Field of Streams

Feeling low energy? No motivation? Time to supplement these words, because with those words, you can do amazing things. Join me as I read my latest piece of writing, followed by some thoughts about it. This is an audio reading of the post "With these words" published in my newsletter, The Stream, on April 16, 2026. Subscribe to the newsletter and find addition inspirations here: https://www.jumpinthestream.com/with-these-words/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

Part travelog, part love letter to trees, in this episode I take you on a seven-day motorcycle trip and wax poetic about the glory of the ancients (and how we are alike).Related links: Walk the Methuselah Loop with me and check out the Bristlecones. https://www.instagram.com/reels/DMyzZfDpEVK/Photos from my motorcycle tour found here: https://www.jumpinthestream.com/are-we-not-trees/This is an audio reading of the post "Are we not trees?" published online on August 1, 2025. Additional inspirations can be found at that link. Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

Make art. Write history down. Sing the times. It is your job.Stay sane with Heather Cox Richardson. Read her Substack: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.comWatch YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardsonThis is an audio reading of the post "How+L" published online on January 30, 2026. Additional inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/howl/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

I'm a huge fan of what I call the "Art Safari" where you travel somewhere to go look at art and experience something creative. In today's episode, I talk about my first ever Art Safari in 2023 to go see some of artist, Mark Maggiori's paintings. He paints epic scenes of the American West. Related Links:Listen to the episode about my 2024 Glasgow Art Safari here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2194216/episodes/14798893Experience "Both Sides Now" by Joni Mitchell here: https://open.spotify.com/track/1pjATX7sbd6Y4jMVqIvzHk?si=362fd77debde429fGo check out Mark Maggiori's work here: https://markmaggiori.comThis is an audio reading of the post "The Mark Maggiori Art Safari: Look at clouds from both sides. Now!" published online on March 13, 2023. Additional inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/the-mark-maggiori-art-safari-look/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

On the healing powers of a gentle bicycle ride. One that is NOT for exercise purposes and simply for tootling about and enjoying the day.This is an audio reading of the post “Bitching in a Forward Direction,” published online on May 30, 2025. Additional inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/continue-on/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

Inspired by the Japanese print style of Gyotaku ('fish print'), today I'm talking about how we all desire to leave an impression on others. What will yours look like?This is an audio reading of the post "Catch of the Day", published online on December 16, 2024. Additional inspirations, including videos showing how to make a Gyotaku print, can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/gyotaku/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

I had a dream. Bob Dylan was in it. What does it all mean? Time for some armchair dream analysis. This is an audio reading of that post "Absolutely Sweet Dreams", published online on December 16, 2024. Additional inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/dreams/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

If all poetry had to be fact checked before it got published, there would be no joy. The David Sedaris interview with Mike Birbiglia where he talks about The New Yorker fact checking his writing can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJtgocLVa0A All poems referenced within this piece are listed in the footnotes here if you want to go read some great poems! https://www.jumpinthestream.com/you-cannot-fact-check-poetry/This is an audio reading of that post “You cannot fact check poetry”, published online on June 13, 2025. Additional inspirations can be found at that link. Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

Slow down. Don't get mad. There are things you can control and things you can't and you can't escape time. Lemme explain what I mean.This is an audio reading of the post "The time it takes is the time it takes" from April 9, 2025. Additional inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/timeSupport the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

You are what you make. Listen in to ten minutes of me reframing what failure and success look like for me going forward, then launch into a spirited reading of my new mantra. If you want to skip straight to that, hit 11 mins and 18 seconds and GO! I mention a Greg Proops pep talk quote. Here is a picture of it on my corkboard: https://www.instagram.com/p/DP20nIcjqG2/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==The Patti Smith interview on WTF with Marc Maron is here. She tells the story about William Burroughs at around 1 hour 9 mins: https://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episode-1167-patti-smithThis is an audio reading of the post "I am not a brand. I am a body of work." from October 10, 2025. Additional inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/not-a-brand/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

Today I read a piece of my writing triggered by Justin Hawkins, frontman of The Darkness, describing a certain type of drummer as a "shed builder." I take that term and give it a positive spin in relation to creativity and what it takes to be an artist. One's heart must hammer on. One must keep building the shed and banging in the nails. Blessed are the shed builders! This is an audio reading of the post "If your heart beats like a hammer, find a nail" from February 20, 2023. Additional inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/if-your-heart-beats-like-a-hammer Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

