Welcome to another episode of Create Shift. In today’s solo episode I’m diving into the topic of procrastination. Is it a helpful part of the creative processes, a block to be battled through and overcome or perhaps neither of those? If you feel like procrastination is something you’ve come up against many times, this episode will offer you a fresh perspective on it and some tools for how to move through it.

Links, references, resources

* My Alchemy single session coaching package is now on Summer sale! More than 50% off. All the info is here on this PDF (because I’m too excited to share this to wait for it to be on my website looking fancy). This really is an incredible offer and there are just 10 spots available.

* This episode references theories on self-doubt and self-belief developed by master coach Sas Petherick, informed by her own research. I’m diving deep into this learning on Sas’ Self Belief Coaching Academy certification training.

That’s all for today.

Until next time!

Stay curious, stay inspired and stay connected.

Ellen x

Thanks for reading Creative Embers with Ellen Franklyn-Carr! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Welcome back to the Create Shift podcast. It’s been a little while since I released a new episode, and even longer since I did an interview. I’m so excited to share today’s interview episode with writer Tutku Barbaros.

Tutku is a writer – across forms – of Turkish Cypriot heritage from south-east London. She is an alumna of the Royal Court Writers' Programme as well as Sphinx Theatre's year-long writer's development programme, Sphinx 30. Her play debut Layla and Youssef was longlisted for the Bruntwood prize and the Paines Plough Women's Prize For Playwriting. "All The Women She Knows" is her debut book. Tutku also leads creative writing workshops designed to playfully and joyfully help adults unlock their imagination in relaxed settings.

Follow Tuts on Instagram @Tutku_Barbaros (this is also the place to get all the info on the writing workshops Tuts runs)

Order Tuts’s debut short story collection (I really recommend it) All The Women She Knows

Topics covered in the episode

* Writing as a practice for survival, and creativity for the sake of creativity

* Success, finding your own definition of it & how it’s “not about what success looks like, it’s about what it feels like”

* Writing trauma

* Tuts’ process of writing All the Women She Knows, and how she allowed herself to slow down and enjoy the journey of it - “allowing myself to just sit in the world and go slowly”

* Burnout, Tuts’ experience with this in 2019 and how the pandemic was a time for her to re-assess and re-connect with writing

* How there’s a need for a radical overhaul in the theatre industry

* The importance of artist dates, and of surrounding yourself with inspiration

* Movement and creativity, and the importance of embracing the weird and the uncertainty

* Trigger warnings in creative work

Links & resources

* Dear Damsels So Long As You Write club

* My recent post on the myth of the tortured artist

* My upcoming workshop A seasonal approach to creativity and artistic practice

* Upcoming Rebellious Artists' and Creatives' Café on the theme of inspiration. April 26th (not the 27th as I said in the episode), 12pm BST. Book your free space here. )

* All the info on 1:1 coaching

Thanks for listening.

Until next time.

Stay inspired, stay curious and stay connected.

Ellen x