Ep. 60 - The Art of You, with 'Words Are Vibrations' Poet James McCrae

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Hello, it's me, Kate Shepherd your host of the creative genius podcast. I'm thrilled that you're joining us here today. whether you're a listener that's been with me from the very beginning , or this is your first episode. I am so glad that you found your way here. This conversation about how humanity as glitching and creativity is the answer. Is the most important conversation we could be having on earth today. Creativity is the meaning of life.

It is life itself. And

For a whole bunch of reasons that ultimately culminate in fear. We have spent a great deal of our resources and human energy

dimming down. And suppressing this radiant thing that lives inside of all of us. I'm an artist myself. I have always been blessed with an incredibly deep connection and pretty open channel. Of creativity. And intuition. Those two things go really hand in hand and all my life. I thought that was normal. I thought everybody had that. And we do. But a lot of us have closed that channel. Through no fault of our own we're conditioned, we're taught. to, to close this part of ourselves down. And that's what the show is about. Refining that part of ourselves,

There are times in our lives when we feel particularly lost. I think we can all identify with moments like that. Maybe you're living through one right now.

Where we feel like we're either at a crossroads or we're on a path that doesn't quite feel like the one we're supposed to be on. There's sort of an overall unsettled feeling of. Not this, not this, my, my, this isn't what my life is supposed to feel like. But I don't know. What is my, this, I don't know what I should be doing

and , there can be a feeling of real loss and sometimes even panic with that goes on for a long time, which it can, it can go on for a long time.

When we find ourselves in these barren stretches of not really knowing.

It, can often mean not always, but it can often mean. that some part of us has become unwilling to listen.

Unwilling to listen to ourselves, our quiet, inner voice. Unwilling to listen to the signs and the clues that are hiding right in plain sight in our lives.

And unwilling to listen to the silence, because we're panicking about trying to get somewhere that feels better than where we are. We fill up all of our time. With go, go, go energy and hassling. Sometimes that turns out as spinning your wheels going in circles. Exhaustion fear overwhelmed.

It can turn up in so many ways. I often talk about.

Looking out for the yeses and the nos. And of course, life isn't just black and white there's more than just yeses and nos. But what I'm pointing to when I talk about yes, as a nose. And I teach this a lot in my intuition workshops. Is you're looking for the feeling tone of a thing. Life is always putting things in front of us that we get to decide. How we want to respond to. Everything from little things to big things. And the little things are a great way to build up this muscle of understanding your yeses and nos. had a guest on the show a few months ago, named Andrew Faulkner.

Who's an incredible, fine artist from California. Go back and listen to his episode. If you haven't. He talks about when he's working on a painting, how he looks out for those yeses and nos. And it's almost like a typo , when he'll put a little bit of green on the canvas, for example, and he'll look at it he'll sort of say like, well, how does that feel?

Does that jump out at me with the energy of. I have a mistake, like a typo, or does it feel like it fits in there? It's that sort of, yes, no feeling. And we can't say yes to everything. And I think a lot of us, especially women. R Conditioned to try to say yes to everything, to try to please everybody to try to take care of everybody.

And the truth is we can't.

That is just something we need to learn to come to terms with. In order to spend our energy wisely and fulfill what we're here to do, our highest purpose. We need to really learn how to. Listen to that. Inner voice inside of us that really tells us what the yeses and the nos are.

Recently I put together an absolutely gorgeous meditation.

It's a 20 minute or so meditation that is intended to support you to come back into contact with this stillness that's inside of you so that you can begin the habit of listening with your whole being.

We can listen with our brains. A lot of the time, which tends to guide what we hear. But there's another kind of listening that we can do when we drop into our being. And we listen from every part of ourselves and that kind of listening can actually have a tremendous transformational impact on your life.

And it's the thing that we're yearning for.

And when you practice this kind of listening regularly. Can truly change everything for you I've done lots of these over the years. I am very proud of this one. I think it's absolutely beautiful. . You can either buy it as a one-off on my website, or is actually included in your membership when you're a creative genius patron. And I decided that for very short time right now. I'm going to make this available to you as a gift. Head over to Kate Sheppard, creative.com and sign up for this free guided meditation to call deep listening.

And I hope that it is. Exactly what you need. To support this kind of deep listening practice in your own life.

In my own. Journey of listening to my yeses and nos. There's a lot of things I've realized I've had to say no to, in order to create time, to produce the show and put it out into the world. And I do this with a very reverent sense of gratitude. I feel that I've been called to do this work, and it's an honor for me to do it. And for a long time, I thought that meant that I just had to do it selflessly and that I could never ask for anything back because it was this calling. Right.

I'm supposed to, you're supposed to just give your calling away. And while there is truth to that. I'm realizing more and more that it's actually okay. For me to lean on your support because there are things I have to choose not to do. I'm not able to put as much focus into selling my jewelry or my art, for example, as I would be, if I wasn't creating this show, full-time. And I don't know if you know this, but I'm . I'm an independent podcast. I'm not, I'm not gonna have any outside funding sources. So I'm learning that it's okay for me to lean on you and say, Hey, I'll create this show, but what I need, I need something back in return from you.

If you're able to offer it. There's multiple levels, you can sign up for on the patron. There's five, 10 or $20 Patrion levels. And they each come with different benefits and bonuses.

That are intended to support you on your creative journey.

And just know that in choosing to support me to do this work,

it makes this work sustainable for me and my young family. And. It helps to ensure that I'm going to continue to be able to grow the show. So if you tune in regularly and you feel nourished by the show. You feel like you, you love the show, you get something from this show. Please consider.

Giving something back. And that can be in the form of Patrion membership, or you could buy a piece of my work. You could post about the show on your social media feed. You could.

Make a point of sending an email to a couple of friends every once in a while, when there's an episode that you really love. There's so many different ways that you can support me to do this show. I hope that you'll consider stepping into a deeper relationship with me. And doing that so that I can continue to do this work for you.

