Unpublished
Join Amie McNee from @inspiredtowrite and her writer husband James Winestock for a podcast about building a sustainable creative life. A place to take your art seriously where you can go to reflect on your journey and build a thriving creative practice.
Episodes
Is it okay to make silly art?
A conversation about the books and art that inspired our co-written novel, that meanders into a conversation about taking your art seriously, versus allowing it to be playful / silly. It is so fun to talk about the art that allowed our own art to be born. A favourite episode of mine (Amie!). ORDER OUR BOOK! https://amie-and-james-write-books.com/
Things will go wrong ... good.
Creatives must make thousands of mistakes, they are inevitable, unavoidable, and crucial to reaching your potential.Amie and James are back and they're discussing the many things that go wrong in their art, business, books - and how, whilst they are deeply annoying, they are crucial to their growth, learning and over all success. Too many of us are trying to outsmart mistakes, and it is a huge
Business Tactics for Creatives
In this episode, we talk about the practical tactics we actually use to sell our art and make money as artists.This is not a mindset episode. We briefly acknowledge the shame, fear and awkwardness artists often carry around selling, but then we go all in on what we are doing right now: calls to action, repeating yourself, creating urgency, using scarcity ethically, building trust, newsletters, pod
The System Is Broken. You Still Have Power.
Is the problem systemic, or individual?In this episode, we sit with the messy middle. Creative industries are full of scarcity, gatekeeping, bad incentives, exploitation, and cooked economics. But if we only talk about the broken system, artists are left feeling powerless. And if we only talk about personal responsibility, we ignore the real structures making everything harder.So where does that l
How We Built a Creative Life Together
Welcome to the Jamesy and Amsy Q&A, in which we discuss high school romance, creative chemistry, business roles, blurred boundaries, editorial bluntness, Steam Deck timing, Space Story, travel chaos, alternative careers, and whether an ibis is from Egypt. It is not. We checked.We talk about what it’s really like to work with your spouse when one of you is a vibes guy and the other is building
Your Creative Time Is Not Free Time
This episode is about saying: no, I cannot come to coffee at 12pm just because my calendar looks technically empty. I am busy being available to my art.We talk about creative devotion, guilt, boundaries, people-pleasing, small business weirdness, the fact that no one understands what we do all day, and why creative labour often looks like wandering around, reading, staring into space, going to the
Creative Help Hotline
Welcome to the Creative Help Hotline. How can we help you?In this Q&A episode, we answer your questions about being exhausted by muggle life, creating through depression and anxiety, losing momentum, comparing yourself to other artists, wondering why your family has not become your personal fan club, whether you need a degree to make art, how to make money from creative work, and whether succe
Could Art Cure the Manosphere?
In this episode, we ask a strange and sincere question: could art help cure the manosphere?We talk about lonely men, alpha influencers, Andrew Tate, online rage, economic hopelessness, shame, identity, patriarchy, creativity, and why so many young men are being sold power by people who are profit from their pain. We explore the idea that the manosphere gives men a poisonous identity, while creativ
How Creatives Should Manage Their Energy
In this episode, we talk about creative energy, burnout, routines, self-preservation, and what it takes to build a sustainable creative life.We explore why burnout is not always caused by doing too much. Sometimes it comes from working against your own rhythms, ignoring your needs, fighting your process, or trying to create in conditions that make you feel unsafe, depleted or disconnected from you
You’re Allowed to Speak Before You’re an Expert
What if you didn’t have to know everything before you were allowed to speak?In this episode, we talk about the way artists and thinkers self-censor when they’re afraid of being wrong, mocked, misunderstood, or exposed as “not expert enough.” We discuss over-researching as a form of perfectionism, the gatekeeping of big ideas, and why making things simple is not the same as dumbing them down.We als
How to Become an Anti-fragile Artist
What if rejection wasn't bad news? What if chaos, disappointment and rejection could become part of your creative power? What if the more 'bad stuff' that happens to you, the more brilliant you become? In this episode, we explore the idea of the anti-fragile creator: the artist who does not simply endure difficulty, but learns, adapts, expands and becomes more themselves because of it.
