How do dreams and dreaming play a role in creativity? We explore this question with musician, poet, and psychotherapist Linus Streckfus, as Melinda and Linus share stories of how dreams fuel their songwriting, the unconscious processes at play in dreams, and the archetypal and metaphorical images that often result. We also discuss Linus’ new poetry release, A Little Book of Loteria Riddles, and his process of writing it, as he shares several selections from it.

For our Creativity Pro-Tip, we encourage you to pay attention to your dreams, and to record them if possible in a dream journal or voice memo, and then to practice holding the images you receive as you move about your daily life to see what it inspires for you – perhaps a song or creative work!

Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.

If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 9: Music and Psychology: "The Pocket" Experience with Dr. Jeff Mims, Episode 10: Imagination and Creativity with Psychologist and Creativity Coach Dr. Diana Rivera, and Episode 42: Creativity & Depth Psychology with Jennifer Leigh Selig.

At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors. If you have an idea for a project or a new venture, and you’re not sure how to get it off the ground, find us at syncreate.org. Our book, also called Syncreate, walks you through the stages of the creative process so you can take action on your creative goals. We also offer resources, creative process tools, and coaching, including a monthly creativity coaching group, to help you bring your work to the world. You can find more information on our website, where you can also find all of our podcast episodes. Find and connect with us on social media and YouTube under Syncreate. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review!

Episode-specific hyperlinks:

Linus Streckfus on LinkedIn

A Little Book of Loteria Riddles on Poshmark

Linus’ Psychology Today Profile

Find A Little Book of Loteria Riddles at ATown Boutique

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The Syncreate Podcast

Syncreate Website

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Melinda Rothouse Website

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In this episode of our Creative Spark series, we share our own experience of receiving difficult feedback on one of our ideas, and how we dealt with it. It can be really vulnerable to receive critical or constructive feedback on our creative work, but if we can assume positive intent and digest it accordingly, it can result in a better quality final product. This episode, like the mini-episodes that preceded it, also includes insights from our book, Syncreate: A Guide to Navigating the Creative Process for Individuals, Teams, and Communities.

For our Creativity Pro-Tip, we encourage you to ask for feedback on your creative work, from someone you trust, and to listen with curiosity rather than certainty, so you can find what’s helpful to make the work even better.

Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.

If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 39: Sharing Work in Progress, Episode 41: Creative Practice, Process, and Product and Episode 84: From Surviving to Thriving.

At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors. If you have an idea for a project or a new venture, and you’re not sure how to get it off the ground, find us at syncreate.org. Our book, also called Syncreate, walks you through the stages of the creative process so you can take action on your creative goals. We also offer resources, creative process tools, and coaching, including a monthly creativity coaching group, to help you bring your work to the world. You can find more information on our website, where you can also find all of our podcast episodes. Find and connect with us on social media and YouTube under Syncreatel. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review! We’d love to hear your feedback as well, so drop us a line at info@syncreate.org.

Episode-specific hyperlinks:

The Syncreate Book

Charlotte Gullick’s Website

Show / permanent hyperlinks:

The Syncreate Podcast

Syncreate Website

Syncreate Instagram

Syncreate Facebook

Syncreate LinkedIn

Syncreate YouTube

Melinda Rothouse Website

Austin Writing Coach

Melinda Joy Music Website

What does it mean to walk a spiritual path, to live a spiritual life, in the midst of our busy lives, as householders, in these complex and challenging times? Wisdom Pathways Co-Founders Jenny Fairbank and Steven Ross emphasize the importance of cultivating our intuition, opening our hearts, and connecting in community. Jenny and Steven work with individuals and groups to help clarify their deepest purpose and calling, and transcend the blocks and obstacles we all encounter along the way. We discuss the evolution of consciousness, the nature of personal and collective awakening at this particular time, and how we can embrace life’s challenges for the opportunities they offer.

For our Creativity Pro-Tip, we encourage you to contemplate the yogic phrase, “Where the mind goes, prana (energy) goes.” In other words, our thoughts and mindset dictate the nature of our experiences in life. Are we placing our minds on the darkness and chaos of the news cycle, or are we placing our minds on how we can best cultivate ourselves, live our highest calling, and be of most benefit to the world?

Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.

If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 34: Creativity and Transpersonal Psychology Part 1 with Marina Smirnova, PhD, Episode 42: Creativity & Depth Psychology with Jennifer Leigh Selig, and Episode 60: Intuition & Creativity with Intuitive Medium and Spiritual Director Steven Ross.

At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors. If you have an idea for a project or a new venture, and you’re not sure how to get it off the ground, find us at syncreate.org. Our book, also called Syncreate, walks you through the stages of the creative process so you can take action on your creative goals. We also offer resources, creative process tools, and coaching, including a monthly creativity coaching group, to help you bring your work to the world. Find and connect with us on social media and YouTube under Syncreate. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review, or drop us a line at info@syncreate.org.