Uh,

today I sit down with a true Renaissance soul poet. He's an author, a meme artist, and a creative strategist based in Austin, Texas. His name is James McCray. You might know him. As words are vibrations. He's responsible for a huge number of internet memes in his work as a creative strategist. James brainstorms with top global brands,

he has written articles on creativity for publications like Forbes, half post. Yogi times and elephant journal and his poetry. Has been featured in the American journal of poetry. And he's the author of three books. He has a third book coming out any day now called the art of you. The essential guidebook for reclaiming your creativity. James is on a mission to uncover the connection between creativity, consciousness, and culture. His insights are both profound and accessible. There was a time in James' life where he was really compromising his artistic dreams and. Minimizing his own creative force that was inside of him. And he shares with us. His own experiences of surrendering to his inner voice and the ups and downs of that.

We explore the importance of sharing our creative work, no matter what form it's in or how we're perceiving the quality of it. And the incredible things that can unfold when we dare to express what's truly inside of us. One of my favorite things about this conversation is James delving into the two main stages of creativity, the yin and the yang, which is also how he's divided up this book. So he walks us through that. And he beautifully articulates his perspective on how creativity originates from our emotions and our energy.

And it's guiding us to tap into a deeper, more intuitive intelligence that really. Is beyond the limitations of the conscious mind.

James has a really gorgeous energy. It's clear that he's on a mission to help people connect with their creativity because he himself understands. The healing power of it, how it connects us to this essential part of ourselves that can offer us comfort can open our mind to new perspectives. And. Is really medicine for ourselves and for each other and for the world.

So grab a pen, maybe even your journal, because you're going to want to write some things down, make a cup of tea. And join us as we journey into the heart of creativity and surrender with James McRae.

Kate Shepherd: Thank You for making the time to talk to me. I'm really glad that you're here.

Track 1: thank you. I'm very happy to, to chat as well. I love, the premise of your podcast And

so I'm happy to be here and chat with you.

Kate Shepherd: in reading your book, I realized how it's almost like we're downloading the same channel and I get really excited 'cause I feel like I've met another person from my squad, you know, like the, the cosmic squad, the work that we're doing.

I feel like it's, it's difficult 'cause It's hard to carry some of the truths that we're carrying, but it's so necessary and exciting we're pioneering and it's

a lot of the times I feel alone with it. And, but, so when I get to meet another person who I'm like, oh, he's, he's tuned into that channel too.

Track 1: Totally. Yeah. I love, I really resonated with your, I dunno if it's your tagline or just part of your, your bio, but um, you said like, humanity is glitching.

Creativity is the answer.

Kate Shepherd: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Awesome. I'm so glad to meet you.

I'll share with you why I started the show and where I'm at with it. when I say the word creativity, I, and I'm an artist.

I'm a lifelong artist. I've, I've been an artist my whole life and it's, it's all I really know. And I feel like creativity is the intelligence that's animating the universe. the same thing that's telling the molecules in this bench that is holding up my laptop. Telling them to stay together in that shape

as it is that, you know, nudged you to go on this journey that you went on to write this book, or even the tomato plant in my garden, when it's time to open like that.

To me, I feel like that, that, that is creativity and it's the, it's the intelligence that's everywhere. And we have become, for whatever reason, and this isn't so important to me to understand why we did this, but we have become so disconnected from it. We've become ashamed of it. We feel like we have to curate ourselves.

We feel like we have to shove it down and deny it. we make fun of it almost sometimes the way we sort of make fun of love, it's like, oh, love, oh, aren't you creative? And that we diminish it

but actually. When this thing doesn't get a chance to express itself and move us, things go really sideways.

And that's why I, that's why I say humanity's, glitching. 'cause we've become disconnected from this integral part of, of who we are and what we are. So I was really excited to talk to you because as I read your book that you, you have this gorgeous new book coming out, the Art of You,

there's so many things in here that resonated so deeply with me. So first, I actually just wanna say thank you. Like, thank you for writing such a great book that I really feel will be in service to so many people on this journey, this journey. And congratulations because I know what a tremendous amount of work it is to put together a book like this.

What was your vision for creating this book and how did it come to be?

Track 1: Yeah. Well first of all, thanks for having me, and I just totally agree with everything that you just said. You know, I, I think that creativity is the. The life force of the universe. You know, I think it's, um, when I think about God and what that word means, I think of God as just being source creation. You know, it is the, it is the, um, the energetic source from which all things arise.

And that energy permeates all of us. You know, it's animating our, our, our bodies. Um, it's de it's it, it's designing our bodies in this Fibonacci sequence in perfect proportion to nature. You know, it's like this nature speaks this language and it's the language of creation

and we are not separate from that.

We are part of it, you know, so it's, it's integral to who we are. And I think that when we, um, suppress our creativity, we're suppressing our own nature.

So it's so important to, to remember that and, and, and to be in touch with it and, and to remember the true magic. Ourselves of life, of being alive. I think that, so we're, we're cut off from that creativity in, in some ways, I believe, because, you know, we're denying the.

The miracle and magic of, of the universe of being alive. we get into these routines and society definitely is in these routines of, you know, following orders, you know, being in survival mode. Systems that are cut cutting us off from natural abundance. And as, as, as, as a reaction to that, we suppress our own creative nature because society is pushing us in a different direction.

so it's so liberating to return to creativity and I think that, you know, people like you and your podcast and me and my book, and there's so many others now I feel that are waking up to this power of creativity. I really sense a, create a new creative renaissance brewing is really what I'm hoping for, what I'm wishing for and what I really want my book to be a part of.

And, and, and your podcast and your work. so I feel like there's so many, like-minded artists and creators out there, and, and luckily we're finding each other now and, and connecting and building that network of creativity.

Kate Shepherd: and beckoning each other. 'cause I feel like, so for me, I don't, and probably for you too, and I'd love to know, but for me, the journey to really surrendering, to letting creativity run the show as it were in my life, wasn't always this like crayons and acrylic paint and fun days in the studio.

