Feeling creatively stuck?
No one in a creative job — whether you’re a hands-on contributor, a marketing director or an organization’s leader — creates easily all the time. Creative blocks befall all of us. Ugh, that feeling that the solution to a problem is JUST out of sight…it can feel as if it will never end.
Here’s one way you may not have thought of to flip that creative switch back on. Turn to your team (or your network, if you’re a solopreneur). But not for advice, at least not yet. Consider not just their skills but their unique traits, the ones that immediately pop to mind when you think of each person. Ponder one member’s dedication to a cause, another’s tendency to ask questions you never thought of, even the stubbornness of a team member who drives you crazy. Now, in your mind, apply these traits to the problem you’re trying to solve. Maybe you’ll experience a shift in perception. A different world view. A renewal of energy. Or maybe, now, you’ll decide just who to ask for a new perspective on your creative problem.
Two things happened for me when I did this exercise: 1) I looked at my work in a new way, one that is changing how I approach creative projects like the podcast courses we’re launching for individuals and teams, and 2) I’m consciously grateful for the unique work and life lessons I carry with me from each team member.
As an entrepreneur in a creative space, I also became aware of one single trait I will always hire for from now on: a voracious appetite for learning. I want teammates who love to learn, who apply those lessons, who push me to learn and grow, and then who do it again.
Following are my team members’ traits — and skills — that shake up my stuck beliefs and help me break creative blocks. Maybe they’ll help you, too. They reframe my perspective on:
Client services
Reinvention and persistence
Storytelling expertise
Radio magic
Right- AND left-brained skill sets, and
Above all, a growth mindset.
Read my reflections below.
RYE TAYLOR ON CLIENT SERVICE
Rye Taylor is our audio editor and engineer.
Having worked in news broadcasting for years, I know firsthand that a critical quality of any good audio engineer is equilibrium. No matter what happens, Rye is a calm and steadying force. If there's a single adjective I could apply to him beyond audio genius, it's grounded.
Rye engineers the remote recordings for "Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers," the podcast we produce for Environmental Defense Fund. He continuously improves our sound quality processes, even troubleshooting with our host in off hours. (This dedication is critical, as we strive for NPR-quality production values.)
“My goals is to serve you as you serve others.”
The single lesson I'm taking to heart from Rye is something he says almost every time we talk: "My goal is to serve you as you serve others." It's sincere. I’ve taken this to heart when I think about serving our clients. It’s a great motto to pass on. It creates a ripple effect. And it’s a great way not just to approach client service but about life in general. I hope to live up to his motto.
AURORA FERRER ON COURAGE AND REINVENTION
Have you reinvented your career? Or are you considering it? Your reasons why, and how you meet the inevitable challenges, can help you succeed in your new chosen field.
Consider Aurora Ferrer. For years, Aurora was a salesperson. Now she's a journalist — a dramatic reinvention. Why she chose to make that leap — and the character trait that helped her — are fundamental reasons why she's a valuable addition to our journalism-focused team.
Aurora was successful in sales; she's one of those lucky people who has the ability to talk with anyone. But eventually she was unhappy. And the store's business slowed to a point that forced her to make a decision. She began realizing that she cared so deeply about issues affecting her community and the world at large that she wanted to use her career to address them. Mid-career, she returned to school for a journalism degree — a brave decision in a world that constantly urges us to choose security.
It’s tough to be an adult, working student. The way she got through: persistence. Reinventions seem exciting but the reality is a lot of day-to-day slogging.
Of course, persistence is a crucial trait for journalists. Aurora used it to succeed at a capstone project about problems that affect immigrants in court. When she first began visiting a federal courthouse, no one would speak to her. She kept returning again and again, until she became a familiar face. Only then could she get the real stories, the ones that affect us when we hear them, the ones that lead to change.
Know your why. What are you passionate about? And cultivate persistence. We can all build more, especially when we're driven by what we care about the most.
TRESSA VERSTEEG ON THE CRAFT OF STORYTELLING
It was lobsters that got my attention.
I was interviewing Tressa Versteeg for a role at Podcast Allies. As a freelance producer for outlets like NPR and PBS, she considers herself first and foremost a storyteller.
