The Infinite Creator Podcast

An unattended leaf blower, running loud and moving nothing, becomes a lens on modern life: all that noise, zero signal.This episode explores the difference between noise and signal, why fighting chaos with more chaos doesn’t work, and a quieter way to create real change.In a world of leaf blowers, be a rake.curious? bethlapides.com Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

There are times when something is already in motion.You can feel it before you understand it.You don’t have to force it.You can meet it.In this episode, Beth explores the idea of recognizing when a moment is already unfolding—and how to align with it instead of trying to control it. Drawing from the current astrological conversation around “all the planets in Aries,” she reflects on beginnings, energy, and what it means to move with what’s happening.This isn’t about belief.It’s about perception.About learning to name the moment, and step into it.🎧 Listen when you’re ready to start where you are. Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

This is one of the core ideas behind Pick Your Next Project.Working to clarify—but not waiting until everything is completely clear.Working to be ready—but not waiting until you’re certain you are.Working to move forward—but always starting… where you are.Today reminded me—that where you are isn’t the obstacle.It’s the starting point for solutions.xxBeth The Infinite Creator is a reader-supported publication and podcast. To receive new posts and support my work - and your own - consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Thanks for reading and listening to The Infinite Creator! This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

This week I noticed something surprising looking at this year’s Oscar nominees. More at bethlapides.substack.comA surprising number of them are about artists and art-making — stories about writing, music, theater, filmmaking, and the complicated lives of people who make things.Which made me wonder if that says something about the moment we’re in.In a time shaped by AI, rapid change, and existential questions about what it means to be human, it’s interesting that so many of the stories we’re telling right now are about creativity itself.In this episode I read my recent essay exploring why movies about artists might feel especially resonant right now — and why making things might be one of the most human things we do.Along the way we talk about:• why the word creativity can feel strangely academic• the cycle of making things and how it changes the maker• the artists at the center of this year’s Oscar conversation• why sacrifice and art are often intertwinedAnd yes — there’s a small detour into my grandmother knitting in movie theaters.Because apparently knitting has much better SEO than creativity. Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

Hey thanks for listening! This is the launch of season 2 of the podcast. Learned a lot from Season 1. The way reveals itself as we walk on the way;)The episode… the thing about gratitude that we don’t usually talk about. A kind of hack that really shifts everything. The Special Black Friday Offer!Schedule a mini-strategy session with me.Thank you for listening!xxBThe Infinite Creator is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work and your own, become a free or paid subscriber. Thank you! Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

