Unstuck

Sometimes it’s worth pausing and asking ourselves for a moment if a project shouldn’t be paused, or even stopped. It’s very easy to prefer to just keep going. There can be comfort in that, but also risks. Checking in every now and then with ourselves is very much worth it - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

Rationalising something is often the go to tool to be able to understand something. A muscle well exercised and tied to reason and logic. Emotions, ours and those of others, are an undercurrent of everything we think and do, and yet we often ignore or dismiss them. Emotions are there to protect us, and are often part of our personal story, and give shape to our character, both inwards and outwards. Knowing them better, recognising them, and acknowledging how we or others feel can be such a key part of understanding our stories - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

Priority management is challenging. Which stakeholder do we prioritise for? What if it clashes severely with our own priority? Try looking at the situation from a few key angles. Combine the result with your own personal priority. You might get closer to a balance of priorities - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

Sometimes the tried and tested way isn’t the only way. Sometimes the obvious won’t cut it. Sometimes a little (kind) experiment can deliver unexpected results - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

How do you feel? It’s a generous, kind act to ask this question, to ourselves and to others. Mental health is a world/concept I’m slowly getting to know better, and I should stress I’m not a professional of any kind, and do please seek one when in any doubt. What I can say is that it’s a place which can give back so much. It’s often intimidating and difficult, and takes time, but it can bring so many good things with it. Being anyone is tough, a challenge. Sharing those challenges and being honest about them with yourself and with others can lessen the burden immensely. Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

Try asking questions more. In your personal life, in your professional relationships, and to those you seek to help / your customers. It shows both respect and interest, and is an incredibly generous act - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

There are so many almost invisible ways our characters affect how we do our work, how we are with who we are seeking to help, and the expectations and hopes that go hand in hand with our work. How does your personality affect your work? Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

Bandwidth - our capacity as individuals, professionals or organisations is limited - spend it wisely. Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

If we do good work, we should be comfortable shouting about it. If we seek to help or inspire people with what we do, there has to be a mechanism for getting it to them with confidence (and class, ideally). It’s a kindness rather than a violent act, even though for all sorts of reasons it can feel like the latter. Fear, shame, imposter syndrome, there are so many “good” reasons we default to in order to avoid potential pain and disappointment. These aren’t always helpful however. Not if we want to grow and help others grow as we do so. Share your work. - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

What’s your ideal workflow? Is there such a thing? - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

Knowing ourselves better as individuals can help so much. In understanding better how and why we expect things to be a certain way, why we react the way we do in particular situations. Knowing ourselves better is perhaps one the richest most powerful ways of helping ourselves. It can seem scary at times, and this is normal. Step by step it’s possible to get to know ourselves better slowly and deliberately and by doing so reap huge rewards in all parts of our lives, professionally and personally - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

Stop for a moment. How do you feel? Take a moment. Amidst the pressures we put ourselves under, or that come from the external world, it’s important we stop and give ourselves a bit of mindful space. Sometimes you’ll stop and notice built up tension, somewhere in your body or your breathing. These can be from old habits - ways of being that might not help us in the here and now. When we stop, sometimes we can let go of them, and slowly release our grip, our tension. I’m not a psychologist but in this episode I touch upon some topics that I’ve explored over the last year or so. Always speak to a professional if you notice something that you need help with - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

How can we find joy in what we do? It’s a question as well as a prompt/challenge. I think we need that prompt sometimes to remember to enjoy the parts of what we do that we find difficult or would rather not do. At the very least it can be a reminder to be kind to ourselves and those we work with / make things for as, well, it just makes everything a lot easier. There could be many avenues to doing so; gratitude, humour, or an inane little sticker with a smiley on it. These can be invitations to take on what we do a little differently - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

It’s sometimes easier to help others than it is to help ourselves. Try starting with a little love for yourself and you might be able to show up more often - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