Komodo dragons have an 'iron' coating on their teeth, protecting them and keeping 'em sharp. In today's episode, I make a connection between the idea of the damage negative emotions have on us and how we must eat them to learn how to digest and build a sort of emotional enamel against them. You'll see... take a listen!The story on Komodo dragon teeth that I mention in the intro is here: https://boingboing.net/2024/07/25/komodo-dragons-teeth-are-so-metal.htmlThis is an audio reading of the post "The Taste of Yuk: An Incomplete Oral History" from April 25, 2025. Additional inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/the-taste-of-yuk-an-incomplete-oral/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

In a time of doomscrolling and constant distraction via the rectangles in our hands and the insanity of the churning of content butter it is ever more important to step away. In this episode, I urge you to take a hike, actual or in the imagined worlds of others. This is an audio reading of the post "Take a hike" from May 12, 2025. Additional inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/hike/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

On a warm night in Santa Cruz, California, I entered the Quarry Amphitheater at UCSC to watch one of my favorite bands, Primus, play as part of the “Onward and Upward” tour, 2025. It got me to thinking about a moment in time, 30 years ago, when a song about a beaver helped me realize it’s ok if you don’t feel like you fit. Join me as I read to you a personal essay about the things that influence us, music as medicine, and the wonderful weirdness of Primus.Find a slew of Primus related links and some hilarious pictures of me in my 20s at the post. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/primus/This is an audio reading of that post “Prime time in the prime of Primus”, published online on August 22, 2025. Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

Do the things that hurt us shape us? Should we try to forget or rewrite the hurt found in our personal histories so that it doesn’t continue to hurt us all our lives? What can we learn from our scars? And is the "book of hurt" one of the most important emotional guide books (metaphorical) to our lives?The story that inspired it all, about the bowdlerizing of Roald Dahl books. https://popula.com/2023/02/20/roald-dahl-sensitivity-and-copyright/This is an audio reading of the post "The Book of Hurt, Now Available at Your Local Library" from February 27, 2023. Additional inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/the-book-of-hurt-now-available-at/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

Can we be taught how to connect with art, be it a painting, music, writing, or whatever? Let’s talk about it. LA Story “looking at art” scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsN40iv5nzgThis is an audio reading of the post "Hello, you have reached the Plug and Play Hotline" from March 6, 2023. Additional inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/hello-you-have-reached-the-plug-and/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

Every day is a new day. An opportunity to hit the reset button on ourselves and be different than we were the day before. Let's talk about it!Bonus link: The cherries scene I mention from "The Witches of Eastwick." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdyFtK-HmNsThis is an audio reading of the post "Resurrect Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself" from March 23, 2023. Additional inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/resurrect-yourself/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

When things aren't sticking - when you're not breaking through - it can be tempting to try what others are doing. No! Don't be same same. Be you you. That's the real disruption. This is an audio reading of the post "Appetite for Disruption" from December 2022. Additional inspirations can be found at that link.  https://www.jumpinthestream.com/disrupt/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

An aubade is a parting song, often sung at dawn as lovers farewell. This idea of singing our loves away was the inspiration for this episode, where the love is our creation - our work - and we must sing it on its way to find roost in the world. Listen in!This is an audio reading of the post "The bird who must be aubade" originally published on February 6, 2023. Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/the-bird-who-must-be-aubade/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

Just like the 400 meter hurdles, you cannot complete a creative project without completing the steps in between. The Intelligencier article I reference in the intro “The Singular Beauty of the 400 Meter Hurdles” is here: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/07/the-singular-beauty-of-the-400-meter-hurdles.htmlThis is an audio reading of the post ”The Steps in Between” originally published on February 13, 2023. Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/the-steps-in-between/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

Have we simply forgotten how to sit in the nothing of the moment? To sit in the silence without reaching for a phone? Sit. Take note of what's around you. Don't let frivolous things take you out of it. This is an audio reading of the post "The calm before the storm within" originally published on January 30, 2023. Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/the-calm-before-the-storm-within/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

 Inspired by the phrase, “Use the whole buffalo” today’s episode encourages you to use the whole ‘buffalo’ of your life and experience to create your art. Here’s the TED video explaining how the title of this episode is grammatically correct: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWbzjGIec20This is an audio reading of the post “Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo” originally published on January 9, 2023. Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/buffalo-buffalo-buffalo-buffalo-buffalo/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

