Author Mea Smith discusses her journey through determining her worth and shares epiphanies about how it connects to creativity in this special QWERTY interview with a creative. Joy E. Rancatore asks Mea foundational and process questions and pr

The Importance of Motivation in Creativity

29 days ago 31m 55s

Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith dispel negative emotions toward motivation in the creative life for Episode 15 in Season 5 of QWERTY Writing Life.They present a QWERTY theory about the aspects of motivation and two QWERTY-identified typ

Motivation to Move

Mar 18th, 2024 33m 2s

Recently, authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith met with a group of writers on a college campus. One of the students asked a question that has spurred ongoing conversation between Mea and Joy … and this episode!“What is your motivation to pub

Benefits of Writing Across Formats

Mar 5th, 2024 31m 48s

Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith highlight five benefits of writing across formats and genres in this episode of QWERTY Writing Life. They pull from their work and life experiences to exemplify each point and challenge listeners to add to

Balancing Vulnerability and Memories in Art

Feb 20th, 2024 53m 13s

Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith approach a challenging topic in Season 5, Episode 12 of QWERTY Writing Life—how to balance vulnerability and memories in art. They offer five tips to avoid unhealthy bleeding out of emotions in public art

How Do We Add to the Great Conversation?

Feb 6th, 2024 46m 16s

In Season 5, Episode 11 of QWERTY Writing Life, authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith answer the question, “How do we add to the Great Conversation?” To do that, they came up with four thoughts on the how of it all to round out this mini serie

Why Should We Care About the Great Conversation?

Jan 16th, 2024 29m 37s

Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith dive deeper into the topic of the Great Conversation as they answer the question, “Why Care About the Great Conversation?” They share three primary “whys” and then go further in regards specifically to lit

What is the Great Conversation?

Jan 2nd, 2024 29m 8s

Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith begin a few thoughts about the Great Conversation. In Episode 9 of Season 5’s QWERTY Writing Life, they seek to answer the question “What is the Great Conversation?”Check out the links referenced in the s

Jumpstart Creativity with Prompts

Dec 19th, 2023 47m 59s

Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith encourage creatives to play this holiday season and jumpstart their creativity with prompts. In this episode of QWERTY Writing Life, they give five types of prompts for creatives and then share examples fr

What Will You Sacrifice for Your Art?

Dec 5th, 2023 1h 3m

Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith continue season five’s extra candid format in an episode about sacrifice. They discuss people’s natural aversion to the word as well as the importance of it and how it ties into a creative’s life and art.

Redefining Self Care

Nov 21st, 2023 48m 38s

Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith present perhaps their most candid QWERTY Writing Life episode yet. They don’t have any earth-shattering answers for the questions they pose on the topic of redefining self care. What they do have are hones

Interview with a Creative: Dan Blank on Creative Place & Purpose

Nov 7th, 2023 53m 56s

Dan Blank, founder of WeGrowMedia, visits QWERTY Writing Life and chats with authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith about Creative Place and Purpose.He gives practical tips on how to take overwhelming aspects of the creative life—marketing, au

Where Is Your Art’s Place in the Creative World?

Oct 16th, 2023 38m 30s

In Season 5, Episode 4 of QWERTY Writing Life, Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith bring back a previous question, with a twist.Where Is Your Art’s Place in the Creative World?Answering where an artist fits in the creative world is one cha

Authors and Readers: Let’s Get Together!

Oct 2nd, 2023 29m 30s

Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith tackle a huge topic in this episode of QWERTY Writing Life: bringing Authors and Readers together.They seek to reduce the overwhelm of the topic, though, through a set of six lessons they’ve learned over

Where Is Your Place in the Creative World?

Sep 18th, 2023 32m 6s

Since childhood, people ask that loaded question: “Where Do I Fit In?” Creatives still ask that question, but with a twist:“Where Is My Place in the Creative World?”Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith have asked the same question, and they

Calibrate Your Creative Purpose

Sep 4th, 2023 23m 43s

Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith have been prepping for a life-changing literary submission. As part of that, they must submit an Artist’s Statement. Neither of them was sure what that was, but after a bit of research, they discovered the

Reflections on Season Four of QWL

May 23rd, 2023 35m 43s

Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith reflect on the fourth season of QWERTY Writing Life and celebrate the highlights while announcing plans for the future. Tune in for opportunities to weigh in on upcoming creative opportunities and a challe

Reflecting on a Creative Project

May 8th, 2023 23m 52s

Season Four of QWERTY Writing Life has been full of productivity, surprises and lessons learned. Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith reflect on the season and the projects they have managed along the way.Tune in for thoughts on embracing th

Creative Momentum: Returning to a Project

Apr 18th, 2023 19m 25s

Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith got together in person to complete the project they’ve been working on throughout Season Four. Tune in to hear how it went and what else the duo accomplished while they were together.As usual, the QWERTYs

Getting Creative with Perspectives

Apr 4th, 2023 32m 32s

Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith understand what it’s like to feel stuck or uncertain in the creative process. They propose we all approach our creative endeavors from a new perspective, every now and then.Tune in for six distinct creati

Creatively Redeeming a Time Gap

Mar 20th, 2023 22m 16s

Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith found themselves with an unexpected time gap in their current creative project and found a way to creatively redeem that gift. Tune in for a few tips and tricks for making the most of the gift of time in t

When Your Pivot Needs to Pivot

Mar 7th, 2023 30m 55s

Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith share some words of wisdom for fellow creatives who find themselves in need of a double pivot. Creative processes require flexibility and introspection. When creatives try something new, it may work great;

Creativity: Are You Sitting or Steeping? Part 2

Feb 21st, 2023 49m 11s

Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith follow up their previous episode with a look at how creative habits can keep us from falling into the procrastination trap and avoid stagnant sitting. From there, they offer practical tips to enhance the s

Creativity: Are You Sitting or Steeping? Part 1

Feb 7th, 2023 52m 39s

Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith discuss the difference between sitting and steeping, creatively speaking. Creatives can commonly fall into a time of procrastination or of percolation. Often, the line between the two can be a bit blurry,

What You Need to Build on a Completed Project

Jan 17th, 2023 37m 22s

Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith continued discussion about new creative projects coming from past ones makes the perfect starting point for any creative considering a new work-in-progress.They share the top five needs a Creative should