How can we best (I stress this word) be of service to those we seek to help? Being a solopreneur, entrepreneur and teacher involves stopping every now and then to decide where to focus our resources and how to deploy our skills to best help our customers, tribe members and supporters. I come back to the question regularly, and finding an objective answer can be truly challenging. Mix in the usual tug of war in one’s brain between various egos and you have a truly interesting scenario. In the end though perhaps it’s simple: what might we do less of in order to do more of something else which is more effective in being of service to those we seek to help? It’s a question worth returning to time and again I would argue - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Take care, Andri

Brands are akin to people at times. There can be a sense of loyalty between a brand and a consumer. We have expectations of brands which are people-like at times. We often accept or assign values to them which if not met can lead to an impressively strong emotional reaction. This goes for me as a consumer and as a creator, and in both directions as I have my own “brands” which I cultivate. How do we as creators or entrepreneurs meet these expectations? I think we have to start with how we would like to be treated as a customer. Take our values and expectations into what we do, and when we get feedback that suggests we haven’t reasonably met those, that we take that as an opportunity for growth - make the change we seek to make, but also be the change we’d like to see in ourselves and in the world we’re curating - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Take care, Andri

Relationships of all kinds, personal, creative or business are uniquely challenging things. They are downright fascinating in fact. There is always so much to learn and to consider. So many different angles to consider. And yet there are also those relationships that need changing, and this is ignored at our peril. Ultimately I suppose that we can only really manage how we ourselves are in the world, and aim to make it clear what we hope for in our relationships of all kinds - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

Focus isn’t always calm and zen. Focus can also be full of energy, almost nervous, statically charged by events in the outside world. Sometimes this can be useful. Being able to embrace and lean on certain different kinds of focus can be useful. Perhaps it’s worth making space for these different kinds of energies, akin to putting our mind into different gear. In an ideal world I feel I’d like to be zen, calm, and full of abundant energy for what I’m doing. Since the world isn’t yet ideal and neither am I, I suppose I should slalom between the modes of focus I do find, and let them help me get to where I’m going - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Andri

Everyone is sensitive and human. We can expect from everyone and of course ourselves moments when the balance of what is said or what is felt is challenging. It’s easy to forget how powerfully we as human beings can be nudged or even pushed into a feeling or state of mind that we’d rather not occupy. Being mindful of this, and generous towards ourselves and others helps. Our nervous system is set up and ready to look for danger, and can be triggered without us noticing or being able to calm it down quickly enough. Breathing exercises do too. I’m not a health expert but these are ideas and exercises that help me. I mention these ideas in the context of working a lot on my own, but still putting work and ideas out into the world, where they inevitably sometimes meet friction of some kind. The act of creating something involves friction, and can affect how we feel and how we are, as well as those we seek to share our work with. It’s worth bearing in mind I think. - Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Take care out there, Andri

Turning ourself or what we know or so into a product is tough, especially on our own. We can help by recognises the parts of ourselves or characteristics of our personality (or personalities) which can help, and others that we might choose to recognise but save their energy for elsewhere. Working on our own involves finding a balance between sometimes conflicting elements within ourselves, while also not suppressing them entirely. They might be telling us something useful. Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Take care out there, Andri

For anything to change in the universe, there is some kind of friction, energy exchange or metamorphosis necessary. This is the same for our projects, creative or entrepreneurial. If we recognise that this is a healthy and natural part of the change we seek, we might learn to love it. We are growing a garden and our projects are our plants. They need tending, they need care. Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. Take care out there. Andri

Today I moved past resistance. Not completely, but enough to get going. A small step of many more steps ahead. There are so many things to say about resistance, a concept popularised by Steven Pressfield in his very enjoyable and provocative book “the war of art” (thanks Oscar for the recommendation). I don’t have the definitive answer to it from that book or anywhere else, but I do have some ideas, and it’s less mysterious than it used to be - About this podcast: Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people.

Today I’m embarking on the next stage of a big project. And I’m feeling unsure if the version of my self that I need today will turn up. I can feel resistance. I’ve had a conversation with myself about this already. Now I need to turn up. Here’s a short reflection on that. Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people.

