How to Live Your Creative Best Life with Megan Alexander

How do we find creative inspiration in the world around us?  

In this episode of Live Creatively, I’m chatting with my friend, Daphne Bamburg. Daphne is a graphic designer, wardrobe stylist and creative soul living in Austin Texas. She’s the founder of Strong Word Studio, an inspirational paper goods line as well as Auxiliary Closet, an online vintage shop and styling service. When she’s not creating, you can find her strolling her local thrift store or traveling the globe in search of unexpected beauty.

Listen in as Daphne and I chat about:

• How to find inspiration all around us 

• Putting ourselves in “the path” of inspiration

• How can we surround ourselves with more of what makes us feel inspired

• Our responsibility as creatives to intentionally seek out inspiration 

• How creative inspiration plays a part in creative process

Daphne shares so much encouragement and practical advice for creatives. This episode will be especially helpful for the creative who is feeling uninspired or lost their creative spark.

If you need a spark of inspiration to jump start your creativity, this episode is for you!

Connect with Daphne:

• Instagram

• Strong Word Studio

• Auxiliary Closet

 

Find the Show Notes here. 

 

Let’s Live Creatively, friends!

Learn more: www.building07.com

Connect: hello@building07.com

Community for Creatives: www.facebook.com/groups/creativeincommunity

Coaching for Creatives: www.building07.com/coaching/

Want more? Subscribe to my “secret” podcast, 5-Minute Fridays. Exclusive convos for my closest creative friends: https://bit.ly/5minfri

 

How do we cultivate harmony between work and rest in our lives?  

In this episode of Live Creatively, I’m chatting with Shelley Tyson. Shelley  is an entrepreneur, wife, mom, and pianist. She has been a life coach for female entrepreneurs looking to cultivate harmony in their work and home rhythms. Shelley is passionate about seeing women thrive in the lives God has called them to as they work from rest and love and serve those around them. 

Listen in as Shelley and I chat about:

• How to cultivate harmony between work and rest

• Why seeking harmony, not balance, is so important

• Why it’s important to create time and space to rest from creating

• How rest (or lack of) impacts our creativity

• Why rest is a necessary part of the creative process 

• How we can shift from working FOR rest to working FROM rest

This episode is jam packed with encouragement and practical advice about how to incorporate regular rhythms of rest into our lives. It’s not easy! It requires intentionality, but we NEED rest. We’re designed for it and we do our best creative work when we take time and make space to stop doing and just be.  

If you struggle with making time to slow down and truly rest, this episode is for you!

Connect with Shelley:

• Instagram

Find the Show Notes here. 

 

Let’s Live Creatively, friends!

Learn more: www.building07.com

Connect: hello@building07.com

Community for Creatives: www.facebook.com/groups/creativeincommunity

Coaching for Creatives: www.building07.com/coaching/

Want more? Subscribe to my “secret” podcast, 5-Minute Fridays. Exclusive convos for my closest creative friends: https://bit.ly/5minfri

 

How can we break free from fear and anxiety in a world that feeds it?  

In this episode of Live Creatively, I’m chatting with Christy Boulware. Christy is first a passionate follower of Christ. She is also a wife and a mom of three. With a deep desire to set women and teens free from the chains of fear and anxiety, Christy leads a non-profit organization called Fearless Unite. Through conferences, workshops. retreats, Bible studies, and devotionals, Christy speaks and writes about drastically decreasing the alarming statistics of anxiety in our world. 

I loved this candid conversation with Christy about finding freedom from crippling fears and anxiety and how these can negatively impact our creativity. Of course, these struggles are not exclusive to creatives, but I know I have certainly wrestled with lots of fears along my own creative journey. And the world around us certainly gives plenty of reasons to feel anxious on a daily basis. And I know that I am not alone in these feelings and experiences. 

Listen in as Christy and I chat about:

• Ways the world we live in feeds our fears and anxiety everyday 

• Why anxiety is such a pressing and urgent issue on a larger scale

• Tips on how to overcome crippling fear and anxiety 

• What are anxiety smoke alarms and how they can help us overcome fear and anxiety

• How fear and anxiety can negatively impact our creativity

Christy and I had such a great conversation that feels even more relevant and important now as this episode is releasing than when we recorded it. I know her words are going to encourage you and meet you where you are, especially if your heart has felt heavy and burdened by recent headlines. 

