to to the group project and

hence Fireside who below the group project and for

for this first initial exploration

I'm going to

use

use this this

Okay.

individual project in the class.

So where where you gonna weigh gonna start? I mean, this immersion

you know, how do you actually immerse?

So how do I... Well,

in this case, it'll be actually going on there and starting to take her with things.

So starting to see just like, you know, when when I immerse myself,

into, say Fireside with you. It was actually... Well,

I mean, you made it easy because you kept inviting me on your show

I would not let up.

And then that, you know, when you had your little hiatus,

for your summer vacations and it's like, okay. I've gotten over my fears and

and now it's time to to actually, you know,

create something up my own here and do a little bit of tinkering exploring with my own.

and in that case, I was actually doing that with a a group of people.

for one of the shows, and nobody was actually acting.

And so it's like, okay.

Well, I'm going to throw up a show then schedule it.

and invite people, and we're just gonna get going on this thing.

So so, yeah. So

So just like just like Chuck plus said Right? Just

show up and get to work and and see what comes out.

Absolutely. Absolutely. And I mean, one of the beauties

is

And I think this is this is ultimately where a lot of people have

trouble with creativity and sparking that creativity and getting started

on a project and the inspiration behind it is

too many people are too concerned with it being perfect.

and I luckily don't suffer from that.

Plus I I've learned over the years that if I keep

trying to perfect something and holding off until it's perfect.

well, I'm ultimately never going to be releasing entries anything because

quite frankly, nothing's ever perfect.

there's always things that you could change.

And so

So it becomes about

you know,

sort of starting to build something that I'm excited about

that that has meaning to me in some way. And and realizing

that

And I mean, I mean, for me, so exhausted, this is one of the beauties of the digital

digital birth is

if I kind start and begin

and

I know that the

it's

the future iterations or the future versions or episodes

will only get richer as as

as I I see what worked on my, you know, the first time the first time up

up at the plate. And

and then I see what I I'd like to change the next time. And

How how do keep

that

Sorry Go ahead.

how do you keep on top of of of the of the flow?

of new ideas. I mean, some writers swear by Evernote

Devin think or whatever other

So for a package, you know,

Yes. I've

I've tried a tried.

I actually... I actually favor a hard bound notebooks

always read

You know,

You

you and me are the same. I have a series of those off

do I have

and

Sometimes it's a bit difficult when I I'm trying to

go back and find an idea that I knew I'd start to write down

you know, a few years ago and it's in one of the older books.

But, yes, I I am very much

tactile person. I I need to to start my creative process

with mind maps. And so

actually, since we've got, can you enable things so that I can have video on here?

Good gosh.

And I'll show you some of that creative process. You have to make me a producer.

Oh, blame me. Do you know I actually have not used this video on this

thing. Why I just press

press on press interview mode.

Okay. So you have you

I think you have to make me a producer as what you need to do.

How good does that? Okay.

Well, this is this

And I i'll show you how I kinda start to

that would... You,

make them a producer. Look at that.

Yeah. There we go. Hey.

You. I a producer.

Okay. So now it means that I can add some video

So hang on a set care.

while, while you're looking looking for these videos,

I find that notebooks, inevitably work better because

they help me

They help me go back over thoughts.

and ideas and and the conclusions

I to start to start either start new dreams of thought or auto complete

old ones with new insights that I've gained since I last

open the particular another book and our usually have

something like a dozen of them going.

up any one time.

Oh, absolutely.

Yeah. Yeah. I'm impressed about dozen. So this is my current

notebook that I've got on the go here.

Oh, it's pretty.

And if we open it up, so one of the things I think

kind of nursing out on moment is web monetization, and I was

I've been building a

a course on what monetization the web monetization standard

And so as I start to plan that that course,

you can see here, like, you know, here's

you know, one of the my maps that I've got on the go

ideas going off all over the page.

Yeah. Exactly. And then I liked what you just said to about, you know, how

sometimes you have a couple of different notebooks going and so

to figure, you know, when your

that are sort of geared towards different things. That's probably a bit better and more organized than me.

