Cause of Craft: Why We Create

Listen to DOOMED DUNE for FREE: www.jontilton.com/signup

This week’s guest is Talon David. She’s been passionate about music for her entire life. She shares her story, from growing up in a musical home to winning the Grammy Foundation’s Teens Make Music Contest for her song Deep Snow, which became part of her debut album, Miscellaneous. Talon is also a VoiceOver artist and has recorded over thirty audiobooks, including my short story Doomed Dune, which you can listen to for free by subscribing to my newsletter at jontilton.com.

Topics Covered:

• Growing Up with Music
• What Goes into Writing a Song
• Learning the Ropes of Music Production
• Doing Voiceover Work
• Not Putting Yourself in a Box
• Bringing Expression and Hope to Others

Links:

• Listen to Miscellaneous: Spotify | iTunes | Apple Music
• Talon’s Music Instagram: @talon_liketheclaw
• Talon’s Voiceover Instagram: @talondavidvoices
• Talon’s Website: www.talondavid.com
• Listen to Doomed Dune for FREE: www.jontilton.com/signup

Here's a special bonus episode for you: a preview of my short story "Doomed Dune."

The full work is available for free to all newsletter subscribers, so if you’d like to hear more, head over to jontilton.com and sign up for my mailing list. I’ll send you an email with download links for both the ebook and audiobook.

I hope you enjoy Melina's story.

Subscribe to my newsletter: jontilton.com

Cover art by Megan McCullough: meganmccullough.com

Read by Talon David: talondavid.com

Here's a special bonus episode for you: a preview of my short story "Doomed Dune."

The full work is available for free to all newsletter subscribers, so if you’d like to hear more, head over to jontilton.com and sign up for my mailing list. I’ll send you an email with download links for both the ebook and audiobook.

I hope you enjoy Melina's story.

Subscribe to my newsletter: jontilton.com

Cover art by Megan McCullough: meganmccullough.com

Read by Talon David: talondavid.com

Some creatives concentrate on one goal and master a specific craft. But others like to explore the great variety life has to offer. This week’s guest is Brett Rounsaville—he’s done everything from writing screenplays and comic books to designing theme park attractions and creating startups. He shares with us how he chooses which project to pursue next, why chasing a goal is both satisfying and necessary, and what keeps him creating even on the days where it’s difficult.

Topics Covered:

• Amtrekker and Accomplishing a Bucket List
• Brett’s Dream Job as a Theme Park Designer
• Pursing New Goals and Choosing What’s Next
• Creating Companies and Filling Needs in the Market
• Listening to Yourself while Serving Others

Links:

• Brett’s Twitter: @amtrekker

Follow Jon on Instagram@jontiltonand follow the show@causeofcraft.

www.jontilton.com

www.causeofcraft.com

Homer, Plato, Cicero, Ancient Greece, Rome, and more—a list of the important people, places, and works from the past could go on forever. But why are these ancient things so important? And when it comes to study them, where do we even start? This week, my guest is Dr. David Noe. He teaches Latin and co-hosts a podcast that covers everything Classical. He shares what’s all included under this Classical umbrella as well as what questions to ask yourself when considering which works to study.

Topics Covered:

• Why Ancient Things are Important Today
• How Modern Thinking is Different Than in the Past
• The Era of Classics
• Why Classics Often Gets Pushed Aside
• The Large Umbrella of Classics
• Learn Latin and Hear More About Classics

Links:

• Latin Per Diem Website: www.latinperdiem.com
• Latin Per Diem YouTube: LatinPerDiem
• Latin Per Diem Instagram: @latinperdiem
• Ad Navseam: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube
• Ad Navseam Instagram: @adnavseampodcast

Follow Jon on Instagram@jontiltonand follow the show@causeofcraft.

www.jontilton.com

www.causeofcraft.com

In life, we sometimes run into obstacles that require us to learn new skills—often ones that are out of our comfort zone. But not only is pursuing a new challenge a great way to improve your craft, it can be a lot of fun too. Today’s guest is Florist Melissa Heinrichs. She shares how she started her own business and why she’s always looking for new ways to challenge herself, from traveling the world to incorporating new flowers into her arrangements.