We need to talk about what’s real. And here’s an important piece of that conversation That gets buriedBy the AI part. A video from a random TikToker alerted me to the “fact”that on SPANE:The Scale Of Positive And Negative Experiencethe very highest vibration Is… guess!Right - ha ha you read the title of the post. Authenticity. But on all the charts I can find it’s love.Here’s my take. In all my experiences of love - romantic, spiritual, platonic, ecstatic etc the underlying vibration is authenticity. True love happens when we are authentically ourselves. The desire to love and be lovedisn’t just - but certainly includes -The desire to be ourselves. And be seen as ourselves. And for creatives - where one of the great love affairs is with The audience - the viewer It’s this ability to have your own voiceTo be your actual self in your work.I was once at Sardi’s with the actor Judd HirshAfter his show Tuesday’s with Morrie.With ex and my ex-father in law - who was a friend of his. Mid dinner Judd suddenly clocked meAnd though we had already been introduced He asked my EFIL Who are these people.My EFIL gave him my thumbnail - Which at that point - early in my careerWas weighted heavily towards Solo shows and performance art. Judd turns to look at me and says:I love people like you. Real people.And then he pinched my cheek,Hard. Ow.Filed it under ‘uncomfortable moments’.But lately, I’ve come to understand The way universe/god/higher-power speaks to us. I get that the language of signs -Can be subtle But is usually not quiet. In fact loudness is one of the main characteristics.It’s like when people try to talk to each other in foreign languages We just sometimes say the same thing again.But louder!The loudness of a sign might be volume.Or repetition. Or something being out of place.Or a visual sign - words that are so on the nose that they are loud. I’ve experienced a few of those And they are part of It’s A Lot.I bring it up here because that cheek pinch was loud!It was weird. Who pinches cheeks besides grandmothers?And it was hard enough to kind of hurt.And he was such a weird person to be telling meI love people like you real people.My unthought thought: isn’t everyone a real person?Doesn’t everyone want to be a real person?As it turns out, no.And maybe less so now.And this TikTok about authenticity being the highest vibration Jogged this memory. And it felt like - oh that was a message.’God’ speaks through us all.People are always telling me that thing you said - blah blah blah - Changed my life.And yet I have no memory of it.We are vessels. I do value authenticity.I’m drawn to extreme authenticity over extreme virtuoso. I love hearing That’s so you!In my coaching and teaching Helping creatives and comedians find their true voices and their real work Is one of my missions. I have this now rare in person You But Funnier workshop coming up LA.Finally. And importantly.I started to wonder what makes a higher vibration - higher and better. I mean in music the bass - low vibration is no worse - or better Than a wildly high sax.Why do we even aspire to ‘high vibration’. My understanding is that high vibe has to do with being in the now.Acceptance.Lack of resistance. Going with the flow.And in this world right now - where there is so much to resistThat can be tricky.So. How not to resist that which we are better off not resisting:The very nature of our own unique beingness And yet also resist that which requires resistance.You know what I’m talking abut.It’s subtle. We each have to find our own way.But listening to what is loudly being whispered right to us.Understanding that authenticity and love are connected. Allowing ourselves to experiment with trial and error.Not being afraid of error.These are some of the ways. Listening to your own true heart’s desire. Marching to the beat of your own drummer. You do you.Even that means balloon denim.All the love, Beth And if you are in LA please do join me on Friday night for It’s A Lot! The Infinite Creator is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work - and you own - become a free or for $5 a month - a paid subscriber. Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

Where will you be year from now?Unknown, of course.Because where will we be a year from now?We each have our hopes, our fears.Our searchlights and our blinders. But where you will be The next time Halloween is in your sights And beach sand is still at the bottom of your bagIs at least somewhat up to you.Where you will be the next time The heat of September Feels left over and also predictive.When the moon and the Jewish calendar and the trees whisper Let go…And at the same timeThe school year beckons you toGrab on to your future?Make a schedule and a plan.Letting go and grabbing onAll at once. Because life is a pulse.Not a line Or even a circle. A pulse.And a spiral.DNA, the galaxy, sunflowers… your moods.And when this moment comes back around next year You will be at a different place. And, to some degree at least -You get to decide what that place is. I used to think of myself as a Type A free spirit.Working hard to let the wind blow me where it will. It was a joke, but also true.And about 15 years ago, when I decided to change One of the things that shifted was my relationship with decisions.I decided to decide. And while we can’t know exactly what will unfold In the public realmWhat we can know is that we will fight for our work.That no matter what We will write the book.The script. Paint the pictures.Tell the stories.Work on finding our audiences. Enhancing beauty, joy, mystery.Become the people we need to be to make the workThat is our true heart’s desire. We can know it and we have to know it.Because without the creative sparkWithout you becoming the author of your own lifeYour own authorityWithout you claiming this for the worldOne more piece of the grey fog descends.But in order to do this, for ourselves and for the worldWe have to decide on the project.It sounds so mundane.But we have to create the boundaries.It’s one of the three requirements for momentum.And because life now is decision overwhelmAnd creative life is literally nothing but decisions And your success depends on making this one decision I created Pick Your Next Project to help.Deciding is hard partly because it’s violent. Decide is related to the other cides.Homicide. Suicide. Etceteracide. Cide is a cutting off. Of the other options. So it can be uncomfortable.But we have to decide on projects.Can you change your mind?Yes, sure change your mind.But not every day. And plus, you can’t change your mind until you make up your mind.And then you can’t change your mind just because the draft isn’t good enough. Can you decide to experiment for a month and then decide decide?Sure. Can you talk to everyone you know first?Not everyone. But three types of people, yes.Is it natural to have an aversion to deciding?Yes. You are a creative person.But the thing is, creativity comes from a word meaning to grow.We think it means making stuff.But the making is so we can grow. And once we grow, we make different things.More growth. More evolved work. That’s the process. And it’s an infinity loop. I learned a ton about decision making… by making decisions.Haha.And in some cases avoiding them. By getting less attached to being right.Then I learned more about decisions by helping other people make theirs. Friends and students and clients.Then I learned even more about making decisions When I wrote So You Need To Decide. And now I’m here to help you decide. Next Wednesday, Sept 10, I’m going to help you Pick Your Next Project. It’s a free 90 minute mini masterclass. I’m going to go through the process which you’ll be able to use again and again.And I’ll be answering questions as well. This isn’t one of those webinars that’s really just a sales pitch for the thing.This is the thing.It helps you and it’s also is a great way for me to connect with creatives who are thinking that after making the decision they might like clarity, inspiration, insight and motivation- as well as community - for executing the decision over the next year.That’s what I do in The Infinite Creator.So there will be a special offer at the end of the session.But the session itself, all content. And if you’d like to skip the masterclass and get on a call to explore working with me here’s the link to my calendar, grab a time.Thanks for all your hard work on behalf of the divine spark. And for welcoming me into your process, through these emails. Infinitely Yours…xxBeth The Infinite Creator is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work -and your own - consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Thanks for reading The Infinite Creator! This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

