The Creative Life with Taylor

How do artists deal with self-doubt? How does an artist make space for creativity? What does it mean to build a creative life, even if you work a non-creative day job?Today’s guest is Ahna Ell—an author and musician based in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. After a decade of writing, recording, and touring the country, she just released her debut book, Everywhere I Go, a memoir about coming home to yourself, living in community, and finding your place in the world.In my conversation with Ahna, she shares about her life—from her early days of getting her first guitar, to the decade of her adult life spent touring as a musician.But while creativity was present in her life from a young age, Ahna’s path wasn’t always clear or easy. In this episode, Ahna shares about her struggle with self-doubt, the challenge of making space for creativity to happen, and the years spent writing and refining her debut book.✨ Ahna’s Book & Music:Ahna Ell’s Website✉️ Sign up for Taylor’s email list to receive writing and creative tips and news about upcoming releases here.✍️ Get Taylor’s free writing and creative resources here.📚 Find all of Taylor’s books and stories here.The Creative Life with Taylor is an engaging, thoughtful podcast hosted by award-winning author and designer Taylor Thomas Smythe that explores creative journeys over a lifetime, dives deep into the creative process, and inspires listeners to unlock their own creativity and potential in their life now. With guests from a wide array of disciplines and media, listeners will walk away inspired to build a creative life with confidence. The Creative Life with Taylor is a production of Lamplight Universe.https://www.lamplightuniverse.com/

How do you choose between multiple different creative paths? How do you grow a YouTube channel to over 30 thousand subscribers in just two years? And how do you gather and collect ideas for future creative projects?Today’s guest is Tim DeMoss—an author, filmmaker, and YouTube creator based in Michigan. In 2025, he released his debut novelette, James Chalk, Fair Buyer of Lightning: or; Peace is a Pile of Mint. He shares videos as part of his popular Reasons to Read series on YouTube, and has a forthcoming book on the same topic.In my conversation with Tim, he reveals the artistic threads that wove together to get him to where he is today: writing books, sharing reasons to read, and running a thriving YouTube channel with over 30,000 subscribers.But he didn’t start out that way. In this episode, Tim details his creative journey from childhood to now, and the practices and habits that got him there.Along the way, you’ll learn Tim’s strategy for battling discouragement, how he gathers inspiration, and how he faces the challenge of choosing between multiple different creative paths.🎧 Tim’s Creative Projects:YouTube ChannelReasons to Read Video SeriesReasons to Read Mail ClubJames Chalk, Fair Buyer of Lightning: or; Peace is a Pile of Mint by Tim DeMoss📚Tim’s Reading List / Books Mentioned:Zen and the Art of Writing by Ray BradburyAtomic Habits by James ClearShow Your Work! by Austin KleonThe Art of Game Design by Jesse SchellThe Bhagavad Gita by VyasaMeditations by Marcus Aurelius✉️Sign up for Taylor’s email list to receive writing and creative tips and news about upcoming releases here.✍️Get Taylor’s free writing and creative resources here.📚Find all of Taylor’s books and stories here.The Creative Life with Taylor is an engaging, thoughtful podcast hosted by award-winning author and designer Taylor Thomas Smythe that explores creative journeys over a lifetime, dives deep into the creative process, and inspires listeners to unlock their own creativity and potential in their life now. With guests from a wide array of disciplines and media, listeners will walk away inspired to build a creative life with confidence. The Creative Life with Taylor is a production of Lamplight Universe.https://www.lamplightuniverse.com/

How does someone become a published author? How do writers find creative inspiration? How do you stay true to your authentic creative voice and vision?Today’s guest is author Ore Agbaje-Williams, a British-Nigerian writer and editor from North London. Her first novel, The Three of Us, was published by Jonathan Cape (UK), Putnam (US) and Penguin Random House Canada in May 2023. She posts short fiction (almost) every Monday at Monday Fictions on Substack. In my conversation with Ore, you’ll hear how she went from a child telling stories to her sister at bedtime to becoming a published author of an acclaimed debut novel. But nobody writes a novel overnight. In this episode, you’ll hear how Ore confronted doubts and failure along the way, how she remained true to her authentic voice, and how she continues to find motivation and inspiration to keep creating.📚Ore’s Work:Monday Fictions on SubstackThe Three of Us by Ore Agbaje-WilliamsOf This Our Country: Acclaimed Nigerian Writers on the Home, Identity and Culture They Know edited by Nancy Adimora and Ore Agbaje-Williams😍What Ore’s Reading:Transcription by Ben LernerKingfisher by Rozie KellyThe Recovery House by Derek OwusuWe Go Way Back by Niamh ConnollySmallie by Eden McKenzie-GoddardOlive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout✉️Sign up for Taylor’s email list to receive writing and creative tips and news about upcoming releases here.📚Find all of Taylor’s books and stories here.The Creative Life with Taylor is an engaging, thoughtful podcast hosted by award-winning author and designer Taylor Thomas Smythe that explores creative journeys over a lifetime, dives deep into the creative process, and inspires listeners to unlock their own creativity and potential in their life now. With guests from a wide array of disciplines and media, listeners will walk away inspired to build a creative life with confidence. The Creative Life with Taylor is a production of Lamplight Universe.https://www.lamplightuniverse.com/

How do people become creative?How does someone take an idea and turn it into art?Where do ideas come from?And how do artists cultivate creativity throughout their lives?Whether you’re facing a creative block or just looking for a bit of inspiration to spark your next project or chapter, I’ve got just the thing for you.Introducing: The Creative Life with Taylor—the show where we explore creative journeys, dive deep into the creative process, and inspire you to unlock your own creativity and potential in your life now. I’m your host, Taylor Thomas Smythe, and I can’t wait to share this season of The Creative Life with you. As an author, designer, and songwriter, I’m consistently fascinated by how many unique paths there are to building a creative life, and I love learning from the stories and journeys of my fellow creatives. I hope you will, too.Each episode, you’ll drop in on a conversation between me and one of my incredibly talented guests, giving you insights and tools to further grow your own creativity. This season, you’ll hear from authors, songwriters, filmmakers, and even an Emmy nominee. This season, you’ll hear from authors, songwriters, filmmakers, and more!So if you’re looking for a spark to jumpstart your creativity, subscribe and follow along. This is The Creative Life with Taylor.- - -The Creative Life with Taylor is an engaging, thoughtful podcast hosted by award-winning author Taylor Thomas Smythe that explores creative journeys over a lifetime, dives deep into the creative process, and inspires listeners to unlock their own creativity and potential in their life now. With guests from a wide array of disciplines and media, listeners will walk away inspired to build a creative life with confidence. Produced by Lamplight Universe.Season 1 premieres Tuesday, August 25!