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Create-Today with Beth Buffington

Beth Buffington

Whether you see yourself as a seasoned artist, or you’re just starting to dip your toes into creativity, this podcast is here to show you how YOUR creativity can benefit your mental health, personal growth, and even professional success. Cool, right?

Think of me (Beth Buffington) as your companion on a creative journey to unlock the magic of creativity in your day-to-day. I’ll be here, sharing stories, chatting with other creatives in the know, sharing tips, and laughs as we explore the real-world perks of getting and staying creative.

Tune in, and let's journey into the wonderful world of creativity together!

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  • 20 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 33 min
  • English

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  • Thursday · 37 min

    E148 - Your Busy Brain Needs Poetry (and Time to Journal) Guest, Bri McLaughlin

    Poetry is having a moment. And your busy brain needs it! ✍️ This week on Create Today, Beth sits down with Bri McLaughlin, LCSW, a bilingual therapist, and poetry therapist in training at Connections Health in Evanston, Illinois. Together Beth and Bri explore how a poem and a few minutes minutes with a journal can calm anxious thoughts, quiet your inner critic, and finally give words to feelings you couldn't name. In this episode, you'll discover: • What poetry therapy actually is (bibliotherapy, ritual, metaphor, and group sharing) • Why you need zero writing experience to benefit • Why reading a poem out loud, helps you feel and find hidden understanding • How a five-minute free write, with no spelling, grammar, or punctuation rules, pushes back on perfectionism • The unsent letter: says the important things you need to say to someone • The bonfire "burn boxes" from one of Beth's creative retreats • What psychologist James Pennebaker's research found when people spent a few short sessions writing about hard experiences: fewer doctor visits and measurable changes in immune markers • How a journaling exercise turns a poem into a mirror for your busy brain’s worries and anxiety • Easy ways to fit a poem a day into your morning coffee or evening wind-down • Why reading slowly matters • Why memorizing one favorite poem provides a comfort blanket you can carry anywhere • A sneak peek at Poems While You Wait, Chicago's typewriter poets who write you an original poem in about 15 minutes Going FourWords™ reflection: this episode is a perfect example Release, the stage where you quiet your inner critic and let go of what's weighing you down, so more of your goodness gets out into the world. Resources mentioned by Bri McLaughlin: Connections Health, Evanston, IL: www.connections-health.com Poem-a-Day email from the Academy of American Poets: www.poets.org/poem-a-day Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer's daily poems: www.wordwoman.com 📚 Bri's poetry book picks: For general life issues: Poetic Medicine: The Healing Art of Poem-Making by John Fox For grief: Time Will Tell by Courtney Peppernell Beneath All Appearances: An Unwavering Peace by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer: wordwoman.com/books/beneath-all-appearances-an-unwavering-peace For body image and healing from trauma (trigger warning: sexual abuse, intergenerational trauma): Home Body by Rupi Kaur The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur Healing Through Words: Guided Journal by Rupi Kaur More from Rupi Kaur: rupikaur.com For women's self-esteem and queer poetry: The Princess Saves Herself in This One by Amanda Lovelace: amandalovelace.com Resources for Create-Today 🔗 Grab your free Going FourWords™ Guide: www.bdi-create.today 🔗 Come play inside the Going FourWords Clubhouse ($1 your first month): www.bdi-create.today/going-fourwords-membership Remember...Everyone is creative, my friend. Subscribe for new conversations about... Creative Ideas for Better Living 🎧 #PoetryTherapy #JournalingForAnxiety #CreativeWellness