In this week’s episode of The Infinite Creator Podcast, I explore one of the most flummoxing but essential aspects of the creative life: hopeThe episode was sparked by a listener asking (please do ask!) about: how to stay creative in what feels like an anti-creative time — and hope is such a big piece of it. Me? I haven't always been hopeful. And in this episode I dive into a piece of my journey from hopelessness to hope. It features a serendipitous moment involving a greeting card, a miraculous moment on a street corner in Los Angeles, and the unexpected rebirth of UnCabaret.I get into the difference between hope and expectation, the role of imagination in the creative triangle, and why I see hope not as an emotion but as a creative stance. I end with ways to actually nurture your hope.This one tilts towards a personal, spiritually charged meditation on how we keep going—and growing—through these uncertain times.Without hope, there is no imagination. And without imagination, there is no creation. Ready to listen? Hope so! Infinitely Yours, xxBeth The Infinite Creator is a reader and listener supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work - and your own - consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. I hope you do!Thanks for listening to this episode of The Infinite Creator! I hope you enjoyed it. This post is public so feel free to share it.We’re launching our UnCabaret 2025 Initiative. Partnering with a different .org each show. This first show we are working with A Sense of Home, they help kids aging out of foster care find their ‘first-ever’ homes. See what they did there? First ever, forever. They are lovely, we have a great line up and if you are going to be in LA on Friday May 30, I hope you come help us raise energy, awareness and funds for them! Tickets here! Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

In a world of decision exhaustion, how do creators keep their juices flowing?In this episode, Beth Lapides explores the relationship between creativity and decision-making. How to soften the violence of choosing, and why your imagination and your “why” are critical tools for thriving.The difference between micro, macro, and “maxo” decisionsStrategies to manage decision fatigueThe two (very different) committees How to breakthroughWhy stay connected to your evolving whyBeth shares insights, tactics, and soul-level encouragement for anyone standing at a creative crossroads. If you liked today’s episode, subscribe, share, and consider becoming a paid subscriber to support the community. 💖Links mentioned:Mini Strategy Sessions with BethP.S. If you're standing at a crossroads and want clarity and guidance, my next free Pick Your Next Project mini masterclass is Wednesday May 21 at 5 PT — would love to see you there. Register for the free zoom here.And if you are ready to explore my year long transformational program grab a free mini strategy session with me here. Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