Like, it's terrifying actually to go from a world where the rational mind has been in charge for so long to surrendering to this like edgeless, infinite, unknowable thing, right? So it's so important that we're here kind of like come, you know, people to find their way. 'cause it is actually quite terrifying that that precipice it's, it, it feels like a precipice I think sometimes.

There's a decision that we make that we, and we're talking about the renaissance and the this, this place that we're at in our civilization, which is where we are sort of acknowledging that the rational mind, which has been running the show for too long on its own unchecked and has caused all this dysfunction, is very habitual for us.

It's become the, it's, we're so identified with it that we think it's true and we think it's the only way. And when we come up to, for me, when I came up to that sort of intersection in my life where I realized I had to make a decision to go into the unknown, to surrender to this thing that doesn't make sense.

That isn't what is running the world on it. Right. And it's like, so it can be scary. And I feel like when, when I read your book. And it's the, it's the inspiration behind all of my work too. It it, what I get is that it's like I can feel the service that you wanna be in it to beckoning people over that edge to knowing like, it is, it is scary.

Yeah. It is really scary. But the most trustworthy information lives inside of creativity.

James-1: Absolutely. Yeah, I think, I think creativity is scary for a lot of reasons, but primarily because creativity is an exploration of the unknown

and creativity is inherently irrational. I

realized this the other day. I realized how irrational creativity is because. It's, it's completely unpredictable. So let's say like one of my favorite modalities is poetry. So let's say I sit down to write a poem, there is no algorithm in the world that could predict the words that are gonna come out. It can't be predicted. So like creativity inherently is a glitch in the matrix. Because it is, it is breaking the linear cause and effect of the logical, rational mind, and it's adding this spontaneous expression that comes from beyond the mind. And it's so important for anyone and especially artists to be comfortable navigating that uncertainty For me, what helped was learning that your intuition is your compass when you're navigating the unknown. You know, we're used to looking outside of ourselves for direction and for guidance and, you know, looking to our bosses or to our presidents or to our, the CEOs or whoever they are, and. Those people can't help us when it comes to, to creativity and to, and to aligning with our own purpose and, and, and, and to creating a life that's in alignment with our soul's calling. But we have this inner navigational system called intuition, which helps us navigate the unknown. So I feel like yes, society is so caught up in this overly analytical, rational mindset. I used to live in New York City, which is a city that is very much like the ego on overdrive.

So that's, that's an exaggerated example of kind of the, the type of world we live in. It's all analytical, it's all hyper-rational, and I. It suppresses the other side of the equation, which is feeling an emotion and energy. And one thing I've learned in my own creativity is that, is that the creative process starts in your emotions. It starts in your energy. so if I'm trying to think of an idea, what I do is I just tune into my body. See how I'm feeling and it's almost like I'm scanning my body, I'm scanning my emotions, my energy, and see what's trying to come through me, what's trying to come out. And then when, when I sit with those emotions long enough, it will eventually kind of bubble up into a, a thought or an insight, and then I can, go from there. But I think it really comes from within, it emotions and our, our our bodies have access to more subtler intelligence than the mind is capable

of understanding. You know, the

mind is very nuts and bolts. It's like data and it, it can process data, but it can only access what's already there. It's like the mind is like a, it's

like a computer. It's like a hard drive. , it's storage for information that's already there, and it can, it can work with that information and it can strategize with that information. But I feel like our, our bodies and our energy and our emotions are like tapping into the cloud. You know, I think our intuition is a portal to other dimensions. Where ideas are living, you know, beyond, you know, the, the, the Greeks used to call this the muse, right? Where there's this other intelligence that's beyond the conscious mind that when we slow down our busy ego and quietly, I. Tune in, we can access that voice of the muse, which I think is just another word for our own intuition. And in doing so, we have access to much more richer, deeper intelligence, um, than we would have with the conscious mind alone.

Kate Shepherd: I'm imagining you living in New York and you were working in advertising, I think, is that. Right. Yeah. And so I'm imagining that life is like, you know, you're out probably drinking with clients and busy go, go, go and lots of screen time and lots of distractions. New York City, I've been to New York City, it's, there's, you know, any number of distractions in any corner you turn down.

So I'm guessing, but that you weren't operating from a place of this creative muse running the show. How, what was that journey like for you? How did you, how did you cross that bridge?

James-1: Yeah. You know, so I started off as an artist, I feel like, earlier in my life, like just a

pure artist. I grew up in a very small town where there was just, you know, space for my imagination to wander. so I started writing poetry at a very young age. was painting for a while, like in my, when I was a teenager and. Eventually, you know, I just wanted, I wanted to be an artist, but eventually, you know, all of my friends were going to college and it's like getting a real job is like something that you're supposed to do at a

certain age, right? So I ended up going to art school because at least I thought, well, I'll find some way to balance creativity with a profession. So I studied graphic design and. That was, you know, great skillset to learn. And then I ended up getting my foot in the door in the advertising industry as a graphic designer. So I feel like I kind of snuck into the business world

through the back door

as an artist, you know?

so I was designing and, and then it becomes, you know, creativity on demand, right?

'cause I'm, and, and creativity within all these strict rules where I'm designing logos and websites and all these things for clients. which was fun for a while, but I got, I got kind of sick of it and, and wanted to be more, uh, I realized that a designer in, in advertising, they're like the last in the assembly line. There's all this thinking and all these ideas that, are decided. And then the designer is there at the end to make it look pretty.