What You Consume Is What You Create
We're recording from a hotel room with questionable acoustics and a very concerned James. Welcome to the Hotel Season!In Episode 1, Amie makes the case that if you want to be a serious artist, you need to be an equally serious consumer, not just of your own genre, but of everything you want to see more of in the world. We get into why consuming great work is more useful than craft content, the
Become Confident or Die
We're back!Topics: Creating while travelling/busyThe importance of confidence in your own workWhether James' justice streak makes his life harder (feat. sauan etiquette) And lessons from the biggest year of our lifeI Don't Want a Job, the book, is available for the next two weeks only! Also available, cool t-shirts, a masterclass with Amie, and signed copies!Read the original essay her
What We've Learned from Ten Years of Writing
We take you on a journey from Amie's first painful attempt to write a book to now, Amie's settled routine as a professional author, with all the steps along the way.Pre-order To Kill a Queen nowJoin Amie in Barcelona for a book event on Friday November 7th!
You Have to Believe You're Exceptional
Join us for a rambling discussion that starts with us assessing how successful we feel, goes on to a long digression about preserving energy for hard times, talks about honesty in the publishing industry, and finished with Amie's message to artists just starting out.Pre-order To Kill a Queen, Amie's book about a non-binary detective in Elizabethan London who has the hots for their bartende
How Much Work Do We Do in a Day (plus all your writing questions answered)?
Q+A ep! It just so happened to be that most of your questions were about our work and writing routines. There are also a few other Q's answered including: how exactly is making art generous, big breaks we've almost had (and why they may not have mattered anyway). Sonja, I'm so sorry, I forgot to answer your question about bilingual artists... please email us with your question again an
How Do We Deal with the Enshittification of the Internet?
We're talking:When the internet gives you the ickThe flattening of culture by algorithms How social media sows the seeds of its own destruction when it prioritises attention over qualityAnd more!Pre-order To Kill a Queen, Amie's queer detective novel set in Elizabethan London. Remember, this is literally the most important thing you can do for an author!Order We Need Your Art or get a SIGN
Are More People Making a Living with Art Now than Ever?
Hello friends! Today we're talking about the rise of the middle class artist. Based on Amie's substack post.Buy Amie's book for F***'s sake!ALSO you can pre-order Amie's queer Elizabethan detective novel, To Kill a Queen!References:Hollywood is Broken. Can YouTubers Fix it? Colin and Samir interview Max Reisinger.Brandon Sanderson podcast about AI
Building Utopias: Why Artists Must Envision a Better Future
I'm so sorry everyone but it's another AI episode :(Listen to us, two people who aren't experts on anything really, talk about AI, climate change, utopias, the housing crisis, Australian politics and what's wrong with the left these days.Would love it if you bought We Need Your Art!Things mentioned:Review of Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek ThompsonBasic Income: And How We Can Make it Happen
Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan: How Creativity Trumps Anxiety
We had so much fun recording a very fancy in person episode with THE Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan! How 'bout those production values?Don't forget Amie's new book, We Need Your Art is out now in Hardcover, Audio, and E-bookIn today's episode we discuss:The amazing power of creativity to banish anxietyHow art and community building creates ripples that extend far beyond our personal
You Should Celebrate Your Own Art
Join us as we remind you how important it is to celebrate your own art (coz no one's gonna do it for you!).Fully raw ep today. No music (sorry to our composer/intro creator Matilda Eyre) I ran out of time.The Collective is open for 5 days only!WNYA is our now everywhere00:00 Introduction and First Impressions of New York City01:20 The Inspired Collective Membership03:57 Challenges with Book La
WE NEED YOUR ART, STOP F***ING AROUND AND MAKE SOMETHING
BOOK OUT THIS WEEKBOOK OUT THIS WEEKBOOK OUT THIS WEEKBUY BOOK BUY BOOK BUY BOOK00:00 Introduction and Holiday Hat00:30 Book Tour and Podcast Plans03:05 The Importance of Art04:05 Creative Blocks and Overcoming Them12:00 Role of Patience in Creativity25:31 Art reset challenge26:10 Rice Cakes26:44 Book Promotion and Blurbs33:18 Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing36:24 Expectations for the Bo
How NOT to Finish Projects and Improve as an Artist
00:00 Introduction 02:13 Housekeeping and Upcoming Events03:39 25 Things to Avoid 03:45 Obsessing Over Details04:57 The Pitfalls of Excessive Research09:09 Setting Unrealistic Goals10:16 Managing Expectations and Pressure15:40 The Importance of Planning16:48 Guarding Your Creative Time19:31 Sharing Ideas and Seeking Validation22:38 Avoiding Comparisons and Judgments28:32 Over-Education and Procras
We Need Men's Art Too!
