Sophia Hembeck - How to validate yourself Collecting Sparks

My guest today is Sophia Hembeck. Sophia is a German born writer, visual artist and publisher, now located in Edinburgh. She studied playwriting at the University of Arts in Berlin, and also Performance Art and Scenic Writing. Sophia worked as a celebrated theatre director, created Graphic Novels and a successful Podcast, that was taken on by Audible. Through her own publishing house "Muser Letter Publishing", she released her two poetic memoirs “Things I Have Noticed” and “Things I Have Loved” and is currently working on the third book, to complete the Trilogy. Her Newsletter "The Muse Letter“ became a Substack-Bestseller in 2023. She also offers essay writing classes, both in German and English.

What strikes me most is, how Sophia took her writing career in her own hands. She didn’t wait for some publisher to allow her to become visible, but gave herself the permission, to share her art with the world. Her unapologetic self-empowerment is an example for others, to do the same.

We talk about leaving your home-country and what it means, to build your career from the scratch as an artist. Sophia explains, how her now impressive success, was a step by step process – and a slow one, too. We discuss rejection letters, breakups and Tarot reading. Sophia gives ideas on how to start validating yourself – and how outside validation might come later. She describes her weekly routines, gives insight on her book writing process and explains, why writing the truth comes before all other tools.