Because, for example, last week, Laurie and I

did one of our talks that we've been doing on on wellness as the play.

And so over on this side, I've got, you know, some of my notes

Yep.

for her, we kinda doing a birds of the feather session.

but I had to... Like, I realized that when we last on that, it was

it was in my previous notebook, which is right here and falling apart.

so so

Well, I just I just actually... Well you've been talking of of

I've counted

the the red

notebook sitting on my side board here, and there eleven of them.

Nice. That's impressive.

So yes. Different different projects with different content

And yes.

it takes... It takes a little while to find things, but then I think the process of

finding things actually is quite helpful because

you end up going over notes that you had forgotten.

and maybe adding bits and, you know,

I don't use different colors. I mean, if we're talking about the kind of the workshop,

workshop... You know, approach I don't use different

but I only ever use for this kind of work. I only ever use a

a pilot fine liner. Can you believe? And I... And I buy the by bloody

things by the box. But I leave lots of room

you know, in these notebooks books to to add different

different bits and pieces and and and then your thoughts and new your insights

they certainly

Nice.

work for me, You know?

Yeah. Well, it sounds like you're better organized about yours.

Well,

one tries

which is great. And so

Well, it doesn't to take too much

probably become better organized than it that I have. But, like, you know,

So what I'll be doing is as I'm starting into figuring out,

what I might like to create for Pan of

initially thinking, you know, for my initial experiments

project on there. It it'll be something smaller probably be something

that works for

for

to fit in with with the course material that that I've gotten assignment on

But what I'll do is I'll sort of go start

experimenting on the platform, start making notes in my notebook on. Okay. This is this is

what's working. And then I'll I'll pull up a mind map to

to start jot dove some my ideas on on some of the different directions that

I might like to

to initially experiment with a bit of storytelling on the platform.

and then one site

This this kind of is is related

to the idea of working on several projects at the

same time, and

And this is, you know, it's a it's a well tested practice.

and the project may or may not even be related. I mean, if you're... You,

I remember reading about Edison team.

having dozens of experiments going on at the same time, and they would, you know,

do stuff over here, and then we'll walk across to to to another

experiment and have a bit of a fiddle and then leave that alone and and we went to the next one.

painters

rarely work.

on one painting from start to finish before moving the next one, and I haven't

meta musician who, you know, sits down

starts bar one. Writes The song that then gets on with another

snippets of projects.

into twine, and that's part of the part of the creator

process. Isn't it? I mean, they feed of each other.

Oh, absolutely. So so in my world, I

I kind of talk about it, like story worlds. So what I'm doing is I'm building

story worlds out there. And so

sort of... If if we kinda look at the story worlds I build like, at the middle of that

center of that universe would be would be me and my

of people that that I'm that I'm building with, and sort of, you know,

from the... From from each of us, there's these expanding bubbles

of the different worlds that we're creating out there.

and quite often, those bubbles will then overlap so that one

story helps to build upon the other story, especially when it comes

of the audiences that we create.

so that, you know, on the future story telling that we're doing

it makes it easier to start to

to start to

draw audiences and expand what we're doing out there. So on a very small

scale with that. You know, when I set up on starting go a couple weeks ago,

the page with podcasting with my cat because, you know,

As you do, of course, across

we have to pay pay honor and homage to to Miss ella who hangs out with me

you know? So so so within that, it's like, okay. Well, I've been playing with you with your

podcast. So

you know so so that page has got, you know,

you know, a link to how people can start to go down the rabbit

pull of each of those podcasts.

And then and then similarly, it's got the rabbit holes for the the, you know,

for the individual podcast that I'm building either on my own or or or

with other other groups of people. And

you know, so that it it

it just

it

makes it

Well, it means that you're you're bringing in people that are engaging with those stories right away. And I mean, that

one of the things I'm loving about Fireside is it's also building up

and expanding upon upon those

those story worlds and those communities of of people that

that that I'm engaging with and are are kind of making making my stories

sure as I go.

What if you... What if you just get stuck?