Today we're talking to the boys! Or, given our audience demographics, we're talking to the girls and gender non conforming folks about the boys... Buy We Need Your Art here and be our best friend forever!00:00 Introduction and Preamble00:47 Discussing Men and Creativity00:49 Housekeeping and Personal Updates03:13 How we're trying to be less tired07:10 Book Launch and Pre-orders12:12 Th
How to Make Heaps of Art
Yes I kept Amie's preamble in on purpose because I thought it was funny!Today we're talking about locking in, getting stuff done, and thriving as creatives. Expect a discussion about how to treat ourselves and our bodies well, not striving for perfection, and how to go from small steps to big goals.TOUR THINGS:We have LOCKED IN two bookshops in Brooklyn in the evenings of the 11th and 13th
Can Ambition be Healthy?
We talk about ambition! How ambitious are we? Is it good to be ambitious? Is it HEALTHY to be ambitious?
Inspired by Amie's substack post.
We Need Your Art pre-order giveaway is now live! A chance to win a custom canvas love note when you submit your pre-order receipt here!
00:00 Introduction: Ambition and the Hustle
00:26 Recording Struggles and Podcast Delays
01:25 Guilt and Ambition: A Personal
How to Be Consistent When You Have Multiple Projects, How We Rest, and Artists' Money Issues (Q+A)
MORE AUDIENCE QUESTIONS PLS
00:00 Welcome to the Unpublished Podcast
01:16 Audience Questions Introduction
03:34 Multidisciplinary Creativity
16:18 Self-Publishing Insights
24:30 The Emotional Side of Money for Artists
28:56 Financial Stress and Relationships
29:24 The Myth of Pure Art
31:21 Collective Members' Questions
32:05 Balancing Work and Rest
35:43 Supporting Each Other's Strengths
We Don't Want Jobs!
We don't want jobs, we want to make art! You can read Amie's viral substack article here and pre-order WNYA here.
00:00 Introduction and Podcast Captain Hat
01:22 Discussing the Viral Essay on Not Wanting a Job
01:59 The Taboo of Not Wanting a Job
03:09 Capitalism and Meaningless Work
05:36 Artists and the Value of Work
15:21 Anti-Work Movement and Personal Reflections
18:44 Outsourcing Dr
Artist, You're Allowed to Stay Small and Sustainable
WTF why is the video so bright after I export it? Y'all, video is hard!
Don't Forget to pre-order We Need Your Art, out 11th of March in e-book, audiobook, and hardback! Martha Beck, you cannot lie said this about it:
"This book is desperately needed medicine for our hearts, our lives, and our culture. I will read it over and over until its many truths sink into every one of my cells. If you have
What Can Artists Expect in 2025 (Last Prediction Will Shock You [Because it's So Not Any More Interesting Than Any Other Prediction and Just as Likely to be Wrong])?
Join us as we predict creative trends for 2025! It's all speculation and probably going to be wrong... but we had fun.
Unfortunately, the video didn't work, but we will try again next week.
00:00 Welcome to the Unpublished Podcast
01:46 Why You Should Be Hopeful for 2025
01:57 The Importance of Hope in Creativity
02:41 Challenges and Pessimism in the Creative Community
06:30 Predictions and Hopes
How Artists should Set Intentions for the New Year
Let's go!!! Lachlan and Lachlina here getting ready to Lock In for 2025. Or are we? Come with us!
James did the mix/audio for the first time in two years. Let us know if you have any notes!
00:00 Welcome to the 2025 Intentions Podcast
00:45 Introducing the Captaincy System
01:59 Goals vs. Intentions
02:46 Balancing Freedom and Structure
03:28 The Unique Approach of Artists
04:43 Setting Realistic
We Don't Want to Learn from Perfect People
We're back from 3 months of family and work travel and ready to pod... just in time for the holidays...