Easter got me thinking about rebirth. And especially as it’s connected to creativity ofc.The projects we leave behind — the ones shoved into drawers or buried in folders. Is the “final-final-FINAL.” actually done. (PS I’ve given up this naming madness and simply call files “name of project’ with the date. You never know it’s the final until later right?) This episode is about revisiting, rebirthing and remembering. About changing. Partly sparked by my billboard. See above! How does self-love help us with rebirthing? Might how does DIY and being able to ask for help track into love? How does loving impact our creative life? Tender. Weird. And hopefully useful. This one’s about the long game, the big shift. And was sparked not just by Easter but also a client who came to me with a question about reworking an old project. How do we decide?Thanks for listening and use the comment section - to comment, sure! - but also to ask questions you’d like me to address in an upcoming episodes. The Infinite Creator is a reader and listener supported publication/podcast. To receive new posts and support my work and more importantly your own , consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Thanks for listening! Sharing is caring - and every time you do it’s like you rebirth the episode!!Friday night 4/27/25 is our April UnCab! Every show is a rebirth! Get your tickets now! Need help deciding which project to do next? Should you resurrect a project? My mini zoom masterclass Pick Your Next Project is coming up on Wednesday may 21 at 5 PT!! Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

Hey friends,This week’s episode of The Infinite Creator Podcast is part spiritual pep talk, part creative coaching session, and part (slightly damp?) Torah portion. It’s about what it really takes to begin — and keep beginning — especially when things feel unclear, scary, or completely stuck.Because here’s the truth:“In order to do the thing, you have to do the thing.”Yes, it’s simple. But as this episode explores, it’s also complex, emotional, hilarious, and spiritual. I go deep into:* Why clarity comes through doing, not before it* The myth of readiness (and what "red, red, ready" means to me)* Rumi, the Red Sea, and your creative project* Why drafts, mess, and bathingsuit-snags are sacred* Stories about solo shows, Spalding Gray, Bridesmaids, and being a JCC cheerleader (yes, really)This is the one to listen to if:* You’re circling your project but not starting* You’ve started but feel like you're drowning* You just need someone to lovingly shout "WALK INTO THE SEA!"Listen now: 🎧 And if you’re feeling stuck? Confused? Waiting for the creative seas to part…start walking. The clarity lives in the doing.You walk. You get clearer. The clarity helps you move forward, you get clearer....It’s one of the most beautiful infinite loops of the infinite creator.xo, BethP.S. If you loved this, please like, subscribe, or share it with another creative soul who might be standing ankle-deep at the edge of their next big thing.The Infinite Creator is a reader and listener -supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work and your own, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Thanks for reading and listening to The Infinite Creator! This post is public so feel free to share it.#CreativeProcess #BethLapides #TheInfiniteCreatorPodcast #JustStart #YouGotThisOur next UnCabaret is Friday April 25. Awesome line up tickets here.If you’d like a free mini strategy call about how to move forward get on my calendar! Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

So many of us are dealing with the why bothers.Tending your own creative fire is tricky.Some solutions… and a mysterious connection. I draw the subjects for these weekly podcasts from conversation with and questions from creatives like you. And you! Feel free to populate questions in the comments.And if you’d like to dive in to. mini strategy session to explore solutions get on my calendar.Help build The Infinite Creator Community by sharing to everyone who is working on It!The Infinite Creator is a reader and listener supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work - and your own - consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Paid subscriptions start at only $5 a month and lets substack know they should start helping other people find us. Next UnCabaret Fridday April 25. Tickets here. Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

Aurhenticity. Why knowing who you are and working to express it is a key factor in creative success. And why it’s extremely and esspecially important right now. This one was inspired by my rose bush. I cover the sound of your voice, enoughness, inspiration, second chances and why we are even here.Reminder. Don’t waste a crisis. Essentially: A pep talk for creatives. Dolly Parton says, “Find out who you are and do it on purpose.” Oscar Wilde says, “Be yourself, everyone else is taken.”If you are in Los Angeles love to see you at UnCabaret. Tickets for Friday, March 28 at El Cid in Silverlake here. Get on my calendar for a free mini strategy session.The Infinite Creator is a reader and listener supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work - and your own! - consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Thanks for listening to The Infinite Creator! This post is public so feel free to share it.xxB Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

