Create Your Art

Darren Cooper
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  • Entrepreneurship
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I'm Darren Cooper, and I believe something that might sound crazy...every one of us is an artist. Not the kind with a paintbrush. The kind that looks at their life, their message, and decides it's worth giving to the world. Every episode, I sit down with ordinary people doing extraordinary things with their one life (coaches, leaders, entrepreneurs, pastors), those who had something worth creating, and finally stopped waiting for permission. My hope is simple. That somewhere in their story you hear your own. And that you walk away convinced that your voice matters and your art deserves to e

  1. 1d ago

    Why the Strongest People Run Toward the Storm

    This week was heavy, and Dustin Pead met it with one of the most grounded pictures of courage I have heard in a long time. We get into the difference between the fear that runs your life and the fear you actually respect, why you should plant something even when you do not know what will grow, and the image that stuck with me most, the buffalo that runs straight into the storm because the fastest way out is through. If you are in a hard season and tempted to shrink back, this one is for you. FREE CONTENT CLARITY AUDIT https://link.1898creative.com/widget/bookings/1898-creative/audit KEY TAKEAWAYS: ⚡️ There is a fear that breaks you and a fear you respect. Learn to dance with the second one. ⚡️ When you are in a new field and do not know what to plant, plant anyway. You learn from what grows. ⚡️ Quitting is the only guaranteed outcome. Going through the storm is the only path that leaves room for a different one. ⚡️ The pull you feel to create is not an accident. It is how you were wired. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 — The fear that runs you vs the fear you respect 1:25 — Work hard and trust God 2:00 — When you do not know what to plant, plant anyway 3:23 — The only way through the valley is to keep walking 5:17 — Why the buffalo runs at the storm 6:45 — The guaranteed outcome of quitting 7:38 — You were wired to create, so go down swinging CONNECT WITH US: 👉🏻 Website: https://1898creative.com 👉🏻 Darren's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darrenandrewcooper 👉🏻 Dustin's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dustinpead If this story moved you, please: 👍 Give it a thumbs up 💬 Share your biggest takeaway in the comments 🔔 Subscribe so new episodes land automatically 📲 Send it to one person who needs to hear it HASHTAGS: #createyourart #1898creative #networking #careerpivot #smallbusiness #entrepreneurship

    9 min

  2. Jun 23

    Why Your Contacts List Is Worth More Than You Think

    Twenty years of creative ministry ended for Dustin Pead on a single Friday. By Monday, the reality of a wife, kids, and a mortgage was staring him down. In this segment, Dustin walks Darren through how he rebuilt his livelihood from nothing, using the one asset he already had and had never thought to count: his contacts list. It is a story about the difference between simple and easy, the network you build without trying, and what it actually takes to start asking. FREE CONTENT CLARITY AUDIT https://link.1898creative.com/widget/bookings/1898-creative/audit KEY TAKEAWAYS: ⚡️ The move that saves you is rarely a new tactic. It is usually the relationships you already have. Your network is an asset you build slowly, long before the day you need it. ⚡️ Reaching out is simple but not easy, because it means admitting you need something. ⚡️ Working your contacts list on purpose, a few times a year, compounds over time. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 — Twenty years ended on a Friday 0:30 — The two questions that started everything 1:00 — The phone call that opened the first door 1:48 — Simple, but not easy 2:37 — Where the instinct to connect came from 4:01 — The friend who coached him free for a year 5:00 — Building a creatives meetup from a contacts list 5:58 — How to work the list with intention 7:26 — The scariest part, fear of losing the house 8:25 — The day job search and the nonprofit bridge 9:17 — The friend who covered the mortgage CONNECT WITH US: 👉🏻 Website: https://1898creative.com 👉🏻 Darren's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darrenandrewcooper 👉🏻 Dustin's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dustinpead If this story moved you, please: 👍 Give it a thumbs up 💬 Share your biggest takeaway in the comments 🔔 Subscribe so new episodes land automatically 📲 Send it to one person who needs to hear it HASHTAGS: #createyourart #1898creative #networking #careerpivot #smallbusiness #entrepreneurship

    10 min

  3. Jun 16

    What 20 Years in Ministry Taught Him About Starting Over with Dustin Pead | Create Your Art Ep. 022