Join us for a 15 minute cozy catchup and a little 15 minute rant about why perfect people are boring.
Preorder Amie's guide to creative living
Sign up to Amie's substack
And James'
Collaborating With Your Partner: How We Wrote Our Sci-fi Novel Together
We finished our joint novel!
We take you behind the scenes of the on and off year and a half long project. Topics:
Writing to delight each other
The importance of planning
The number one mistake we noticed in each other's writing
Dealing with conflict
And much more!
What Does A Full Time Income Look Like for Artists? All About Our Finances
Today we're talking about money! Specifically, our own finances.
Revenue streams
Emergency funds
Retirement saving
Book advances
Taxes
And other extremely interesting things...
Amie's book, We Need Your Art, is available for pre-order. This is super important to the success of the book! Pre-order numbers directly impact how much support publishers and booksellers will give to a book. If you buy o
The 18 Artist Archetypes! Which One Are You?
Amie has made a list of artist archetypes to help you all figure out your strengths and weaknesses as artists.
We go through the archetypes and discuss each one.
Kind of like enneagram/Myers Briggs/astrology specifically for artists!
You can read more about it on Amie's substack!
Still two days to sign up to the Inspired Collective!
Creativity 101: Getting Started and Improving as an Artist
Welcome back!
We're talking about: small steps and achievable goals; fostering scrappiness; behaving like an athlete; and much more!
Topic discussion begins at 4:42
The Inspired Collective
We Need Your Art Book
James' substack
Amie's substack
Preparing for Success, Picking Yourself First, and Why We Need Your Art
We interrupt Creativity 101 for a special episode! Help us prepare for Amie's guest appearance on a big podcast.
Also, I'm writing this from the future AFTER the podcast recording happened. It went really well thank you for asking. I sat in on the whole thing and Amie killed it. For some reason, she speaks much better when she's talking to someone who isn't her husband (swirly eye
Creativity 101: Perfectionism
We're coming back to a topic we talk about a lot on the podcast, Perfectionism. This time, though, we're going back to basics. What is perfectionism? What are the most common ways it shows up our lives? Why is bad? And what can we do about it?
Amie was right, no cover reveal yet... But you should come to our live course: Selling Without Selling Out
Creativity 101: Procrastination: Striking the Balance Between Big Ambitions and Achievable Goals
Most artists will procrastinate. That's just a fact. It's something people have dealt with in the past and will continue to deal with in the future.
Where it becomes a problem, though, is when it holds you back from being the sort of person you want to be.
We look at some common tools and techniques to help you cut through procrastination and make art with more ease and regularity.
Also di
Creativity 101: Journaling For Artists
Join us for our Creativity 101 series where we go back to foundational principles for being happier, more rested, and more productive artists. We'll be doing a 10 episode series starting here with Journaling.
Journaling is the foundational methodology for all our teaching. In all our courses, books, and online classes we always include journaling prompts. It helps you ask yourself important q
Secrets of our Marriage
I know a lot of you want to know a little more about how our partnership works. This week, we're answering heaps of listener questions all about our relationship!
How do we deal with conflict?
What're our attachment styles?
How do we help each other when one of us is upset or disregulated?
Our views on couple's therapy.
And much more!
James has a new substack post that talks more abou
Elitism in the Arts
Today we're talking about people who think making art is only for the special few, who think you need double decker doctorates or generational talent if you want to create. We're talking about why they're WRONG!
You can find links to buy Amie's books (which she'll never have done enough research for to satisfy some people) here
Should Artists Do Free Work?
Honestly guys, I have no idea what we said in this one. We recorded it over three weeks ago! Hope it's good... Let me know!
We have a summer sale on for the next week! 50% off all our courses.
Q&A Do we want kids, falling out of love with art, and fan fiction
Q and A episode today people!
We're answering YOUR questions:
Do we want kids?
Is Fan Fiction a good way to practice writing?
What do we do when we fall of out love with our art?
And more!
We will be in an aeroplane in the sky when this goes out so hopefully it works!
You can join our San Francisco workshop digitally via A Writing Room! The session will be recorded so you can watch the
How To Deal with a Slump
We're in a little bit of slump at the moment. How do we deal with it?