And I kind of wanted to be more upstream of that ideation process where like coming up with creative ideas and, and cool marketing campaigns and things like that. So I actually pivoted my career into being a brand strategist. So this is like helping brands position themselves in the market and doing things like. Brand messaging and taglines and campaign ideas. I, I would even like name companies, like give them names and name products and things like that. and I'm really grateful for that experience 'cause I learned a lot of valuable skills, you know, creating presentation decks and presenting and public speaking and all these things. But you're absolutely right. It's very much, It's hyper productive. So, and this is the thing with creativity, and , my book. the Art of You is really divided up into two main sections, and this is the, the, the two biggest stages of creativity, which are yin and yang. Right? And yin is the, is the feminine receptive, intuitive flowing aspect of the universe. And yang is the. More masculine oriented, productive, doing action oriented parts of the universe. So these are yin and yang, they're equal opposites. And we all have both of us, both of those inside of us. , but our society these days is very much disconnected from that yin, from that receptive,

feminine flowing. so there was no yin in the advertising industry, meaning, you know, it's just like go, go, go work, work, work doing, you know, five clients at once, jumping into meetings all day, and there's something there. You know, there are aspects of that that are good because I did, I did. It's kind of like. It's helpful to build creative endurance.

Kate Shepherd: Yeah.

James-1: So it, there was a lot of, there was burnout where it's like, I'm doing, you know, too much. And it's like my ideas, you know, I think for, for true creativity, you want to be able to have a deep, well to draw from, you

know, that, that deep well, of ideas. And when you're just work, work, work, work, work, you're not. You're just, instead of drawing from a deep, well, it's like a little puddle,

so it's like running on fumes. So there was some creative endurance that I built doing that, but it was also, you know, I was just very disconnected from, from the yin and from, you know, ultimately fulfillment because, And also all my creativity was just , in service to these big corporations that at the end of the day, very few of them I actually cared about. And, very few of them were doing maybe even good in the world. So it's like, you're just, you're just, you're kind of, you're selling your, creative nature in your creative spirit in order to prop up, you know, the same, , capitalistic system that is. Worldwide, suppressing the creative nature

Kate Shepherd: Right.

James-1: us all.

So it's

kind of like

Kate Shepherd: giant bipo, it's almost like a bypass. It's like you're, you're, you're tapping into this channel of infinite amazingness, but you're kind of hacking it, and then you're shortcircuiting it and it's spitting out this tiny little, like, it's cool, but it's not what it's possible so what was it in you

James-1: Yeah.

Kate Shepherd: woke up to that?

When, when, how did you, how did you snap out of that?

James-1: Well, you know what, what happened for me was I reached a point where I felt like I was just trying to advance , and progress in my career, and I reached a point where no matter how much I pushed. I wasn't getting anywhere. I felt like, in other words, I felt stuck. And

I think a lot of people professionally have felt this at one time or another, or many times where like it just felt out of alignment and I'm, I was showing up every day and it was just like killing my soul day by day. And I reached a point where. I had no other choice but to surrender,

meaning I just, I felt like I was, I was hitting my head against a brick wall

Kate Shepherd: Yeah.

James-1: and, nothing was working anymore. It's like , I used to be more in control of my own destiny and I was like doing great things and I was, you know, getting promoted and all these things and all that had just been like, cut off for me.

I just felt like anything I tried wasn't working, which. I just left me feeling very, static and stuck and I had no choice but to surrender and I just gave up I really reached a point of just giving up and just feeling like I surrender. I don't know what to do anymore. And there's this moment in surrender where. It can provide you with a moment of grace. That's what I found. So when I stopped trying, when I stopped forcing, I just let go and surrendered. And in that surrender, what happened was for the first time in many, many years, poetry started coming out of me again. Poetry was the grace that was given to me in that moment of surrender.

And. It was just like I opened a portal that had been, that it had been shut, and I just started writing poetry more often and I started getting some published. and then I ended up writing a book of poetry shortly after that. that, that was it for me. It was really, um, it, it was just feeling so stuck and feeling like I was. No matter how much I forced it, it didn't work anymore. But then when I let go and I surrendered, I, I, I created space for that inner artist that had been suppressed to come back and to return.

And, I haven't looked back since.

Kate Shepherd: write in the book, you don't need tremendous talent. You just need the courage to question conventional wisdom. And it sounds like, you know, I, I love that you just gave us all of that, because that's, that's exactly what you were doing. You were living that as you went, and then you just kind of got to the end where you're just like, oh my God, I can, I can't.

I can't. And then, and then there was this other, there. It was, it was all, it wasn't, it wasn't like you had to go looking for it. It was all, it was all right there waiting.

James-1: Absolutely. Absolutely.

Kate Shepherd: I'm imagining you, as you're writing those early poems, you know, what you're thinking about sharing them, and you do talk in the book about sharing your work, and I wanted to ask you to talk about sharing your work a little bit more and what is the importance of it and what is it appropriate and how do we navigate that?

James-1: I believe strongly in, in sharing your work, uh, regardless of the form it takes, like you said, in my book it says that it's being an artist is not about having amazing talent.

And that's not the point I think that I. I don't like, um, how art and creativity are positioned in our society, right? So, so for example, I think there's a lot of imbalance in the world today, and that that comes in a lot of different forms. Like, just like look at the economy. There's a lot of wealth that are in the hands of a few.

And then the vast majority don't have very much

in terms of wealth. And I think there's a similar dynamic in creativity. Because there are a select few professional artists

and published authors that are bestowed with this title of artist, right? And then everyone else, if they wanna be creative, it's almost like they're being unrealistic. So I really believe in extracting capitalism and creativity. And that's not to say that you shouldn't make money from your

work if you're, you know, that's. Amazing. If you can make money from your work in any capacity, that's awesome and you definitely should. But that's not the only reason to create, like we've been talking about. I think creativity is human nature and it's a life force that moves through us and we do a disservice to ourselves and frankly to the entire universe when we don't allow that to move through us. So of my favorite sayings is it's not about being good at creativity, it's about creativity being good for you.

Kate Shepherd: I love that.

James-1: So I really believe for me, I, I, I believe in what I call the creative purge because I believe that creativity is healing just to do it. Like you can, I think there's a similar phenomenon to, I, I compare it to like a good sweat,

right? If, if I, I love to go in the sauna and, just get a good sweat and it just, the way the sweat kind of pours out of you, I, I feel a similar sensation when I'm writing.

