Creativity Found: Finding Creativity Later in Life

A conservative New York mortgage banker turns his hand to performing cabaret solos and tap-dancing in Manhattan's Times Square. 
In this episode, Norman Calvo shares how a devastating childhood choir audition silenced his voice for decades, and how an unexpected encounter with an opera singer client in his 60s allowed him to find his voice once more.
We explore the power of starting from scratch as an adult, the vulnerability of freezing during your first public solo, and how embracing a creative outlet can completely redefine your social life and personal identity. 
Norman also offers advice for anyone afraid of putting themselves out there, emphasizing that when it comes to finding joy in retirement, you truly have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
The Choir Audition Scar: Norman shares the devastating childhood experience of being rejected from his seventh-grade choir, which sidelined his artistic confidence for decades.
The Hand-Written Mortgage Magic: How a face-to-face meeting with opera singer clients in his 60s sparked a late-in-life journey into singing lessons at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
Falling on Your Face to Learn: Norman recounts freezing on stage during his first-ever solo and explains why making mistakes is the ultimate way to grow as an adult.
Tuxedos, Top Hats, and Tap Dancing: From a conservative Wall Street uniform to performing 'Putting on the Ritz' with a cane, Norman describes the pure fun of adding physical performance and tap lessons to his creative toolkit.
The Holistic Banker: How performing cabaret completely transformed Norman's social life, broadened his conversations, and led to a heartwarming joint talent show with his granddaughter.

You might also like:
Dirty Blues and Dorothy Fields with Suzanne Noble
From Corporate Career to Paris Playwright with Cecilia Poullain
From Serving Fries to Performing Stand-Up with Rabiah Coon
I would love some financial support to help me to keep making this podcast. Visit buymeacoffee.com/creativityfound
Affordably advertise on this podcast by emailing claire@creativityfound.co.uk, or book a call here.
Support the show
Follow @CreativityFoundPodcast on Instagram
Want to be a guest on Creativity Found? Send me a message on PodMatch, here
Podcast recorded with Riverside and hosted by Buzzsprout

Engineering a life of colour.
Justine Guillermou transitioned from a rigid career in space engineering to the vibrant world of professional interior design. 
In this episode Justine shares how her childhood experiences of home renovation in France planted the seeds for her future, despite being pushed towards more traditional academic paths. 
We explore the therapeutic benefits of colour, Justine’s experience as a contestant on a Channel 4 interior design show, and how embracing a creative outlet helped her manage the challenges of living with endometriosis. 
Justine also provides insight into her signature Rainbow Shaker style, and offers advice for those who believe they lack a creative spark, emphasizing the importance of the process over the final outcome.

You might also like:
Dreaming, Planning and Painting with Annie Sloan
Art You Can Touch with Furrah Syed
Making Creatures Great and Small with Emma Brassfield

I would love some financial support to help me to keep making this podcast. Visit buymeacoffee.com/creativityfound
Affordably advertise on this podcast by emailing claire@creativityfound.co.uk, or book a call here.
Support the show
Follow @CreativityFoundPodcast on Instagram
Want to be a guest on Creativity Found? Send me a message on PodMatch, here
Podcast recorded with Riverside and hosted by Buzzsprout

At the intersection of medicine and masterpieces.
Lora Arbrador is a nurse and artist who uses the ancient technique of egg tempera to explore profound human experiences. 
In this episode Lora shares her childhood memories of art lessons in New York, her experience of the counterculture movement in Berkeley during the 1960s, and how her career in nursing – specifically during the height of the AIDS crisis – became the catalyst for her most significant works. 
Lora and I discuss the meticulous nature of egg tempera, the emotional weight of painting stories of loss and immigration, and Lora's decision to document her life and art in her memoir, Art and Love. Lora also reveals her unique 'adoption' approach to finding homes for her large-scale paintings and explains why she chooses to embrace a slow, deliberate creative process in her 70s.
Connect with Lora here

You might also like:
Medicine and Mysteries with Tammy Euliano
Problem Solving in Science and Art with Claude Larson
Policy Advising and Portrait Painting with Sally Ward
Support the show
Follow @CreativityFoundPodcast on Instagram
Want to be a guest on Creativity Found? Send me a message on PodMatch, here
Podcast recorded with Riverside and hosted by Buzzsprout

Turning a lifelong dream into a published reality.
Marketing-consultant-turned-thriller-writer Michael Wendroff shares his fascinating journey of being raised within a literary family – surrounded by manuscripts and legendary authors like Robert Ludlum – before carving out his own successful career in marketing. 
He discusses how the pandemic finally provided the opportunity to overcome a lifetime of procrastination and pen his debut novel, What Goes Around. 
Michael offers invaluable insight into the traditional publishing process, the essential role of literary agents, and the importance of perseverance when receiving editorial feedback. 
We explore the 'self-actualising' power of fulfilling a lifelong creative dream and the positive impact it has on mental and physical wellbeing, while Michael also provides practical advice for aspiring writers, from exercising the 'writing muscle' daily to the necessity of self-promotion in the modern publishing landscape.
Connect with Michael here.
Buy books by Creativity Found guests here.

You might also like:
From Nomad to Novelist with Douglas Robbins
Blending Fact and Fiction with Shirley Novack
Medicine and Mysteries with Tammy Euliano

Support the show
Follow @CreativityFoundPodcast on Instagram
Want to be a guest on Creativity Found? Send me a message on PodMatch, here
Podcast recorded with Riverside and hosted by Buzzsprout

"I know what it feels like to be the bird in the cage that doesn't sing. I know that feeling and I don't want to go back to that again."
Sheila Kazan, creator of the podcast Small Talk with Sheila chats with me about navigating the expectations of her Iranian immigrant parents – who envisioned her becoming a lawyer – and her own desire for creative expression. 
From discovering the power of acting in a sixth-grade English class to dropping out of law school and working in the heart of Hollywood, Sheila discusses the 'messiness' of a creative life. 
Now balancing a career in tech with her passion for storytelling, she explains why we should give ourselves the same grace we afford our favourite rom-com characters and why perfectionism is the greatest barrier to artistic fulfilment.
The Law School Dropout: Sheila recounts the 'messy and dark' moment she realized she was living someone else's life and her bold move to Arizona to discover who she actually was.
Creativity in Corporate Spaces: How Sheila carves out room for her expressive self while working for tech giants like Meta and Slack.
The 'Bird in the Cage' Warning: A powerful discussion on the emotional price of suppressing your creative side and why 'just doing it' is the only cure for perfectionism.
Ambition vs. Burnout: Practical advice on managing the 'pendulum swing' of a multi-passionate life and recognizing when you’re steering towards a crash.
You might also like:
From Serving Fries to Performing Stand-Up with Rabiah Coon
Cakes, Crochet and Connecting in the Metaverse with Shawna Curee
From Law to Literature with Mary Adkins

Support the show
Follow @CreativityFoundPodcast on Instagram
Want to be a guest on Creativity Found? Send me a message on PodMatch, here
Podcast recorded with Riverside and hosted by Buzzsprout