It's normal to not always feel motivated and enthusiastic with your work. We share what we've been struggling with lately, common reasons creatives get into slumps, imposter syndrome/the pain of leveling up and feeling like you aren't fully ready for that next level.
We also give you an update on our MUSCLES!
Are Books Dying Out?
Today we're responding to a series of articles that have gone viral over the last couple of weeks. They're all about the publishing industry, and whether or not it's dying out.
Included: how big is the market for books? Is it growing or shrinking? Are publishers profitable? Is it even worth writing books anymore? What about indie books, self-publishing, e-books, and audio? What do pu
Our Biggest Failures and What We've Learned From Them
Failure is non negotiable. So how can learn and grow from our failures?
We share some of our failures, what they taught us, how we dealt with them at the time, and what we think of them now.
Included: dealing with rejection from gatekeepers, why failure should excite us, letting ourselves be upset, and more!
There are still tickets to both of our US workshops!
There's Nothing Wrong with Making Money from Art
Another spice one provoked by some online discourse.
Is it wrong to make money from our art? Does making art with the intention to sell it sully it?
It's a strong no from us. Listen to learn why!
Don't forget we have two workshops in California coming up.
LA on the 25th of May
San Francisco on the 1st of June
Both are going to be 5 hours long (including a lunch break), with teaching,
Perfectionism is Making You Worse at Art
Back to our favourite punching bag: Perfectionism.
We talk about how perfectionism leads to stagnancy, stunts your growth as a creative, and ultimately leads to worse art.
LA and San Francisco artists (or anyone who wants to travel there!), we are coming to your city!
LA workshop: 25th of March
San Fran workshop: 1st of June
Pricing is on a sliding scale to accomodate different budgets.
Learn
Creative Would You Rather
Join us on a walk and talk as we play a little game of Would You Rather, artist edition!
We would love for you to check out Amie's fiction.
Her witchy tudor novel, Regrettably, I Am About to Cause Trouble, and her Sexy medieval romp, The Rules Upheld by No One are available in audio, e-book, and print on most major platforms.
How To Fight For Your Art with Author Emma Couette
This is one of our favourite ever conversations! Emma Couette, six novels in the last five years. All while holding down a full time job.
We talk about how she juggles a 9-5 job with this sort of release schedule, doing her own promo, fighting for her novels, finding good people to give feedback, making difficult choices about how to allocate resources to creative projects, and much more!
We learn
Amie's sister Kirsty on starting a business at 21, motherhood and, parenting.
Welcome Amie's sister Kirsty to the show! At 29 years old, Kirsty is the founder and director of Made Home, a Sydney based home transition company, with fifteen employees and dozens of customers!
We spend a lot of time trying to get to the bottom of why Amie and Kirsty both became Entrepreneurs and what exactly it was about their childhood that made them bounce off traditional work.
We also di
Do We Need to "Normalise the 9-5"?
First off, friends, audio continues to betray us at every turn. We had multiple glitches again this week so, if James suddenly starts talking about the Patriarchy seemingly mid-sentence, we apologise for the non sequitur. I think things mostly make sense though? Let us know.
So, what's the episode about? Amie has an arch nemesis, and that arch nemesis is a man called Hubs who goes by the soci
Planning and Preparing When You'd Rather Not
REAL PODCAST STARTS AT ABOUT 07:00, everything before that is bullshit chat.
We talk you through how we like to plan out projects (or don't). Sit with us in a sort of ASMR, fly on the wall type way as we plan what we want to work on for the rest of the year.
We try to give our chaotic lives a loose structure. Which doesn't always work.
Expect: pros and cons of planning, what we think of
Vulnerability over Comfort with Performance Coach Sion Cousins
Today we have Creative, Performance Coach, Mentor and good friend Sion Cousins on the podcast.
An incredibly important episode for Creatives who have big dreams. In this episode we talk about what gets in the way between us and our goals. James gets his own mini coaching session, we talk about when I first started instagram, and lots lots more.