Unstuck is a podcast about how we creative types (artists, freelancers, entrepreneurs) often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways. After another longish pause, I'm back. I was contacted recently by a musician, composer, and sound designer Trevor Rutherford. The subject line was "Questions about your Creative Career". I asked him if we could have a conversation about this as a podcast episode, in the hope that if anything of use was said that we might share that with others, and a few weeks later here we are. I really enjoyed this conversation, covering large parts of my creative career and story, as well as letting Trevor speak to his experience, hopes and concerns. We touch upon the struggles, strategies and stories we have, and what was remarkable was that so many of them were shared. I'm really glad Trevor got in touch, and to have had this conversation. Hoping you're all well out there, and a little less stuck day by day. Thanks for listening. If you'd like to send me a short audio message, you should be able to do so via the Podcast app by Spotify. This was possible when it was known as "Anchor" so should hopefully still work now. If not, shoot me a short email. I can't promise I'll respond, but I do read everything. My YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@andrisoren My online school http://wrkshp.eu Andri About me: I’m a musician, photographer and educator, and I’m trying to share what I’m learning as I learn it, as openly, honestly and vulnerably as I can.

Unstuck is a podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, in particular as freelancers and creative people. And we're back... after almost 3 years I'm finally making that second episode of season 2. Here's the short version of the story: after my sense of flow and un-stuckness back in April 2020 and episode 1, I found myself stuck again in 2022. A suggestion by my brother, Stefan, got me going again, and got me unstuck. So here's a discussion with him about that process. My warm thanks to him for helping me so much with his suggestion, and for proposing we talk about it together on the podcast. I'm truly grateful to have a brother like him. Some books were mentioned during our discussion, and there are the following: Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott The Flinch, Julien Smith Atomic Habits, James Clear The War of Art, Steven Pressfield The Courage to be Disliked, Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga Not mentioned but also relevant (and a book my brother gave me): Show Your Work, Austin Kleon My brother's (Stefan Magnuson) YouTube channel: @Styrmis https://www.youtube.com/@styrmis My channel: https://www.youtube.com/@andrisoren I’m a musician and a photographer, and I share what I’m learning as I learn it. As openly, honestly and in the most vulnerable way I can.

While I’m quite used to a relatively solitary life, especially in my work, the corona crisis is surely the director’s cut; longer, more challenging, and with unexpected new angles that only the diehard fans would watch. In short, I’ve been struggling to make my online school, a project that lay dormant for years but that now has found the perfect time to be created, thanks to all of my other work vanishing over a day or two. Happily I’m now in my flow, and making a lot of classes and content. I talk about how I’ve beaten back the parts of me that were getting in my way, as well as how this crisis has been a really priceless moment to get this and other things done. Unstuck is a personal podcast about how we often get ourselves stuck in all sorts of ways, both in general ways as well as ways more specific to freelancers and creative people. I’m a musician and a photographer, and I share what I’m learning as I learn it. As openly, honestly and in the most vulnerable way I can.

In this podcast about getting unstuck as a creative person, I had set myself the target to make one episode a day. With no end in sight, I inevitably tripped up and failed. Here’s why that’s absolutely fine, and a reminder to look past the simplistic headline of “I failed” and understand why you can now move on, much the better for it. I’ve started many projects that then arguably failed, and I’m quite glad they did. This is the last episode in the first series. I’ll continue making my vlog on my YouTube channel, look for my name: Andri Søren. Go get yourself unstuck!

In conjunction with this podcast I’ve also started making a weekly blog, and weekly music videos, ignoring my own advice of making proper time for things and keeping them modest in their ambition. Turns out we keep having to learn our own lessons :)

I once heard that Barack Obama kept just two suits - grey or blue - meaning that he could just choose one or the other and get onto more important decisions. Steve Jobs just had one outfit. What they were doing was taking a few decisions out or simplifying them so that they could avoid losing any mental energy on them. I’ve been doing the same by organising my week in such a way that I don’t face decisions about what to do on any particular day. I’ve also reduced my wardrobe! Applying this principle to various parts of our lives really can make space for other things, and reduce the decision fatigue that seems to be overwhelming so many of us. Go get unstuck!

