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Making Creative Progress
27 Plays6 months ago
Let's talk about following through on our ideas! Making progress without pressure. With small doable action prompts to move you forward, especially helpful for neurodiverse and sensitive creatives.
Feeling stuck or blocked on your creative project? This episode offers you a powerful reframe: what if your idea is meant for you — and you're meant to follow through? I talk about overcoming fear, staying accountable without external deadlines, and embracing imperfect action. Plus, you'll hear inspiration from The Artist’s Way, and explore a simple challenge: to take two small steps today toward achieving your vision.
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Transcript available here: https://magdalenejournal.com/2026/01/08/making-creative-progress-podcast/
Disclaimer: The content in this podcast and in this podcast episode is for informative purposes only. Podcast creator and host Erica Magdalene is not a doctor, therapist, or licensed mental health professional. Any discussion of neurodiversity, mental health, or personal growth reflects personal experience, is not health or medical advice, and is not a substitute for professional care.
Portions of this episode may include brief quotations from published works, shared under fair use for the purposes of reflection, discussion, and education.
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Transcript
00:00:01
Speaker
Hello. It is Saturday morning, where I am as I'm recording this. So happy Saturday, if you're listening on a Saturday, and hope you are having a happy day, whatever day you might happen to come across this. so something that is intriguing me lately is really kind of looking into the idea of different types of channels and ways to share. And I've never really explored audio and podcasting. And so i'd like to try this out as a way to connect with you.
00:00:38
Speaker
um And something that's on my mind lately is really um following through creative accountability. It can be so or, or any kind of entrepreneurship or whatever ideas you're and focusing on bringing into being, it can be so, so, so challenging to move forward with something when nobody is kind of telling you, um hey, you really need to do this.
00:01:08
Speaker
You really need need to get this done. um Have you done it yet? Or, you know what I mean? Maybe you you do have people who are encouraging you, but it's a little bit different than, say,
00:01:21
Speaker
you know, kind of showing up to work or showing up to school where things are baked in and time bound in a very, you know, regimented way where folks are watching you and everybody's like, okay, you really need to make those deadlines and deliver.
00:01:37
Speaker
And it's a little tougher in the creative space where you're you're really kind of holding yourself accountable. And, you know, and there's also very obviously space too for Not everything that you're creating has to be regimented and time bound and focused in this way. So much of the creative space is really opening into that magical area where things are just flowing through and you don't necessarily have to create something because
00:02:07
Speaker
You need to share it with everyone. It's just literally part of who we are. It's just so natural and intrinsic to us to be creators, right? But I'm talking about things that you do want to produce and you do want to share with people and you do want to get your ideas out there.
00:02:26
Speaker
And so I'm kind of focused on that this morning. If I can do it, you can do it. If I can create this little message for you, put it out there. It's so, so scary for me.
00:02:38
Speaker
I feel nervous. I feel scared. But you know, i'm I'm kind of following the ethos of and there's even a book by this title, Do It Scared. Put it out there. Follow through.
00:02:49
Speaker
So consider this my friendly encouragement to you that if you have an idea or a concept that you want to get out there, do it this weekend. Really follow through. What is the next step that you can create and make it happen for yourself?
00:03:04
Speaker
I'm opening up the Artist's Way book. I'm pulling out a totally random section. Okay, I just randomly opened it to page 49. Okay. And in here, Julia Cameron is saying, as blocked creatives, so we are willing to go to almost any lengths to remain blocked.
00:03:25
Speaker
I'm skipping ahead a little bit. um Very often we fear that if we let ourselves be creative, we will become crazy makers ourselves. Um...
00:03:37
Speaker
And she goes on to say, the next time you catch yourself saying or thinking, he or she is driving me crazy, ask yourself what creative work you are trying to block by your involvement.
00:03:51
Speaker
So i think that does relate to what I'm talking about of just putting yourselves out there. If you feel like something is blocked, is it?
00:04:04
Speaker
really Or is it an aspect of fear, an aspect of i I really kind of need to not put my work out there and I need to find any situation to not do do so So, and I'm kind of going to jump ahead. I'm going to find another little random moment. Okay, 156, page 156. She says, a successful creative career is always built on successful creative failures. The trick is to survive them.
00:04:39
Speaker
It helps to remember that even our most illustrious artists have taken creative U-turns in their time. So that he really speaks to me. And one of my favorite things to kind of say to myself is, you know, kind of like that episode of Friends where where they're moving the furniture and it's like, pivot, pivot.
00:04:59
Speaker
Right. So at a certain point, you know, if if if you're just too, you know, down in the depth depths of is this working out or is it not working out or what have you? You can, you can literally pivot in terms of your idea. You can say, okay, I'm going to work on something totally different.
00:05:18
Speaker
Or you can maybe pivot in your own mind and say, okay, I really respect the part of my mind that is afraid um, overwhelmed or somebody told me I couldn't do it so I think I can't do it.
00:05:31
Speaker
um What if you gently pivot into a more supportive mindset where you say to yourself, you know what, if I am filled with this idea that this is something i want to create and do and share with folks, it's there for a reason.
00:05:54
Speaker
What if you kind of open up your mindset to this is meant for me. This is something that I'm meant to share with the world. This is something that I'm meant to do to inspire and encourage other people and really fulfill that part of yourself that knows that this is meant for you.
00:06:17
Speaker
So those are some... thoughts to hopefully help motivate you to go out there. And, you know, as one of my ah early meditation teachers once told me, what if you try at least two things today?
00:06:33
Speaker
Are there at least two things that can move you forward? Any two actions, pick two actions today to move your idea a little closer into being.
00:06:48
Speaker
So I hope you have a beautiful, wonderful day. All the best. Take care.