02. What is this thing called source, and why does it matter?

In this episode of 'Create from the Source' hosted by Katja Maria Slotte, listeners are introduced to Dutch singer-songwriter Margriet Sjoerdsma, a.k.a. Odelion. The conversation delves into various aspects of creative life, including overcoming challenges, finding one's artistic voice, and maintaining a connection to the creative source. Margriet shares her experiences of growth in her career, the importance of following enthusiasm, and how pivotal moments led her to significant projects like her tribute to Eva Cassidy, playing in prestigious venues including the North Sea Jazz Festival, Bimhuis, Tivoli Vredenburg and Concertgebouw, and receiving critical acclaim with her albums of her original English-language songs under the artist name Odelion. Furthermore, they discuss the role of mentors, the impact of limiting beliefs, and practical strategies for staying aligned and inspired, and you'll also find out the back story of how Katja's approach for working with the voice ended up getting the name Sing From The Source. The episode wraps up with insights into upcoming projects and practices to nurture one's creative self.More about Margriet, her music and projects:Margriet's websiteOdelion on SpotifyMargriet Sjoerdsma on SpotifyRead Katja's blog with creativity coaching insights and tips on Substack:Create From The SourceJoin 12 Days of Sing From The Source This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katjamaria.substack.com

Unlocking the Power of Creativity CoachingIn this episode, Katja introduces new solo mini-episodes focused on creativity coaching, explaining its importance for artists and creatives across various disciplines.She breaks down the multi-faceted components of creativity coaching, emphasizing its role as a holistic approach that addresses both life and work, including handling inner and outer obstacles, mindset, aligning actions with personal visions, managing fears, reconnecting with one's creative passions, clarifying your artist voice and mission, strategic project management and navigating the challenges of the creative industry and marketplace.Additionally, she emphasizes the importance of self-coaching as a tool for continuous personal and professional growth, encouraging listeners to consider creativity coaching as a means to enhance their creative journey.00:00 Welcome and Introduction06:32 Understanding Creativity Coaching12:09 Building Awareness and Taking Action15:56 Managing Fears and Anxieties18:52 Rediscovering Your Creative Spark20:28 Practical Aspects of Creative Work24:08 Support and Self-Care32:51 The Importance of Self-Coaching34:13 Conclusion LINKS:Read Katja’s blog with creativity coaching insights and tips on Substack: https://www.createfromthesource.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katjamaria.substack.com

In this episode, Katja has a conversation with Katie Crooks, aka The Artist's Hypnotherapist, about how hypnotherapy can help you release limiting patterns in your creative life.You'll hear about Katie's own creative journey and learn how subconscious programming can limit you from expressing yourself authentically, and how hypnotherapy can help you release these blocks.More about Katie and her new program The Abundant Artist:Katie's websiteIG: The Artist's HypnotherapistRead Katja’s blog with creativity coaching insights and tips on Substack:Create From The Source This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katjamaria.substack.com

What do you do when the timeline you’ve planned for a creative project or for your creative career looks great in your mind (and on paper), but isn’t aligned with everything that’s going on in the whole big picture of your life?How do you respond to big changes in your creative work & life and to the liminal space that’s created when you find yourself in between projects, in between life phases?Can you embrace change even if it requires a (temporary) loss of something you’ve built and worked on for years, without seeing that as a sign of failure?The Create From The Source podcast is back!In this episode, you’ll learn how to deal with changes and proceed with your creative projects in situations when you notice that the timeline you have planned in your mind isn’t actually the timeline that’s needed.You’ll also learn how your creativity can be your guiding light in times of change and during challenging times in your life, and hear what’s in store for this new podcast season!- Read Katja’s blog with creativity coaching insights and tips on Substack: https://www.createfromthesource.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katjamaria.substack.com

Leaking creative energy often leads to difficulties in being fully focused & present in your creative work, and in the worst case these energy drains can even lead to burnout.In this episode, we’ll discuss how you might be leaking creative energy, why it’s important to become really good at managing distractions and leaks that drain your creative energy. Your podcast host Katja will also share some insights she had on creative energy after examining a big creative block she experienced earlier this year.Thank you for reading Create From The Source | Katja Maria Slotte. This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katjamaria.substack.com

To celebrate the fourth episode of the podcast, here's a special episode with a practice from my 12 Days of Create From The Source!Like Elizabeth Gilbert says in her masterclass Creative Living Beyond Fear on the Calm app, if she would judge her work based on how good the work was, she would never get past day three. And I’ve been thinking about how day four - that crucial day when you either continue the work or stop working - exist in all creative projects that we start. So getting past day three, and dealing with the stuff that happens on day four is something all creatives have got to learn to deal with.I hope you enjoy this special episode!For bonus content to inspire and support you on your creative journey, visit www.createfromthesource.com and follow the podcast on Instagram @createfromthesource This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katjamaria.substack.com

In this episode, you’ll learn about 3 things that might be blocking you from finding, exploring and expressing your authenticity. I call these blocks ‘eclipses’ - kind of like a lunar eclipse or solar eclipse, when something is when something is blocking the light.We’ll talk about how authenticity shows up in your creative work, artist life & business, and cover the common blocks mindset, imitation and what happens when you get stuck in the trap of obsessing too much about authenticity all together!Katja Maria Slotte (your podcast host) will also share some stories from her own journey, about how she had to heal some wounding that affected both her creative and spiritual life, and about what she wishes someone would have told her when she was a student in music university trying to figure out what her ‘thing’ was.To join the conversation, and for more Create From The Source content to inspire and support you on your creative journey, visit www.createfromthesource.com and follow the podcast on Instagram @createfromthesource This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katjamaria.substack.com

In this episode, we'll talk about what I mean with "source", how that relates to singing, artist identity, your creative work, career and artist life. You'll learn why connecting to your source matters, and how you can get started. This episode takes us many places, including: vocal training, creativity, spirituality and energy work, and is filled with some great takeaways! To join the conversation around the podcast, and for other Create From The Source content to inspire and support you on your creative journey, visit www.createfromthesource.com and follow the podcast on Instagram @createfromthesource This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katjamaria.substack.com

Welcome to the Create From The Source podcast! How do you go from drained, burned out and starving artist to finding alignment? In this intro episode, I'll share my own personal story and how that led me to create this podcast.To join the conversation around the podcast, and for other Create From The Source content to inspire and support you on your creative journey, visit www.createfromthesource.com and follow the podcast on Instagram @createfromthesource This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katjamaria.substack.com