'cause it's like I'm purging something from my system because we, we go throughout our day and we get caught up with, who knows what. And there's all kinds of, um. Trauma and negative emotions that come with life. And I think that what happens more often than not is we, is we suppress them and we bury them. So creativity gives us an opportunity to release them. So I think that when you just sit down and write and write from the heart, you're releasing some stuck energy within yourself. So just by writing down in your notebook, you're, you're, you're purging. It's like an energetic purge and. That's step one.

And that's healing unto itself. But what, what I find even more healing is when you can share it. '

Kate Shepherd: That stuff, even that, even that perge garbage stuff,

James-1: Well, you can share, I mean,

whatever you make.

Kate Shepherd: call. I had a, I had a guest on in way back in season one, and she talked about how she went through a lot of extreme trauma as a young person.

And when she came into adulthood, part of what she did was she started painting and she had this like yearning to paint these beautiful paintings, but for two, almost solid years, all that came out of her was just like muddy, gunky, ugly.

And she, looking back, thinks of that as almost like clearing up the sewage in the pipes that was blocking the, and she said she doesn't actually feel like she wants to share or needs to share or you know, that stuff. How do you, how do you know what, what's the right, you know, what, what's ready for sharing or what, how do you know in your own self when, when you're gonna share something and when it's just for you?

James-1: what I see, 'cause one of, one of my favorite things to do is I, I host, , creative open mics called Sunflower Club. this is a forum for people to express themselves in a safe environment. I've seen people go up there and share things that are very personal seen people come up and share things that they have never shared in public with anyone

ever about. Personal things that happened to them as children or as young as young adults that were very traumatic. And you can see the release that happens when it's almost like, you know, I'm not a, I'm not a religious person. Um, but I. I can see the benefit to, in, in, in Catholicism, how they have the confessional. I love, I, I do love that idea because you're, you're, you're, you're confessing something, you're getting it off your chest.

So when you share those things, you're getting it off your chest. So when people come up and share at Sunflower Club, I, I don't care.

And we don't care how perfectly polished the poem is. And of course if it's, listen, if it's a great poem. All the better. Like we applaud talent as well, but it's really when someone just admits something that's uncomfortable , and you can tell it's like. It's, it's, it's really, it's getting something out of them that the whole room feels it.

We all feel like, oh, this is, this is, this is special. We're seeing or something. We're seeing something real. This is

a real moment. This isn't polished and packaged and it's, it's, it's raw and it's authentic. It, I just think we need more rawness and authenticity and that. Naked vulnerability. Um, so that's what I love to see,

working on your craft to become a great artist is a, is a kind of a different thing.

and you do need to get, I think, the bad art out of the way. On the, on the road to making good art. I mean, I wrote a thousand poems before I turned 25 years old, right? So I've got so much experience writing and I, and, and those that were, you know, really never shared because that was, you know. Prior to social media,

But I needed to get, write a lot of bad poetry before I could, be a better poet. So there

is a, there, there is a lot of benefit to practice and to get and to getting your bad work out of the way.

But there's also, especially when it comes to writing and, and poetry, there's so much benefit in sharing it. Just to, get it off of your chest.

Kate Shepherd: And I'm thinking about just the failure rate in nature in general. Like there's a failure rate built into, you know, a fish will have a thousand fish because do all of them are gonna make it. Or I think about my paintings and like, you know, for every 10 paintings that I do, there's one that I feel like this belong.

I mean, some of them might be emotionally, you know, I might feel connected to them, but yeah, there is a certain wisdom . even in the quote unquote failing.

James-1: Oh, sure. Yeah. It's like you have to be a bad artist before you can be a good artist.

And it's also like, I, I love the analogy to like standup comedy, because every standup comic will tell you that, the whole, the whole game is getting comfortable on stage, like. It doesn't matter how well you can write a joke in your room by yourself, that's not the point, is like, it's about being comfortable in that moment and, and being able to navigate the room and feel comfortable bombing because you've bombed enough where it no longer frightens you

Kate Shepherd: Yeah.

James-1: so you can express

freely.

Kate Shepherd: Yeah, there's a freedom in it. I think mastery that has a mastery that is the pathway to mastery. You have to fail so many times. You , you wrote something in the book that I didn't understand and I wanted to ask you. You wrote the line between the art and the artist is starting to blur the content creator is becoming just as important as the content.

What did you mean by that?

James-1: Yeah. So that line, , I'm really referring specifically to, to where I see art developing. Today, meaning the, the genres and the mediums that we work in. Right? Because I, I, I think creativity can be expressed in so many ways and it has in so, in so many ways throughout history. I say that art is always made with the tools and technology of its time.

So for example, you know, oil painting, it was like people used to use oil paints and they still do, but that was a big thing. Or even like writing sonnets, it's this very specific style of writing the mediums that artists work in are always changing and evolving. And I think when I look at what are the tools and technology of our time, we're looking at things like the internet and social media. So I'm really interested in the internet and social media as. Mediums of artistic creation, and that's different than sharing a painting on Instagram, which is taking an old art form or an established art form, and then sharing it in a new technology, or like taking a, an excerpt from a poem and then posting that on Instagram.

These are, these are great things to do, but what is, what does art look like when it's created, when it's created? As a native art form for the internet.

So like, for example, for me, like one of the things that I'm have been best known for is making internet memes,

right,

So an internet meme is such a, is such a, a product of social media, right?

There was, there could not have been internet memes. A hundred years ago, like it

wouldn't have been fathomable. although there are certain, things like the da da art movement did have like these weird juxtapositions of text and images that were meant to be kind of silly and absurd.

So there are certain corollaries throughout art history or even pop art, you know, is something meme meme ish about pop art and Andy Warhol and things

like that. So there's breadcrumbs, right? But a meme is such a. It just, it's, it's a native art form to social media. So now we have this, it's almost a derogatory term to call someone an influencer.

I feel like, oh,

they're a social media influencer. It's such a like, blah. Like, I'm just here to , show my lifestyle and travel and get paid for it. But , I'm really interested , in the potential of this position of an influencer , in terms of making art, which, which, which just means like showing up and, Expressing yourself and, , sharing your, your life and your, and your art in a way that's more personal, right? So you're not just sharing the final product of your art, but you're really, inserting yourself into that conversation.