A listener asked me to talk about hiding. Happy to and I break it down here. How we use hiding productively and sometimes destructively. Do you hide? How? Is it helpful? How do you use the pulse of hiding and seeking? Questions about your creative work? Send them over to me at [email protected]. Tickets to March 28 UnCabaret right here, if you’re in Los Angeles love to see you there where I will not be hiding!I mentioned my book, So You Need To Decide, if you haven’t listened to it yet… here’s the Amazon link, but it’s available everywhere audiobooks are including your library. Variety called it, “a potentially life-changing treasure!” And it was on Vulture’s Top 10 Comedy Books of the Year list.The Infinite Creator is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work - and your own - consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Thanks for listening to this episode The Infinite Creator! This post is public so feel free to share it.Thank you for listening to this episode of The Infinite Creator.!xxBeth Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode I talk about the unsexy yet life changing habit of consistency. If you are interested in a free mini strategy session book one here. Tickets to the next UnCabaret in Los Angeles on Friday March 28 here.The Infinite Creator is a reader-supported publication. My level of consistency is meant to support you not overwhelm you. To receive new posts and support my work, and yours! consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Thanks for reading The Infinite Creator! This post is public so feel free to share it. And then actually share it:) Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

I got wordle on a first try. And it was very revealing!This week intuition, red carpets and blowing up your life.Click here to get on my calendar for a mini strategy call to help find your red carpet work. Does your intuition tell you you’d feel good about becoming a subscriber? Upgrading to paid? Following that feeling here….Thanks for listening to The Infinite Creator! This post is public so feel free to share it.UnCabaret on Friday was so vibrant! Get tickets for the March 28 show here! Reach out with questions. I love a question. Maybe I’m going to start doing drawings for each of the podcasts. I did today. Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

Drilling down into the meme of our times. My desire to be well informed Is at odd with my desire to stay sane.How to news. Why to news. If you are n LA come visit at UnCabaret this Friday!Thank you for listening and please share your news strategy in the comments!The Infinite Creator is a fully reader/listener supported publication. It’s a bout the creative life. To receive new posts and support my work - and your own - consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Thanks for listening! The Infinite Creator! This post is public so feel free to share it.If you would like to explore working with me as a creativity coach I do free mini-strategy sessions. Schedule here. Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

Hiiii! Happy to have you hear/here. This one is just the tip of the iceberg on time/space and creativity. We’ll be getting more into all this as we go.I’ve been dabbling in these substack podcasts but now we’re fully in a beta test of a SundayStack. Giving it three months and then we will assess. I’ll be watching stats of course but feel free to tell me what you love or want more of. I’ll be experimenting.Also! I have a special on paid subscriptions! $5.00 for now. Substack’s algorithm does care about how many of the almost 6k of you are paid subscribers. And so your paid subscription helps you help me help more creatives. Currently I don’t have any special features for paid subscribers but I am working on that. Chats and zooms etc. And very much appreciate you all, paid, free, drop in listens.Here’s how you sign up…The Infinite Creator is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work and your own! consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Also sharing with new folx is super helpful. And btw I have subscribers in every state except North Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming. If you know anyone in these states it would be oddly satisfying to have every state in the mix.Thanks for reading The Infinite Creator! This post is public so feel free to share it.Tickets for our February 28 UnCabaret in Los Angeles! Killer line up! Do you happen to need a laugh?As always - and for now…Infinitely Yours, Beth Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

Thrilled to have you hear/here.Pick Your Next Project ICYMI and Q&AWednesday Feb 12, 20255-6 PTZoomFree!Register here Get on my calendar for a free clarity and discovery call! Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