It’s counterintuitive, but not every producer is a storyteller first. Producers are both right- and left-brained. In addition to creative talent, we need project management, leadership and communication skills.
The lobsters were proof of Tressa's storytelling chops. She's interested in the big issues of the day, like climate change.
But what she cares about most — and what makes for compelling stories — is the effect of big issues on individual daily lives.
In the small coastal Maine town where she lives, many families rely on lobstering for their livelihoods. Tressa interviewed a lobsterman and his wife about the changes they’ve seen in the industry and on the water over the last 80 years. Her interview wasn't about "lobstering," or "climate change" or "catch limits." It focused on this couple. It was specific. Intimate. And when she told me about it, it was evidence of her passion for the craft of storytelling.
I'm thrilled to say that Tressa pairs that storytelling expertise with awesome organizational chops — a pairing that has client Yesh Pavlik Slenk of EDF giving Tressa her highest praise: "She's a kickass producer," Yesh says.
In radio and podcasting, producers are unsung heroes.
GISELE REGATAO ON MAKING RADIO MAGIC
What is a podcast producer?
A producer generates new ideas. Performs research. Builds relationships. Crafts scenes, dialogue, worlds and questions. She manages, encourages, cajoles, edits, and critiques. She pulls everything together (forever on deadline) to fulfill a promise to the listener.
That's the way Gisele Regatao describes her days. "As senior producer, you’re always trying to get people to do their best work," she says. "I feel like I’m very good at supporting talent [a host]."
That means pushing people to grow — to help them do what they didn't know they could.
Gisele is senior producer of Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers, a podcast we produce for Environmental Defense Fund. She's also an assistant professor of journalism at Baruch College in New York.
There's a reason a great producer is also an excellent teacher: "You’re trying to make your students do the best work possible, and that’s the same as a producer."
Serving behind the scenes day after day can feel thankless. Producers often struggle with feeling invisible. Not everyone is cut out to work so hard without recognition.
"People have no idea what happens behind the scenes. They just think it’s radio magic."
Not Gisele. Once while working at WNYC, a host told her, "People have no idea what happens behind the scenes. They just think it’s radio magic." The very essence of making magic, of course, is the mystery of how it's done. As Gisele says, "You are there to make sure nobody knows you exist and that’s fine with me."
Check out Gisele's work as the lead producer of the bilingual radio novela "Celestial Blood (Sangre Celestial)," a frothy, comic eight-part story about love and secrets. She's working on a new fiction podcast for Radiotopia now, an adaptation of a play written by Inda Craig-Galván, Gisele's "Celestial Blood" co-writer.
Sounds like magic to me.
TINA BASSIR ON LEADERSHIP AND GROWTH MINDSET
Lately I've taken to saying that podcasting is both a right- and left-brained activity. Clearly it takes storytelling and numerous other creative skills. But anyone who's been at it for even a little while completely gets that the whole creative enterprise falls apart without equally strong leadership and project management skills.
Several months ago, I was lucky enough to hire Tina Bassir as Podcast Allies' Operations and Marketing Manager (notice the right and left brains)? She came to me highly recommended by my dear friend, content strategist and creator extraordinaire Linda Formichelli.
I was captivated by Tina's existing skills but especially by her excitement over learning a new field — podcasting — her enthusiasm for learning new technology, and for continuously seeking ways to improve systems and processes. Now, I love a good process that automates the details (what creative doesn't want to be freed up) but I don't love the nitty gritty work needed to figure them out.
Tina has already done exactly what she said and so much more. She's a thought partner, a strategist and a detail person. She keeps the team running smoothly and happily. Recently, while on my honeymoon, my phone began dinging with Slack messages. I'd forgotten to turn off the notifications. With trepidation, I looked — would I have to get involved?
No. The team was working just fine without me. Everyone was making their deadlines. Clients were happy.
When I returned? Just as promised, Tina said, "I've been thinking about some ways to improve our production processes..."
And so now we grow again, which makes us more capable of taking on more creative, growth-minded clients.
The Podcast Allies Team
Want to make audio storytelling magic? If you've been thinking a podcast could be the right next step for your organization and you're looking for a growth-minded, well-run, left- and right-brained consultancy to help you get started, email us at allies@podcastallies.com to start the conversation.