What, if you were, like, wake up in the morning,

and there's a blank page in front of you.

the coffee is getting progressively colder and colder.

And

then that's when I know I need to go take a break

and I need to go for a walk or do a yoga class.

Do the the do do do what master vitamins

what what what advise Right?

commune with nature.

Yeah.

Well, absolutely. We were talking about that I believe two weeks ago.

So

That's that that's for me.

the wisdom of going for walks.

Yep. And that's for me where where I find my

expiration is is whether it's it's going for a walk, whether it's

because I

you know, for whatever reason, if I can't take as as big a break or or go further their field then it

like, you know,

digging in the pots on my deck or cleaning off my decks

I think

switch both the need right now or

I think most people's decks need cleaning after the last eighteen months.

Yeah.

somehow. I don't know. Or, maybe maybe some people have been having have been

overly, you know, i've

attentive to the to the decks, but well,

we can talk about that some other time. But i I have a I and I've just

you know, being a lot, i just least back and I have this wonderful quote.

from master Gentlemen,

which kind of goes

like this.

if you would indulge me a foot,

and light hearted.

I take to the open road

healthy.

free.

the world before me, the long brown path before me,

leading wherever I choose

look at that. And there's there's a balance of

in intentional, error and serendipity

work here. Does that resonate at all?

Yeah.

So

because I mean, this there is a there is a there is a choice

but there a... There's also happens tense.

Yeah. Yeah. Sorry. Do you mind just reading that one more time?

time race.

It's it's quite wonderful a foot

and light hearted

I take to the open road

healthy, free

the world before me.

the long brown path before me.

leading wherever I choose.

That's beautiful.

so that actually

reminds me how so quite often, if I'm on a

a vacation just of my own making, which usually

to be quite frank. Don't end up often being, like, you know, vacations in the normal sense

vacations. No mm-mm mhmm.

most people, they they they they more end up being kind of

research drips.

kind of like writers retreats or for me,

Exactly. So

that's that's part of the beauty of those trips.

for inspiring me is often, I'll go with

a notion of

the project that I wanna work on when I'm going. I have to admit, but I have not always

stuck to that project because sometimes when you've got that road that you're just

you know, and embarking on something completely new hits you.

And often when that happens, you've just gotta a run with it.

and you've gotta see where that journey takes itself and and and what starts

to unleash itself.

you know, on the page of your notebooks.

because that that that other project will still be there when you get back to it. Right?

Exactly.

Exactly.

And I mean, I guess that then goes back

to the whole reason too why, you know, so many creative have

have different ideas that are teasing at their not and that that they're that they're caught

you know, working away and putting along on. But

then it's also, you know, a also part of

the creator journey wow

while it's one that tends to be driven and one that

that that

you know, I feel so fortunate to have

help the joy to kind of be constantly embarking on

it

it's also non easy one. And so so part of the

the reality of

of having those different projects that that you've

that you've been building and that you've been working on is because

they often the one that might be tick it your snot

sees that any given time might not be the one that has the financing behind it.

Well, that's one thing

and and the one that's out your synapses may just be the

the catalyst for the one that you actually

want to do, but don't know it yet.

Oh, absolutely. There's

so often I'll find that, you know, something that I start down and start working on

And and I think I know where I'm going on the whole thing.

you know, along the way, it takes the branch to something else that becomes

potentially even richer or or

they gets me even more excited.

and and it's kind of the part of

that that whole world is is you've you've gotta be open to those things.

and you also have to be open to how they adapt and how they evolve. And

Well, yeah. Because they they the the flip side too

having

up

at given moment having no inspiration

is being able to say

actually,

I've been doing this all wrong, and I need to start again

or this is a far better idea. And or, you know,

these sorts of these sorts of processes, which which just seemed to

arrive whenever whenever they want to write

And I don't know that there's

Yeah. And I don't know that there's necessarily a wrong when you're

talking creativity.

I think that there odd different ways of

doing things or different ways of telling a story.

that that may or may not

you know, appeal to you at a given time or may or may not be right.

to the for the audience that you're building to or or the people

that you're working with.

