Unframed with Sarah: Creative Conversations

Sarah Nicole Hanson
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Arts

The Stories, Strategies & Business of Being Creative. Join Sarah for creative conversations with artists, authors, and creative entrepreneurs about the stories, ideas, and experiences behind their work. Through candid conversations, Sarah explores the creative process, artistic inspiration, entrepreneurship, career transitions, marketing, and the challenges of building a creative business. Discover practical business tips, marketing insights, fresh perspectives, and personal stories that reveal what it really takes to grow a creative business, build an audience, and create a fulfilling creative life. Whether you're looking for inspiration, business advice, marketing strategies, or a fresh perspective, Unframed with Sarah offers real-world insights to help you bring your creative vision to life. There's always more to the story than what you see beyond the frame.

Episodes

  1. 18h ago

    How to Unlock Your Creativity: Allegra Huston on Writing and Imaginative Intelligence

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Unframed with Sarah, writer, editor, and creativity teacher Allegra Huston explains how anyone can reconnect with their creativity and quiet their inner critic. Through her Imaginative Storm method, she uses short, exploratory writing exercises to help people generate ideas, strengthen their imagination, and discover a more confident, original voice. Allegra and Sarah discuss overcoming creative blocks, why creativity is valuable even when you never publish your work, and how a regular writing practice can build curiosity, empathy, and self-understanding. They also explore the difference between human imagination and AI, the importance of supportive creative communities, and how to make space for creativity in everyday life. Whether you’re a writer, artist, or simply curious about becoming more creative, this conversation offers practical inspiration to start exploring what you don’t know. Allegra Huston is a creativity teacher and co-founder of Imaginative Storm, which offers writing workshops, courses, retreats, and a weekly Saturday Writing Circle for writers at every level. To learn more, visit ImaginativeStorm.com or join the Saturday Writing Circle. You can also follow Imaginative Storm on Instagram and YouTube, and follow Allegra on Instagram. Saturday Writing Circle: https://www.imaginativestorm.com/weekly-writing-circle Imaginative Storm: https://www.imaginativestorm.com Imaginative Storm Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imaginativestorm/ Allegra’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allegrahuston/ Imaginative Storm YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@imaginativestorm Substack: https://imaginativestorm.substack.com/ Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: FA5AA3SSK73RALGF Support the show If you are interested in podcast guesting opportunities, join Unframed with Sarah on PodMatch!Subscribe to Unframed with Sarah's Substack to get show notes, episode transcripts, community chat, and more!

  2. Oct 30

    Sci-Fi Author Dawn Ross on Self-Publishing, Resilience & Hope for Humanity

    Send us Fan Mail What does it take to write a seven-book space opera series and publish it on your own terms? In this episode of Unframed with Sarah, host Sarah Nicole Hanson talks with sci-fi author Dawn Ross. Dawn writes the Starfire Dragons series, which follows young warriors, a futuristic samurai culture, and the hope that people can overcome hardship. Dawn explains what a space opera is. She also talks about how bullying led her to invent heroic characters as a kid, and how her stories grew from three planned books to seven. She shares the hard lessons from self-publishing and what they taught her about creative independence. In this conversation: What a space opera is and why the genre is character-drivenHow Dawn's childhood daydreams became a sci-fi series about hopeSelf-publishing tips for first-time authors, including how to spot literary agent scamsHow to find and vet editors, and why a developmental editor comes firstWhy taking criticism matters, and why you shouldn't give up your creative visionFinding your readers at conventions and book fairs, and marketing a little at a timeHow fiction lets us process trauma, build empathy, and explore real-world issuesWriting morally complex characters, and why not everyone redeems themselvesAbout the guest: Dawn Ross is a self-published sci-fi author based in Topeka, Kansas. Her series is also available as audiobooks. Find her at dawnrossauthor.com, on Facebook, and on Instagram. Her books are on Amazon, Kobo, and Apple Books. Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: YXQDWATKTGRAXTPW Support the show If you are interested in podcast guesting opportunities, join Unframed with Sarah on PodMatch!Subscribe to Unframed with Sarah's Substack to get show notes, episode transcripts, community chat, and more!

  3. Oct 19

    Why Maria Denison Wrote a CIA Thriller for Middle-Aged Women | The Reflex

    Send us Fan Mail A CIA code name, a marriage-threatening secret, and a Duran Duran song that starts appearing in the strangest places—Maria Denison turns all three into a fast-paced, character-driven suspense story you will not predict by chapter eight. Sarah sits down with Maria Denison to unpack the real-life spark behind her genre-bending novel, why she calls it thriller-mystery-suspense with a preternatural twist, and how she built a story where the romance is a vehicle, not the engine. If you love twisty books with hidden clues, emotional stakes, and a heroine whose past refuses to stay buried, this one belongs on your list. Maria shares: Why she is re-marketing her books away from romantic fantasy and urban fantasyHow Cara Andre, a suburban mom and business owner, gets pulled back into a secret CIA life she left behind 15 years agoThe moment a song becomes a warning, a clue, and a callback to a code nameWhy the story is built for readers who enjoy suspense, but do not need a heavy espionage manualHow she hides clues in banter, humor, and the most irrelevant-seeming detailsMaria also opens up about the childhood moment that nearly sent her to the CIA herself, the family dynamics that made that impossible, and the declassified research and real-world conversations that helped shape the book's atmosphere. That mix of personal fascination and careful digging gives the novel its edge, while keeping the focus on what matters most: a woman, a marriage, and a threat that can no longer stay secret. If you are drawn to page-turners with strong characters, layered tension, and the kind of mystery that rewards close listening, this episode is for you. It is especially timely for anyone interested in CIA stories, declassified history, and suspense that feels both smart and deeply human.  Connect with Maria:  Website Instagram Facebook TikTok Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: CHUMVE7VRV4LNXYX Support the show If you are interested in podcast guesting opportunities, join Unframed with Sarah on PodMatch!Subscribe to Unframed with Sarah's Substack to get show notes, episode transcripts, community chat, and more!