Are you right or left brained? Is that even a thing? And would you trust how your brain responds to an optical illusion to tell you so? Here’s something I wrote inspired by a little animation of a horse walking backward… or is it forward? Here’s the illusion. Which way does the horse walk for you? https://x.com/juliabradbury/status/1431221260860764162This is an audio reading of the post “This horse has a name and its name is” originally published on January 23, 2023. Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/this-horse-has-a-name-and-its-name/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

Have you ever heard of vitrification? Crudely put, it’s the process where super-hot liquids cool rapidly and turn to glass. In this episode, I explore how hot ideas, if cooled too quickly, turn to glass and shatter. You need to cool those ideas down by degrees if you want them to survive. Listen in. I filmed a behind the themes video to go with this episode, and you can watch that here: https://janeenmccrae.substack.com/p/behind-the-streams-six-degreesIf you want to read about the glass brain man, you can do that here: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/vesuvius-turned-a-roman-mans-brain-into-glass-now-scientists-reveal-how-the-extremely-rare-preservation-happened-180986145/ And here’s a story about the frescos: https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2025/03/dionysian-fresco-pompeii/This is an audio reading of the post “Six Degrees of Ideation” originally published on March 26, 2025. Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/six-degrees-of-ideation/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

At the start of 2023, I made a pact with myself: for the next year, I vowed to be Prolific AF.* I made the vow, then I wrote myself this pep talk, which I will happily read to anyone who needs it. Be prolific! Hope to see you out there, making stuff. This episode is somewhat of a follow on from the episode "What does it mean to be The Best?", which you can listen to here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2194216/episodes/17104737This is an audio reading of the post “What is this, your dumb diary?” originally published on January 16, 2023. Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/what-is-this-your-dumb-diary/* The vow is still in play in 2025, with slight alteration to be Professional AFSupport the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

Inspired by a listicle in Rolling Stone magazine's "The 200 Greatest Singers of all Time", I got to thinking about what being The Best actually means? The Best by whose standards? What are you The Best at? Is that the point of making things? Hmm...Let's talk about being The Bestest. The Rolling Stone 200 Greatest Singers List https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-singers-all-time-1234642307/This is an audio reading of the post “What does it mean to be the best?” originally published on January 2, 2023. Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/what-does-it-mean-to-be-the-best/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

Difficult emotions, if left neglected, can take on a life of their own and cause all sorts of mischief. Similar to the Japanese myth of tsukumogami, where simple tools such as umbrellas and lamps can develop and spirit after 100 years of life and come back to haunt you, these emotions can play tricks on you. In this episode, I argue for the value of these difficult emotions. They are still tools you can use - just acknowledge their presence and show them some love.  Go behind the scenes of this episode and learn more about tsukumogami, here: https://www.jumpinthestream.com/behind-the-streams-objects/This is an audio reading of the post "The Objects of my Afflictions" originally published on March 10, 2025. Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/object/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

The things we make - our art, our poems, our preciousprecious things that I call in this episode "Glitter Spuds" - are special to us. Special and nutritious and sparkly. But people will only see that if we SHARE our Glitter Spuds with the world. It's possible someone will turn our glitter spud to mash, but that fear should not hold you back. Take a chance. Share your precious spuds!Related listens mentioned in episode:"Anting: It's not just for the birds" https://fieldofstreams.buzzsprout.com/2194216/episodes/13106573-anting-it-s-not-just-for-the-birds"Caution: Resistance is Hostile" https://fieldofstreams.buzzsprout.com/2194216/episodes/12978427-caution-resistance-is-hostileThis is an audio reading of the post "Glitter Spuds for Everyone!" originally published on November 28, 2022. Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/spud/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

We've all been in a meeting or conversation where someone just rolls on in and takes over, flattening the whole experience, killing conversations, and sharing (often) unwanted and wrong opinions. Don't be that person! This is an audio reading of the post "Putting the role in steamroller", originally published on December 12, 2022. Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/steamroller/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

It's the little things - the things that bring us joy - that can remind us in a moment of experience that we are alive. Things like full fat ice cream, or the smile of a friend. Don't deny yourself the full fat of life. This is an audio reading of the post "Proof of Life" originally published on November 14, 2022. Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/proof/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

Are you an Adventure Capitalist, aka someone who lives a curious and adventurous life with a curious and adventurous soul? Forget about investing in the markets, invest in yourself! Let's talk the basic principles and practices of the field of Adventure Capitalism. Want to dive deeper into it? Go watch the behind the scenes and themes of this episode here: https://www.jumpinthestream.com/adventure-capitalist/This is an audio reading of the post “How to plant, nurture, and grow an Adventure Capitalist” originally published on February 18, 2025.Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/adventure-capitalist/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

