Commentary Breaking Rules
Making Fun A Habit Series
30 days to add fun into your creative practice. I will be going through Mike Brennan's Make Fun A Habit workbook and help you make fun a habit. I had the pleasure of interviewing Mike on my other podcast Find A Podcast About and talking about his podcast Creative Chats. This workbook leads you through steps to rekindle the fun in your life and get you in a space where you are your most creative. This is a 30 day book and I will be tackling each day as if it were a week and providing you insights on how you can use his ideas in your creative practice. Each chapter is broken up with a short story, questions to ponder, action items and tips.
The #1 Rule, there are no rules
We all have to follow some rules, whether we create them for ourselves or they are imposed on us by others. Why not make rules for yourself that clearly define what your values are and then let others know about them. They will create boundaries that others will respect. I used to be against all rules, but then I found that I could be creative within the confines of the rules and usually worked hard when they were imposed on someone else. Now I am the rule maker with my kids, it is tough, but I try to help them understand why we do what we do.
Question to ponder
- Would you describe yourself as a rule breaker or a rule keeper? Why?
- What were some of your favorite childhood games? What did you like about them?
- What rules did you have a hard time with? Why? How would you have rewritten the rules?
Action item: Write your own personal life rules Think about why they are important to you. Consider if you could make your life anything you wanted, what would it look like?
Tips:
- Reflect on your values and desires
- Start small and build gradually
- Be specific and actionable
- Write them down
Reach Out To The Podcast
To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation.
- Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com
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Transcript
Hello friend, this is Timothy Kimelbryant, your head instigator
Speaker:for create our podcast.
Speaker:Where I use my over 30 years of experience in the arts and education
Speaker:world to help you tame your inner critic and create more than you consume.
Speaker:So we're continuing on with our make fun of habit series.
Speaker:And, uh, that is directly from Mike Brennan's book, make fun of habit.
Speaker:Uh, it's a workbook and you have, uh, 30, uh, 30 chapters in there
Speaker:and, uh, what it does for you is it helps you put the fun back into your
Speaker:life, which makes us better creators.
Speaker:Now I got a hold of this book because I do another podcast called find a
Speaker:podcast about, and I interviewed him about his creative chats podcast.
Speaker:All the links will be in the show notes for the book and for his, uh, for his
Speaker:podcast and for my other podcasts as well.
Speaker:But what I did.
Speaker:Is after I got done reading and I thought, wouldn't this make great content
Speaker:for us, uh, in, in this podcast by taking one chapter per episode, going
Speaker:through the entire book and, uh, just, you know, kind of commenting on it.
Speaker:So.
Speaker:How the book works is he'll take one concept and he'll tell a little story
Speaker:about it, and then he'll give you some questions to ponder, some action
Speaker:items for you to do and some tips.
Speaker:So I'm going to be answering the questions, uh, you know, as questions.
Speaker:I answered them when I first went through the book, uh, be talking about the action
Speaker:items and seeing how I can implement them.
Speaker:And then the, you know, utilizing the tips for my creative practice.
Speaker:And I hope these help you in your creative practice, no matter
Speaker:where you're at, no matter what kind of art you're trying to do.
Speaker:So this week, we're talking about, uh, breaking rules.
Speaker:And the first rule is there are no rules.
Speaker:Um, a lot of us like to have rules and I used to live by certain rules that I would
Speaker:go by when I was first writing poetry had to be four line stanzas, four stanzas
Speaker:long, I had to have, you know, a couple of drinks in me and I was good to go or
Speaker:at least, you know, three or four coffees.
Speaker:Well, that does that only works for so long.
Speaker:And then you realize, Hey, listen, my stuff is really, uh, not that good.
Speaker:So let's try something else.
Speaker:Um, so that was the rule that I used to have that I got rid of.
Speaker:When I first started podcasting, I got rid of all ums, uhs, breath
Speaker:noises, all that, and it took forever to get an episode edited.
Speaker:Now.
Speaker:I don't do that as much.
Speaker:I take out some stuff that really needs to be taken out.
Speaker:But for the most part, I leave it be because this is how I talk.
Speaker:If you were to meet me face to face in person, this is how I would be talking.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:With my hands.
Speaker:Those of you on YouTube can see me use my hands.
