The Hummingbird Podcast

Our conversation circles and spirals as we revisit Jessica’s book The Writing Spiral: Learning as a Writer. Rumi, T. S. Eliot, solitude and self-awareness all feed our talk about the labyrinth as a metaphor for our life path and how to arrive at the centre of the self. Plus Emily Carr and the “unity of movement.”

We explore looking back to look ahead. Catherine talks about her just published book, Put Flowers Around Us and Pretend We’re Dead: New and Selected Poems, the micro journey and the macro, the role of attentiveness and what it’s like putting a New and Selected book together. We also share quotes by Mary Oliver, Albert Einstein and a mourning dove visits us too.

We talk about the heartbeat of the ground (a line from Catherine's poem "A Leash of Deer"), the pulse of everything, plus the current that connects us. Jessica shares her poem "A River Flows" and its origin story. We discover how a poem can hold a poem beneath it. Catherine reads her poem "Chthonic" and takes us to the underground. We see how imagery can lure us to slip beneath.

Catherine shares her poem “A Leash of Deer” and the story behind it. (Yes, it started with a coaster purchased in Edinburgh.) We talk about how poems and encounters with animals open us up and bring us closer at the same time, how they expand and contract. Jessica reads an excerpt from her latest book Bernice and the Georgian Bay Gold that includes an encounter with a crow. When we lean into the energies around us, we feel the connections. When we pay attention, the gifts come.

We explore how art shapes our lives and our lives shape art. We talk about what shakes and shimmers, negative capability, and chance encounters with animals. Catherine reads an excerpt from her novel Quarry. We move from the ‘ice-cream realm’ to the weight of grief. We realize if we can let go of control and let the body guide us—that’s when the magic appears.

We continue to explore how ancestors and family impact our writing. Jessica talks about her Métis roots and shares her poem “Search Out the Water.” This poem explores the life of her Great-x5-Grandfather, Ezekiel Solomon. She also shares an excerpt from her forthcoming novel for middle grade children, Bernice and the Georgian Bay Gold. We talk about reciprocity, silence and how to listen deeply.

We explore how ancestors and family impact our writing. Catherine reads a passage from her novel Quarry that links silence with trust and creativity. She also shares some excerpts from Æther: An Out-of-Body Lyric. Jessica and Catherine talk about the darker side of silence and how the act of writing can lead us to truths.

Catherine reads one of her all-time favourite poems “Snow” by Louis MacNeice. Catherine and Jessica explore the poem’s abundance, beauty, complexity and mystery. Jessica reads her poem “Was Grandmother Lonely Too?” and we see how snippets of family stories come together to make a poem.

What happens when we put loss and hunger on the page? Catherine reads the poem "One Art" by Elizabeth Bishop and talks about how this poem opened up new pathways in her writing journey. Jessica shares the story behind her recent discovery of the poem "The Hummingbirds" by Mary Oliver. All this and more. Plus hummingbird cake!

We talk about how poems find us. Jessica shares the prose poem “Desiderata” and the story of how it found her. We explore the poem’s content and talk about how each sentence serves as a guidepost for life. Plus wonder, seeing something anew, and the importance of listening.

As we continue to explore what feelings mean to us as poets, we share and discuss a quote by E. E. Cummings which leads to a chat about metaphor and imagery. We also talk about the importance of play and discovery during times of transition when we are between writing projects. After sharing a quote by Muriel Rukeyser, we urge our listeners to find the poem that’s out there waiting to give you goosebumps.

We talk about ways we move between the inner and outer world and share a quote by Pearl S. Buck. Catherine reads her poem “Doll’s Eyes” and discusses the role dolls played in her childhood to muscle her imagination. Jessica talks about the need to better understand the language of feelings and shares her poem “Begin Again.”

As two HSPs (Highly Sensitive Person) we talk about the impact this trait has on our creative lives. Jessica reads the Emily Dickinson poem, “I’m Nobody! Who are you?” and shares a story about the unexpected gift that arrives when letting go. Catherine reads her poem “The Bullied” and we explore the power of the inner life. Plus Orchid and Dandelion Children, intuition and trust.