Topics Covered:

• Starting a Business Organically
• Filling Needs in a Missing Market
• Making Good Use of Your Materials
• “Planning or Pantsing” Arrangements
• The Temporary Nature of Flowers
• Pursuing New Challenges
• Tips for Getting Flowers to Last Longer

Links:

• Melissa’s Website: www.flowersbymelarcadia.com
• Melissa’s Instagram: @flowersbym.e.l

Ever feel like an outsider—someone who didn’t belong with everyone else? Illustrator Joe Hox joins the podcast to talk about struggling with work on his family’s farm motivated him to advance his skills as an artist. We also talk about pursuing a variety of styles, finding what you excel at, and why creating something is deeper than simply enjoying the process.

Topics Covered:

• Pursuing a Variety of Styles
• The “World’s Worst” Farm Boy
• Finding What You Excel At
• The Universal Story of Not Belonging
• Advice for Creatives of All Ages
• Illustrating a Devotional Book
• Creating is More Than Mere Enjoyment

Links:

• Joe’s Website: www.joehox.com
• Joe’s Instagram: @joehox
• Joe’s Etsy: JoeHoxArt
• Who is Jesus?: New Growth Press
• Who is Jesus?: Amazon
• Kate’s Website: www.katehox.com
• Kate’s Instagram: @katehox

Ever hear creative advice from someone and you think—but that doesn’t fit my personality at all, so how could I ever make that work? Bill Small hosts a podcast called The Subtle Art of Not Yelling, a show created to explore a different side of marketing. He’s also a musician and business coach. We discuss how his many endeavors all fit together, how to understand what you thrive in, and why having another set of eyes on your work can make a huge difference.

Topics Covered:

• Marketing Without Yelling
• Understanding What You Thrive In
• Creating a Structure to Create
• Consistency Versus Discipline
• Falling Out of Habit
• Having Another Set of Eyes on Your Work
• Keeping a Diverse Set of Activities

Links:

• Bill’s Website: www.artistmind.co
• Bill’s Instagram: @mindartcoach

Follow Jon on Instagram @jontilton and follow the show @causeofcraft.

www.jontilton.com

www.causeofcraft.com

New challenges in your craft can show you both the highs and the lows of the creative process. This week I’m joined by Leila Srouji of Tierra Madera Ceramics. We talk about how to deal with burnout and how sometimes a bit of time away from our craft can create a real hunger to get back at it and try new things. We also discuss the process of creating ceramics, including how each piece turns out unique even while using the same techniques.

Topics Covered:

• Tierra Madera Ceramics
• The Process of Creating Ceramics
• Getting in the Creative Mood
• Dealing with Burnout
• Variety in Each Piece
• Creating a Hunger for Your Craft

Links:

• Leila’s Website: www.tierramaderaceramics.com
• Leila’s Instagram: @tierra.madera.ceramics

Follow Jon on Instagram@jontiltonand follow the show@causeofcraft.

www.jontilton.com

www.causeofcraft.com

Ever have a certain expectation about something, only to discover that you completely misunderstood an essential key element? Photographer Lauren Westra shares her unique journey of starting her career and why embracing the unexpected can be good for you.

Topics Discussed

• Photography and Owning a Wedding Venue
• Lauren’s Australian Trial by Fire
• Tackling Uninvited Challenges
• No Easy Checklist for Hard Work
• Loving the Challenge and Process
• Thinking in the Long-term
• Balancing the Planned and Unplanned

Links

• Lauren’s Photography Website:www.laurenwestra.com
• Instagram:@laurenwestra
• Westwood Barns Wedding Venue Website:www.westwoodbarns.com
• Westwood Barns Instagram:@westwoodbarns
• 
  

Follow Jon on Instagram@jontiltonand follow the show@causeofcraft.

www.causeofcraft.com

www.jontilton.com