Our Rhode mics did not work (name dropping because I
Artists need to learn to say NO, with Augustine Charles
It's time to reclaim our creative power, and Augustine leads the way. An incredible conversation around putting up boundaries with gatekeepers and creative institutions, how to embrace your multi-disciplinary magic, and how to bring about all your creative dreams
Website: nfinitethreat.comCreative Mentorship page: nfinitethreat.com/creative-coachingCharlie and the Cloud Kingdom: https://www.a
How We Got A Publishing Deal With Penguin
Today Amie and James detail the journey of getting a publishing deal! Who approached who? How did it feel? How long did it take? And much more.
Losing followers, cluttered desks, patience, and working together (Q&A)
Thank you for all your questions! Today we have the first Q&A ep in a while.
We talk about Amie's experience losing 30,000 followers, our work spaces, how we balance being business partners and romantic partners, why James hasn't self-published his writing yet, and much more!
Apologies but I accidentally cut out the beginning of a question: "Why did you lose 30,000 followers.&quo
Our Favourite Things of 2023
This topic is back after a break in 2022 for some reason...
We talk about all the "things" that brought us delight in 2023. TV shows, tech, books, and free things too!
If you like those rambly episodes where we overshare about our persona life, you'll enjoy this one.
Don't forget, you can get a free copy of Amie's Journaling Compendium when you sign up to our newsletter (w
Artists Don't Have to be in Pain
Today we're talking about the myth that artists need to be unhappy in order to create great art. Amie made a post on Instagram the other day which saw some hot debates in the comments! Join us as we unpack it.
Please check out Amie's latest video on Youtube: Impatient for creative success? Watch this video.
How to be an Artist on Social Media
Amie's writing the description today because James burnt his hand on the oven. Today, we talk about being a creative on social media. We discuss the boundaries I have around it, how I try to keep a healthy relationship with being online, how I built my platform, and much more. We'll probably do more episodes on this, as it's a big topic and we have lots more to say.
You can find a sample of Amie'
Our Top 5 Tips for Creatives
We made lists! Join us as we discus our hastily thrown together lists of top 5 tips we would give to other creatives.
We also have a short section at the beginning where we discuss the state of podcasting and talk about how we see our own podcast, and specifically, what we think about ads on podcasts. If you aren't interested in that, you can skip to about 8 minute mark!
You can email James wi
Is Success Random?
How much of success is predictable? Are there actions we can take to guarantee it? The answers? Not much and probably no. Creative fields are usually complex and involve too many variables to put any success down to definitive factors. That being said, there are some things we can to do better prepare for the randomness of life and our careers.
Join us as we try to talk through the complicated to
Publishing Industry Deep Dive with Seth Haddon
We have the fantastic Seth Haddon back for the first ever repeat interview of the podcast!
Seth has come a long way since we spoke a year ago. He's been through the trenches of traditional publishing and is ready to share his insiders view with you! This one is interesting even for non-writers who want to understand what it's like to be a working artist who still isn't quite full-time
Safely Increasing Your Output
First of all, please enjoy the full, extended version of our new intro by the very talented Matilda Eyre. We talk a little bit about it at the end of the episode. Suffice to say, we love what Matilda has come up with and feel like it really captures the spirit of the show. Would love to hear what you think!
Today we're talking about how to get more creative stuff done without feeling really tired
Self regulation, stagnation, and shyness.
In another solo episode, Amie takes you through her notes app. What bizarre things has Amie jotted down in the past few months?
We look at what she's working on in therapy, self regulation, stagnation as a creative, notes for her books, feeling shy and much much weirder stuff.
Seth Godin on why Artists help solve the world's biggest problems
Today is an unusual episode! James is on a sabbatical and Amie takes the wheel - will the mic quality be good? Who knows? Amie can't pay attention to those things, especially with one of her great creative idols, Seth Godin, on the pod. Amie came to this conversation with one question: Seth what would you say to creatives who feel like their art is frivolous and unneeded in a world full of pai
Progress Isn't Linear
This is one of those episodes where we'll be working through an issue in real time. Join us as we try to understand how artists progress their skills, how long it might take to get better as an artist, plateaus, and why you're often progressing faster than you think.
Credit to James Clear for the concept of non-linear improvement (I can't remember if we actually name dropped him in th
Kitty and Al Tait Talk Pivoting, Baking and Ambition
We are so excited to have recorded our first IN PERSON guest recording ever for today's episode. I want to give a little warning too about the sound. Since we only have two mics, we had to share! The audio might be a little choppy in places but I think it holds up.
