The Power of a Creative Cadence: How Consistency Unlocks Your Artistic Potential

This blog/newsletter/random rambling thing is celebrating its first birthday. It’s ok; no gifts are required.

But the reason I started writing this was not because I had a lot of downtime; it was because I missed the cadence of creativity.

After years of working in morning radio, being responsible for creating 20 hours of live audio every week, and then transitioning to the more laid-back world of podcasting, I missed the rush of deadlines and constantly searching for content.

Now, of course, I have deadlines to produce and publish podcasts daily, but it doesn’t require the breakneck pace of waking up at 3 am and taking a couple of hours to prep for a 4-hour show that will air regardless of what happens to me or my team’s life.

I did love being on top of everything; I was responsible for knowing a little bit about everything, whether what was happening in the world of pop culture, sports, politics, or lifestyle news. I was like my hero, Indiana Jones, looking underneath every rock to find a nugget that could be cleaned up, examined, and used as a piece of content as part of the larger puzzle of putting together a show.

I also had to be aware of my surroundings. Anything that was happening in my life, my family’s lives, or even a stranger’s life?—?to their chagrin?—?could be something I could use on the show. It could be family drama or a random interaction. It could all be the genesis for a segment on the show.

I missed viewing life through a lens of curiosity. That’s what the Good Listen Letter is about.

It’s like living each day with the mentality of “See something, say something.”

In my case, when I see something that I can examine and provide insight on that could potentially help others, that’s what inspires me to write.

So if I see a story about Coca-Cola or Robert Downey Jr., I unpeel that onion and see what’s underneath. That’s a blog. Have a run-in with a guy with overzealous political views? That’s a blog. Something my mom says? That’s a blog.

And I've been doing that every week for the past 12 months.

I don’t expect anyone to read my words and start their own blog, but I want folks to realize the impact of the cadence of creativity.

Now, before you say, “I don’t have enough time in the day to be creative,” you might want to read up on a Pulitzer Prize winner.

The late, great best-selling author Toni Morrison, the Nobel laureate in literature who wrote “Song of Solomon” and “Beloved,” which won the Pulitzer, started her legendary career with a cadence of creativity.

Toni was a single mother in New York City, working as an editor at Random House in the 1960s. She would wake up early every morning before her children arose and before she headed off to work, and she would write a few pages of her first novel, The Bluest Eye, in 1970.

She balanced a day job and motherhood to launch her legacy.

Like Toni, Ernest Hemingway said he wrote every morning, but if you’re not a morning person, find that time of day that works for your life.

When anyone asks me about starting a podcast, I always say that a podcast is a hobby you treat as a profession.

Whether it’s a book, a blog, a podcast, a film, or a work of art, you’re more than likely not going to be paid to start. But if you embrace the mindset that anything you make has the same mindset as the profession you’re paid for, that’s when you get the most out of any creative endeavor.

Start with baby steps. Pick one hour on the same day of the week that you will create, and eliminate distractions. Tell your family to leave you alone, turn off your phone, and shut off the internet on whatever device you will use to create. Christopher Nolan, who just won a shelf load of Oscars for “Oppenheimer,” admitted that he writes all of his scripts on a computer that has no internet and uses a flip phone.

Elizabeth Gilbert, the author known for “Eat, Pray, Love,” put it best: “A creative life is an amplified life. It’s a bigger life, a happier life, an expanded life, and a hell of a lot more interesting life.”

Let’s start that creative life today.

This week on the Forbes Books Podcast, I speak with Mary Cianni. PhD about her creative endeavor—a book.

She's the author of "The Consultant's Compass."?Through real-life stories and deep insights, she challenges our common misconceptions about consultants.

If you collaborate with consultants, operate as one, or simply find the consulting field fascinating, this episode is an essential listen.

Check out our chat on Forbes Books , Apple , Spotify , YouTube , or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Connect with me on TikTok , X , Instagram , and (of course) LinkedIn . My book, Good Listen: Creating Memorable Moments in Business and in Life , is now available at all your favorite bookstores.