Episode 7: Meet Kathryn of Create Me Free

Episode 7 is a bridge between the Creative Process arc and what comes next. Before moving into Creative Medium, Kathryn steps back from the workbook to simply tell her story: where she came from, what happened to her, how she arrived at this work. This is a free episode, available on Substack, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.In this episodeKathryn's background: born 1980 in Tucson, Arizona; moved to San Francisco in 2006; oldest of three siblings; Italian heritage on her father's sideGrowing up Gen X, excelling early in school, dropping out senior year, the undiagnosed depression that followedBecoming a foster parent at 23 — and what that reckoning taught her about herselfMoving to San Francisco via a semester of law school; finding freelance writing before the gig economy had that nameThe crash at 28: a debilitating, life-threatening depression that led her to therapy, medication, and crochetHow crochet became the entry point into two decades of research on creativity and healthThree books: Crochet Saved My Life (2012), Hook to Heal (2015), and Mandalas for MarinkeLiving with double depression; finding Wellbutrin; what she learned about her own brainGraduate school: a psychology master's at CIIS and a year of visual and critical studiesHow all of it led to the Creative Health Cartography framework and the six areasHow the five-session mapping process worksNeurodivergence, non-linear thinking, and why the mapping metaphor resonates personallyCollaboration with Badri Balian; workshops in development; new book project in early stagesLife now: partner, two Korean rescue dogs, Bernal Heights, San FranciscoResources and linksSubscribe on Substack (all episodes + paid articles): createmefree.substack.comCreative Health Cartography Workbook: available as PDF or print on AmazonStarter Package (five-session mapping): createmefree.substack.comNavigation sessions (standalone): createmefree.substack.comQuestions for Q&A: Kathryn.Vercillo at GmailComing upEpisode 8 is the overview to Creative Medium: how health and circumstance impact the materials you work with and the scale at which you work. Also a free episode. The rest of the Medium chapter will be paid.About the podcastCreate Me Free explores how health and circumstance impact creativity, and the adaptations artists and creatives make to create anyway — within the bodies, minds, and lives they actually have. Hosted by Kathryn Vercillo. Available on Substack, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. Most episodes are paid; free episodes are noted. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit createmefree.substack.com/subscribe