Coffee and Creatives

This week our challenges come from pages 147-165 of The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. Nate hosts this week's podcast and created our challenges.

• Do you recognize hierarchical thinking and behaviors in yourself? It can be small, but do something to counteract one of those thoughts or behaviors this week.
• Is there an art project you abandoned or avoided starting because you don’t think it would be well-received? Have you taken your art in a direction you didn’t want to because you thought your audience would like it? Do you regret it?
• Identify your territory. What area of your life checks the most boxes on Pressfield’s list of the qualities of a territory? Is it your art? Something else? Spend time in your territory this week.

If you find our podcast helpful, we would really appreciate it if you rated and reviewed us!

Checkout our website: https://www.coffeeandcreativesproject.com

Checkout Beccah’s Website: https://teaandtolandmonsters.wixsite.com/ttmon

Checkout Christina’s Website: https://www.oddmutations.com

Checkout Nate's Band's Website: https://www.churchfolkmusic.com

Checkout Noelle’s Website: https://www.nmcmanusart.com

To follow along with our journey and to get inspiration daily checkout our instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coffee_and_creatives/

If you have any questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you!

This week our challenges come from pages 127-146 of The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. Christina hosts this week's podcast and created our challenges.

• Try to remember a dream and write it down
• What is one thing you would do if you found out you were dying. Can you do it now?
• Have you experienced “tribal exclusion” because of making art? Have you found a deeper and truer friend because of your art? How?
  

If you find our podcast helpful, we would really appreciate it if you rated and reviewed us!

Checkout our website: https://www.coffeeandcreativesproject.com

Checkout Beccah’s Website: https://teaandtolandmonsters.wixsite.com/ttmon

Checkout Christina’s Website: https://www.oddmutations.com

Checkout Nate's Band's Website: https://www.churchfolkmusic.com

Checkout Noelle’s Website: https://www.nmcmanusart.com

To follow along with our journey and to get inspiration daily checkout our instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coffee_and_creatives/

If you have any questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you!

In this episode we talk about p. 108-127 of The War of Art by Stephen Pressfield. We explore the different views of creative inspiration and discuss our attempts at sparking creative inspiration in a new way. Beccah hosts this week's podcast and crafted out challenges. If you find our podcast helpful, we would really appreciate it if you rated and reviewed us! Checkout our website: https://www.coffeeandcreativesproject.com Checkout Beccah’s Website: https://teaandtolandmonsters.wixsite.com/ttmon Checkout Christina’s Website: https://www.oddmutations.com Checkout Nate's Band's Website: https://www.churchfolkmusic.com Checkout Noelle’s Website: https://www.nmcmanusart.com To follow along with our journey and to get inspiration daily checkout our instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coffee_and_creatives/ If you have any questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you!

Join the creatives as they talk to Jon Felton. Despite some issues in the audio quality of this interview, we still thought it was worth it to listen to Jon. Jon is a creative in so many ways: entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, and coffee shop owner, he strives to bring art and community to Western Maryland. Join us as we listen to his journey in his Soul Mobile, his musings on art, and why he founded a coffee shop in Frostburg.

If you find our podcast helpful, we would really appreciate it if you rated and reviewed us! Checkout our website: https://www.coffeeandcreativesproject.com

Checkout Beccah’s Website: https://teaandtolandmonsters.wixsite.com/ttmon

Checkout Christina’s Website: https://www.oddmutations.com

Checkout Nate's Band's Website: https://www.churchfolkmusic.com

Checkout Noelle’s Website: https://www.nmcmanusart.com

To follow along with our journey and to get inspiration daily checkout our instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coffee_and_creatives/ If you have any questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you!

In this episode we talk about p. 94-107 of The War of Art by Stephen Pressfield. We delve into our curated, online self versus our true self, and how to negotiate those two identities in a healthy way. We also share about reinventions of our work. You’ll also hear about who we consider to be professionals in their artwork, and what we can take from their creative approach. Nate hosts this week's podcast and crafted out challenges.

If you find our podcast helpful, we would really appreciate it if you rated and reviewed us! Checkout our website: https://www.coffeeandcreativesproject.com Checkout Beccah’s Website: https://teaandtolandmonsters.wixsite.com/ttmon Checkout Christina’s Website: https://www.oddmutations.com Checkout Nate's Band's Website: https://www.churchfolkmusic.com Checkout Noelle’s Website: https://www.nmcmanusart.com To follow along with our journey and to get inspiration daily checkout our instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coffee_and_creatives/ If you have any questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you!

This week our challenges come from pages 80-93 of The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. Christina hosts this week's podcast and crafted out challenges.

Page 81 states that “The field is level, the professional understands, only in heaven.” What are some things you see as uneven ground in your profession?

Page 84 states that “The professional respects his craft...he knows that by toiling beside the front door, he leaves room for genius to enter by the back.” What is one way you can study technique of your craft this week? Become a student again, read watch or learn some technique.

Give ear to criticism, but understand it can be used by resistance. Show your work to someone, get feedback, don’t take it personally.

If you find our podcast helpful, we would really appreciate it if you rated and reviewed us! Checkout our website: https://www.coffeeandcreativesproject.com Checkout Beccah’s Website: https://teaandtolandmonsters.wixsite.com/ttmon Checkout Christina’s Website: https://www.oddmutations.com Checkout Nate's Band's Website: https://www.churchfolkmusic.com Checkout Noelle’s Website: https://www.nmcmanusart.com To follow along with our journey and to get inspiration daily checkout our instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coffee_and_creatives/ If you have any questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you!

This week our challenges come from pages 67-80 of The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. Beccah hosts this week's podcast and crafted out challenges.

