How do you choose between multiple different creative paths? How do you grow a YouTube channel to over 30 thousand subscribers in just two years? And how do you gather and collect ideas for future creative projects?

Today’s guest is Tim DeMoss—an author, filmmaker, and YouTube creator based in Michigan. In 2025, he released his debut novelette, James Chalk, Fair Buyer of Lightning: or; Peace is a Pile of Mint. He shares videos as part of his popular Reasons to Read series on YouTube, and has a forthcoming book on the same topic.

In my conversation with Tim, he reveals the artistic threads that wove together to get him to where he is today: writing books, sharing reasons to read, and running a thriving YouTube channel with over 30,000 subscribers.

But he didn’t start out that way. In this episode, Tim details his creative journey from childhood to now, and the practices and habits that got him there.

Along the way, you’ll learn Tim’s strategy for battling discouragement, how he gathers inspiration, and how he faces the challenge of choosing between multiple different creative paths.

🎧 Tim’s Creative Projects:

YouTube Channel

Reasons to Read Video Series

Reasons to Read Mail Club

James Chalk, Fair Buyer of Lightning: or; Peace is a Pile of Mint by Tim DeMoss

📚Tim’s Reading List / Books Mentioned:

Zen and the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon

The Art of Game Design by Jesse Schell

The Bhagavad Gita by Vyasa

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

✉️Sign up for Taylor’s email list to receive writing and creative tips and news about upcoming releases here.

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📚Find all of Taylor’s books and stories here.

The Creative Life with Taylor is an engaging, thoughtful podcast hosted by award-winning author and designer Taylor Thomas Smythe that explores creative journeys over a lifetime, dives deep into the creative process, and inspires listeners to unlock their own creativity and potential in their life now. With guests from a wide array of disciplines and media, listeners will walk away inspired to build a creative life with confidence.

The Creative Life with Taylor is a production of Lamplight Universe.

https://www.lamplightuniverse.com/