  • October 8 · 39 min

    E147 - Invest Your Time Like Money. Seven Ways to Be Creatively Rich

    🎁 Grab your guide for tips on creative investing! The Going FourWords™ Guide, is your plan for a growing your creativity: https://www.bdi-create.today/fourwords At 12:01 this morning you got paid. 24 hours, deposited straight into your daily account. Same as me. Same as everyone. So where did all those hours go? 🤔 Some went to sleep, work, and laundry (the beast that will not be tamed). But that little pocket of free time? A lot of it slipps away in five-minute pieces. A video. A scroll. A recipe you'll never make. These minutes (lost)... They never felt like spending. (right?) That's the trick. This week on Create Today, we're treating time like money We're exploring a better question: What if you creatively invested your free hours instead of scrolling them away? In this episode: We look at: • Why you should consider time as a currency • How your daily account is a fixed amount...that never gets a top-off • The surprising research showing our free hours are the ones least likely to refuel us (and that was 1989, before cellphones!) • The miraculous "Flow" state, explained so you can understand • How to get into flow with the "10% stretch" recipe (Goldilocks with a paintbrush) • 3 signs you're in creative flow, • How to tell a deposit from a withdrawal • What 45 minutes of making art does to stress hormones, for beginners and pros alike • Why being creative today makes you feel better tomorrow • The compound interest of creative self care • The "creative hangover" professional creatives get • How to protect yourself from creative burnout • Why doomscrolling is a vending machine snack, and how it's a long-term investment • What the research says about creativity, brain health, and a younger-looking brain • Your Going FourWords™ creative budget: Revive, Realize, Refine, Release • 7 ways to invest your creative currency (mix and match like a portfolio) • Your one small thing this week Time Stamp: 00:00 Your daily deposit of 24 hours 03:00 Time is a currency 05:50 Your first deposit: creative flow 08:00 The recipe for flow 09:00 Why free time drains us 10:30 What flow does in your body 12:30 3 signs you're in flow 14:00 How to set yourself up for flow 16:30 Your Going FourWords™ creative budget 19:00 The compound interest of creativity 22:00 The creative hangover (for creative pros) 24:30 Creativity, stress, and inflammation 26:30 Scrolling vs. creating 28:00 7 ways to invest in creative currency 33:00 How to turn deposits into habits 37:00 The ultimate yield: your brain 39:30 Your one small thing this week Create-Today Resources: 🎁 Grab your free Going FourWords™ Guide, your plan for a growing creative account: https://www.bdi-create.today/fourwords Get on the Create-Today email for updates on how you can be more creative: https://www.bdi-create.today Remember, everyone is creative, and every creative minute you spend today is a deposit your future self gets to enjoy. Subscribe for a new conversation on creativity, wellness, and self care every week. 🎧 #CreativeWellness #StopDoomscrolling #CreativeSelfCare

  • October 1 · 49 min

    Notes on how you can be more creative with guest Vanessa Harnik

    Ever catch yourself thinking, "I wish I were more creative"? You've come to the right place. 🎨 My guest Vanessa Harnik is an advocate for creatives and she shares her tips and secrets about how you can lead a (more) creative life. She comes from a long line of artists and makers. She's the granddaughter of abstract painter Paul Feeley and runs a family stationery business. She happily shares she's not very good at all the crafts she loves. She does them anyway. Her secret to staying creative isn't talent. It's small habits and the right people around her. Vanessa's advice for anyone who wants to be more creative: • Start small. • When "be more creative" feels overwhelming, go bite-sized • Write down three things you noticed today (a practice her grandfather gave his art students, and it changes how you see everything) • Try tiny experiments: a small drawing, a little writing, a new recipe • Surround yourself with creative people, and keep meeting new ones • Get out of your comfort zone: travel, museums, live music, even a comedy show • Reach out to someone you haven't talked to in years and tell them what they meant to you Also in this episode: • Why you don't have to be good at something for it to count as creative (yes, "Excel craft" counts) • How to build a creative community: themed dinner parties, • A 15-year crafternoon, and friends you can text at 5 a.m. • Making friends in your 50s (hard, and so worth it) • Why honest friends and advocates make you braver about releasing your work into the world, • The Release stage of Beth's Going FourWords™ framework and how it fits with Vanessa's message. • Getting off the couch when binge-watching is calling your name • How writing a daily Substack helps Vanessa feel less alone, and helps her readers too • The Note Nest: Vanessa's Little Free Library for handwritten cards, and the stranger in Waco, Texas who wants one for his community This week's small challenge: tonight, write down three things you noticed today. That's it. Watch what it does to tomorrow. How to find Vanessa Harnik: Read Vanessa's Substack: https://vanessaharnik.substack.com ✉️ Want a Note Nest in your neighborhood? https://thenotenest.net 💌 Notes & Queries cards: https://www.nandq.com Social Media links: Notes & Queries on Instagram Notes & Queries on Facebook The Note Nest Vanessa Harnik on LinkedIn Instagram reel by Vanessa Harnik Resources for Create-Today 🎁 Grab your free Going FourWords™ Guide: https://www.bdi-create.today Join the Going FourWords™ Clubhouse! https://www.bdi-create.today/going-fourwords-membership Stay in touch with your creativity. Subscribe to the Create-Today podcast!. 🎧 #HowToBeMoreCreative #CreativeCommunity #CreativeWellness

  • September 24 · 33 min

    E145 - The Happiness Health Behind Having a Pen Pal. (Get on the Trend Wagon!)