    Dustin Pead spent twenty years in creative ministry before that chapter ended in a way he never chose. With a wife, kids, a mortgage, and no plan, he rebuilt his career one phone contact at a time. He shares the question that became his catalyst, why he runs toward fear instead of away from it, and the purpose statement that keeps him steady on the hard days. This is a story about starting over with nothing but the one thing you are already good at. FREE CONTENT CLARITY AUDIT: https://link.1898creative.com/widget/bookings/1898-creative/audit KEY TAKEAWAYS: ⚡️Start with what you are already good at, not what you wish you were good at ⚡️Your existing contacts are the cheapest and warmest place to begin again ⚡️The fastest way out of a storm is straight through it ⚡️Separate the calling, which is settled, from the capability, which you rebuild daily ⚡️Systems, not last minute hustle, are what make excellence repeatable TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 — The night he thought he would lose the house 00:39 — Welcome to Create Your Art 01:30 — Putting the co-host in the guest seat 02:24 — Twenty years in creative ministry 06:35 — The slow build of discontentment 09:50 — Pushed out of the boat 12:34 — The Rolodex that restarted everything 19:41 — What he was really afraid of 22:17 — A word from 1898 Creative 23:00 — Learning to dance with fear 27:38 — The buffalo and the storm 29:21 — Did he ever regret it 35:00 — What he does on the days he doubts himself 37:45 — Chief Creative Partners and the power of systems 44:15 — Different impact, not lesser impact 45:50 — His purpose statement 46:30 — Where to find Dustin 48:34 — Create your art CONNECT WITH US: 👉🏻 Website: https://1898creative.com 👉🏻 Darren's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darrenandrewcooper 👉🏻 Dustin's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dustinpead If this episode helped you, please: ⬇️ Drop your "art" in the comments — what's the thing you're here to create? ✅ Subscribe for weekly conversations with industry artists 📲 Share with a fellow creator who needs to hear this HASHTAGS: #createyourart #entrepreneurship #faithandwork #creativebusiness #startingover

    50 min

  4. Jun 9

    The Clock Hidden In The Logo For Sixteen Years

    Sean Kirby grew up with a clock in his family firm's logo and never knew why. When he finally asked his dad, the answer reframed his entire approach to wealth: time is the only asset you can't buy more of. In this conversation, Darren Cooper and Sean unpack how one buried idea changed the questions he asks clients, why he's trying to hand a seven-day-a-week business owner his life back, and what it actually means to be an artist even in the financial field. FREE CONTENT CLARITY AUDIT: https://link.1898creative.com/widget/bookings/1898-creative/audit KEY TAKEAWAYS: ⚡️ Your most valuable idea is usually hidden in plain sight, unspoken because it feels obvious to you ⚡️ Where do you want to be" beats "how do I save on taxes" every time ⚡️ Real wealth gets measured in time and presence, not only in dollars ⚡️ The first hundred thousand (and the first deposits of any kind) are always the hardest ⚡️Imposter syndrome usually signals you're moving in the right direction, not the wrong one TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 — The clock hiding in the logo 01:00 — Time is the only asset you can't buy more of 02:00 — Becoming a guide, not just an advisor 03:10 — Reframing money around the next twenty years 03:50 — The client who does everything himself 06:10 — Bigger than saving dollars 06:40 — Are financial advisors artists 07:10 — Imposter syndrome and the game of doubles 08:10 — It's not about me CONNECT WITH US: 👉🏻 Website: https://1898creative.com 👉🏻 Darren's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darrenandrewcooper 👉🏻 Dustin's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dustinpead CONNECT WITH SEAN: 👉🏻 Email: sean@performancegroupindiana.com 👉🏻 Website: https://performance.financial/ 👉🏻 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerformanceGroupIN If this episode helped you, please: ⬇️ Drop your "art" in the comments — what's the thing you're here to create? ✅ Subscribe for weekly conversations with industry artists 📲 Share with a fellow creator who needs to hear this HASHTAGS: #createyourart #financialadvisor #timefreedom #thoughtleadership #podcast #wealthbuilding