We talk about how this widely known writing rule both serves and doesn’t serve our creative journeys and explore variations such as: write to know. Catherine reads her poem “MRI” from The Celery Forest and discusses the relationship between the real and the imagined. Jessica shares her poem “This Morning a Mirror” and talks about presence and absence, the “welcome” and the “worrisome” in a landscape she loves.

We share quotes by Virginia Woolf and Robin Wall Kimmerer. We talk about what connects us to the living world and explore the power behind hidden patterns. Plus birds, being present, and “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond.

We explore how songs make their way into our poetry. Jessica and Catherine read Jessica’s poem “Act 3” and talk about the balance of passion. letting go, and how with every blackout there’s always hope. Catherine reads her poem “I Thank You Burt Bacharach” and we explore how songs transport us and what it means to “live in the poem.”

We explore the blackout in the creative process—as pause, as gap, as moving deeper into surrender. Catherine shares her poem “For A Lost Stepdaughter” and how it came to be. Jessica and Catherine read Jessica’s poem “Act Two” and we explore what it evokes. We talk about what leads to worries and fears plus the never ending flux of the creative process.

We step into another creative portal by exploring voice. Catherine shares her poem “The Queen Is Not Welcome Here” and the story behind it. Jessica and Catherine read Jessica’s poem “Act One” and Jessica shares why the image of the jar continues to capture her imagination and work its way into her poems. We talk about the exchanges between the external and internal, beginnings and endings, and after each “blackout” the importance of hope.

What do we do as creators to tilt our journey towards a creative space? We discuss various ways to enter in. Catherine shares the story behind her poem “The Red Element” and Jessica shares her work-in-progress poem “Being Poetica.” We ‘ache and soak’ our way into the creative journey.

We kick off the season’s first episode by sharing a quote by Martha Graham about what it means to “keep the channel open.” We discuss our hummingbird vision through identity, signs and synchronicities. We also explore two poems: “Hummingbirds” by Patrick Lane and “Sketch in October” by Tomas Tranströmer. We are happy to be back!

We had some technical difficulties with sound in this episode as we get used to new equipment. By the next episode we will have sorted things out and they will be much improved. Thanks for your patience!

In this last episode of our season we explore the writing rule omit needless words. Jessica talks about revision through the four seasons of story. We chat about the importance of listening to the work, allowing for discovery through play, trusting our gut reaction and following our instincts. Also, Julia Child, dreams, Seamus Heaney and what leads us to this: who I am as a writer. All this and more.

What branches above us and spreads below: How two poets connect with the oak tree.

Catherine shares the story behind her poem “Oak” from The Celery Forest and Jessica shares the story behind her poem “On Being a Tree” from The Thing with Feathers. We talk about the thin line between the living and dead, dreams, ancestors, mothers, air-dancing and what it is to be inside a song.

Circles, beginnings, awakenings and bursts. Catherine reads her poem “Chthonic” from Her Red Hair Rises with the Wings of Insects. We explore a poem’s soundscape and how poems communicate with each other. Catherine talks about how the colour red is key to her work and Jessica talks about how ideas move towards us or away from us to find a home. We explore cycles and season and what thoughts are with us when we’re writing. Also process as art and writing by hand.

The Otherworldly: The ease and unease embedded in transformation. We explore fairy trees, the wee folk, thorns, blooms and portals. Also, secret gardens, hums and hummingbirds and the real estate of the poet. Catherine reads an excerpt from her second novel, The Most Cunning Heart, and Jessica reads her poem “If She Had a Secret Garden” from The Thing with Feathers. What is it to travel further into the self? Plus connections, relationships and how stories help us to see and be seen.

The Between: from writing to publishing to letting the book go. We talk about good questions to ask an author, energetic tendrils and the intimacy of the first person. Catherine reads an excerpt from her second novel, The Most Cunning Heart and Jessica talks about her first poetry book, The Thing with Feathers.