Page 70 says that the amateur takes his art so seriously it paralyzes him. Have you ever had this happen? What were factors that contributed to you freezing? Do your art for 5 days straight, even if it’s just two minutes.

On p. 72 Pressfield writes that he has become a pro not when he had had a success, but a failure. In what ways have failures made you more professional in your art?

On p. 77 Pressfield writes that “the professional eliminates chaos from his world in order to banish it from his mind. He wants the carpet vacuumed and the threshold swept, so the muse may enter and not soil her gown.” What are some ways that having chaos in your life has limited you? What are some ways you have combated chaos? Do your art straight for five days and organize your art space.

If you find our podcast helpful, we would really appreciate it if you rated and reviewed us! Checkout our website: https://www.coffeeandcreativesproject.com Checkout Beccah’s Website: https://teaandtolandmonsters.wixsite.com/ttmon Checkout Christina’s Website: https://www.oddmutations.com Checkout Nate's Band's Website: https://www.churchfolkmusic.com Checkout Noelle’s Website: https://www.nmcmanusart.com To follow along with our journey and to get inspiration daily checkout our instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coffee_and_creatives/ If you have any questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you!

This week our challenges come from pages 53-67,of The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. Noelle hosts this week's podcast and crafted out challenges.

• Pg 55- Make a list of some of the justifications you have for why you shouldn’t spend time on your creativity today or tomorrow or any day. Write the counter points to them, if there are any
• Pg 57- Take a trip through time art this week- rewrite, repaint, or sing a piece of artwork you completed in your past.
• Pg 62-63- Do you consider yourself an amatur or a professional? Do you love your creativity enough to be professional? Make a list of things you could do to love your art and creativity more and choose one to do this week.
  • When practicing your creative craft this week, encourage yourself by reminding yourself that you love your creativity even when it’s difficult. Journal about times in your life when loving something/someone was difficult. How did you love during difficult times? Then journal about how you can love your creativity during difficult times. Take note on how you feel during this exercise

If you find our podcast helpful, we would really appreciate it if you rated and reviewed us!

Checkout our website: https://www.coffeeandcreativesproject.com

Checkout Beccah’s Website: https://teaandtolandmonsters.wixsite.com/ttmon

Checkout Christina’s Website: https://www.oddmutations.com

Checkout Nate's Band's Website: https://www.churchfolkmusic.com

Checkout Noelle’s Website: https://www.nmcmanusart.com

To follow along with our journey and to get inspiration daily checkout our instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coffee_and_creatives/

If you have any questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you!

Join the Creatives as they talk with Melissa Mollner! Melissa Mollner, originally from the LA area, has had a diverse career in an array of creative fields from television production, marketing and pr to theatre company operations and more, but began fully pursuing a career as a creative and artist in the past few years. In 2018, after a lifelong love of theatre and several years as Operations Manager of a NYC theatre company, she branched out to become an independent producer, starting Level Ground Productions and eventually co-producing Revelation: The Musical, off-Broadway in 2019. She went on to produce several virtual theatrical projects in 2020 and 2021. After a pandemic layoff started her job search, Melissa was inspired to go to makeup school, something she had thought about for years, and last fall she added Makeup Artist to her freelancer repertoire. Additionally, Melissa is a Live Producer for Church of the City New York and has a passion for mental health and helping others achieve their creative endeavors. Her work can be found at LevelGround.nyc.

If you find our podcast helpful, we would really appreciate it if you rated and reviewed us

Checkout our website: https://www.coffeeandcreativesproject.com

Checkout Beccah’s Website: https://teaandtolandmonsters.wixsite.com/ttmon

Checkout Christina’s Website: https://www.oddmutations.com

Checkout Nate's Band's Website: https://www.churchfolkmusic.com

Checkout Noelle’s Website: https://www.nmcmanusart.com

To follow along with our journey and to get inspiration daily checkout our instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coffee_and_creatives/

If you have any questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you. You can contact us through email at

This week our challenges come from pages 39-52,of The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. Nate hosts this week's podcast and crafted out challenges. Page 42: “If you’re feeling Resistance, the good news is, it means there’s tremendous love there too. If you didn’t love the project that is terrifying you, you wouldn’t feel anything. The opposite of love isn’t hate; it’s indifference.” And on page 46, Pressfield talks about his characters and his work being more interesting than his real life. First challenge: Write down three or more things you love about your art. Some questions to get you started: What made you start your current project? What keeps you going back to it? What about it is more exciting and interesting to you than the rest of your life? Keep this list as a weapon against resistance, and feel free to add to it over time. Discussion of quote from pages 48-49: “Remember, the part of us that we imagine needs healing is not the part we create from; that part is far deeper and stronger. The part we create from can’t be touched by anything our parents did, or society did. That part is unsullied, uncorrupted; soundproof, waterproof, and bulletproof. In fact, the more troubles we’ve got, the better and richer that part becomes. The part that needs healing is our personal life. Personal life has nothing to do with work.” Agree? Disagree? On pages 44 through 47, Pressfield take about never truly being alone. When he works, he is with his Muse, his Self, his characters, his reader. Second challenge: Set aside some time to work on your art alone this week. As you do, take note of who is with you even while you are working alone. Your characters? Your future audience? Your subject? Let their presence motivate you. Discussion of quote from page 51: “Seeking support from friends and family is like having your people gathered around at your deathbed. It’s nice, but when the ship sails, all they can do is stand on the dock waving goodbye.” This is less connected to the actual pages and more of an exercise I thought would be fun and interesting, but it could be tangentially connected to the idea of stardom on page 43. Third challenge: Pick an artist who inspires you and find an artist who inspired them. Spend some time with that creator’s work.