    9 min

  5. Jun 2

    The Only Asset You Can't Buy Back with Sean Kirby | Create Your Art Ep. 021

    He spent his twenties chasing a million dollars by thirty. He got four kids instead. In this conversation, financial advisor Sean Kirby breaks down why time, not money, is the only asset you cannot buy more of. He walks through the exact goal sheet he uses with clients to stop lifestyle creep, build a real scoreboard, and decide on purpose where your life is actually going. If you have ever hit a number and felt nothing, this one is for you. FREE CONTENT CLARITY AUDIT: https://link.1898creative.com/widget/bookings/1898-creative/audit KEY TAKEAWAYS: ⚡️Time is the only asset you cannot buy more of, and most people never act like it ⚡️Run a yearly self assessment wheel before you ever touch a budget ⚡️Your net worth statement is a scoreboard, and most people are losing without knowing it ⚡️Give every dollar a job before lifestyle inflation gives it one ⚡️You can automate money, but the daily deposit into health, faith, and family is on you TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 — The millionaire goal that changed 00:31 — Why "invest your time wisely" became the mantra 05:45 — The clock in the logo, and the question nobody asked 14:16 — Three practical first steps, starting with a budget 16:36 — The fishbowl problem and lifestyle inflation 21:53 — A word from 1898 Creative 22:18 — The goal sheet, step by step 23:42 — The self assessment wheel 25:32 — How to do a net worth statement 27:41 — The richest guy at the airport 29:38 — Your wins are not worth what they cost 34:48 — Why "peace" is now the goal at the top of the list 41:21 — The two year gap and the imposter syndrome 47:23 — It is not about the 99, it is about the one 52:27 — Three things to remember CONNECT WITH US: 👉🏻 Website: https://1898creative.com 👉🏻 Darren's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darrenandrewcooper 👉🏻 Dustin's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dustinpead CONNECT WITH SEAN KIRBY: Website: https://performance.financial/ If this episode helped you, please: 👍🏻 Give it a thumbs up ⬇️ Drop your "art" in the comments — what's the thing you're here to create? ✅ Subscribe for weekly conversations with industry artists 📲 Share with a fellow creator who needs to hear this HASHTAGS: #createyourart #investyourtimewisely #financialfreedom #goalsetting #netbeforegross #podcast #thoughtleadership

    54 min

  6. May 26

    The One Line in a Contract That Cost Him Everything

    Most high-achieving men are carrying something nobody around them knows about. The failed exit. The marriage on fire. The financial hit. The faith that has gone quiet. In this video of The Create Your Art Podcast, Matt opens up about the 2018 exit that wiped him out, the one line in the contract that his lawyer missed, and the part of the story he is most ashamed of, that he did not tell a single person what really happened. Darren and Matt unpack why high achievers refuse to ask for help, why traditional manhood got buried under the toxic masculinity conversation, and the one move that actually changed everything. If you are a high achiever carrying something right now, this conversation is for you.FREE CONTENT CLARITY AUDIT: https://link.1898creative.com/widget/bookings/1898-creative/auditKEY TAKEAWAYS:⚡️ One line in an exit contract can cost you two years of profit. Take a multiple, never take a percentage of profit. ⚡️ Every high-achieving man you know is carrying something. The question is whether he has anyone to tell. ⚡️ The instinct that built you (handle it, do not flinch) is the same instinct that traps you when you finally need help.⚡️ Looking strong and being strong are not the same thing. One of them costs you the next decade.⚡️The growth only starts on the other side of saying the actual words out loud to one real person.TIMESTAMPS:0:00 — The moment that broke everything 0:30 — The one line in the contract 2:25 — Why he hid the truth from his closest mentor 4:20 — Darren on rebuilding after the collapse 5:45 — Why high achievers cannot ask for help 8:30 — The growth that only comes from reaching across the tableCONNECT WITH US:👉🏻 Website: https://1898creative.com👉🏻 Darren's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darrenandrewcooper👉🏻 Dustin's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dustinpeadIf this episode helped you, please:⬇️ Drop your "art" in the comments — what's the thing you're here to create?✅ Subscribe for weekly conversations with industry artists📲 Share with a fellow creator who needs to hear thisHASHTAGS:#createyourart #highachievers #vulnerability #entrepreneurship #mensmentalhealth #businesspodcast #leadership #mentorship #lighthousebrotherhood #businessfailure

    10 min

  7. May 19

    The Cost of Pretending You Have It Together with Matt Balducci | Create Your Art Episode 020