How does poetry transport us to other places? We explore inwardness through Gwendolyn MacEwen’s poems “Dark Pines Under Water” and “Invocations” and talk about how poems are vessels for holding mysteries and untold stories. We share the impact MacEwen’s poetry has had on our creative journeys, outer/inner worlds, what’s creepy and/or triggering, and how what we’re called to share comes through a full body response. Tom Thompson, discomfort, calling the voice up—all this and more.

Celery trees, human-watchers—we start with Catherine’s poem “What Birds They Were” and explore other eerie things. Then we explore about how it is we find our way through poetry to link the real and the unreal. We chat about the impact art galleries have had on our creative process— where life and art intersect—and how what inspires us has its own time line to surface. This was the case for Jessica’s forthcoming book, Bernice and the Georgian Bay Gold.

We talk about the connection between birds and poetic process. Catherine shares her poem “The Lifting” along with its backstory. Jessica shares the Christi Belcourt poem “In Neither Hope Nor Despair, Birds Fly.” We talk about how poetry invites us into a pause and takes us to profound places. We finish with Catherine’s bird poem “What Birds They Were” from The Celery Forest. Through air and motion, we take flight!

What holds the lessons we’ve learned over the years, what reaches out—a call to action or a pause—the path to possibility continues. We explore Emily Dickinson’s “I Dwell in Possibility” and Jessica shares her poem “When She Found Her Voice.” We chat about signs, connections, portals and encounters.

In this episode we talk about the challenges of balancing work and life and creative projects, the value of signs and what seeps into our skin. Catherine shares an excerpt from Æther: An Out-of-Body Lyric and Jessica shares a powerful dream. We explore synchronicity, mystery and the energy in the unexplainable.

“As if the top of my head were taken off,” writes Emily Dickinson when it comes to knowing poetry. In this episode we talk about how poetry is tied to the body. Jessica reads her poem “Season Change” and Catherine reads her poem “Worry Dolls.” We talk about perception, alignment of energies and how inanimate objects “speak” to us if we listen.

We talk about Catherine’s poem “Peas & Barbies” from Her Red Hair Rises with the Wings of Insects and the impact of Dorothy Molloy. We also discuss the glosa, deconstructed glosa, peas, rules and breaking rules and how we naturally link our own lived experience when reading poems. All this and we talk about “choir peas” too.

Poems are a place to find ourselves in. We talk about when to read poems and when not to read poems. Jessica shares her Emily Dickinson inspired poem “The Thing with Feathers” and Catherine reads her Tilda Swinton inspired poem “The Buried.” We chat about poetry and perception, pivot points, portals, P.K. Page and much more. Join us!

Do you have questions about how to use social media effectively? For our monthly business episode we invited social media expert Rachel Spence in to share her knowledge and expertise. We had lots of questions and made lots of notes so fair warning, have paper and pen near by. Rachel will tell you how to be more effective and reach more people in an authentic, meaningful way. 

We are coming to the end of our book study soon. Two more chapters. Today we continue our book study with ‘Learning by Heart: Teachings to Free the Creative Spirit’ by Corita Kent and Jan Steward. Last time we talked about versatility and possibility when choosing tools and techniques. In this episode we unravel the next layer of the creative process: the relationship between play and work, or as they note in this chapter, Plork.

Shannon Linton joins us. She is a singer-song writer, choral conductor, and music teacher. She is a Hummingbird listener too.

We continue our book study with ‘Learning by Heart: Teachings to Free the Creative Spirit’ by Corita Kent and Jan Steward. We’ve been talking about the energy of connect and create. Today we look at another big part of the creative process: Tools and Techniques. We also welcome Choral Conductor and Music Teacher Marie Anderson to the conversation. This is where we get into craft but where we go may surprise you. 

Today we continue our book study with ‘Learning by Heart: Teachings to Free the Creative Spirit’ by Corita Kent and Jan Steward. We’ve been talking about sources and structures.  Today we look at another big part of the creative process: Connect & Create. These two words summarize everything.