And and and I mean, I think that's all part of the the adapting. And

and it's also

you know, it's one of the things I've learned over the years

is just because

you're not getting the financing or the green light.

on a particular story does not mean

the story of lesser value by any stretch of the

I I think

Maybe it's just not the right time. Right?

Yeah. I think that

to, you know, my my first

television show. I wrote

was was a kid science show and

you know, the first episode was on was on the greenhouse effect.

And I remember having countless broadcasters tell me that I was

creating things that were too smart and that kids would never understand this and would never embrace

Downgrade.

this. And

I think, you know, and it's funny because

you know, I was

you know, in recent years, that's, you know, be the hottest

you know, topic out there.

Yeah. Yeah. Don't up. Tell great I'll say you So see what she's got to say.

about that.

This is the creative creative

farm with me, Time and her hard fave.

and we are talking about means and ways of

allowing them users

to sing to us

even if the shall we say somewhat

reluctant to do so. It is coming up

to the top of the r slowly. So

if

someone in this wonderful tribe of humans in the studio tonight

and I can see also sorts to smiling faces.

And someone wants to throw something into the pot

Please raise your

append

we will be sure to throw a microphone in your general direction Help could land near enough free

to grab it.

Is it?

is it perhaps

about nurturing

a more patient relationship with time.

or maybe not so much patient.

but sort of a broader understanding of our relationship with

time and how we use it up better reading

precise conversations current conversations with Lately, and one gets

the impression that old pablo cultivated a relationship with time that

was about both

an urgency to create and the patience

to let things perc. Does that

sound familiar at all.

It it very much does.

I love that.

I I often need time and space in order to create

like, so

you know, when you're getting frustrated with me because I'm not answering your text

messages right away when you've got a show started again

you know, fifty minutes. It's awesome because

all of my devices are on silence. So unless I glance

screen. I I don't realize somebody's just texted me.

And that that's that's perfectly

I mean, that's

it's purposely done that way because if I'm work

in a world where I constantly have things that are ping at me constantly.

that takes me

Yeah.

flushing and ping and

bells going off. I mean, it's it's... Hell, isn't it?

and it takes me away from

Mhmm.

and I don't then have the time and the space to create and

think and to ponder and to to work

through whatever it is that

You you end up with a whether physical a coming in up you

I end up with a physical egg if I constantly get interrupted and like,

And I have to spend another twenty minutes just to get back to the damn I was

you know, five minutes ago, before you interrupted to me, thanks very much.

Absolutely. Absolutely. And so

so I mean, so for me, that's that's that's part of

you know, that's that's what I need to do. I need to to create those spaces

for myself to to be able to

to just dive into and and spend the time on the content.

and the creative vision. But on the flip side where you have

where you mentioned about having the pressure in there.

the deadline in there. I all

so need that because I have a

very, very

I don't know that it's a bad habit, but it's certainly a habit.

of going further and further down the rabbit hole. And going further and further,

deeper and deeper into research, which is part of what

creates the beauty at the end of the day. However, I also know that at some point,

I have to stop, and I just have to start creating and getting down the

versions onto to the page.

Otherwise, I'm gonna end up in a bit of

a troubled situation of of

missing.

you may... You may. But then, ultimately, I think it it

it

shows in the depth and the quality of the work. I mean, if

if we think back to

a very famous saying of

of of of George lucas from

many years ago, the future has a post.

So one of the reasons

Star wars is such a such an evergreen

So such an enjoyable

multi generational experiences because

we can get lost in uncovering the past

of that future. And, of course, that means layers and layers

of research and and and the dedication. I mean it you can't have

can't have these sorts of results quickly. Can you know

No. No. And that that's another reason for the multiple projects.

too. Right? But

Of course, they have to... They they have to have time

And

to calculate... Where Wendy when

I mean, I would

Oh, sorry.

Now that's Wendy Cooper. Welcome.

Welcome to the the the creative farm.

Thank.

what have you got to throw into the pot?

Thank you so much.