And it's kind of like how you're, how you talk about it, how you show up, Where people get to know you as a person as part of that, and that's part of what they're consuming. So you're, you still might make art, you still might be an author, you might be a writer, you might be a painter, but it's really like you become part of the art.

And it's, it's kind of like what, like what I see, like Andy Warhol was like, people have said that like. Andy Warhol's greatest work of art was himself. 'cause he, he curated this image that was , so iconic, right? And, and, and like, it's almost like he was a, a work of art in, in, in a way. So on social media, it just

opens up the door to share yourself, in new ways. And, and if you can do that with authenticity and in a way that's vulnerable and true, and I've seen it, how that can. create a, a bigger connection with an audience when they feel like they're, they, they get to know you and, and you're

inserting yourself into the equation rather than just seeing the finished product. It's like kind of opening up the door to behind the scenes

and, and, and, and having your lifestyle be part of what you're sharing.

Kate Shepherd: I think for a lot of people. Especially creatively, you know, people who are kind of drawn to this world of creative expression and who are on this healing path. There's probably a certain amount of trauma or difficult experiences that we're healing from. And oversharing can, , can be a trauma response . So how do we walk the line? And I, one of the things I always, this is kind of my guiding light guidepost, is I always wanna share from the scar not the wound. So if something is really a live for me and it's, I'm not done processing it yet, like it's not useful for me to share it with you in a public way, like my social media feed.

'cause it's not adding to your healing. It's certainly, I'm not done my healing. So it's not in service to anything and I wanna be in service to things, but. It can't always be in service to stuff. Like sometimes it is just an open mic night and you're sharing from the wound and it's actually, you've gotta, how do you walk that line on an everyday,

James-1: Yeah,

Kate Shepherd: how do you do it?

James-1: it's a great question and that's something that I'm always calibrating, because, um, social media is a medium that rewards frequency.

I used to be really uncomfortable sharing very often. I used to share, you know, on social media like once a week. And then what happened was when I started making memes, I really tapped into a new kind of creative energy. I just had so many ideas coming through me, I try to block off a big chunk of time every morning to be creative and that's, you know, pretty much non-negotiable unless, you know, I'm traveling that day or something important is happening. And, you know, some sometimes are more productive than others, and I don't

force it.

You know, like sometimes I might not have any ideas, but it's just the more I show up, the more swings at bat. I'll have to have a good idea and to

make a, a, something good. the past few years have been a, a lot have been, has been coming through me, so I started sharing a lot as a response just to, I had to get it out because I had all this, I had a backlog of of art to share, so I just started getting used to sharing more often, there's always a balance of quality and quantity. You know, like now I'd rather take my time to make sure that what I'm sharing is meaningful and substantial. And you know, it's like when you share in social media, you are affecting the consciousness of the people that see it,

Kate Shepherd: mm-Hmm.

James-1: or art in general. Actually, anything you do.

Kate Shepherd: Anything? I was just thinking actually,

even thoughts you have.

James-1: anyone that encounters anything you do or say you're affecting their consciousness,

even if it's just a little bit right. So first of all, , how do I want to affect people's consciousness? What is the impact I want to have on people? And I think it's really important to be clear on that. What's your role in the world and what's the role of your art? And what is the role of your social media profiles? And to be clear in your intention.

'cause then you can measure, okay, does this, is this piece of content aligned with my intention?

Kate Shepherd: Right.

James-1: Or even you're at a, you're, you're speaking to somebody, it's like, is what I'm going to say aligned with my intention as a human? And I think it's really important to. To fact check what we say and what we do and what we create and what we share with our intention to make sure we're having the desired impact on people. so now in my life as a person, as I'm talking to people or as I'm attending events or in the social media content, I share, I am trying to be more intentional and not just share for the sake of sharing, but to really say things in a way that. Can be an agent of my own purpose, you know, in whatever I deem that to be in bringing my intention into my work on a, in a, in a bigger way.

So there's no right. You know, some people share every day, some people share less frequently. I'm always kind of calibrating that within myself, and I think it's gonna be different for everyone.

Kate Shepherd: I love that. Bringing it back to intention. And you talk about that in the book in terms of even just finding out what creative projects you wanna work on, how important intention is for guiding your own expression. 'cause I mean, there's an infinite number of things that you could be, do, say, have create in the world, and you can get really overwhelmed trying to navigate, you know, always changing streams and, and having a really clear intention about what is my work in the world and what do I want it to be?

You get to decide that, that

there's no right or wrong, but you get to find out like, what is my deepest, wisest self telling me about why I'm here and what I'm supposed to do and what's, what are the desires and what are the, what's the yearning? And then how can I align what I share and how I share it with?

And I think that's really helpful for just limiting, there's a freedom in that limitation of your intention, which is what I

James-1: Yes,

Kate Shepherd: right? Yeah.

James-1: exactly. The more clear I've got with my intention, the more, um, just the more purposeful my work ends up being.

Kate Shepherd: I've noticed in my work, I, I teach a lot of, how to access your intuition.

'cause we've lost it. It's a lost, it's such an obvious part of us, but we've really lost the ability to even know, and we overcomplicate it. People think it's this magic trick. Oh, you're intuitive. You've got, you must be from a lineage of witches or no. Like, we all have this, that, so I, I find myself in this odd position of teaching people how to do this thing that I just think we all know how to do.

Okay.

but there does seem to be a real. Visceral fear when people come into CO because it's a presence. Intuition to me is just really coming into contact with this presence, this quiet presence that has been peering out of our eyes since we arrived.

And it's wordless so it doesn't speak any language.

It is, like you say, really communicating to us through desires and feelings and emotions and yes, a lot of yes no stuff. Like more yes no than any kind of thinking or feeling. And it's alive. It really does feel, I get a full body chill saying this to you. It's alive and it's a, doesn't that just sound, you know, if you're listening to this, that just sounds so beautiful and amazing and like the, that's what we are absolutely terrified of that presence.