    ✉️ Think for a moment...it feels sweet to get a handwritten envelope in your mailbox, right? This week on Create Today, Beth explains the brain health and happiness boost behind writing to...and receiving letters from a pen pal. Letter writing is having a real comeback (Pinterest even named pen pals a 2026 trend), and the research on what a handwritten letter does for your heart, your brain, and your stress levels is pretty wonderful. Grab your favorite pen, my creative friend, because in this episode, you'll discover: • Why a text takes two seconds to send, two seconds to read, and about two seconds to forget • What a slow, handwritten letter gives you that a screen can't • The year-long "Please, Mr. Postman" pen pal study where loneliness scores dropped as people traded one letter a month • What happened when people wrote just three gratitude letters over three weeks (its some good brain stuff!) • The brain science of discovering beauty, and why decorating an envelope counts as making art • Why we worry way too much about our handwriting, our spelling, and whether a letter will feel awkward. • The two 12-year-old pen pals, one in Singapore and one in Newfoundland, who wrote for 43 years and finally met for one giant hug • Seven kinds of people who especially need a pen pal right now, from caregivers and the screen-weary to the quiet ones and the stationery hoarders (you know who you are) • Easy snail mail ideas to get started: one fun card, one small question, one walk to the mailbox • Where letter writing fits inside the Going FourWords™ framework This week's small challenge: pick one person, one piece of paper you love, and write one page. Then mail it and enjoy the wait. 💌 Grab your free Going FourWords™ Guide: https://www.bdi-create.today Find a pen pal in the Going FourWords Clubhouse (try it for $1, then $9/month): https://www.bdi-create.today/going-fourwords-membership Subscribe to the Create-Today podcast for a new conversation on creativity, connection, and self-care every week. 🎧

  • September 17 · 40 min

    E144 - Deborah Shoemaker and her success mantra: "What if I tried that?"

    Here's what happens when you just "see what happens". Deborah retired after 38 years in government, tried knitting, watercolor, and acrylics (turns out she’s not a patient painter), and somehow ended up running her own publishing house with two crime-solving cats and a squirrel who thinks he’s a rock star. 🐾📚 This week on Create Today, Beth sits down with Deborah Shoemaker, author, and founder of Feather Mountain Expressions, to talk about what happens when you actually chase the question "I wonder if I could do that?" In this episode, you’ll discover: • Deborah’s own personal spin on Beth’s Going FourWords™ framework and why it took her a full two years to get there (completely normal, by the way) • The “rabbit hole rule” that keeps her Canva and Pinterest and videos from turning into a thousand saved pins she never opens again • How two real housecats inspired Salt & Peppa, a pair of pizza-shop detectives solving mysteries above a Brooklyn pizzeria • How one bedtime story grew into an entire fictional world, squirrel included • What a mentor told her when she got her first online hater and how that one reframe changed how she shows up online • Why she fired an executive coach who told her to “calm down,” • The focus trick she uses to manage her big creative energy (picture a garden hose and 20 buckets) • The telemarketing job that gave her confidence she still leans on today • How she tested her very first digital product by making her own son buy it for a dollar • How she learned about email lists and grew her list from zero to 350 subscribers • How you should be measuring your own creative progress Whatever your version of "I wonder if I could?" is, my creative friend, consider this episode your permission slip to go find out. Ready to get your creativity rocketing to new heights? Get your free Going FourWords™ Guide: www.bdi-create.today Come and play inside the Going FourWords Clubhouse (as low as $1 your first month): www.bdi-create.today/going-fourwords-membership Meet Salt & Peppa for yourself: https://www.salzandpeppa.com/ Find Salz and Peppa on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/SalzandPeppa?section_id=59661031 Loved learning about how you can CREATE-TODAY? Subscribe for new conversations on creativity, connection, and living well every week. 🎧

  • September 10 · 23 min

    E143 - 7 cards to 7 people in 7 days…Make It a Party and Multiply the Goodness!