If you find yourself struggling to overcome fear and feeling anxious, this episode is for you!

Connect with Christy:

• Website

• Instagram

• Facebook

• Book

 

Find the Show Notes here. 

 

Let’s Live Creatively, friends!

Learn more: www.building07.com

Connect: hello@building07.com

Community for Creatives: www.facebook.com/groups/creativeincommunity

Coaching for Creatives: www.building07.com/coaching/

Want more? Subscribe to my “secret” podcast, 5-Minute Fridays. Exclusive convos for my closest creative friends: https://bit.ly/5minfri

 

How can we pursue creativity in the messy margins of motherhood?  

In this episode of Live Creatively, I’m chatting with Ashlee Gadd.  Ashlee is the author of Create Anyway: The Joy of Pursuing Creativity in the Margins of Motherhood and the founder of Coffee + Crumbs—a beautiful online space where motherhood and storytelling intersect. As a writer and photographer, Ashlee has spent her entire motherhood creating in the margins. 

I absolutely loved this candid conversation with fellow creative mama, Ashlee. We talked about how to be intentional in the ways we pursue creativity in the (very limited) margins of motherhood – and even find joy in the midst of it all. 

Listen in as Ashlee and I chat about:

• The truth that creativity and motherhood can coexist 

• How to carve out time to be creative in your everyday life

• The things Ashlee has had to sacrifice to make space for creativity

• How to adjust as your creative routines and rhythms change over the years

• Believing that creativity is worthy of taking up space in our lives 

• Baby steps we can take to start creating room for creativity

If you are struggling to pursue your God-given creative gifts alongside motherhood, this episode is for you!

Connect with Ashlee:

• Website

• Instagram

• Pinterest

• Book

Find the Show Notes here. 

 

Let’s Live Creatively, friends!

Learn more: www.building07.com

Connect: hello@building07.com

Community for Creatives: www.facebook.com/groups/creativeincommunity

Coaching for Creatives: www.building07.com/coaching/

Want more? Subscribe to my “secret” podcast, 5-Minute Fridays. Exclusive convos for my closest creative friends: https://bit.ly/5minfri

Have you ever found yourself struggling with how to market yourself or your businesses as a creative?

In this episode of Live Creatively, I’m chatting with Natalie Blenkush. Natalie is a messaging and marketing coach and host of the Wildly Aligned Marketing podcast. She's on a mission to help women consistently find & attract the right clients online in a way that works for them (because marketing isn't one size fits all). Natalie also believes that "being yourself" isn't a cheesy cliche, but actually the key to building a strong, profitable online brand and business.

Listen in as Natalie and I chat about:

• Saying no to cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all marketing strategies 

• How to market yourself and your business in way that works for YOU

• Defining your niche as a creative business owner 

• Getting clear on three foundational marketing components 

• Common marketing pain points and how to overcome them 

• The importance of staying in your lane when marketing yourself/your business 

• Owning your voice and embracing messy action in marketing

This is such a valuable episode loaded with practical insights you can start implementing and applying in your creative business TODAY. Natalie offers so much relatable advice and marketing strategies that you can use to show up more confidently online. 

If you have ever struggled with how to confidently and effectively market yourself and your business, this episode is for you!

Connect with Natalie:

• Wildly Aligned Marketing Podcast

• Website 

• Facebook

• Instagram 

Find the Show Notes here. 

 

Let’s Live Creatively, friends!

Learn more: www.building07.com

Connect: hello@building07.com

Community for Creatives: www.facebook.com/groups/creativeincommunity

Coaching for Creatives: www.building07.com/coaching/

Want more? Subscribe to my “secret” podcast, 5-Minute Fridays. Exclusive convos for my closest creative friends: https://bit.ly/5minfri

 

We’ve likely all dealt with imposter syndrome at some point in journeys, but have you ever considered how it may be negatively impacting your creativity? 

