Honestly, Dear Listener Honestly, Dear Listener

This week on Honestly, Dear Listener, we’re talking about self-promotion and why it’s so easy to promote others, but it’s so hard when it comes to ourselves. We wade into the all-too-loaded worded “bragging”—what is it and how can we transcend the word to get to what we really mean underneath: the desire to share our creation babies with the world.We also discuss what Carrie is up to now that she’s 40 years-old including her commitment to writing every day. Finally, we reflect on the word...

This week, we have a treat, but first, a little history:I (Carrie) first started the Honestly, Dear Listener podcast all the way back in 2014—things were a little different back then. The show ran for two seasons, each episode was shorter (about 15-20 minutes in length), and it was more produced and way more edited than the longer form conversations Emily and I have today on the podcast. The focus was much the same as it is today—I would interview artists on what it’s like being a creative, a...

This week on Honestly, Dear Listener, we delve into the complexities of breaking free from familiar yet unproductive patterns and embracing a more playful mindset. By comparing the focus needed for meditation to maintaining a playful mindset, we emphasize the importance of catching oneself driving away from what really brings us joy and redirecting. In general, we go so fast in our lives, often forgetting to slow down and reexamine what it is in the world we really want. So, this week, we pos...

NOTE: This week, Carrie is hosting the podcast as Emily is gone. But don’t fret! She’ll be back next week!On this week’s episode of Honestly, Dear Listener, I’m sitting down with none other than my husband, Seth Schaeffer. He’s an artist, songwriter, musician, filmmaker, director, and father to our two boys. First, we discuss how we attach our worth to our identity and what we do and make as well as how we make things both when we’re supposed to be good at it and when we’re not.Next, we dive ...

This week on Honestly, Dear Listener, we’re diving into the complexities of self-acceptance, personal growth, and the impact of social media on well-being. Carrie celebrates graduating from her one-year sewing program but finds it’s hard not to downplay her accomplishments. We discuss how self-belief is key to being able to celebrate ourselves. Emily shares about her recent show at the legendary 54 Below in NYC and her accompanying performance anxiety. Finally, we delve into social media’s im...

This week on Honestly, Dear Listener, we’re talking about something very scary indeed—what if we’re not actually special? If you’re anything like us, you were raised with the idea firmly planted in your brain that you were exceptional. This has served you some of the time, but it also plopped a huge helping of pressure on you when it came to creativity. Because if you make “bad art,” it would prove that you’re not actually as special as you thought. So you stick to things you’re inherently go...