Have you ever heard of the science of Optography? It is the study of the last thing a person sees at the moment of their death, which posits that your retina captures on final image as an imprint burned in, like a photograph. This imprint that can be used to identify criminals! Or so they theorized.I did a whole video on this, which you can watch at this link: https://www.jumpinthestream.com/behind-the-streams-last-picture/ Related reading: "Optography: Preserving a Dead Person’s Last Sight" This is an audio reading of the post “The Last Picture Show” originally published on February 3, 2025. Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/the-last-picture-show/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

Inspired by a Newsweek headline that read: “Woman Gave 'Russian Astronaut' $30,000 so He Could Pay Earth Landing Fees”, I remind us all that when it comes to creative projects, you do not need permission to land your ideas. Related links: Newsweek story This is an audio reading of the post “You do not need Permission to Land” originally published on November 7 , 2022.Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/quark/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

Why does the vision of what I want to draw - the one that's so clear in my head - not come fully formed out of the end of my pencil and onto the paper? In this episode, I talk about skill deficit when it comes to the vision of what you're trying to create. Related reading:"How many Van Gogh's is one earth worth?" - Vox article https://www.vox.com/culture/23414590/just-stop-oil-van-gogh-sunflowers-protest-climate-change"How to deal with unexpected edibles." https://janeenmccrae.substack.com/p/ediblesThis is an audio reading of the post “Rumble in the Jumble” originally published October 24, 2022. Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/jumble/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

The number everyone throws around is 10,000 hours. That's the time you need to spend doing something to master it. But is that a hard and fast rule? Let's talk practice. Related links:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uB5PUpGzeY <-- Malcolm Gladwell talking about how people misunderstand his 10,000 hours rule.This is an audio reading of the post “Practice makes practice” originally published on October 17, 2022. Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/practice/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

Inspired by something Patti Smith said in a post about poetry (“If you don’t understand a poem, sit in it and let it wash,”) this episode encourages you to do the same when attempting to understand influences, relationships, and  experiences. This is an audio reading of the post "Burn before needing” originally published on May 8, 2023. Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/burn-before-needing/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

Do you ever withdraw from other people’s timelines to make yourself unavailable, declining invites and hang outs to work on your creative projects? It’s the equivalent of “playing dead” socially to get things done. I do it—do you? Let’s talk about playing dead.  Go behind the scenes and themes of this episode with a video and related links here, including opossums and sneks: https://janeenmccrae.substack.com/p/behind-the-streams-ep-62-play-dead This is an audio reading of the post “Playing dead for fun and profit” originally published on October 24, 2024.Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. www.jumpinthestream.com/play-possum/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

You're heard of pet influencers on instagram - famous cats and dogs and hedgehogs and the like? What about Verminfluencers? In case you didn't know, there's a whole niche for rats, rodents, and vermin out there, and in today's episode, you'll discover the raccoons are sniffing around and eager to get in on the action. This is an audio reading of the post “Raccoons Under the Influence” originally published on October 03, 2022. Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/influence/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

Did you know that we’re taller in the morning? Gravity and lying down overnight has a lot do with it. Along with being taller, I am also more creative in the morning. It is my “creative tall” time. When do you feel like you are at the height of your creative powers? And when is it OK to be small? Let’s talk about it. Go behind the scenes and themes of this episode with a video and related links here: https://www.jumpinthestream.com/behind-the-streams-tall-order/Related reading: "You’re taller in the morning." - Interesting Facts articlehttps://interestingfacts.com/fact/youre-taller-in-the-morning/This is an audio reading of the post “The tall order of the creative sweet spot” originally published on August 21, 2024. Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/the-tall-order-of-the-creative-sweet/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

Just because you think you have nothing - no ideas or creative inspiration - doesn't mean you do. We've all been there, but you can Turn nothing into something. This little missive is designed to keep you going on days when you open the brain pantry and it appears to be empty. This is an audio reading of the post "For Days When You Have Nothing." originally published on October 10, 2022. Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/thing/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

“Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole.” David Lynch said that. He was a director, filmmaker, artist, painter, and I think above all else, a dreamer. R.I.P. David Lynch. Listen to the 1973 Kmart Reel-to-Reel hereGo behind the scenes of this episode (and get more David Lynch inspiration) with Behind the Streams: https://www.jumpinthestream.com/behind-the-streams-david-lynch/Today’s episode was inspired by his existence on this weird ol’ plain we called life. This is an audio reading of the post “The Persistence of Donuts” originally published on January 20, 2025. Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/the-persistence-of-donuts/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