In this episode we connected with guests Jennifer Trefiak and Jenni Burke and created something we feel is pretty special. Have a listen and enjoy the journey with us. 

Today we continue our monthly focus on Business for Creatives and look at Money & Emotion with Joan Sotkin. How do you feel about money in your creative business? You may want to look deeper because, as Joan says, "It's never about the money."

This episode is a bit of a departure from our normal format in that we mostly sat back and let our guest share her wisdom. And we barely scratched the surface. Check the show notes on our website if you'd like to learn more. 

In this episode we explore the idea of sources. How do you gather and use sources in your creative work? What or who inspires you? We continue to explore the ideas in our book study to expand what's possible in our projects.

“Working from a source is not the same thing as copying. The work is yours only--drawn from your experience and coloured by your perceptions. The source frees us to depart from something rather than from nothing or everything. We do not seek to duplicate the source, but to use it as a reference. It relieves us of thinking we have to make something new or great (a scary idea). We will make something new when we work at the source with our mind and leave our hands and pen (stick, chopstick, pencil, etc…) free to get on with the job of drawing (painting, building, etc…).”

p. 47, Learning By Heart: Teachings to Free the Creative Spirit by Corita Kent and Jan Steward

In this episode we talk about Chapter 2 in Learning by Heart: Looking. 

Nurturing and developing ways of seeing is one of the most important practices any artist or writer can engage in.

How do I develop a brand for myself in a way that feels authentic and not like I’m trying too hard or misrepresenting? Our guest, Julia Archer answers this question and quite a bit more in our monthly focus on building a creative business. 

Branding isn't just for the big corporations. As a creative business, it will help you stand out in the crowd, establish trust and attract your audience. 

What is the relationship between our creativity and our resilience?

How can a sense of meaning help in difficult times to nurture our creativity and how can our creativity help us get through difficult times?

Visit https://thehummingbirdpodcast.com/ for more details.

We’ve missed you! We’ve missed each other. We begin Season 2 by catching up just like we did as kids in September by asking "What did you do on your summer vacation?"  What was easy? What was harder? Were you able to connect with other creatives? Join us we launch Season 2!

For more details visit: https://thehummingbirdpodcast.com/

This week we do something a little different as Aprille guides Jessica through the art of creating a story about her business that invites people to be part of the story. We explain why story is so powerful, how to build trust relationships with your customers and other ways to use story as a business tool. 

This book has been a major influence in our creative journeys and we wanted to share it with you, both the book and the journey. We talk about how this book changed us creatively and some of the concepts and core truths that stand out for us. 

We'd love to hear from you, too. Leave us a message and share your experience with The Artist's Way or tell us about another book that had a major impact on you.

In this episode we look at creativity and process through the lens of metaphor. Using quotations, we explore how metaphor can enrich our creative process and projects looking at some big questions. How can metaphors inspire how we create? How can artists and writers use metaphor to make something new? Metaphor can help us to go deeper and understand our own creative process in simple but powerful ways. You'll even hear a few "aha's" that Aprille and Jessica experience as they discuss this topic. 

Visit https://thehummingbirdpodcast.com/ for show notes.

How can we use story and story structure in our arts? In this episode we explore this big question by looking at through the lens of Pixar's 'rules' for great storytelling. We realize that story connects to all aspects of our creativity during the process and in the product. Aprille shares how she uses story to inspire her artwork and Jessica shares how she uses story to prepare a song for performance.

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We create by making connections and to connect to other people. If we change the business word "marketing" to "connection" it becomes less overwhelming. In this episode we talk about what it means to connect to your audience and how it fits into a creative practice. 

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What can we learn from those who inspire us? Then what happens when we take it a step further by looking at who inspired them? Climb your creative family tree and see who's hanging out in the branches. You might be surprised. In this episode, we explore this idea from Austin Kleon's book 'Steal Like an Artist.' We talk about who inspires us and then who inspired them. This is an invitation for you to look at your own creative genealogy. 