    Why Maria Denison Wrote a CIA Thriller for Middle-Aged Women | The Reflex

  4. Oct 9

    Brand and Book Marketing Strategy with Stephanie Moon

    Send us Fan Mail After 15 years in traditional publishing, marketing books, Stephanie Moon now helps authors take charge of their own marketing by building meaningful relationships with readers and tackling the work publishers often leave to them. In this episode of Unframed with Sarah, Stephanie shares practical strategies for authors at every stage of their careers to increase visibility, connect authentically with their audience, and build a sustainable writing career. Beyond the business of books, we get to know the person behind the expertise: what motivates Stephanie, what she’s learned along the way, and how she developed her impressive talent for growing dahlias. It’s a conversation about the power of connection, the realities of being an author, and the unexpected passions that make us who we are. Connect with Stephanie: Website Instagram Substack Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: TELHBXBSGI3PK7LG Support the show If you are interested in podcast guesting opportunities, join Unframed with Sarah on PodMatch!Subscribe to Unframed with Sarah's Substack to get show notes, episode transcripts, community chat, and more!

    Brand and Book Marketing Strategy with Stephanie Moon

  5. Oct 2

    Creating the Fortunes of Wisdom Oracle Deck with Sandra Catania and Andrea Kimberley

    Send us Fan Mail Sandra Catania and Andrea Kimberly join Sarah to discuss the creation of their Fortunes of Wisdom Oracle Deck — bringing illustration, intuition, and storytelling together in a deck designed to inspire reflection and connection. Join us for a conversation about spirituality, the process of creating an oracle deck, intuitive readings, and how art and creativity can help us make sense of our experiences. Connect with the Guests! https://linktr.ee/fortunesofwisdomoracle Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: KPR7MSWZNHRXYEZ7 Support the show If you are interested in podcast guesting opportunities, join Unframed with Sarah on PodMatch!Subscribe to Unframed with Sarah's Substack to get show notes, episode transcripts, community chat, and more!

    Creating the Fortunes of Wisdom Oracle Deck with Sandra Catania and Andrea Kimberley

  6. Sep 19

    Creative Entrepreneurship and The Self Determined Artist with Lynn Feasey

    Send us Fan Mail Lynn Feasey is a photographer, curator, artistic director, and creative strategist whose work has taken her across Canada’s Northern Territories, where she has worked alongside artists, communities, and governments at the intersection of arts, tourism, and economic development. She’s also passionate about helping artists and creative entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses without losing sight of what makes their work meaningful in the first place. For Lynn, that means keeping creativity at the center of entrepreneurship. In this episode, Lynn shares insights from her upcoming course, The Self-Determined Artist, and talks about her online community, The Artists Well. She reflects on how art and travel have shaped her life and career, how artists can think differently about how they interact with the algorithm, and why building a sustainable creative practice doesn’t have to come at the expense of creativity itself. Connect with Lynn! Website Instagram Photography Substack The Artist's Well Music Attribution: Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: XESLUHIWDBJLIKUQ Support the show If you are interested in podcast guesting opportunities, join Unframed with Sarah on PodMatch!Subscribe to Unframed with Sarah's Substack to get show notes, episode transcripts, community chat, and more!

    Creative Entrepreneurship and The Self Determined Artist with Lynn Feasey

  7. Sep 13

    Labels, Art, and Identity with Larry Garcia

    Send us Fan Mail Larry Garcia is an Albuquerque, NM based model, dancer, and unique human with a dark androgynous aesthetic and big heart. In this show's debut episode, we discuss self-identification, identification by others, and how these identities are formed. What is it like to exist in the world as a living form of art? You can find Larry on Instagram Music Attribution: Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: Q3SQXPL3YJDSWQ1V Support the show If you are interested in podcast guesting opportunities, join Unframed with Sarah on PodMatch!Subscribe to Unframed with Sarah's Substack to get show notes, episode transcripts, community chat, and more!

    Labels, Art, and Identity with Larry Garcia
  • 7 Episodes

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About

The Stories, Strategies & Business of Being Creative. Join Sarah for creative conversations with artists, authors, and creative entrepreneurs about the stories, ideas, and experiences behind their work. Through candid conversations, Sarah explores the creative process, artistic inspiration, entrepreneurship, career transitions, marketing, and the challenges of building a creative business. Discover practical business tips, marketing insights, fresh perspectives, and personal stories that reveal what it really takes to grow a creative business, build an audience, and create a fulfilling creative life. Whether you're looking for inspiration, business advice, marketing strategies, or a fresh perspective, Unframed with Sarah offers real-world insights to help you bring your creative vision to life. There's always more to the story than what you see beyond the frame.

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