In this episode of Live Creatively, I’m chatting with Bre Clark. Bre is a seasoned multimedia journalist and news personality. Her time living the hustle and bustle of broadcast news and the pressure to perform led her to research the real impacts of imposter syndrome. She recently launched a talk-show called The Real Deal, bringing awareness to the imposter phenomenon that leaves some of the most talented people doubting themselves, their identity, and their accomplishments.

Listen in as Bre and I chat about:

• How perfectionism and performance put pressure on us to produce 

• How imposter syndrome can hold us back and negatively impact our creativity 

• How she handcrafted her own teardrop camper and how that process helped her reconnect to her creativity

• How tapping into her creativity has been valuable to her career

• What helped her to overcome imposter syndrome and have the courage to create

Bre really is the REAL DEAL. She shares so much encouragement and valuable advice for the creative who is struggling with imposter syndrome. I enjoyed our conversation so much and I know you will, too! 

If you have ever wrestled with the lies of imposter syndrome or felt like your own negative thoughts were holding you back , this episode is for you!

Connect with Bre:

• The Real Deal Show

• Instagram

• Facebook

• YouTube

 

Find the Show Notes here. 

Let’s Live Creatively, friends!

Learn more: www.building07.com

Connect: hello@building07.com

Community for Creatives: www.facebook.com/groups/creativeincommunity

Coaching for Creatives: www.building07.com/coaching/

Want more? Subscribe to my “secret” podcast, 5-Minute Fridays. Exclusive convos for my closest creative friends: https://bit.ly/5minfri

 

How do we walk boldly and freely in our callings as creatives? 

In this episode of Live Creatively, I’m chatting with Kat Armstrong. Kat is the co-founder of the Polished Network to embolden women in their faith and work. She is a powerful voice in our generation as a sought-after Bible teacher and innovative ministry leader. She holds a master’s degree from Dallas Theological Seminary and is the author of No More Holding Back, The In-Between Place, and a 6-book series called the Storyline Project. 

“Calling” feels like such a loaded buzzword these days and can trigger many different emotions and thoughts. So many of us have wrestled with the infamous question… “What is my calling?” I know I have and it can feel like a lot of pressure!

Kat and I address this daunting question and define what calling really is…and what it’s not. Kat shares how we can be empowered and emboldened to walk more freely in who we are created to be.

Listen in as Kat and I chat about:

• Defining and demystifying the idea of “calling” 
• Why your career is NOT your calling
• Her perspective on “assignment living”
• How to walk boldly and freely in our callings
• Common struggles that hold us back from living out our callings

Kat shares so much wisdom and encouragement on this topic. If you have felt the weight and pressure of “figuring out your calling” that can be so heavy and overwhelming–this conversation will set you free! I’ve had the privilege of hearing Kat speak to this topic several times over the last few years and each time I do, I learn something new and walk away feeling encouraged, and I know you will too.

If you have ever wrestled with the question of calling and struggled to define it for yourself, this episode is for you!

Connect with Kat:

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Storyline Bible Studies

Find the Show Notes here. 

 

Let’s Live Creatively, friends!

Learn more: www.building07.com

Connect: hello@building07.com

Community for Creatives: www.facebook.com/groups/creativeincommunity

Coaching for Creatives: www.building07.com/coaching/

Want more? Subscribe to my “secret” podcast, 5-Minute Fridays. Exclusive convos for my closest creative friends: https://bit.ly/5minfri

How can the Enneagram help us make a careful exploration of who we were created to be? 

In this episode of Live Creatively, I’m chatting with Meredith Boggs. Meredith is the author of The Journey Home and host of The Other Half Podcast where she transparently shares real life that doesn’t make the highlight reel.

Listen in as Meredith and I chat about:

• A brief overview of what the Enneagram is and a quick breakdown of the nine personality types
• How to use the Enneagram as a powerful tool to identify your personality traits and better understand how you’re uniquely wired
• How using the Enneagram can help us create deeper connection with God, relate to others, and understand ourselves
• How to identify and leverage our individual strengths and personality traits
• How to recognize our “unhealthy” tendencies and work towards healthy growth

Maybe you’ve been hearing a lot of chatter and cheeky graphics on the Internet about the Enneagram these days, but you’re not quite sure what it’s all about. If you’re at all curious about the Enneagram and how you can use it as a powerful tool to better understand yourself, others, and even deepen your faith, this episode is a must listen!