Thanks for joining me on the Infinite Creator Podcast!Here are your links!So You Need To Decide Pride on The Page in Palm Springs: Hosting a conversation with Alec Mapa and Guy Branum on Oct 20.It’s A Lot Friday November 29 at The Revolution Stage Company in Palm SpringsWhy A.I. Isn’t Going To Make ArtUnCabaret Friday Oct 25 in Los Angeles at El CidCalendar a free discovery call to explore working with Beth in The Infinite Creator The Infinite Creator is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work - and your own - , consider deciding to become a free or paid subscriber.Thanks for listening to The Infinite Creator! This post is public so feel free to share to anyone who needs it - o your whole comm/unity.Have a creative day!xx Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

The puppet paradox. One way of looking at creativity and how to succeed in he creative chaos that we are making our way through.To get on my calendar for a free discovery call click here! Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

Do you ever sit in your car? Five minutes here, five minutes there?You But Funnier workshop. UnCabaret Friday June 28Schedule a discovery call about working with me as a creativity coach. Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you for listening to The Infinite Creator Podcast. The Infinite Creator helps creatives turn piles of notes into projects and get those projects out into the world.If you’d like info about the Infinite Creator Program click here.Ready to get on a free discovery call with Beth? Do it here.Come to UnCabaret Friday May 24 or sometime in the future!Ready tp take you comedy writing and performing to the next level? Join Beth at her in person You But Funnier for four Saturdays on June. Hope this has been useful. Questions?Thank you for reading The Infinite Creator. This post is public so feel free to share it.The Infinite Creator is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work - and your pwn - consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

Night pages as an alternative to morning pages. A practice to help writers find their voices and projects. Writing is a core practice to any creative endeavor. A way to wrote more consistently, authentically and profitably. Connect with Beth Lapides. Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

Thanks for listening! If you’d like to read or share the written post this podcast was based on - it’s right here. Tickets to UnCabaret at The Nimoy on Thursday March 10 are here.Tickets to my new show It’s A Lot at El Cid in LA on Friday March 22 are hereGet on my calendar for a free discovery call about how you can work with me to transform your creative life. The goal of my creativity coaching to is help you turn piles of paper - files lists notes to self drafts - into projects. And then get those projects out into the world. In creative conscious and with infinite love, Beth Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

Beth Lapides explores momentum. How to create. What momentum really is. The Triangle of Momentum Creation. Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

Beth Lapides on navigating the in between time in the holiday season. And how use the energy of it to understand rough drafts. Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

Accepting a compliment retrospectively. The Barbra Book. My Name is Barbra. Being one degree away from Barbra Streisand. Not wasting creative energy. Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

Making sense of being a creative person right now. Creativity and war and peace. Solutions for developing and painting your creative life from a creator, creativity coach and muse. Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

How - and why - to keep creating work during dark times and when everyone is feeling not ok from a debited creator and creativity coach. Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

Dreams, goals, locating your true desires. Creativity coach and author Beth Lapides on how to get where you are going. Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

Substack has added a podcast feature - so I'm experimenting with it. I know some of you - even you who like to read - sometimes prefer to listen. And it's a time thing too. So to start out with recording the written stacks and adding a little bit of commentary. This one is kind of meta becuase it's about growth and adding the podcast is in fact growing.Infinitely yours, Beth Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

I have a few clients Who have been obsessingAbout problems this week. And the thing about being a storyteller?We love problems. Because stories are really nothing without problems. Conflict! Drama! Issues!Even comedy. Pain!So we’re drawn to problems.Or maybe we were drawn to problemsAnd so we became storytellers. Either way. Here’s the thing.It’s like a plank of wood. You look at a plank of wood. Your eyes - our eyes at least - storytellers’ eyes - go to the knot. And a knot in a piece of wood Is where there was an infection. A problem. And the tree just grew around it. But the knot is where our eye goes.Because it’s the most interesting part.The problem Is where it’s all happening!But there’s the rest of the plank of wood.Without all that boring nothing going on part The knot wouldn’t be so interesting.It’s in the context of the un-problemsThat the problem becomes interesting. And yes. Looking at problems Is great for storytelling.But not always great for living. For living - as a storyteller As someone Who needs to stare at Even dig around in That knotted area -It is super helpful to - As you walk away from your desk - Look at the rest of the plank of wood.Look at solutions. Look at un-problems.Look at beauty.Oh problems will arise. Sure. They always do.But you don’t have to always Be drawn to them. In the way that you always have to be drawn to them In your work. This shift in focus Will help give you the fortitudeTo get back into it tomorrow.When you will be at it again. Becuase you are writing every day.Right?(If not - or if you are and struggling - I can help with that.) And one other possible tactic.When you end up obsessing about the problem.See if you can convert it into a question. And then remind yourself to love the question. Sometimes solutions, answers, stories and peace of mind Can ride in on that love.Infinitely Yours, Beth The Infinite Creator is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work - while supporting your work with incoming inspiration and motivation - consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Thank you for reading The Infinite Creator! This post is public and free - so feel free to share it as a way of supporting this work. Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

