Shows / Gifted Underachievers
Gifted Underachievers
A podcast for midlevel creatives with delusional ambitions
giftedunderachievers.substack.com
Episodes
Gifted UnderachieversKill the Magic for Creative Growth
In this segment, James quotes from the Robert Persig classic, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: “When we master some aspect or skill of the creative…
Gifted UnderachieversMerry Yule from the GU Clubhouse
We’ve got so much to be thankful for this Yuletide Season...as we underachieve our way through one gong show after another in this adventure we call the…
Gifted UnderachieversAdaptation & Transformation for Creatives
Content warning: Strong language. Here in the Gifted Underachievers clubhouse, we have realized that the ability to constantly adapt and transform is a key…
Gifted UnderachieversSigma Riz Contest Update
James is named a finalist in the biggest ‘self-esteem camp’ of literary journal contests he’s ever encountered and says a resounding ‘No!’ (thank you)…
Gifted UnderachieversThe Most Elitist Muffin
Proving the truism that the human capacity to take in information, process it, analyze it, and then make a stupid choice is a gift, the Gifted Underachievers…
Gifted UnderachieversAnne Ramallo: Poet, Editor & Publisher
When Anne first approached us to do a segment, she write, “Gifted Underachiever, that label fits me, right against the skin. I might have used it at different…
Gifted UnderachieversGet Inspired with Isaac Hirotsu Woofter
Here in the Gifted Underachiever Clubhouse we were inspired and uplifted by a conversation with our very special guest, gifted achiever Isaac Hirotsu Woofter…
Gifted UnderachieversVirtuous Feedback Financing Loop
Some of us find money a central motivator in our creative projects, which can lead to taking on almost anything that pays. For your gifted underachievers Pat…
Gifted UnderachieversIf Not Writing, What?
If people are born into a creative life, what is it that draws them to one art over another? If the fates had been different, what creative domain would a…
Gifted UnderachieversThanksgiving with the Gifted Underachievers
The United States of America is gearing up for one of their biggest retail frenzies of the year, aka Thanksgiving. But here in the Gifted Underachievers…
Gifted UnderachieversPerfectionism & The Comedian’s Mindset
Pat and James dive deep into perfectionism and how it limits the creative mind and creative capacity. The Gifted Underachievers then break perfectionism down…
Gifted UnderachieversDefanging Chaotic Workflows
Are you a chaotrope or kosmotrope? For most of his early life, James was an extreme chaotrope. At a young age, Pat carried a briefcase (obvious kosmotrope)…
Gifted UnderachieversPodcast Merchandise: Lessons Learned
The dynamic duo have learned that sometimes their creative eyes are much bigger than their creative capacities. This realization came about during a chat about…
Gifted UnderachieversThe Contest Experiment Begins
We’re less than a month in to the contest experiment (that is, entering contests with our creative work as a way to potentially make money, get published…
Gifted UnderachieversWhen Opportunity Knocks You Up
What’s your first instinct when you encounter a new opportunity? Do you tend to say yes, no, or “let me think about it?” Should we always say yes? If you’re…
Gifted UnderachieversOur First Fight
All is not well in the Gifted Underachiever Clubhouse as James threatens to yet again derail a segment with his spurious “science facts” and Pat draws a very…
Gifted UnderachieversLiterary Agents Ghosted, Oh My!
Special guest hosts Bart and Jimmy (if you are a literary agent: ignore any references to Pat and James) explore recent reporting by Jane Friedman that…
Gifted UnderachieversGetting Unstuck Creatively
Pat and James explore the sensation of being creatively ‘blocked’ or, perhaps more aptly, getting stuck creatively. Then the Gifted Underachievers press on…
Gifted UnderachieversJohn Irving: Holiday Prepper
Unbelievably, John Irving has yet another book out (at 408 pages a novella for him) despite his stay at the Gifted Underachiever club house. Nevertheless, we…
Gifted UnderachieversThe Grant Experiment Pivot: DIE HARD
For a full year, your Gifted Underachievers applied for grants to fund our creative projects. Were we good at it? Not really. Did we enjoy it? A hard no. Did…
Gifted UnderachieversFunctional Fixedness
In this segment, Gifted Underachiever James Buchanan explains the concept of functional fixedness, talks about how it can impair our ability to produce…
Gifted UnderachieversThe Hard-Easy Effect in Creative Work
In this segment, Gifted Underachiever Dobes christens the actions of the devilish duo—evil twins, if you will—that can hold back the creation of a…
Gifted UnderachieversMarketing Starter Kit for Creatives
Pat provides a very solid 7-part marketing starter kit for creatives to continuously market ourselves and our works. The pieces are: * Understanding Budget &…
Gifted UnderachieversHow Good Are You?
One thing that can get in the way of creativity is that we can rationalize about our failures and thus never improve. Maybe we think “what I’ve done is good…
Gifted UnderachieversThe Perverse Farmers' Market (Silly)
Proving that silliness can trample any topic, Pat and James fall apart while discussing farmers’ markets…so much so that Pat’s mic cannot pick up her laughter…
Gifted UnderachieversFinding Creative Fodder in Other People's Art
While working on a project, James is reading stories by well-known authors to see how they’ve handled similar topics—a bit of exploration to find inspiration…
Gifted UnderachieversOvercoming Nihilism as a Creative
In the act of sending out a short story to yet more literary journals. Gifted Underachiever James is hit by the thought, “Why bother?” Is this the first sign…
Gifted Underachievers7 Simple Phrases for Creative Collaboration
Here in the Gifted Underachiever clubhouse, we rarely disagree. But if we were to engage in conflict, James knows how to get out of it. He has come across a…
Gifted Underachievers1 Technique to Regain Your Creative Confidence
Under the category of “overcoming self-doubt and imposter syndrome,” James suggests that the Gifted Underachievers start a “kindness file,” aka an “artistic…
Gifted UnderachieversDeath by Misadventure
Pat and James display key BBC mystery expertise when discussing Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, Scottish criminal law, and a few more embarrassing (and humorous)…
Gifted UnderachieversAre Creatives Too Nostalgic?