    Most high-achieving men have an operating system for their business and no system at all for their family. Matt Balducci built two multi-million-dollar companies, lost a major exit in 2018 because of one line in a contract, and almost lost his marriage along the way. He's now launching the Lighthouse Brotherhood for high-achieving men who are crushing it at work and quietly falling apart at home. In this conversation, Darren Cooper and Matt break down the silence that costs successful men their families, the quarterly family meeting that saved Matt's marriage, the daddy-daughter date when his seven-year-old picked out her own dress, and the one fear Matt says drives everything he does as a father. If you've been carrying it alone, this is the episode for you. FREE CONTENT CLARITY AUDIT: https://link.1898creative.com/widget/bookings/1898-creative/audit KEY TAKEAWAYS: ⚡️ The silence high-achievers carry costs them their marriages before it costs them anything else ⚡️ You can wing your business and survive. You cannot wing your family and survive. ⚡️ A quarterly one-hour family meeting can change a marriage faster than any retreat ⚡️ Thirty minutes a night with your phone in a different room beats two hours with it nearby ⚡️ The ROI of intentional time at home is not subtracted from your business, it's invested in it TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 — Cold open 00:29 — What is the Lighthouse Brotherhood 05:32 — The 2018 exit that cost him everything 08:23 — Why he didn't tell anyone the business failed 11:48 — The men's group every high-achiever needs 15:08 — Practical step one if you're struggling right now 18:50 — We wing our marriages, we wing being a father 22:42 — 1898 Creative break 23:33 — Why no one builds an operating system for their family 25:23 — The thirty-minute phone rule 28:21 — The one fear Matt carries as a dad 29:24 — The quarterly family meeting that changed his marriage 31:33 — The ROI of joy 36:32 — The daddy-daughter date and the dress 41:20 — How his dad broke the generational curse 43:34 — The vision of being eighty years old at a table with your brothers 47:43 — Where to find the Lighthouse Brotherhood CONNECT WITH US: 👉🏻 Website: https://1898creative.com 👉🏻 Darren's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darrenandrewcooper CONNECT WITH MATT BULDUCCI: Lighthouse Brotherhood: https://lighthousebh.co YouTube: https:  @lighthousebhco  If this episode helped you, please: ⬇️ Drop in the comments, what's the thing you're here to create? ✅ Subscribe for weekly conversations with industry artists 📲 Share with a fellow creator who needs to hear this HASHTAGS: #createyourart #mensbrotherhood #highachiever #fatherhood #leadership #christianentrepreneur #mensgroup #familyfirst #1898creative #thoughtleadership

    51 min

  8. May 13

    Why My Eighth Grade Biology Teacher Was an Artist

    There's one quiet test that determines whether you're creating art in your work or just collecting paychecks: if you stopped tomorrow, would anyone be different because you were there? In this video from Episode 19 of the Create Your Art Podcast, Darren Cooper tells the story of Mrs. T, the eighth-grade biology teacher who accidentally taught him everything he knows about mastery. As well as his CPA dad, who was secretly one of the most important artists he's ever known. Co-host Dustin Pead chimes in with his own Mr. Cummings story. This is the heartbeat behind why the show is now called Create Your Art. If you've ever felt like the word "artist" wasn't for you, this is the segment to start with. FREE CONTENT CLARITY AUDIT: https://link.1898creative.com/widget/bookings/1898-creative/audit KEY TAKEAWAYS: ⚡️ The art is always the part of you that wasn't required by the job description ⚡️ Anyone can transmit information, artists transmit conviction ⚡️ A CPA who treats accounting as a craft creates more art than ten "creatives" who clock in ⚡️ You don't need a different job — you need to stop showing up to this one as a clock-puncher TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 — The heart behind the Create Your Art mission 00:57 — Mrs. T and the leaf moment 02:22 — Why Mrs. T was an artist with biology as her medium 02:25 — The CPA dad story 03:21 — How "boring" work funded a business and missions 03:52 — Dustin's Mr. Cummings story 05:41 — You as the listener — what's *your* art? 06:08 — Welcome to the Create Your Art Podcast 07:06 — Get off the sidelines and into the game 08:32 — The clock-puncher counterfactual CONNECT WITH US: 👉🏻 Website: https://1898creative.com 👉🏻 Darren's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darrenandrewcooper 👉🏻 Dustin's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dustinpead If this episode helped you, please: ⬇️ Drop your "art" in the comments — what's the thing you're here to create? ✅ Subscribe for weekly conversations with industry artists 📲 Share with a fellow creator who needs to hear this HASHTAGS: #createyourart #mastery #personalbrand #leadership #craft #coachesandconsultants #creativebusiness #1898creative #findyourart #creatorjourney #creatorjourney #contentcreation

    9 min
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About

I'm Darren Cooper, and I believe something that might sound crazy...every one of us is an artist. Not the kind with a paintbrush. The kind that looks at their life, their message, and decides it's worth giving to the world. Every episode, I sit down with ordinary people doing extraordinary things with their one life (coaches, leaders, entrepreneurs, pastors), those who had something worth creating, and finally stopped waiting for permission. My hope is simple. That somewhere in their story you hear your own. And that you walk away convinced that your voice matters and your art deserves to e

Information

  • Creator
    Darren Cooper
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    36
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Darren Cooper
  • Show Website
    Create Your Art