There’s a drift in the creative communityOf assuming the reason You are not moving forward on a projectOn maybe your whole careerIs resistance.And resistance is real!I even resisted reading “The War of Art” Because who wants to read a whole book about resistance?!But here’s the thing!It’s so key.And may be the thing That helps you understand why you aren’t Moving forward!I saw a video of a peony blooming today. Here’s the link to my Insta.It’s in my stories right now.My first thought wasIt’s like a flower waving hello!And I mean it would be enough.If that’s all it was.I watched it again. And again. Was I resisting the annoying to do list? Duh. But was I actually mesmerized?I was.And after the third Maybe fifth time through(after all there was that list to resist)I realized part of what was happeningPart of what made this flower video So completely compelling Was the retreat.Of individual petals.Even though the flower kept blooming Each individual petal did not move Irrevocably forward!Or outward - to be more specific.Out and then in.Forward and then back.That’s what made it feel like It was wavingLike a hand.Oh hi!Like the watery wavesCrashing in on the sandAnd then heading back out to sea.I watched some more.The flower continued to bloom.As a whole.But each piece of the flowerEach petalMoved forward and pulled back.Breathed in And breathed out.As the flower flowed onIn a general trend of blooming.What does this mean for your work?Sometimes you are not resisting.Sometimes you step back to assess.You take a break between drafts.You put things in the drawer.Becuase you have a question. You sleep on things. Sometimes for years.(Great story in The Ankler today about Cormac McCarthy doing just that).Sometimes you are building the musclesYou are going to need to execute the next piece.Sometimes life.Life is real.And what you are making work about.So.Sometimes you are catching up with yourself.Backing away doesn’t always mean You are resisting.It can.But it doesn’t always.Especially if you look at the whole Of your workAs the flower.And each piece of your work As a petal.Are you blooming in general?If not - probably resistance.If you are blooming in generalMaybe you are backing up specificallyTo get perspectiveMomentumClarity.And the thing is They may look the same From the outside.Because most peopleWill not take the time To perceive your wholeness.Some people will.A great agent or manager.Your collaborators.A lover. Maybe.A creativity coach.(If you need one, we might be a good fitAnd you can set up a call to explore that here.)But whether you answer aloneOt with helpThe question is the same.Are you resistingOr are you re/treating?Re-treating after allTreating yourself well.Again.And again.As you must.If you are going to bloomFor a whole career.As I like to re/mind myselfCreate come from a word meaning to grow.Not a word meaning to make.And growthBlooming Becoming It’s a dance.A wave.A spiral.An explosion.It’s many things.And sometimes it moves In what looks like retreat.Moving backwards is challenging.That’s why they put cameras in cars to help you.Do that for yourself.Give yourself toolsTo back away - dance - with grace.And be gentle with yourself.And tough too.Like a flower petal.xx BThe Infinite Creator is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber! Or upgrading your free subscription to paid! xxThank you for reading The Infinite Creator. This post is public so feel free to share it:) Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