There’s more than one type of nostalgia around art. Art media coverage seems to highlight the Old Masters, people who haven’t made art in a long time—heck…
Gifted UnderachieversThe Future for Creative Workers
Right now, Pat sees creative work as often being underappreciated (unless it sells well). She encounters many creatives who are struggling to find an audience…
Gifted UnderachieversDobes Gets Her Groove Back (silly)
There’s really not much to say other than Pat and James get very giggly while talking about boxes, Pat’s potential transformation during her upcoming trip to…
Gifted UnderachieversOverthinking Your Art? Try This.
Some creative projects burst into our minds with many, many moving parts. We might have a vision so grand that we toil for days, weeks, months, even years to…
Gifted UnderachieversTheatre Talk with Gifted Underachievers
A brief discussion of autumnal sartorial choices segues into a new segment: Theatre Talk with Gifted Underachievers! In this fun, somewhat farcical, and…
Gifted UnderachieversOverthought & Underdone: the GU Revenge Fantasy
We’ve been inviting some guests to be interviewed on the Gifted Underachiever podcast, but not everyone has responded with a yay or a nay. James proposes a…
Gifted UnderachieversLessons from a Year of Applying for Creative Grants
In August, 2024, the Gifted Underachievers began a one-year Grant Experiment. The goal was to find out if we could get grants to help offset the cost of some…
Gifted UnderachieversAI Use Policies for Creatives
All types of organizations around the world are wrestling with AI: how to use it, how not to use it, and how to establish balanced policies to govern its use…
Gifted UnderachieversThe Sixth Pinkie: A Polydactyl's Memoir
In this short segment, the Gifted Underachievers discuss their own hands and come up with a title for James’s memoir. Questions for Listeners: (Hop on over to…
Gifted UnderachieversHalo Effect & Building On Marketing Powers You Already Possess
Large and even huge media platforms (New York Times and mass audience podcasts) do not necessarily translate into increased sales for creatives. Yes, they are…
Gifted UnderachieversFinding More Capacity with Email Equanimity
Pat has reached a higher plane of existence: she is unbothered by the more than 6,000 unread emails clogging her inbox. How? Why? Well, as with most things…
Gifted UnderachieversWelcome to Canada: Have a Caesar!
Here in the Gifted Underachievers Clubhouse, our discussions of the creative life sometimes extend beyond topics like capacity, money, and audience to bigger…
Gifted UnderachieversThings Don't Happen in August
Pat’s lolling on the GU lounge chair, ignoring emails. Why? BECAUSE IT’S AUGUST, she’s got a case of ennui, and fascism is in the air. Meanwhile, James has…
Gifted UnderachieversHigh-Volume Creative “Solopreneurs”—How Do They Do It?
Of late, here in the GU Clubhouse we’ve noticed a pattern with two components: 1. People buying creative services for ‘vanity’ projects (NOTHING WRONG WITH…
Gifted UnderachieversProving There's An Audience For Your Work
While still important, traditional media and even social media are no longer the guarantee of success for translating eyeballs into sales. Having a big…
Gifted UnderachieversCall for Guests
Over the last year, we have been lucky enough to welcome several Gifted Achievers into the GU clubhouse—guests from many creative disciplines willing to talk…
Gifted UnderachieversHow to Test Your Craft Capabilities
For most creative fields, learning the craft takes years of consistent practice and study. Maybe you’ve put in the time and effort, but how do you know if your…
Gifted UnderachieversMichael Palin, Avoidance, & the Creative Archetype
Since the late 1960s, Michael Palin has kept a journal cataloguing his experiences, thoughts, encounters, anxieties, and projects. James has found these…
Gifted UnderachieversA Curious Boy
Embarrassment, a bit of trouble…has anything really changed with Gifted Underachiever James Buchanan since he was in second grade? Questions for Listeners…
Gifted UnderachieversIs Consistency Overrated for Creative Work?
Pat and James explore whether consistency in creative work is overrated. Does some inconsistency give time for more and deeper reflection? Should we consider…
Gifted UnderachieversIs There An Audience for Your Work?
Here in the Gifted Underachievers Clubhouse we’re thinking about creative workers and how they make money. To earn money from your work, you need an audience…
Gifted UnderachieversWhere Do Ideas Come From?
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com
Gifted UnderachieversWork Habits & Workflows for Creatives
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com
Gifted UnderachieversKeep John A-thrive
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com
Gifted UnderachieversCan Art Still Drive Social Change?
Pat and James explore the question of whether art can still drive cultural or social change in ways that improve people’s lives. The answer seems to be yes…
Gifted UnderachieversEvery Creative Needs Grit
Writing can be a cruel mistress (and as Pat learns from former journalist James, journalism is the cruelest field of all). Both Gifted Underachievers have…
Gifted UnderachieversShould Art Carry Trigger Warnings?
Do we need trigger warnings for people who want to see a show, read a book, listen to a song, enter a gallery, or encounter art in a public space, but are…
Gifted UnderachieversEpisode 54: Gifted Achiever Joe Ponepinto
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com
Gifted UnderachieversThinking Bigger About Grants
If you had unlimited funds, how would you approach your current creative project(s)? What if you had “midlevel” funds? No funds? This is the question posed to…
Gifted UnderachieversThe Gifted Underachievers Go Waaaay Off Track
We’re in the Clubhouse, minding our business, talking about goals for the fiscal year—which is hilarious in itself, as there is no fiscal aspect to the Gifted…