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We had so much fun talking about the ideas in Austin Kleon's book 'Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative.' From our first impressions to a detailed discussion of each big idea, we 'steal' what we can to refine our creative processes. 

Warning: Don't read this book unless you're prepared to be inspired.

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What people, places, arts, and things inspire you? What is the magic that happens when we let it get personal? What are some examples of our work and what inspired it? Join us as we reflect on inspiration, the source of ideas, and creative process. Aprille reflects on a fabric piece she is working on that started as a test piece. Jessica reflects on writing and staging a play inspired by the women in her family. 

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In this episode we begin a regular feature of chatting about creativity and business. Do you want to turn your passion for arts into full-time work? Have you wondered about were to start in creating a business or selling your work? We explore some practical first steps and next steps. From generating new ideas to building a plan, we explore ways to expand your dreams then bring them to life.

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In this episode we respond to David Kelly's TED Talk "How to Build Your Creative Confidence." We explore his big ideas including: fear of judgement, guided mastery, empathy, and then the importance of regaining lost creative confidence. Creativity and innovation touch every area of our lives. From reflecting on innovation in medicine and education to our own personal creative journeys, we explore ways that we can build on small success to reach our creative goals.

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We continue the conversation about the influence of Corita Kent on students and teachers of creativity. What can we learn about sources and ways to play in the arts? How does "Learning by Heart: Teachings to Free the Creative Spirit” by Corita Kent and Jan Steward inspire us? We explore a chapter at a time, unpacking some of the big ideas and how we can use them to free our creative spirits.

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This episode is our first Creativity Profile with a focus on Corita Kent. We discuss the 10 Rules for the Immaculate Heart College Art Department through the lenses of a student of creativity and a teacher of creativity. We explore the big ideas of trust, play, and learning, looking at each rule one at a time. This is the first of two episodes that focus on what we have learned from "Learning by Heart: Teachings to Free the Creative Spirit" by Corita Kent and Jan Steward.

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Creativity and Fear

In this episode, we begin the conversation about creativity and fear. Why does creativity make us fearful sometimes? How can fear help our creative work? What are some strategies for overcoming our fears to be able to create? From looking at the use of the word 'creativity' through time to discussing ideas from Elizabeth Gilbert's book "Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear" we help each other navigate the shadow side of our relationship with creativity.

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Nature provides an abundance of sources for creative connections and expression. How does nature inspire you? In this episode we explore ways we learn from nature and create inspired by places we love. We talk about some creatives that have used nature in their work, from Antoni Gaudi in Spain to R. Murray Schafer in Canada, we share some people we admire that use nature in interesting ways. Finally, we talk about some ways you can begin to connect nature to your creative work today.

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Where do you create? What are the conditions for creativity? In this episode we discuss every day places and routines to nurture creativity. We wanted to explore ways to sustain creativity over time. From reflecting on how to prioritize our creative work to discussing ways to transition between life and creativity, we share some practical tips that work for us. How do you use the arts to practice and engage in a creative process? 

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This week we explore the idea of joy and its link to creativity. What makes your face light up? Join us as we discuss everything from the way creative activities can spark joy to what we can learn from the hummingbird about joy. For this conversation, we even invited some friends to share their ideas about what brings them joy. What does joy mean to you?

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Everyone is creative but we all express that creativity differently. Are some people more creative than others? In this episode, we explore some research on creativity and share some examples of how people we know show their creativity. 

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How do you define creativity? Is it only for the 'artsy' types or are there other aspects that should be considered? How is courage related to being creative? 

We have some ideas we want to share with you so listen in on our conversation. 

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Jessica Outram and Aprille Janes introduce Hummingbird, Conversations about Creativity. 

In this episode, we talk about who we are and why we started this podcast. The hummingbird is a symbol of creativity and joy. The last year hasn't been easy and we want to go on a journey through conversation to explore our questions about creative living.

Our wish is that you join us each week and even take part in the conversation by leaving us comments on an episode's topic and questions you'd like us to explore in a future episode. 

Visit https://thehummingbirdpodcast.com/ for show notes.