Talent Free

Today I'm talking with my friend Asya. She works in HR and career development and does not consider herself a creative person, but she wanted to explore creativity anyway. How do you let it into your life? What even is it? And how do we make sure the creative process doesn't become just another thing we're supposed to be doing to stay mentally healthy?This conversation gave me new angles and perspectives and it felt like exactly the right way to close the season.Today’s guestAsya SoskovaLinkedInTalent Free Substrackhttps://substack.com/@sashamazurk?utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-pageHost⁠Sasha Mazur-K⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠LinkedIn

Today we are talking with Carmen. She is an author, poet, mentor, creative practitioner and campaigner. We started with differences between spoken and written stories and why retelling fairytales can be so powerful. Why it is better to be the Witch than the Muse and how fictional and even mystical narratives can help us cope with very real life circumstances and what that tells us about creativity as a mental and emotional process.It is a powerful and deep conversation that gave me a lot to think about.Today’s guestCarmen Marcushttps://carmenmarcus.co.uk/Books and resources mentioned in the episode:Toni MorrisonSelkie Woman storyClarissa Pinkola Estés “Women Who Run with the Wolves”CA Conrad “(Soma)tic Poetry Practice”Carmen Marcus “How Saints Die”Talent Free Substrackhttps://substack.com/@sashamazurk?utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-pageHost⁠Sasha Mazur-K⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠LinkedIn

This episode is with Annie Guest — a mental health therapist and author who inherited her family home after years of caregiving and turned the renovation into a way to process grief. We talk about using objects and interior design to redirect memory toward the moments we cherish, how the creative process of making a home can support emotional healing, finding creative freedom within limitations, and memories that make us feel connected to people for whom we are irreplaceable even if they are gone.Today’s guestAnnie Guesthttps://www.annieguestdesignforyourmind.com/https://www.instagram.com/annieguestdesignResources mentioned in the episode:https://uk.pinterest.com/https://www.benjaminmooreitalia.com/https://heatherwick.com/project/maggies/Talent Free SubstackLink to SubstackHost⁠Sasha Mazur-K⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠LinkedIn

In this episode, I speak with Yuliya who is a costume designer and Butoh dancer.We talk about how attached we become to our masks, and how costume can shift from something we hide behind into a tool for exploration, play, and communication. Yuliya shares how Butoh is not only a dance form, but a philosophy of life and presence that invites slowness, attention, and transformation.This conversation moves between costume design, masks, embodiment, and Butoh as a living practice exploring creativity as a process of self-discovery and opening space to reflect on how we relate to the different personalities we carry, and how creativity can help us meet them with curiosity.Today’s guestYuliya V Krylovahttps://www.yuliyavkrylova.com/ButohUKInstagram People mentioned in the episode:Marie-Gabrielle Rotie

Today I’m speaking with Lilit — a photographer, filmmaker, and photography teacher — about lens-based practices that quickly open into something deeper: personal archives, memory, and the emotional power of images. We unpack therapeutic photography vs. photo therapy, and how working with personal photos can support mental health and the creative process through reflection, meaning-making, and visual storytelling. And why, in creative work, being childish can actually be a strength.Today’s guestLilit DanielyanTherapeutic Photography courseLinktreeInstagramAuthors mentioned in the episode:Neil Gibson "Therapeutic Photography: Enhancing Self-Esteem, Self-Efficacy and Resilience"Judy Weiser "Phototherapy Techniques: Exploring the Secrets of Personal Snapshots and Family Albums"Gabor Maté "The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture"Elizabeth Gilbert Substack “Letters from Love”Frida Kahlo “The Diary of Frida Kahlo”Host⁠Sasha Mazur-K⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠LinkedIn

This episode is with Spring Groove singer, performer, and music therapist who treats music as medicine. We talk about voice as something you’re born with and how the inner critic, overthinking and other mental habits might silence it - and what that silencing costs us mentally and creatively. We also talk about choir and group singing and what magical powers it can hold.It’s in our power to become the DJ for the movie of our life.Today’s guestSpring Groovehttps://www.springgroove.com/https://www.yummmwellness.com/LinktreeBooks mentioned in the episode:“Don't Believe Everything You Think” Joseph Nguyen“Digital Dharma” Dr Deepak Chopra“A return to love” Marianne WilliamsonHost⁠Sasha Mazur-K⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠LinkedIn

In this episode we continue our journaling series. I talk to Baroque Anarchist — an artist who used art journaling throughout her IVF treatment. We speak about the stigma around infertility, about building your own support system, and what IVF can feel like when you’re living it from the inside: an explorer’s journey where you’re experimenting on your own body — sometimes feeling like you’re standing on a mountain with a sword, facing a myriad of tiny creatures, each one carrying its own risk.This is a conversation about visual journaling, art as a part of an emotional support system during fertility treatment, and creativity as a way to stay close to yourself in difficult times - a mental health anchor - when words don’t always work, but images still can.Today’s guestBaroque AnarchistInstagramHostSasha Mazur-KInstagramLinkedIn

This episode is with Marusha a journalist and journaling guide who helps others enter the world of journaling and expressive writing. We talk about why finding our own “naked words” can transform the way we feel, how writing about the inner weather is good for emotional clarity and awareness, what a broccoli can tell you and why it’s worth checking if there are writing groups or journaling circles in your area.Today’s guestMarusha https://mashamozolevskaya.com/https://barcelonajournalingfestival.com/https://www.instagram.com/followmarushaBooks mentioned in the episode:“Journal To Self” Kay Adams“The Great Book Of Journaling” Lynda Monk & Eric Maisel“Artist’s Way” Julia Cameron“The Big Magic” Elisabeth Gilbert“At a Journal Workshop” Ira Progoff“Healing Through Words” Rupi KaurHostSasha Mazur-KInstagram LinkedInPlease like, share and comment (maybe even send it to a friend) it’s my way of hearing back from you and knowing that these conversations are enjoyed beyond the people having them.

This episode is with Alex Mackay, 5Rhythms facilitator and teacher.We talk about dance and why moving from “How do I look when I do it?” to “How does it feel when I do it?” is not as simple as it may sound. We talk about stories our body holds and how we can let it speak.Today’s guestAlex Mackay https://www.alexravensister.com/alex.htmlhttps://www.instagram.com/alexravensister?igsh=YjZydW1jbnZ5YnF4Gabrielle Roth, Alex teacherhttps://www.5rhythms.com/gabrielle-roths-5rhythms/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabrielle_RothMusic by Alex on Mixcloudhttps://www.mixcloud.com/alexravensister/Host⁠⁠Sasha Mazur-K⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠Please like, share and comment (maybe even send it to a friend) it’s my way of hearing back from you and knowing that these conversations are enjoyed beyond the people having them.

This episode is with my old friend and an amazing artist, Anastasia Tribambuka.We discuss what we DO NOT HAVE the right for (spoiler: being angry, being old and EVEN BEING ARTISTS) and how art can act as a spiritual practice.Today’s guestAnastasia Tribambukahttps://tribambuka.art/https://www.instagram.com/tribambuka/The project Right to Rage, a project embracing women’s anger as a cathartic and emancipatory force.https://tribambuka.art/project/right-to-rageReading ListJoseph Campbell "A Hero with a Thousand Faces"Host⁠Sasha Mazur-K⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠LinkedInPlease like, share and comment (maybe even send it to a friend) it’s my way of hearing back from you and knowing that these conversations are enjoyed beyond the people having them.

This episode is with Natalia, a self-taught artist and art marketer.We talk about how art can give us a sense of control, how our inner critics sound, and what we actually do with them (or don’t), and how our creativity can help us (a bit like Baron Munchausen) pull ourselves out of the mire by our own hair.Today’s guestNatalia Karpman — https://nataliakarpman.com/https://www.youtube.com/@yesartmarketinghttps://www.instagram.com/nataliakarpman/https://www.instagram.com/yes.artmarketing/Host⁠Sasha Mazur-K⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠LinkedIn

Teaser for Talent Free – a podcast about creativity as a way to hear and understand yourself, beyond “talent” and perfection. In this short intro, I share what the show is about and what to expect from Season 1.