Creativity on your own terms and why deserving is only the beginning with Jamie Varon
If you consider yourself a creative spirit this episode is for you. Join me and Jamie Varon as we talk about Taylor Swift, the advantage of starting your creative journey later in life, the fear of exposing yourself and being honest, overcoming guilt and shame for expressing yourself, and how believing you deserve the life you want isn't an outcome. It's only the beginning. Jamie is the author of Radically Content, a designer, digital course creator, and creative consultant living in Calabasas, CA.
Who is Jamie Varon?
Jamie Varon is an author, designer, digital course creator, and creative consultant living in Calabasas, CA. Her first nonfiction book, Radically Content was published in 2022. And the journal companion, Radically Content: The Journal, will be published in Spring of 2023.
She’s also working as an Executive Producer and consultant on a feature film based on Radically Content. Her debut novel, Main Character Energy, will be published Fall 2023.
She created a digital course called Live with Intention that has helped over 1200 people live more intentional lives. Her writing has been featured on Huffington Post, Medium, Thought Catalog, Teen Vogue, The Liberty Project, and many more. Her Instagram also has a treasure trove of some of her incredible reflections and writings.
Taylor Swift and the power of creativity
Jamie had recently gone to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Las Vegas when we spoke and I needed to hear her thoughts. She recognizes Taylor’s in an era of celebration. Of not needing to prove herself. To witness such a display of pure creativity was nothing she’s seen before. She said, “As a creative like I don't think I really truly appreciated how much energy and time and conviction and belief goes into someone like Taylor Swift until I started really, really honoring my own creativity.”
Honoring our creativity is what Jamie teaches in this episode. When asked if she wish she started young like Taylor Swift she said, “I don't look at her as someone that I wish I had started at her age, because I actually think it's much harder to start [young]. Even though it seems like wow, it'd be nice to have things figured out it's like, but most likely the majority of people that get that kind of success that young, they actually have a real hard time knowing who they are, and having any conviction in their voice. Because what happens is people start telling them who they need to be. And so I really see it as such a beautiful thing. No one can tell me who I get to be. So I really liked that this has happened for me a little bit later.”
Finding success in your own way
Jamie talks about the beauty of finding success later in life and how she wants to celebrate others who do the same. To normalize it. She also calls out this idea that we can re-create someone else’s success. People have tried and it either doesn’t work or feels inauthentic. When someone finally gets the success they copied from someone else “it's not even sweet. It's just bitter.”
When explaining how she found her own raw, honest voice she says:
“How I'm so honest, in my writing, is I'm really honest with myself first, you can't really leap into, ‘I'm going to tell everyone my most honest insecurities’ until you're doing that to yourself.”
She admits this isn’t easy to do.
“Sometimes we don't need to share unprocessed feelings until you know, because then you're opening yourself up to what other people think. And, you know, I need to be really clear with myself before I share, honestly.”
Celebrating other women’s success
Jamie talks about her experience on a college marketing team. They went to a national competition and Jamie led the whole team. She guided the process, created the ideas, and took winning seriously. Even though they won she found herself feeling outcasted. Later on, she realized the dynamics that were at play.
As a woman, she shined too brightly. Made her gifts too known. That experience caused her to go into hiding. Then she realized this wasn’t about her but about them. Now, she’s unapologetic in showing up as herself and sharing her gifts.
She also talks about a time she felt insecure seeing other women succeed. Until she understood that for a woman to succeed it means she sat down, created, and overcame her own belief system. That should be celebrated. Jamie learned a valuable life lesson from this.
“I was better able to step into my celebration and my success, because how you view other people is how you view yourself. So if you're judging everyone else, if you're saying they don't deserve that success, they, Oh, I don't like them now that they got success, or they're doing this or they're doing that, it's like, you're gonna then judge yourself and perceive that other people are that way.”
Jamie’s story gave me permission I didn’t know I needed to show my gifts without feeling hyperaware of those around me.
More From The Episode . . .
[2:18] - Taylor Swift and creativity
[10:05] - The beauty and advantage of starting your creative journey later in life
[16:59] - Speaking your truth, writing for yourself, and trusting your success
[22:11] - The fear of exposing yourself and being honest
[25:52] - Overcoming guilt and shame for expressing yourself
[32:25] - Understanding the social dynamics and how to stand up for me
[37:08] - How you view other people is how you view yourself
[40:41] - Believing that you deserve at the beginning of the journey
[45:23] - Spending your days intentionally and be honest with yourself
[51:31] - Q&A: Jamie's day-to-day
[53:18] - Q&A: How to step into your power
Quotes
“Because if you think you don’t deserve the life you want, I can tell you that taking the steps towards that life is nearly impossible. The deserving isn’t an outcome. It’s a beginning. It’s the only beginning.” - Jamie Varon
Affirmation
I choose to opt out of societal expectations and create a big life that’s meaningful to me.
Writing Prompt
What does success look like to me without any pressure or expectation?
Resources
Read Jamie’s book: Radically Content*
Follow Jamie on Instagram: @jamievaron
Visit her website: jamievaron.com