This is, I see it over and over again. You talk about living a creative life requires us to cultivate a sense of that presence and of that power within, but we're really, really, really scared of it. How do we reconcile that?

James-1: When I look back at my own journey, what has enabled me to be more in touch with my intuition is having a dedicated meditation practice.

Kate Shepherd: Hmm.

James-1: Because one thing I've noticed is how many thoughts. We have during a day that are not helpful Thoughts And

i'll,

and it's also like you, if you're thinking it's really hard to be listening

Kate Shepherd: Hmm.

James-1: and the essence of intuition is listening because you are receiving something. It's out of your control. We'd like to be in control. Right. We like to

think that we're so smart. I figured this out

Kate Shepherd: Right.

James-1: well, when I truly have a good idea, I promise you it's coming through me and, and, and I can take credit for it only in so much as I prepared my mind and my consciousness to receive it.

Kate Shepherd: Right.

James-1: That's as much as I can take credit for it. 'cause I even, there's been, you know. My best poetry and I, and I, and I didn't really learn this fully until more recently, where I try to tune in and literally dictate the poem as it comes through me. So like I'll have a line to start a poem and I might not have any idea where it's going, but it's like that's what came to my mind. I'm not gonna object or try to think of a better idea. I'm gonna write it down exactly as it comes. And even if I'm writing it, I'm like, this, I don't quite understand this. It's like, doesn't matter. You don't need to understand it. Just follow where it takes you. So it's about listening. It's about listening and receiving. You could say it's, you know, what, where's it coming from? Who knows? You could call it your higher self. You know, you could call it maybe it's source creation itself. You know, which is another way of saying God,

Kate Shepherd: Right.

James-1: you know, maybe there are other entities working with us. That that's the whole idea of the muse.

Maybe there are other ethereal beings that, speak to us when we have ears to listen. When you're thinking too much, you can't listen. It sounds weird, like I really try when I'm going about my day, and especially during my creative process, I try not to think too much. I just try not to think, and sometimes that makes me absent-minded, like throughout the day because I'm just not paying attention all the way to certain things.

And, but what that does is it, it, it makes me receptive to ideas, so I'll just have things pop into my head and then I can just, you know. Take that and develop it. I think there's a role for thinking in the creative process. Like if you're editing something, you

can then you, your mind you, because the ego, the ego wants to be involved.

And, and we have this, this chatty ego that's always, overactive and. You know, there's so many different worries and regrets and anticipations and things that are just bouncing around in our heads all the time. I start every morning with something simple, like 10 or 15 minutes of meditation just to kinda get me in that, just clear that channel. But in the past, you know, I, I've used to meditate for one hour, two hours, three hours.

So, so just really to be grounded in that practice, right, and just to, um, train myself to. You know, know how to, how to do it. So now I maybe need less of it,

Kate Shepherd: the muscle almost. It's like you've Yeah. It's a muscle that you're build. That's what I'm hearing you saying . You can build that muscle and then it becomes almost habit, and then it's just, you're probably doing it. You don't have to sit still to do it. You're probably naturally spontaneously doing it

James-1: Totally. So it's just, for me, that's just about, you know, we can, it's hard to turn your mind off completely, but it's just about focusing your attention on that empty space between your thoughts

Kate Shepherd: Mm-Hmm

James-1: and just sitting there and, and being, again, it's being comfortable with that uncertainty

and, and, and just sitting with that unknown. And I promise you, if you do that long enough, something will start to speak to you.

Kate Shepherd: mm-Hmm. Will you tell us, tell us about your book. Tell us about how to, how to read this book, how to live with this book, how to integrate this book into your daily practice.

James-1: the essence of this book is, is creative alignment people get stuck in different places during the creative process. So what I've really tried to do was, was, is, was outline step by step how creativity works and how an idea goes from imagination into reality. so it's. It's divided. The first half is Creative Yin, which is about being, so this is, for me, this is the first half of the creative process and it's all before you even make anything at all. , it's about cultivating your own consciousness to be. Receptive to the voice of the muse. So there are chapters like how to set an intention, how to cultivate your intuition, how to use your imagination, whereas Creative Yang or doing is about developing your own style or learning how to experiment with technique or even. How to finish and launch projects, how to. Make money off of your work. And then lastly, it's about creativity and social impact. So how you can use your message, your art to make an impact in the world. So the whole book will kind of give you all the tools. To activate your inner artist in whatever way. And some people might need more help on the yin aspects.

Some people might need more help on the yang aspects, but I wanted to lay it all out so you can read it from beginning to end and it's like a full linear kind of progression. But you might just be really interested in, you know, creativity and money or in, or, or intuitions. You can kind of zoom in on, on chapters to find. What you're gonna, what you're, what you're seeking guidance on. and also it's a very visual book, so you're gonna flip through it. There's all kinds of illustrations and art, because I'm a visual learner and I know so many people are as well. So in addition to, you know, regular long form chapters, there's a ton of illustrations and art that will demonstrate the ideas in. Creative, fun, visual ways you can flip through it and just almost use it as a coffee table book and just get inspired by some of the visuals without having to dive deep into any of the chapters. So there's really something for everyone.

Kate Shepherd: Well, I was struck when I was experiencing this book that it isn't really just a book you read. You can, and I did, you read it cover to cover and it's useful that way. But even what you were just saying about how some people might want a little bit more of the yin and some people, like there are times in your life when you're gonna, you know, there'll be like, actually, this season right now, I need a lot more reminder about rest and cultivating flow and, and then there'd be, you know, six months from now I'm going through something else.

And, and I really, it was, it struck me that this was a book that you would live with and that would, it was. Like a living workshop. So it was almost like you, you're, you're walking yourself through what you need when you need it, and it, there are a lot of books out there that you read from start to finish and they affect you and they, but this is one that I think that the reader would keep with them and actually live with.