Episode-specific hyperlinks:

Wisdom Pathways Website

Jenny’s Website: jennyfairbank.com

Steven’s Website: stevenrossintuitive.com

Paramhansa Yogananda

Show / permanent hyperlinks:

The Syncreate Podcast

Syncreate Website

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Melinda Rothouse Website

In this episode of our Creative Spark series, we reflect on how embracing creativity, community, and a bit of levity can help us move from surviving to thriving, especially in difficult times. Sometimes we think of creativity as a luxury, but what if it’s actually a necessity for getting through life and keeping our spirits up? Maybe it’s as simple as a quick reframe. This episode, like the mini-episodes that preceded it, also includes insights from our book, Syncreate: A Guide to Navigating the Creative Process for Individuals, Teams, and Communities.

For our Creativity Pro-Tip, we ask you to reflect on whether you’ve made yourself a little smaller lately, and if so, what’s one thing you can do to reclaim your joy? It could be singing in the car, or dancing in the shower, or wearing a colorful scarf, or underwear, or some crazy socks. Sometimes the little things, the silly things, can make a big difference.

Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.

If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 49: Creativity in Challenging Times, Episode 67: Moving Through the World with a Creative Eye, and Episode 82: Healing the Creative Wound.

At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors. If you have an idea for a project or a new venture, and you’re not sure how to get it off the ground, find us at syncreate.org. Our book, also called Syncreate, walks you through the stages of the creative process so you can take action on your creative goals. We also offer resources, creative process tools, and coaching, including a monthly creativity coaching group, to help you bring your work to the world. You can find more information on our website, where you can also find all of our podcast episodes. Find and connect with us on social media and YouTube under Syncreate. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review! We’d love to hear your feedback as well, so drop us a line at info@syncreate.org.

Episode-specific hyperlinks:

The Syncreate Book

Charlotte Gullick’s Website

Show / permanent hyperlinks:

The Syncreate Podcast

Syncreate Website

Syncreate Instagram

Syncreate Facebook

Syncreate LinkedIn

Syncreate YouTube

Melinda Rothouse Website

Austin Writing Coach

Melinda Joy Music Website

Poet C. Prudence Arceneaux is Chair of the Creative Writing Department at Austin Community College. Her work has appeared in various journals, including The Academy of American Poets’ Poem-A-Day, Limestone, New Texas, African Voices and Inkwell. She is the author of two chapbooks of poetry — Dirt (awarded the 2018 Jean Pedrick Prize) and Liberty. Her new full-length collection Proprioception is now available Texas Review Press. Fellow Texas poet Naomi Shihab Nye writes of Propriception: “How Arceneaux manages to be wry, sexy, contemplative, and rueful all at once, is a wonder.” Our conversation ranges from the earthy sensuality of Arceneaux’s poems to the curiosity that inspires many of her poems, and she shares several poems from Proprioception.

For our Creativity Pro-Tip, if you want to try your hand at writing a poem, begin with your grocery list, or someone else’s shopping cart. Then begin to explore the stories, needs, and desires behind the items in the list or the cart. Contemplate the items and see what language follows from them. If you try this, please share your creations with us!

Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.

If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 6: Gratitude, Gentleness, and Generosity with Mayela Padilla Manasjan, Episode 52: Texas Poet Laureate Amanda Johnston, Episode 73: Theatre, Storytelling, and the Labor of Creativity with Marcus McQuirter, PhD.

At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors. If you have an idea for a project or a new venture, and you’re not sure how to get it off the ground, find us at syncreate.org. Our book, also called Syncreate, walks you through the stages of the creative process so you can take action on your creative goals. Find and connect with us on social media and YouTube under Syncreate. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review!

Episode-specific hyperlinks:

Prudence’s New Poetry Collection: Proprioception

Prudence’s Poem “Menopause”

Prudence Arceneaux on Instagram

Austin Community College Creative Writing Department

Show / permanent hyperlinks:

The Syncreate Podcast

Syncreate Website

Syncreate Instagram

Syncreate Facebook

Syncreate LinkedIn

Syncreate YouTube

Melinda Rothouse Website

Austin Writing Coach

In this episode of our Creative Spark series, we explore what it means to heal the creative wound so we can fully embrace our creative selves. Many of us received messages in our youth that we weren’t creative or artistic, and we’ve internalized these messages in a way that stifle our creative expression. It’s important to recognize that these stories we tell ourselves may not be accurate, and that we can create new, more empowering and inspiring stories about our creative capacities. This episode, like the mini-episodes that preceded it, also includes insights from our book, Syncreate: A Guide to Navigating the Creative Process for Individuals, Teams, and Communities.

For our Creativity Pro-Tip, we encourage you to reflect on your creative wounds (large or small), and the accompanying stories you may have around your own creativity, and start to craft a new, more empowering story that embraces your creativity.

Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.

If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 22: Creative Play, Episode 35: Navigating the Creative Wilderness, and Episode 51: Curiosity & Exploration.

At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors. If you have an idea for a project or a new venture, and you’re not sure how to get it off the ground, find us at syncreate.org. Our book, also called Syncreate, walks you through the stages of the creative process so you can take action on your creative goals. We also offer resources, creative process tools, and coaching, including a monthly creativity coaching group, to help you bring your work to the world. You can find more information on our website, where you can also find all of our podcast episodes. Find and connect with us on social media and YouTube under Syncreate. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review! We’d love to hear your feedback as well, so drop us a line at info@syncreate.org.

Episode-specific hyperlinks:

The Syncreate Book

Charlotte Gullick’s Website

Mosaic Artist Isiah Zagar

Show / permanent hyperlinks:

The Syncreate Podcast

Syncreate Website

Syncreate Instagram

Syncreate Facebook

Syncreate LinkedIn

Syncreate YouTube

Melinda Rothouse Website

Austin Writing Coach

Melinda Joy Music Website

This episode features three medical innovators working at the intersection of orthopedic surgery, medical technology, and orthopedic research at the San Diego Spine Foundation (SDSF), Scripps Clinic, and the University of California San Diego (UCSD).

Dr. Akbarnia is the Founder of the SDSF and former president of the Scoliosis Research Society, as well as a retired clinical professor and orthopedic surgeon. He developed an innovative, minimally invasive magnetic device for the treatment for pediatric scoliosis, eliminating the need for multiple surgeries.

Dr. Mundis is the current president of the SDSF, as well as an orthopedic spine surgeon specializing in deformities of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine for pediatric and adult patients.

Dr. Shahidi is an associate professor and researcher in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at UCSD.

Our conversation focuses on creativity and innovation in clinical practice, the development of new treatment protocols and technologies, and medical research.

For our Creativity Pro-Tip, we encourage young people interested in the field of medicine to pursue their passions, explore interests outside their main field of study, and to focus your creativity on breaking new ground and making a positive impact in the world.

Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.

If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 58: Creative Problem Solving with BEST Robotics’ Michael Steiner, Episode 77: Collaborate, Innovate, Advocate with Beth Sundstrom, PhD, Episode 62: The Neuroscience of Creativity with Dr. Indre Viskontas.

At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors. If you have an idea for a project or a new venture, and you’re not sure how to get it off the ground, find us at syncreate.org. Our book, also called Syncreate, walks you through the stages of the creative process so you can take action on your creative goals. We also offer resources, creative process tools, and coaching, including a monthly creativity coaching group, to help you bring your work to the world.

Episode-specific hyperlinks:

San Diego Spine Foundation

Dr. Akbarnia’s SDSF Profile

Dr. Mundis’ SDSF Profile

Dr. Shahidi’s Faculty Profile at UCSD

Show / permanent hyperlinks:

The Syncreate Podcast

Syncreate Website

Syncreate Instagram

Syncreate Facebook

Syncreate LinkedIn

Syncreate YouTube

Melinda Rothouse Website

In this episode of our Creative Spark series, Charlotte and Melinda share the experience of narrating the audio version of our Syncreate book, including our flubs, insecurities, and humorous moments, the highs and the lows, warts and all. We think it’s important to share our own process, and how we all inevitably stumble along the way to a finished creative product. So if you’ve ever wanted to peer behind the veil of the creative process, this episode is for you. This episode, like the mini-episodes that preceded it, also includes insights from our book, Syncreate: A Guide to Navigating the Creative Process for Individuals, Teams, and Communities.

For our Creativity Pro-Tip, we demonstrate a mirroring exercise (easier to follow in the video version of the episode) that can be used as a fun icebreaker or warm-up for any creative collaboration.

Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.

If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 20: The Syncreate Model of Play, Plan & Produce, Episode 31: The Power of Collaboration, and Episode 41: Creative Practice, Process, and Product.

At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors. If you have an idea for a project or a new venture, and you’re not sure how to get it off the ground, find us at syncreate.org. Our book, also called Syncreate, walks you through the stages of the creative process so you can take action on your creative goals. We also offer resources, creative process tools, and coaching, including a monthly creativity coaching group, to help you bring your work to the world. You can find more information on our website, where you can also find all of our podcast episodes. Find and connect with us on social media and YouTube under Syncreate. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review! We’d love to hear your feedback as well, so drop us a line at info@syncreate.org.

Episode-specific hyperlinks:

The Syncreate Book

Charlotte Gullick’s Website

Show / permanent hyperlinks:

The Syncreate Podcast

Syncreate Website

Syncreate Instagram

Syncreate Facebook

Syncreate LinkedIn

Syncreate YouTube

Melinda Rothouse Website

Austin Writing Coach

Melinda Joy Music Website