May 31, 2017
Do you get a lot of joy from your experience of crafting? If so, you’re really going to love today’s episode, with Ursula Morgan, the Chief Executive Officer of Creative Bug. Ursula firmly believes in the joyfulness to be found in crafting, from the delight of making something to the pleasure derived from receiving a beautifully crafted, handmade gift. Listen in to find out more about Ursula and her joyfully creative approach to life.
Creative Bug, which will be turning five on the 15th of May, is the award winning DIY Art and Craft Instruction site, with over a thousand videos, for all skill levels. Before Creative Bug, Ursula had a successful career as an Art Editor. She was also an award-winning Magazine Publisher, for what is known by some to be the UK’s favorite Knitting Magazine. Ursula was the Vice President of all the US operations through one of the United Kingdom’s largest publishing houses. Listen in today and find how Ursula helps artists to spread more joy every time she grows the audience of Creative Bug.
Today, Ursula talks to Karen about:
- Creative Bug and what it has for creative people.
- The really inexpensive cost for getting instruction from the best experts in the country, at Creative Bug.
- The challenge of producing 2-4 shows per week.
- The creative atmosphere and the awesome team at Creative Bug.
- The hot off the press, great news about Creative Bug!
- That Joanne Fabric and Craft Stores have allowed Creative Bug to retain its full creative autonomy and awesomeness!
- Ursula’s creative life, growing up.
- How Ursula ended up as the CEO of Creative Bug.
- How she found herself able to ‘read’ spreadsheets and see a picture with them.
- The huge craft portfolio that she built up, going from one to many pillars in crafting.
- What she was doing in her job, when she moved here, to the US.
- The risk she took, leaving her job and starting out on her own.
- The ‘aha’ moments and breakthroughs she’s had in her crafting capabilities.
- Their Friday ‘Crafternoons’ at Creative Bug and the new things Ursula’s learned to make.
- Passions and deep passions.
- What brought her to study design.
- What brought her to the realization that you’re only limited by your own belief of what you can do, or not.
- Her philosophy around creativity- that you just need to give yourself the time to return to your creative self.
- They even have some sweet treats and baking classes at Creative Bug.
- That you can even learn to sew with Creative Bug.
- How you can find and sign up for Creative Bug and what you can get on the website.
- You can have a two week trial for free.
- That Creative Bug is now on Facebook Live.
- What creativity really means to Ursula.
- The Daily Challenges on the Creative Bug website.
- Ursula’s advice for people wanting to get into the more professionally creative side of crafting, or teaching.
Link:
Creative Bug Website: Creative Bug
Karen’s website: A Creative Approach Podcast
Join the Creative Approach Facebook Group.
May 17, 2017
If you’re inspired by enthusiastic, multi-talented and really creative people, you’re going to get a lot out of today’s show, with Karen’s vibey guest, Kathy Cano Morillo, who is better known as The Crafty Chica, or The Queen Of Glitter. Kathy is a lively, positive and really warm person and she’s also a truly creative individual. Listen in today, to find out more about Kathy’s creative approach to life as she shares about how you can keep evolving and becoming more than you were before.
Kathy’s history includes being an artist, a crafter, a speaker, a writer of novels and an author of craft books. She combines all these pursuits with her life as a wife and a mother. Kathy describes herself as a third generation, Mexican American, left handed middle child, born under the sign of Sagittarius, who owns five Chihuahuas! Listen in as Kathy joins Karen today, to discuss her creative life and her gospel of glitter!
Today, Kathy talks to Karen about:
- What she’s busy with, at the moment.
- The joys of journalling.
- What you will find on her website (www.craftychica.com).
- Her Etsy Shop, with it’s wonderful items, also to be found via her website.
- Her organic approach to selling her wares.
- Her love for the Mexican Culture’s approach to crafts.
- How she’s always adding a new twist to things.
- Her DIY Latino Lifestyle
- That she actually glittered her garage floor! You can see the tutorial on her website.
- Her favorite thing- when she posts an idea and people actually do it and send her pictures!
- The business sense that she learned from Jamie at The Crafter’s Workshop.
- Her books: Waking Up In The Land Of Glitter and Miss Scarlett’s School Of Patternless Sewing.
- That her books speak about the driving force of creativity in the lives of women, which pushes them to create something.
- Why Publisher’s Weekly compared her second book, Miss Scarlett’s School Of Patternless Sewing, to Fried Green Tomatoes.
- Her third book, that she’s working on, about a cake decorator.
- That everything about writing started for her in the third grade, when she wrote her first story.
- The lasting impressions that teachers make on children.
- Growing up in a creative family, going back many generations.
- Her really creatively successful
- Celebrating both female and Latino artists with The Phoenix Fridas.
- Cultivating Craft Groups.
- The National TV Series which was shared on PBS.
- How her husband inspired her let go of her self doubt and make things to sell, before they got married.
- Evolving yourself beyond your old ideas and patterns.
- Why she thinks that creative people are the smartest people.
- The new big clients that she’s landed, like Coca Cola and Minute Maid.
- Her Crafty Chica Cruise to Mexico. (See her newsletter- subscribe via her website.)
- Why you really need to take control of your spending and what Kathy’s done to take control of hers.
- Some really creative things that you can do to make some money.
Links:
Kathy’s website: www.craftychica.com
You can follow Kathy on Instagram
Karen’s website: www.acreativeapproachpodcast.com
Join the Creative Approach Facebook Group.
May 3, 2017
Today’s Big Ass Guest is Mark Montano- he’s at the top of Karen’s list when it comes to having a creative approach! She’s been a great fan of his, since seeing him on Trading Spaces and she has many of his books and watches lots of his Facebook Live videos. Listen in and find out more about Mark, what he does and how he really inspires people.
Mark is a Designer, a Television Host and the Best Selling Author of the really popular Big Ass Craft Book Series, which are the best selling craft books in the United States. He also works as a Creative Consultant for DecoArt and as a Creative Director for Eclectic Products. Listen in today and find out about Mark’s wonderfully creative approach to life.
Today, Mark talks to Karen about:
- What he does with Facebook Live and some other projects.
- How he decided, at the age of thirteen, that he would move to New York and become a fashion designer.
- How he eventually did become a fashion designer and worked for Oscar de la Renta, before starting his own collection.
- How he was asked to write a monthly article for Cosmo Girl Magazine.
- How his articles for Cosmo Girl turned into his book series.
- How his career moved from Fashion into Interiors, after landing a TV show called While You Were Out.
- How he ended up moving to Los Angeles.
- How he moved into doing Youtube movies and Facebook Live.
- Live events- he finds them fun, but exhausting.
- The Association For Creative Industries – The new name for the CHA.
- How he was constantly making things while growing up.
- Traveling and performing with the Kashari Indian Dancers, as a child.
- His education- starting with a degree in marketing and business, then The Fashion Institute where he studied the history of fashion.
- That he views fashion as art.
- That being smart with your money is the only way you can be successful in a creative industry.
- The biggest question- What creativity really means to him.
- How he came up with his big ass name for his books, now in their 29th
- The new book that he wrote recently, about how to stay on track in your life and avoid distractions, while working from home.
- The normal tasks you do that make you a creative person.
Links:
Mark’s website and blog: Mark Montano
Mark on Youtube: Mark Montano
Mark on Facebook: Mark Montano
or
Google ‘make your mark’ and he’ll pop up!
Resource:
Books: The Big Ass Book Of Crafts by Mark Montano
And all his other books are available from Amazon
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