And so hats off to you. That's a huge accomplishment, especially with a subject like this that's so hard. It's so ineffable to try to pin some of these things down and I think you've done such a great job of it,

James-1: Thank you so much. I feel like the book was just trying to come through me and I was just, again, just listening to almost like the book is writing itself and I

was just trying to, you know, dutifully. Crafted into existence. , for me, a book is like a, a, a big sandbox. You have all these blank pages to play with. so I, I had a lot of fun making it, creating it, writing the chapters, making the art. So I hope it's infused with some of the, the love and joy that went into the, the creative process. And, and I, and I can, transmit some of that energy

, to the readers. And, and another thing that I love about it is all the stories I was able to tell about my favorite artists and writers and creators, because I feel like I've been studying art my whole life.

I love to watch documentaries on artists and read biographies or go on YouTube and watch interviews with some of my favorite creators, living and dead. so I picked up all of these stories and. Pieces of inspiration from some of my favorite artists, and I was able to sprinkle those all throughout the book so you get a little bit of an art history and writing history lessons throughout

the, throughout the span of the book.

Kate Shepherd: it's very rich. Like I am actually, it's a, you know, it's a little book where I'm just looking at it here. There's what is 220 pages or something like that, and it's, there's so much, there's just so much in here.

Yeah.

James-1: thank you so much.

Kate Shepherd: I wanted to invite you to read us the artist's pledge

James-1: Yeah.

Kate Shepherd: us?

Before you do that, maybe tell us , where's the best place for us to get the book? Okay.

James-1: You can search for it anywhere. It's available on Amazon, all the, all the online retailers. There's a list of them all in my Instagram bio. And also I'm offering a bunch of bonus gifts with a purchase of the book. So if you buy the book, go to the link in my Instagram bio and you enter your order number, and there's a whole bunch of extras that you're gonna get, including a, a series that I'm hosting called Meet the Artist, where I'm interviewing,

Kate Shepherd: Some

incredible people. my favorite.

James-1: writers,

uh, and, uh, there's gonna be some other, like a, an an inner artist guided meditation that I'm, , doing.

Kate Shepherd: And I'll make sure. So your Instagram bio is, words are vibrations.

Did I get that right? Yeah. And, uh, we'll put all of this in the show notes. If you're driving down the street right now, you're listening to this, don't, you don't have to pull over and we'll, you just visit the website and you can get all of that.

It'll be in the show notes. So I wanted to, I wanted to get that outta the way before I, again, I always forget the, the business stuff.

James-2: Appreciate that.

the end of the book. I just wanted to write just a, a, a, a bit of a, an homage to, to, being an artist and to, and to living as an artist. So this is a, a little short passage called the Artist's Pledge. I promise to keep creating, to remain curious, to trust my instincts, to imagine a better world, to appreciate beauty. To take risks, to feel my fear and do it anyway to keep showing up no matter how hopeless it seems to give my mind and feet space to wander, to keep exploring the darkness in +search++= of light.

Kate Shepherd: Thank you. , I'm so glad you read that to us.

James-3: Yeah. Thanks for suggesting it.

Kate Shepherd: I usually at the end of every episode, I ask a question called the billboard question, but I think that that's gonna be our billboard for today.

James-3: That, that that whole thing can go on the billboard.

The whole artist.

Kate Shepherd: the whole, yes. Love it. I think that's so beautiful. Thank you for making the time to chat with me today.

I really appreciate it.

James-3: Oh no, the pleasure is all mine. Thanks for

having

me.
I don't know about you, but I feel so grateful to cross paths with people like James. His insights into creativity and vulnerability. And this amazing journey of self-discovery that we can go on when we open up and are willing to surrender. To something mysterious and bigger than ourselves. Have left an indelible mark on my heart and in my mind, And I suspect the same is true for you.

From the importance of embracing our creative impulses, no matter how imperfect. To the magic that can happen when we share them. Even though we might feel vulnerable about them. Or I believe that they're not ready to share with the people around us.

James is whispering for us to trust that there is a path toward a more authentic and fulfilling existence. And it starts inside of us. Being willing to listen and surrender. And maybe even be a little bit weird.

Creativity. Isn't reserved for the chosen few with exceptional talent.

I love that. James says that it's actually almost irrelevant that you have talent. This is a birthright that we all possess and there's this treasure trove of wisdom waiting to be an earth within each one of us inside of you right now. And by daring to question conventional wisdom and bravely share our unique gifts with the world.

Even if that's slowly at first. We become catalysts for our own transformation. and we build the wave of this Renaissance. That's coming. That's growing. That ultimately will transform humanity , into something that isn't glitching. And that is in fact thriving.

I love that James and I share that. Vision that we're not at an apocalypse. Even though many old ways of thinking and doing are coming to an end because they're no longer serving us. And there is a lot of ending energy in the world right now.

What it's leading to is a beautiful. Alive, new beginning. So thank you, James, for your generosity and sharing your time and your journey and your insights with us today. And to our listeners. Thank you for joining us on this. Vivid exploration of creativity, consciousness, and culture. I'd love to hear from you what you're working on, what you're excited about, what you're struggling with. Head over to at Kate Sheppard creative or at the creative genius podcast on Instagram or Facebook and drop me a line. I love being in community with you, and I'm so glad that we're on this path together.

And in case you missed it earlier, I want to make sure that you know that for the next little while, only for a limited time, I'm giving away for free as a gift. A copy of my beautiful new guided meditation. Deep listening with your whole being. I've created a lot of guided meditations over the years.

And this one is by far one of the best you can sign up to receive a copy of that on Kate shepherd, creative.com.

Your support and engagement.

Add fuel to this Renaissance that we're building. So if you feel called. Please head over to patrion.com/the creative genius podcast. And explore, having a membership with us it makes a huge difference and if you take one thing from this episode today, I hope it's that you'll remember that creativity is not just a solitary act. This is a communal celebration of our shared humanity. When we create an explore and share our light with each other and the world. We're actually fulfilling our greatest purpose.