My conversation partner this week is Rick Rigdon. In Rick's words: I'm a 63 year-old gay man who lives with my spouse of 26 years in Everett, Washington. (We've officially been married for 8 years after marriage equality passed in the US). I'm an INFJ who's a semi-retired web developer. This past year, I created a blog (Mystical Bear) where I document my experiences of using the writing of a novel as a tool to help overcome depression, anxiety, and PTSD that I've experienced most of my life. Find Rick at: mysticalbear.com

We talked about:

- Rick's story with PTSD, depression & anxiety

- Rick's experiences with conventional therapy / what worked for him & what didn't

- Flashbacks & a painful break-up / on unhappy experiences & mental health stuff

- How holotropic breathwork helped Rick

- Rick's current outlook on his depression

- The importance of having a creative outlet to manage his depression

- Rick's fiction project / the origins of the story

- Rick's relationship with his father

- Rick's experiences with blogging & why he is writing

- On writing for ourselves, authenticity, and sharing what we write online

- Why Rick decided to start his Mystical Bear blog

- How sharing his experiences through writing online has helped him thus far

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by ⁠⁠Jas Hothi⁠⁠, with music by ⁠⁠Chris Porter⁠⁠

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My conversation partner this week is Laurence Warner, aka 'Cerulean'. In Laurence's own words: I'm Cerulean, an independent Performing Artist, born Laurence Warner in Eastleigh, a small town on England's South Coast. I make pop music for your ears AND your brain (and sometimes even your funny bone too)! I'm proudly #SavvyIndie, but I love to collaborate with creatives across The Arts & Tech to put on a show. Find Laurence at: https://wa.rner.me

We talked about:

- Laurence’s music-making process

- Making money from your art

- Is Laurence an extrovert or an ambivert? / Myers-Briggs chat

- The “organic” journey of the indie artist

- Why Laurence makes music, and the magic of “sonic experiences” (music) vs verbal (words)

- Who is Cerulean? (aka Laurence’s artist name)

- Using the internet to share your authentic expression with other people… but balancing this with using tech in an intentional way

- Laurence’s advice for indie musicians promoting their work

- The joy of being an ‘independent artist’ vs going ‘traditional’

- SavvyIndie: Laurence’s plans for this community for independent musicians / music artists

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by ⁠⁠Jas Hothi⁠⁠, with music by ⁠⁠Chris Porter⁠⁠

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The eighth conversation in a series with my friend Lauren Sapala. Lauren is a writer, writing coach and INFJ. Find Lauren at: laurensapala.com

We talked about:

- Tools for changing the 'stories' you tell yourself

- Lauren's journey from alcoholism to sobriety & re-discovering writing

- Why Lauren really needed her silent writing group when she started writing again

- "Breathing out our stuff" / why Lauren writes

- Focusing on writing for yourself vs being a full-time author or making an income from it

- The job Lauren worked whilst she was writing & blogging, & how Lauren has set up her business

- The types of genre INFPs & INFJs seem to be particularly drawn to

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by ⁠⁠Jas Hothi⁠⁠, with music by ⁠⁠Chris Porter⁠⁠

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.