Hi Rebooters! Welcome to Episode 15 – how did that happen?!

We realised while chatting recently that we don’t always tackle creativity straight on, despite the name of our podcast. So today we dived in!

What we talk about

What creative confidence is, and how flexible the definition of creativity is – it’s a broad thing!

Self-doubt, because of course that sneaks in – innate confidence and self-taught wobbles and other wobbles and where they come from.

Generational differences, assertiveness and ages and how self-confidence and creative confidence are different – and grow at different paces!

Our stories and anecdotes about our early experiences with confidence, assertiveness and finding our creative confidence.

External factors – do they impact how we feel about ourselves and how we present ourselves and how confident we feel? Like Carla’s early experiences on the design desk of a paper, and Sarah’s ambulance service career.

Does your work identity make a difference to your creative confidence & identity?

Does your self-confidence grow alongside your creative confidence, or are they on different trajectories?

Age, and its impact, and how role models and inspiring people who have gone before are so important. Is it harder if you’re having to trailblaze all the time and break new ground in your circles?

We both had brain fireworks fizzing away! Love a good conversation that sparks new thoughts – that’s what we wanted for the podcast right from the start 😀

Have you been creative your whole life? Are your earliest memories of making stuff, writing stuff, plays, borrowing your parents’ cameras? Have you been told that you can’t be creative because you’re academic? The expectation of smart…

(mess and mars bars!!)

Growing into your identity as your creative confidence grows. Confusing the fuck out of your old friends.

Ooozing creativity – and how long it can take to describe yourself as a creative – even when those around you are describing you as oozing with creativity!

Having the requisite awkward/angsty relationship with your creative thing. Can you trace back to your tipping point where you think “well, I’m doing the thing – I might as well tell people I’m doing the thing”. (We both have, and at quite different points).

Embracing the ooze 😂

Finding out that people believe what you tell them – it’s an intriguing thought experiment in creative confidence.

Just saying it – and realising that people don’t actually question what you do – and if you say something with conviction, people will believe you.

A teeny bit of imposter syndrome – and Sarah’s story of hanging out with people who you know professionally and look up to, and how scary and yet affirming it can be!

Giving yourself permission – Liz Gilbert style!

Choosing your studying, if you’re going to do it, to match your temperament. If you did that when you were 18 or so, was that a little creative impulse you couldn’t ignore, or a conscious decision?

Everything in your life leads you to where you are now – which is a bit of a headfuck, but also kind of wonderful.

How our histories feed into what we’re doing now – and how they make us a better whatever it is you’re wanting to be. Experiences are so important.

*short break for technical difficulties*

Influences through childhood and teenage years. They have a lot to answer for!

Never fitting in – and does the imposter syndrome and self-doubt stem from those years?

Embracing weirdness and suppressing it at the same time. Letting the weird out when you realise your creativity and identity and self-expression are linked.

It shouldn’t take being depressed to embrace being our true selves.

Are the stakes different when you take something up later on in your life? Are we more willing to try things as we get older, and we have more experience of just trying things out.

The parallel between creativity and hair… there is one, honest!

Business impulses and creativity. Are they linked? Is creative confidence necessary to start a creative business?

Being afraid of falling out of love with your creative thing if you turn it into a business and/or go full time with it. (so far, this hasn’t happened for us – we still love what we do even though we also rely on it to pay our bills now!)

That point where you finally realise you are better than some of your peers. How some of that is tangled up with worth, and money, and charging properly. And how that comparison & realisation might be one you have yourself or one that someone else prompts in you.

An appeal for not letting your teens’ creativity disappear!

Remembering that you can have both creativity and a Proper Job. Not editing out creative stuff because you only want to do it for fun.

Making time for personal creative work and joy projects – the impact of those on your creative confidence.

The importance of play – and maybe incorporating playtime into client work!

And finally

Tell us your stories – on the website, on our social media @creativerebootco, and on your podcast platform of choice!

Till next episode!

With creative fizz & whistles,

Carla & Sarah