Over coffee with a filmmaker I realised that I’ve taken one passion (photography) and ‘sacrificed’ certain aspects of it, in order to protect my other passion, making music. By verbalising this I’ve seen that this has made so much space in my life and ‘creative soul’ and is a compromise I’ve come to accept. Often when talking to people frustrated by their current career, they tell me they’d like to find ‘that one thing’ that they can do to both feel fulfilled as well as paying the bills. In this episode I ask the question if we shouldn’t find ‘two things’ and use one to do something we like while the other is kept free of external pressures to be anything other than what we want it to be. In a way I’m talking about having two supercharged hobbies, and not just ‘a job’ and a ‘hobby’ fitting in-between the cracks between the job and your life.

The last two weeks I’ve achieved more than in the last two years. By this I mean those projects I cared, thought and talked about the most. I actually can’t tell you exactly what came over me. But I can tell you this. It feels great. Now, I’m a firm believer in taking a brief look at the risks involved in doing anything, well, risky, but ultimately everything is a judgement call in that respect. Taking a hold of our passions in life and giving them some oxygen and giving them a chance is a risk worth taking. Just like before jumping, you have to let go of something else. It’s Now or Never. Go get yourself unstuck.

A few moments in my life changed everything. They were actually very humble, very calm, and full of reflection. The first time was in Italy, sitting in a café, and I decided to write down the moments or projects where I had felt closest to “me”, closest to doing what I want to do in life. That first time already gave me many clues of the directions I should explore further. The second and third times, the list became shorter and shorter, and the answer more and more clear. In the end I was faced with that which I had perhaps felt for a long time, but not been able to really know or admit, and on paper it stared me right in the face. It’s not easy finding these moments sometimes, and you have to think quite hard and be frank with yourself to identify them sometimes. If you can’t think of any, consider trying something that is just outside of your comfort zone, but that you’re curious about. It can even be something quite private. Wait a few weeks and see how you feel about that moment. Once you have two or three put them down on paper and look at them. Score them out until you are left with one. How do you feel? Does it feel right? If you’re not sure try again. Writing things down is like saying them out loud; you can stand slightly further away from the idea and get some perspective. Good luck, and go get unstuck.

While it might feel like we’re alone in our “stuckness”, it just ain’t true. I’ve had really nice feedback from people reaching out from various corners of my life sharing how this topic affects them, and it gives me energy to not only continue, but to know that it’s such a shared feeling. Of course being stuck can take many forms, but what often links almost all of them are time and energy - we often have too little of either of them. The answer is to take stock of our lives and actually and honestly check whether there are any “spots” free or that we can make free to undertake that which we want to do, and if not, to be brutal and make some time. If you don’t put it on a calendar or into a certain part of the day, it ain’t gonna happen, 9 times out of 10. The next thing we have to keep in mind is setting ourselves a reasonable expectation for what we can do with that time, and just as importantly find a workflow that will allow us to realise what it is that we want to do. Making this podcast is made possible because I plan to make time in my day to do it and because the method I’m using is very simple and I refuse to over complicate it. So people, you’re not alone - go make time for your passion or whatever it is, and make it so that you can achieve it, no matter how modestly. Go get unstuck!

My phone has slowly but surely sabotaged my ability to concentrate and get things done. Finding a place to put it, out or reach and out of mind, has made be happier and more productive. When I do reach for it I know I’ve “earned” it, and I quickly yearn to get back to my projects.

For the last 3 years I’ve been tormenting myself with one topic (Brexit and my future in Belgium, where I live) and it’s drained me of energy for so much else. Here I talk about the way I found to stop letting it block everything else in my life.