We were so pleased to have father-daughter bakers, Kitty and Al Tait from the ORANGE BAKERY, around our kitchen table.
Kitty and A
Why Do Successful Artists Seem Miserable?
If you've ever wanted to hear Amie and James have an argument in podcast form, we have a treat for you! This podcast was inspired by a few podcasts and interviews with celebrities lately where they just seem to never be able to enjoy their success. We ask whether it's even possible for humans to enjoy their wins, or if we're doomed to always be chasing the next thing.
Our new course,
The Books That Helped Us Build Our Business
This is the non-fiction partner to our favourite fiction books episode!
We talk about reading to develop lateral thinking; changing your underlying assumptions about things; choosing books that will help you see the world in new ways; why we don't get much out of traditional "business" books; why we've been reading more fiction than non-fiction lately; and more!
Caroline Calloway on Writing in Gremlin Mode, Tasty Treats, and Finishing Novels
We're interviewing writer, Instagram sensation, and famous "scammer" Caroline Calloway today on the pod.
If you don't know who Caroline is, there are barely enough words in a 5000 word article in the Cut to even begin to explain it to you. Amie will give you a little intro to her for the first few minutes of the pod (before the interview begins), so if you're already a Carol
Campbell Walker (aka Struthless) on Fearing Success and Working Through Creative Blocks
We have the joy of interviewing, author, Youtuber, absolute legend, and receptacle of pure creative wisdom, Campbell Walker.
Topics include: how we self-sabotage when we get too close to success; how being a parent has made Cam a better creative; perfectionism; youtube; his experience writing a book and working with publishers (and the pressure of following up a successful book); his writing proc
Our Favourite Modern Authors (and Why We Like Them)
Today we're talking about authors we've enjoyed reading lately! This is not a ranked list or even an all time favourite author list. It's just a few people we've been liked recently! We go into why we like these authors, whether it matters if someone is a "good" writer (whatever that means), the joy of a great plot, how much we love a book with a strong "voice"
Stop Limiting Yourself to One Launch per Creation!
Today we're discussing Amie's decision to relaunch her second novel 6 months after its initial release. Sub-topics include: how the concept of a single launch is driven by legacy institutions and gatekeepers; whether a "launch week" is important; strategies we're using to launch something a second time; the timelessness of your art; the benefits you might get from doing sever
Should we Romanticise the Creative Process?
Welcome back! We took a few weeks off while we moved country but excited to be back!
Today we're talking about whether it's possible to be too precious about our creative process or if we should be more workman-like when we attempt to make art.
Also see a life update and some ramblings on our move to England (a good 5 mins of this)!
NOTE: James is very conscious that, in this episode, he
Chat GPT: Friend or Foe?
We have another Artificial Intelligence episode. We try to address some of the concerns artists have about AI like Midjourney and Chat GPT. We discuss the dark side but also try to talk about all the cool things that could potentially come from this weird explosion of machines that can seemingly think. Sub topics include:
- Why we will probably always want to know the HUMAN story behind art and ho
Creatives Don't Always Have to be Visible
We're talking visibility, being seen, showing your face. The strengths and weaknesses. Why it's okay to get off social media, why great art can happen offline, whether it's possible to make money without socials, why you don't need to post everyday, and more!
Based on Amie's viral post (shared by Doja Cat no less!).
Backing Yourself, Optimism, and Self-Publishing
QandA part 2! Thank you to everyone who listened to last week's episode and who interacted with me over at the Unpublished insta! I'm doing my best to respond to all Dms so if you want a chat, please come on over!
Questions this week are about: Self-publishing, the craft of writing, finding a workflow that works for you, building self-confidence, writing about trauma (incl. worries about
Q&A: Indie Revolution, Moving Countries, Our Books, and More
We're answering questions from the members of the Inspired Collective (our membership program). We got so many great questions so we decided to make this part one of two!
Questions include:
What are your predictions for the indie creative scene in the next few years? How do you foresee traditional gatekeeping being further disrupted?
You interact and support so many creatives. What are the mo
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