Oh! It’s jacaranda season. I love the jacarandas. One day abracadabra And everywhere you lookThe most magical purple.But not for long.They’ll be gone. And hardly missedIn the summer hum.But somehow This feeling of knowing they will be gone?Oh, no.I know All the things bloom and fade.Fade and bloom.To everything there is a season blah blah blah.But it feels, and I don’t know why -More so with jacarandas. Intensified. Maybe it’s the way the purple Looks different In different light - Different Against different backgrounds.Maybe it’s the way the purpleJust makes differentSo valuable.The way the changing hueIs changing just like you doAs you go From sky to walls.From meetings To hold my calls.Maybe it’s the wayThe changing colorMagically transforms you Into someone who walks aroundKnowing It’s not going to last.I’m not going to…. But then the beauty warns you Not to go there.Stay here In this fleeting now.Don’t dive into the never.This is the purple gazeThe ultimate spring days fever.You can’t even pretend with the jacarandas. I mean a rose.Looks like it might last forever.A rose is a rose is a rose.And don’t get me wrong I love a rose. Have them growing in my own garden.But a jacaranda.Might be gone before you even finish Saying the word. Jacaranda. Abracadabra.They cast their purple spell.Maybe the bloom and fade of these treesFeels so intense because of when it happens. In this tender moment As spring curves toward summer -This moment of shift.When the LA air is still cool.But the days are long.This yet that.As purple is.This yet that.Blue yet red.And maybe this year more than everIt’s that purple dream Of a life beyond red and blue.How we are all just So weary of that civil war.Which feels like it won’t fade.But will dig in - just root and root.As we try to un-ban the books.And yes.A jacaranda calls out to be read. And oh the story. Each one of these purple flowersOn a heros journey.We’re all just walking each other homeI feel like they whisper to one another As they flutter the - what? 10, 20 feet of air space.An odyssey.An odd a see an odd season.A changing season.How have I never noticed Until this yearThe jacaranda treesAre timed perfectly to Pride.Maybe because this is the year. We need the purple gaze.As we look towards a bloom and fade.Fade and bloom.So I look to The lace of purple skirtOn the groundIts own beautiful thing.Maybe it’s going to be ok.Go ahead honey let go.The blooming and the letting go - all at once almost. It is time to be the change. Create the change. Create into the change. Go ahead do it.You are a jacaranda.Abracadabra!xxInfinitely Yours, BPS Abracadabra is from the Aramaic phrase avra kehdabra, meaning “I will create as I speak”. From three Hebrew words, ab (father), ben (son), and ruach acadosch (holy spirit). That’s right the father the son and the Holy Ghost - well before Christianity. I create as I speak. In the beginning there was the word. Reach out to me if you’d like to talk about how I can help you transform your creative lifeThe Infinite Creator is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe

Strike.It’s a big word.And, as a generally striking personOne I hold close to my heart#amiprettyyourestrikingStrike.It means so many things. But right now And hereIn Hollywood It means Change.#wgastrong#sagcoming#dgatooAnd strike In this senseOf picket signs And lines of humansWhose job is actually writing lines.Is a tsunami of change.I almost can’t think strike nowWithout hearingAll the pins fall at once.A victory. And a massacre.At the same time.Strike - the word - in this now sense Maybe comes from The idea of ‘striking sails’Lowering the canvas.A refusal to go to work at sea.(Or now for usIn the sea change.)Strikes me as likely.And echoey.Lowering.Pencils down.Our sails. Though pencils seem more Like the masts.And the paper.The canvas.Sitting there.Waiting.As we are.I keep thinking of a coinMy friend Chris gave me a dozen years agoAs I set out on the choppy sea of starting over.We can’t control the windWe can only adjust our sails.I keep it on my desk.As an anchor.As IAs weOf the blusteryTalking tribeThe windy tribeTry to adjustOur sails.Sometimes not sailingHelps you study the waves.If not steady them.Sometimes stillnessIs the movement.The MovementThis nowIs a Movement moment.Like a be in.A love in.A sleep in.A moratorium.Where not doing somethingIs doing something.XxPS We have created special WGA comps for the UnCabaret Friday 5/26 El Cid show - next week. So after you walk the line – come hang out with us – and on us.The Infinite Creator is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Start writing today. Use the button below to create your Substack and connect your publication with The Infinite Creator Get full access to The Infinite Creator at bethlapides.substack.com/subscribe