Speaker:Those of you who are just listening to the audio podcast, you can't really
Speaker:see me doing that, but imagine it.
Speaker:You know, put that in your mind.
Speaker:So those were some of the rules that I had that I got rid of.
Speaker:I was like, they, they don't serve me well.
Speaker:Sometimes rules help.
Speaker:Sometimes I do a, well, every year I do a prompt for national poetry writing month,
Speaker:and I like having those limitations.
Speaker:You know, you, you have a prompt, you can write it in this style or
Speaker:that style, or you have to have this subject matter or that subject matter.
Speaker:And, uh, That helps me find ways around whatever those rules are still following
Speaker:the rules, but finding ways around them.
Speaker:So for me, when somebody sets up a rule, when somebody tells me poetry is
Speaker:this, I'd immediately go, you know what?
Speaker:I'm going to write a poem that totally.
Speaker:goes against that.
Speaker:And I'm still going to call it a poem.
Speaker:And more than likely you will too.
Speaker:So I'm not a huge rule follower.
Speaker:I like limitations.
Speaker:I like having some guardrails up.
Speaker:And for me, the creativity is how I get around those guardrails.
Speaker:So let's start off with Mike's questions.
Speaker:First one up is, would you describe yourself as a rule breaker or real
Speaker:rule keeper and why I'm a rule breaker?
Speaker:Uh, I want to go around the rules.
Speaker:I always have been, you know, ever since high school, I always joke
Speaker:around and say, you know, I am a anarchist in libertarian clothing.
Speaker:Um, I am, you know, Of the opinion that we should be taking care of ourselves,
Speaker:not that, you know, there shouldn't be any government help out there, but
Speaker:that we should be able to take care of ourselves and we should be able to be
Speaker:given the freedom as long as we're not hurting anybody else to do what we want
Speaker:to do now, you know, am I for all anarchy and this, that, no, I'm, I'm for people
Speaker:taking responsibility for their actions and as long as I'm not hurting you, as
Speaker:long as I'm not infringing on your rights.
Speaker:Thanks.
Speaker:Then I should be able to go ahead.
Speaker:And, you know, if I want to smoke a dube out my backyard, leave me alone.
Speaker:You know, that's what I want to do.
Speaker:So for me, I'm definitely a rule breaker or a rule circumventor.
Speaker:I like that term better.
Speaker:Uh, what were some of your favorite childhood games and
Speaker:what did you like about them?
Speaker:Uh, some of my favorite, I loved playing risk and Stratego.
Speaker:And, uh, a lot of the, uh, Atari 2600s, I'm of an age where that
Speaker:was a big thing with video games.
Speaker:Um, I also like playing kick, uh, kick the can, and that's where, uh, you
Speaker:have a group of people and, uh, you have a safe space in the neighborhood
Speaker:and, uh, and, uh, you, it's kind of like hide and seek on steroids.
Speaker:And, uh, we would play that and have a great time with it.
Speaker:Uh, usually in the evenings and the spring and summertime, uh, and, uh,
Speaker:early fall and, uh, you know, it was just, you know, being around other
Speaker:people at my age and having a great time.
Speaker:So, uh, those were my favorite childhood games.
Speaker:The next one is what rules do you have a hard time with and why, how
Speaker:would you have rewritten the rules?
Speaker:Uh, I have a hard time with people telling me what art is.
Speaker:And what poetry is and, and, and what it should be.
Speaker:I think it's different for all of us.
Speaker:I think we all approach art differently, experience it differently and
Speaker:want different things out of it.
Speaker:That's why I do this podcast.
Speaker:You know, some people go, well, it's, you know, it's not art.
Speaker:Actually it is, you know, from, uh, the show notes to the website, uh, uh,
Speaker:the music that I intro and outro with.
Speaker:The episode art that I create for it, that is artwork and it's graphic arts.
Speaker:It's musical arts.
Speaker:Um, it's coming up with ideas to help you unlock that creativity, unleash
Speaker:your creativity, and, you know, to give you permission, which you don't
Speaker:really need my permission, but.
Speaker:But it gives you permission to go and, you know, follow your dreams,
Speaker:follow whatever it is that is going to bring enjoyment to your life.
Speaker:And I always liked the end of the show, you know, go make art
Speaker:for somebody you love yourself.