    This week we explore the creativity in sending greeting cards, and the unbelievable goodness they deliver to a chaotic world. Last week we learned about: “Thinking of You Week” (September 21–27, 2026) AND then…how to prepare for the challenge of: 7 cards to 7 people in 7 days. Don't miss Part 2 of this series. This week Beth shares a fabulously fun way to multiply the number of people in the world who will GET a card during Thinking of You Week. Here's the quick peek: Don't prepare alone. Gather your people, and make it a party! Join this conversation as we focus on the GOOD all the Thinking of You cards will shower on our world… You'll discover how you can ratchet up the goodness into a tidal wave of happiness… 🎉💌 The treasures inside this episode: • Why turning your card-writing prep into a Prep Party is a way to have fun AND increase the awareness of Thinking of You Week. • Why a solo good intention rarely finishes the job — and why a "prep party" with your family, friends, neighbors, or book club dramatically increases the odds all seven cards actually make it to the mailbox • Beth's 7 ways to turn your Thinking of You Week prep into an evening people will actually want an attend. From a stationery bar (think coffee bar, but for cards) to turning address-hunting into a group treasure hunt • How to create a party about matching up penpals with another letter-loving friend. And how this can a fun thematic way to support Thinking of You week. • A sobering finding from the U.S. Surgeon General's 2023 advisory on our loneliness epidemic, and why it makes this small gathering even more important! •The published research showing that one act of kindness ripples outward three degrees of separation, and roughly triples in size along the way • A fun thought experiment: what would actually happen if every household in America took on the 7 cards, 7 people, 7 days challenge in the very same week • Why Beth is spending this Saturday with her grandchildren to have a party that will include: cards, pens, and help to get each of her grands create their list of their 7 people. Your homework: Pick a night. Pick your people. Set out some cards, pens, and something delicious, and make getting ready for Thinking of You Week (September 21–27) a great reason to get together with people you love! 
 Catch Part 1 – if you missed it! That's where the list-making details are explained and shared. Resources inside Create-Today! Grab your free Going FourWords™ Guide: https://www.bdi-create.today/fourwords Find creative fun inside the Going FourWords™ Clubhouse (as low as $1 your first month): www.bdi-create.today/going-fourwords-membership Subscribe to the Create-Today with Beth Buffington podcast for new conversations on creativity, connection, and Going FourWords™ with your creativity. 🎧 #ThinkingOfYouWeek #ThinkingOfYouWeekChallenge

  • September 3 · 27 min

    7 cards to 7 people in 7 days - will create happiness (especially for you!)

    Send 7 Cards to 7 people in 7 Days: Surprising Science on Why It’ll Make you Happier Every now and then as you flip through your mail – junk, junk, a bill, a catalog... you'll find one... an envelope with a handwritten address. Stop for a moment and think about that little flare of joy that flutters in your heart. You know what I'm talking about. That's what this episode is all about. 💌 The joy a rectangle of paper provides in the humble greeting card. And here's why. It's almost Thinking of You Week (September 21–27, 2026), and Beth is kicking off a two-part series on the creativity and the science behind sending a greeting card. This week, she explores why sending a card might be one of the simplest, research-backed happiness boosts available to you. And it's easy to concentrate on this month because September 21-27 is Thinking of You Week. In this episode, you'll discover: • The origin story behind Thinking of You Week. It started as a Lenten challenge from photographer Leonard Smith that grew into an international movement backed by the Greeting Card Association • This year's official challenge: seven cards to seven people in seven days (and why "vague intentions rarely turn into actions") • Surprising numbers behind why we are a card culture (even though we are so darn digital) •Americans buy an estimated 6.5 billion greeting cards a year • 7 in 10 card buyers call them "essential," not just nice-to-have • The UK neuroscience research showing a handwritten card lights up the brain differently than a text or email and provides roughly twice the happiness of a social post and three times that of an email • Why a University of Chicago study says you're wrong about how awkward your card will feel. • The science-backed twist: the person who sends the card often ends up happier than the person who receives it • A simple "Who's On Your List?" exercise to help you figure out exactly who needs a card from you this month (including why the person you're most hesitant to write to is probably the one who needs it most) • Beth's 7-step plan to actually pull off seven cards, seven people, seven days • Homework for this week: Make your list of seven people and find their addresses Part 2 is coming next week, and it's all about making the cards and other treasures about the humble greeting card. Discover more from Create Today (AND, get your free Going FourWords™ Guide): www.bdi-create.today Try the Going FourWords Clubhouse ($1 your first month):
 www.bdi-create.today/going-fourwords-membership 🎧 Subscribe to the Create-Today podcast for the latest chat with about creativity, connection, and living well every week. #ThinkingOfYouWeek #ThinkingOfYouWeekChallenge Timeline: 00:00 Why Cards Matter 03:08 Thinking of You Week 04:11 Origin and Challenge 06:33 Card Culture by Numbers 10:15 Sponsor Going Forwards Clubhouse 13:18 Science of Receiving Cards 16:32 Giving Feels Even Better 18:48 Pick Your Seven People 22:28 Seven Step Prep Plan 27:32 Final Takeaway and Next Episode