What do you feel when you look at art? What do you feel when you... feel? Let's talk about it. Related post: "Happy is a list of things felt strongly by this body."This is an audio reading of the post “Just Feel It” originally published on September 26, 2022. Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/feel/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

“Squirrels don’t find 80% of the nuts they hide.” This was the headline that inspired this week’s episode. In it, I equate collecting inspiration for your art as akin to a squirrel collection nuts. Art is nuts, and to make it, you must be a little but nutty, too. Welcome to Squirrel Math. Look for it at a university near you. Go behind the scenes of this episode as I discuss the themes and the subject of squirrels and the nuts they collect, here: https://www.jumpinthestream.com/behind-the-streams-squirrel/This is an audio reading of the post "Introduction to Squirrel Math: Art is Nuts” originally published on August 07, 2024. Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/introduction-to-squirrel-math-art/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

“A mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.” That’s a line from Carl Sagan’s famous Pale Blue Dot text talking about Earth in the universe. This episode riffs of that, positing that we are, in a way, motes upon a mote. Seemingly insignificant, yet complex and full of potential—capable of so much. Listen in...This is an audio reading of the post “Mote Work” originally published on September 19, 2022. Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/mote/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

What does it mean to be happy? Where do you feel it in the body? Can you recognize it when you are happy? Let’s talk about the importance of being able to call back to happy when you need it. Smile lines are badges of honor! Go behind the scenes of this episode and talk happiness with this BTS video, here:https://www.jumpinthestream.com/behind-the-streams-happy/This is an audio reading of the post “Happy is a list of things felt strongly by this body” originally published on November 21, 2024. Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/happy/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

Did you know that purple does not exist? It is a non-spectral color—not visible on the light spectrum—and so is invented on the spot by your brain. “Red plus blue but not green.” Today, we talk about how amazing your brain is, and that if it can invent a color out of thin air, just imagine what else you can make it do. Related LinksWatch the Behind the Scenes video on this post where I talk about purple, the brain, and some background on the post I just read to you.https://www.jumpinthestream.com/behind-the-streams-purple/Purple Isn’t Real | Slice of Sciencehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQt5B1GsTsgThis is an audio reading of the post "Red plus blue but not Green " originally published on September 18, 2024. Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link.https://www.jumpinthestream.com/red-plus-blue-but-not-green/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

Feel like you're on the wrong path in life? Is it too late to change direction? In this episode, I talk about how the concept of ‘desire paths’ can be applied to life. Want to learn more about desire paths? Go behind-the-scenes of this episode here. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/behind-the-streams-desire-paths/Desire Path Reddit Group https://www.reddit.com/r/DesirePath/This is an audio reading of the post "Go Your Own Way" originally published on October 7, 2024. Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/desire/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

Roosters are the absolute kings of self-promotion. We could learn a lot from them. If only there were some kind of seminar that we could attend where a rooster – nature’s megaphone – would share his secrets? Welcome to the rooster equivalent to a Ted Talk on how to promote yourself using.Go Behind the Scenes of this episode in this video. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/behind-the-streams-rooster/This is an audio reading of the post '"Everything I know about Marketing' as told by a Rooster" originally published on July 10, 2024. Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/everything-i-know-about-marketing/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

You are the newly crowned King or Queen of your creative realm. It is ordered by royal decree (which I will now read to you so that you are familiar with your Royal Creative Duties.)"Cash, stamps and flags: how royal symbols will change"- The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/08/queen-death-cash-stamps-flagsHere is a link to a video about my Grandma. A eulogy of sorts. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/behind-the-streams-grandma/This is an audio reading of the post "The Royal You", originally published on September 12, 2022. Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/royal/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here 

Can AI make art? Can ChatGPT be a poet? Time for me to tackle this question, since my livelihood as a writer and copywriter is already being affected by it. Watch me in this Behind the Scenes video talking about protest art, propaganda, and asking the question: what is dangerous art anyway?https://www.jumpinthestream.com/behind-the-streams-artificial/This is an audio reading of the post "Is there Art in Artificial", originally published on July 24, 2024. Additional creative inspirations can be found at that link. https://www.jumpinthestream.com/is-there-art-in-artificial/Support the showAbout Field of StreamsThis podcast provides audio readings of The Stream newsletter's main feature. The Stream is written by Janeen McCrae, and aims to provide a weekly dose of personal essays and creative inspirations that'll get you revved up to 'make the thing.' Dip a toe into the stream and sign up for my free ramblings here