Speaker:You got to love yourself first.
Speaker:And make that art for me, I've got to make that art for me first.
Speaker:I've got to enjoy it.
Speaker:And then I put it out there in the world.
Speaker:So that's what I have a hard time with is when people say, well,
Speaker:it's this way or the highway.
Speaker:No, I, I disagree.
Speaker:Now are there ways to critique art to say, you know, what is
Speaker:good art and what's bad art?
Speaker:I don't know.
Speaker:Yes, there are ways to do that.
Speaker:And everyone has their personal opinions on what makes good
Speaker:art and what makes bad art.
Speaker:And if we can articulate those and say, Hey, it didn't reach me in this way.
Speaker:Maybe doing this or that, or the other thing is a better way.
Speaker:Then I'm good with that.
Speaker:But when you tell me, yeah, that's not art.
Speaker:Hmm.
Speaker:No, I, I, I don't go, I'm not good with that and I have a degree in theater.
Speaker:So, you know, I've, I've gone through academia and that's one thing that I
Speaker:really hated about academia is it's this way in order to get this grade that you
Speaker:want in order to pass in order for us to say, you learned something, you have to
Speaker:agree with us, not a huge fan of that.
Speaker:Action item.
Speaker:Write your own personal life rules.
Speaker:Think about, uh, why they are important to you and consider if
Speaker:you could make your life anything you wanted, what would it look like?
Speaker:I do that every day.
Speaker:My rules change every, my rules change every day, depending on, uh, what I
Speaker:am, uh, creating, um, You know, if I'm doing a paint by numbers, it's one
Speaker:thing, you know, try to stay within the lines and, you know, do all the
Speaker:ones first, then the twos and the threes and the fours do the biggest
Speaker:areas first than the smallest areas.
Speaker:Um, that's for paint by numbers.
Speaker:Uh, there's videos that show you how that lead you through a painting.
Speaker:I love, I love going through those and sometimes I'll mix my colors differently
Speaker:than they mix their colors and get a little bit of a different result.
Speaker:So.
Speaker:Yeah it for me my I always like to be true to whatever art I'm creating.
Speaker:I want that to be a piece of me that you see in there.
Speaker:And I like it to be clearer.
Speaker:I like it to be more easily understood versus, um, not
Speaker:understood versus very esoteric.
Speaker:Uh, I used to be, uh, In a writer's group where a lot of my writing was,
Speaker:they said, well, that's too esoteric.
Speaker:That's too, you know, we don't know all that stuff.
Speaker:We don't know all that backstory.
Speaker:And, um, after a while I got to agree with it because I was like, yeah, you know,
Speaker:after years looking at it years later, I'm like, yeah, I don't get it either.
Speaker:Cause I lived it and I don't remember it.
Speaker:So, um, yeah.
Speaker:I think for me, what would be a good change in my life or if I could make
Speaker:my life, anything, uh, what would it look like it would be for folks to,
Speaker:uh, more easily understand what I'm trying to do and what I'm trying to say.
Speaker:And if they want to delve deeper into it, if they want to put deeper meaning
Speaker:to it, then I would welcome them to, you know, let me know what that deeper
Speaker:meaning that they got out of it is maybe I didn't get it, get, get that out of it.
Speaker:So.
Speaker:That's one thing that I'd like to change and, uh, to make my life look better.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:We're at the tips now.
Speaker:Reflect on your values and desires.
Speaker:Again, I like being true to my audience.
Speaker:I like being true to everyone that hears the podcast, listens
Speaker:to the poetry, uh, sees my art.
Speaker:Uh, you know, it sees my paintings.
Speaker:That's me.
Speaker:That's, that's what I see.
Speaker:That's what I'm doing.
Speaker:Um, And so my value is, you know, to, to believe in the audience and to
Speaker:trust that the audience will get it.
Speaker:Another tip is start small and build gradually.
Speaker:Well, yeah, I, I have started very small.
Speaker:I didn't put my stuff out for anybody and then kept on growing and growing
Speaker:and growing to get where I am at today.
Speaker:So I definitely think that if we start small.
Speaker:With, uh, with artistic practice and then build it up, the more
Speaker:confidence we get and not necessarily looking for the approval of others
Speaker:to gain that confidence, but, you know, defining what is going to
Speaker:make me more confident in my art.