I... I'm sorry. I missed the first half. I think of the show.

And I'm so enjoying this. I'm a creative. So

I am so completely relating to

everything that you are talking about. I deadlines, all of

that. But I wanted to say that when I

it's not even when I get stuck, It's more when

let's say something new comes across, and and I really have to, You know,

I really have to think about it. Right? I I really of someone will was to say to me,

What should I name this? Or what should I do about that? I always say I

can't answer that. Right? Now It's got a really

really, you know, like, live with this for a while. And

I too I go out in nature. I take walk i

I'm fortunate because Have a large backyard and I love gardening. So

I I have to do that or I pro profusely yesterday i was profusely

cleaning my garage. And this is what

I do, and everybody knows to stay away from me.

that's my creative process, it's churning,

because you're not actually just completely cleaning the garage. The

That's right.

the the wheels are turning on the inside and you're actually processing stuff. Right?

That's right. That's right. So it's it's

it's the process I have gone through for probably twenty years. I didn't realize

until someone pointed it out to me that

You must have a really clean garage.

Actually, I'm standing in a big mess

right now, and the mess doesn't help because that doesn't clear my space either. But

I just wanted to figure out. I love this, and I am sorry. I have

jumped in before, but I I do know that you come into my shows.

and I really really really love what you guys are talking about. So

This is this is just beautiful, and I love to be surrounded by other creative

people. So thank you so much for this.

pleasure. Every every Monday night,

Monday nineteen Europe

sort of late afternoon in New York City, and then

you know, what time is it in Vancouver? Erica.

We just just

just pass one o'clock in the afternoon.

Well there you go?

Mhmm

Yep. And it's noon here in La. So

Thank you. I just wanted to jump up and say everything that you're talking about is

show and innate too, I think, a a true, but creative person

the the the thing that I have on my desk

when you were showing Erica, your scribble, I have a piece of

of of, like, poster board underneath my

key keypad that that I just scribble on all of the time.

It's just

scribble everywhere So it's pretty fun.

at and it works, it absolutely works

I mean, you ultimately

it's not a pointless exercise as much as

and the tractors would would would would love to

to convince us. It is ups It absolutely does have a point.

And I turn off my notifications also,

Yeah.

you know, if you... If if I'm not looking at my phone,

then I'm not gonna see a notification.

period. So I'm with you. Have a greek hand. Think I'm gonna

protect myself back down into the audience.

Thanks, Wendy.

enjoy and enjoy.

I always love hearing about different creative

their their they're their proceeds process and

You know, it's... You know,

where it is that they build.

i think I think, ultimately, it there's is only a handful of processes that that

that work, and we kind of end up

i'm using one or more

of of those and

we we keep talking about the creative process on this show, and this is

and it is kind of central to the the general idea of what we do on the phone.

next to the weeding and the painting of the bomb and such things.

But one of the... One of the things that i I find, particularly

fruitful. One of the the mechanisms

that I point find, particularly

should I say, inspiring? Is

following my appetite for cultural treasures that belong

to traditions other than

my own now,

as you may hear, you know, from from down under and

we have some way in the order of

eighteen national speaking somewhere in the order of one hundred and thirty languages. So

it's kind of easy for me, but it's not difficult

in this day and age too,

reach out and

find cultural pressures

from halfway way around the world.

it only takes a moment, and this is a

this is a mechanism that as, of course, works

for generations of artists and and musician

from the west and the east.

equally

that's not work for you.

it does. I mean, I find sometimes if I

if I'm having to

if I'm creating for a particular genre or particular space at a given time,

I'll often sort of dive into other work

that that that other creative have

have have made within that Genre in that space.

as a way of sort of

finding inspiration,

you know, seeing different people's ways of of

creating and crafting and

and sort of, you know, thinking upon

what what what works for me within that.

And I mean... And sometimes this cell depends to, like,

you know? So so I've got

a whole list of one of my projects that I'm building around right now is

is World war two stuff. So I have this

whole list of audiobooks that that

you know, whenever I start working on that project that I I start to