If you want to know how to use the Enneagram to help you better understand how you’re uniquely created and wired, this episode is for you!

 Connect with Meredith:

• Instagram
• Website
• Book
• Podcast

Find the Show Notes here. 

Let’s Live Creatively, friends!

Learn more: www.building07.com

Connect: hello@building07.com

Community for Creatives: www.facebook.com/groups/creativeincommunity

Coaching for Creatives: www.building07.com/coaching/

Want more? Subscribe to my “secret” podcast, 5-Minute Fridays. Exclusive convos for my closest creative friends: https://bit.ly/5minfri

How can we leverage the power of Pinterest and content marketing to strategically grow our creative businesses? 

In this episode of Live Creatively, I’m chatting with Alayna Perrault. Alayna is a Pinterest and content marketing specialist. She helps creative entrepreneurs generate leads, grow their audience, and increase revenue using a strategic approach to organic marketing. Her work includes Pinterest management, blog writing, email marketing, and content strategy.

In our candid conversation, Alayna dishes on all things Pinterest and how we can use this powerful platform to grow our creative businesses. 

Listen in as Alayna and I chat about:

• Why Pinterest is NOT a social media platform and what makes it different
• How to leverage Pinterest as a powerful tool and visually driven search engine
• How we can use the power of Pinterest to grow our creative businesses and get REAL results
• Pinterest best practices and content marketing strategies
• The role of content strategy and why it’s critical to success on Pinterest

This episode is jam PACKED with so much valuable advice, tips, and best practices. I learned so much as Alayna so generously shared her expertise on Pinterest and I know you will too!

If you are ready to start leveraging the power of Pinterest to grow your creative business, this episode is for you!

Connect with Alayna:

• Instagram
• Website

Find the Show Notes here.

 

Let’s Live Creatively, friends!

Learn more: www.building07.com

Connect: hello@building07.com

Community for Creatives: www.facebook.com/groups/creativeincommunity

Coaching for Creatives: www.building07.com/coaching/

Want more? Subscribe to my “secret” podcast, 5-Minute Fridays. Exclusive convos for my closest creative friends: https://bit.ly/5minfri

How do we continue growing our service-based businesses without getting buried in all the day-to-day operations? 

Happy New Year and welcome to Season Two of Live Creatively! We’re kicking things off in this episode with Shay Brown. Shay is the COO and Co-Founder of the Bucketlist Bombshells, a multi-million dollar online educational community that equips women with the confidence and business foundation to start a remote, service-based online business.

I loved this candid conversation with Shay and what better way to kick off Season Two of the show than to start by talking about growth – something I think we are all mindful of at the start of a new year. When it comes to all things business operations, Shay is your girl! She got her start in the online business world as a virtual assistant learning the ins and outs of business operations. So, it’s no surprise she dropped some serious knowledge about all the behind-the-scenes stuff that goes into running a service-based business well. We also talked about how to continue growing your business once you’ve got things up and running.

Listen in as Shay and I chat about:

• The key areas of running the behind-the-scenes parts of a business
• Business operations best practices and Shay’s top how-to tips
• The biggest lessons Shay has learned along the way in doing this for herself and her past clients
• How to continue growing our businesses by finding and landing clients
• Adapting your business operations and systems as you grow

This episode is packed with so much encouragement, amazing tips, and best practices you can implement this year in your service-based business.

If you are ready to start the year off strong and grow your service-based business, this episode is for you!

 

Connect with Shay & The Bucketlist Bombshells:

• The Bucketlist Bombshells Collective
• Instagram
• Podcast

 

Find the Show Notes here.

 

Let’s Live Creatively, friends!

Learn more: www.building07.com

Connect: hello@building07.com

Community for Creatives: www.facebook.com/groups/creativeincommunity

Coaching for Creatives: www.building07.com/coaching/

Want more? Subscribe to my “secret” podcast, 5-Minute Fridays. Exclusive convos for my closest creative friends: https://bit.ly/5minfri