Speaker:What's going to make me more bold.
Speaker:Um, I, you know, painting for me, I started off small and right now.
Speaker:Yes, I do paint by numbers.
Speaker:I do.
Speaker:Um, you know, I have videos that say, okay, we'll do this, you know, make this.
Speaker:thing.
Speaker:So that's one thing that I do, uh, that.
Speaker:Eventually will get me to be confident enough to go ahead
Speaker:and just do my own stuff.
Speaker:Uh, the next tip is be specific and actionable, otherwise
Speaker:called the smart method.
Speaker:Um, and that is something that I struggle with it being specific
Speaker:and actionable because I have a lot of things that are going on in my
Speaker:life, just like I'm sure you do.
Speaker:You have a lot of things going on in your life, but that's where we
Speaker:start small and build gradually.
Speaker:So if we can really pinpoint what we're trying to do and then the steps that
Speaker:we need to take, we've got that beat.
Speaker:Then we just need to do it.
Speaker:The last thing is write them down.
Speaker:You know, I have a lot of pens here and I have a lot of papers and a lot
Speaker:of pads here with a lot of ideas and, uh, You know, getting that planning
Speaker:phase, getting that, you know, uh, being specific and actionable.
Speaker:I can write all that stuff out.
Speaker:I can do it, you know, in a word document, but then actually doing
Speaker:it, that's where sometimes I fail.
Speaker:And maybe you have that same thing too.
Speaker:Uh, but if we write it down, we can always go back to it and go, okay,
Speaker:I'm not ready for this right now.
Speaker:Maybe you know, in six months to a year, I'll be ready for it and
Speaker:I'll have it laid out already.
Speaker:So I won't be starting with a blank slate.
Speaker:I think that's a wonderful thing.
Speaker:Definitely write it down.
Speaker:Even if it's going to be a word document, that's fine.
Speaker:But actually physically writing it out really brings it into
Speaker:your being, into your body.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:So that's the episode.
Speaker:I hope you really enjoyed it.
Speaker:And I want to thank you for taking a listen as we talk about breaking
Speaker:rules for your artistic journey.
Speaker:If you'd like to reach out to me, you can email me.
Speaker:Timothy at create art podcast.
Speaker:com.
Speaker:You can give me your thoughts, your critiques, uh, ideas that you'd
Speaker:like me to discuss on the show.
Speaker:Um, if you'd like to be a guest on the show, definitely feel free to email me.
Speaker:I do read all my emails.
Speaker:If it's spam.
Speaker:It goes in the spam folder.
Speaker:If it's not, I definitely read through those and I'm interested in what you're
Speaker:wanting to learn because I definitely want to make this a five star podcast for you.
Speaker:I want you to be able to, you know, listen or watch this podcast
Speaker:and then share it with a friend.
Speaker:Uh, and hopefully they get something out of it as well because that's what
Speaker:greater gift than sharing knowledge.
Speaker:Can you give somebody?
Speaker:So definitely feel free to share it with a friend.
Speaker:There's share on your podcast app of choice or on YouTube,
Speaker:whichever way you like to do that.
Speaker:Definitely feel free to go ahead and do that because I
Speaker:won't bite your fingernails off.
Speaker:I'll just bite mine off.
Speaker:Speaking about sharing podcasts with friends, I run another one called find
Speaker:a podcast about, and you can find that at find a podcast about dot X, Y, Z.
Speaker:And what I do there is I looked, I listened to other podcasts
Speaker:and bring back the ones that I think are very binge worthy.
Speaker:And then I.
Speaker:Present it to you and sometimes I'm able to get the host onto the show.
Speaker:So definitely check that podcast out.
Speaker:It's called find a podcast about it's that find a podcast about that XYZ.
Speaker:And that's where I help you find your next binge worthy podcast
Speaker:and outsmart the algorithm.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:It's time for me to get on with the rest of my day.
Speaker:I need you to get on with the rest of your day.
Speaker:So go out there and tame that inner critic, create more than you consume.
Speaker:Go out there, break some rules if, if, if rules are stopping you from
Speaker:creating, break them, find different ways around them, or go around those rules.
Speaker:Go out there and make some art for somebody you love yourself.
Speaker:I'll talk to you next time.