This podcast is about how we often get bogged down or stuck by our own internal instincts, thought processes and habits. I left my carefully curated career in architecture six years ago and I’ve been gradually getting myself ever more unstuck since, becoming happier and getting closer to a work/life balance that I really value. I’m a musician and photographer but I also work in quite a few other fields. I’d like to share what I’ve learned, and what I’m learning ——- This episode is about sharing what’s happened since I’ve started doing the opposite to habits and instincts that have been getting me stuck; perfectionism, planning, over-thinking. An example is this very podcast, which usually I would have spent a long time planning, pondering, asking people’s opinions on, and so on. I might never have even started. Instead I just jumped in and here we are, imperfect but increasingly unstuck! What I’ve also seen is that just like when I designed buildings in architecture, you have to make some basic sketches and scrappy models first, to be able to turn the thing around in your hand and understand it better. I think ideas are the same - if they only exist in our head they will be very difficult to examine, measure, and consider. Build something first, stop, look again, and then continue. —— I also talk about another opposite I’ve tried out; being publicly very honest and vulnerable; for my latest video on YouTube I just explain how hard it’s been to just hit record and even more to click “publish”. Doing so let’s you not only tell people a story (instead of just trying to show them a perfected result that has no depth to it) and creates the possibility that they might invest in your journey and idea. It also let’s them know that you, like them, share some similar fears and issues, and this builds empathy. ——- Lastly I touch upon them idea of helping others selflessly now and then, and the wonderful feeling that this can leave you with. I think that there really can be a sort of karma between people who engage positively with each other, and take a risk now and then. That’s it for now - go get unstuck! Andri Søren

Over the years I’ve seen that creating a framework for how you say yes or no to work and to obligations in general is a fantastic way of avoiding getting stuck in the first place. Furthermore if you’re open and honest about these with yourself and others, you experience far fewer problems down the line. Another thing to keep in mind is mental bandwidth, and this relates to the actual amount of data and decisions that our brains can handle before they run out of capacity to deal with things that might be much more important to ourselves. You need to respect your limits, reduce the number of commitments you have, and create space in your mental garden, for your own sake but also for everyone else’s. —-Let’s get unstuck!!—-

In this, episode 5 of unstuck, I share the habit that, after some years, has helped me get to decide what it is I want to do, concentrate and commit to it, and in turn get so much done. It involves a simple way of putting certain projects on certain days, and taking that as a contract with yourself to do exactly those things. After some years it’s become something I think I’d struggle to live without. The best thing about it? It’s dead simple. Come get unstuck with me! For my youtube channel look me up under Andri Søren.

A quick update on my level of unstuckness - I manage to really get something done, and it feels fantastic. Listen in and check out the result on my YouTube channel (Andri Søren)

In this episode I talk about some recent discoveries I’ve made that help me get unstuck (or avoid getting stuck in the first place) this year, along with a walk through the centre of Brussels. Enjoy!

Ok so first an apology - this episode didn’t at all go to plan because I didn’t realise the built in recording on this app would ignore the stereo recording I was trying to do. There is a small break near the start where I explain that, which is also a bit louder than the rest (which is very quiet in general). BUT - that’s not what’s important here - what’s important is that I made a second recording and put it out there! I touch upon a few topics, such as reaction to my first podcast, how to think about success, and a bit about the history of the city I live in, Brussels. At the end I meet David, who has just moved here, and he generously shares his new tea recipe with us - and boy was it tasty!

I usually think about something for a lo(oooo)ng time before doing anything, if doing anything at all. I want to do things super well, I want to analyse everything about them first, and then spend forever making something perfect. I’m also scared of failure, but probably equally scared of success. Today after eating my home-made rice bowl, I just “snapped”, downloaded a podcasting app (Anchor) and just hit record, and here we are. I also sneezed, so watch those eardrums! I talk about how I’ve been struggling to keep making youtube videos for my channel, and I try repeatedly to explain my reasons for making his podcast, and then remember my new mantra: (just do it and) get unstuck. I’m also attempting to follow the exact opposite of my usual habits, so when my natural instinct tells me to do one thing, I don’t flinch, and I go do the opposite. Just your everyday hero 😅