  • August 27 · 45 min

    E141 - It's Not Too Late to Get Creative Again with Guest Ilene Berns-Zare, PsyD and author

    You're Not Too Old (And It's Not Too Late) to Get Creative Again Psychologist Ilene Berns-Zare joins Beth to unpack the real secret to resilience, creativity, and thriving at midlife and beyond. 🌿 In this episode of Create Today, Beth talks with psychologist, life and leadership coach, and author Ilene Berns-Zare about what it actually takes to build resilience, reconnect with your creativity, and stop believing the story that it's “too late” to reinvent this next chapter. In this episode, you'll discover: • Why resilience isn't something you're born with • “Big C” creativity (the art you set out to make) and the everyday • “Little c” creativity you're already using without realizing it • How to reclaim your creativity at midlife, even if you've told yourself “I'm not creative” • How a single reframe – being told she was a “developmental writer” – that gave Ilene permission to finally write the book she'd been putting off for years • A simple morning gratitude-and-savoring practice that quietly builds real resilience over time • How to give yourself permission (and self-compassion) to prioritize creativity in a busy, chaotic season of life • Why the smallest step – even five minutes – counts as progress toward reinventing this chapter of your life About Ilene: Ilene Berns-Zare, PsyD, PCC, CEC is a psychologist, life and leadership coach, and author of You're Not Too Old and It's Not Too Late: Weekly Practices for Meaning, Mindfulness, and New Possibilities at Midlife and Beyond (MSI Press). She writes the “Flourish and Thrive” blog for Psychology Today and is adjunct faculty in Georgetown University's Transformational Leadership Program. How to contract Ilene Berns-Zare: Ilene's book & coaching: ibzcoaching.com Ilene's Psychology Today blog: psychologytoday.com/us/blog/flourish-and-thrive Resources from Create Today: (Get your free Going FourWords™ Guide): www.bdi-create.today Subscribe to "Create-Today with Beth Buffington" for a new conversation on creativity, resilience, and living well every week. 🎧

  • August 20 · 29 min

    E140 - Ghosting Your Creativity? Seven signs you need to know.

    Have you been ghosting your creativity? If your sketchbook, camera, or craft table has gone quiet, this episode covers the real signs of creative burnout, the science behind why creativity keeps you steady, and how to start treating creative self-care like the vital sign it actually is. In this episode of Create Today, Beth Buffington unpacks creative fitness: the idea that a consistent creative practice belongs on your health checklist right alongside sleep, diet, and exercise. You'll hear the science behind why creativity lowers stress (a Netherlands study comparing gardening to reading before a stressful task), why creativity comes before happiness rather than the other way around (Dr. Tamlin Conner's two-week flourishing study), and why skipping creative play leaves your brain stuck in fog (attention restoration theory and “soft fascination”). Then Beth walks you through her Going FourWords™ framework, Revive, Realize, Refine, and Release, applied specifically to your creative vitality. That includes a super simple, two-minute creative reset you can do today and seven signs that you might be ghosting your own creativity without realizing it. Join the Going FourWords™ Clubhouse for just $1 for your first month, then $9/month, and get Beth's Best Books artsy book club, the Recipe Exchange, and an ongoing creative community challenge: https://www.bdi-create.today/going-fourwords-membership Subscribe for a new episode of Create Today every week, and if someone you love has been ghosting their creativity, send them this one. Maybe you work on it together. Time Stamp: 0:00 Have you been ghosting your creativity? 4:00 What creative fitness means (and why your body keeps score) 7:00 The science of creative burnout: gardening vs. cortisol 9:00 Why creativity brings happiness, not the other way around 10:00 Creative fog, explained: attention restoration theory 13:00 Revive: a two-minute creative reset 17:00 Realize: 7 signs you're ghosting your creativity 20:00 Inside the Going FourWords™ Clubhouse ($1 first month) 22:00 Refine: building your creative storehouse 25:00 Release: the Zeigarnik effect and letting go 27:00 Creativity is self-care, not a reward

  • August 13 · 35 min

    E139 - How to Train for Life Using Your Creativity | Lisa Murphy, Vibrant Living Coach

    She's 60 and Hiking 133 Miles. Here's Her Secret. 
 What are you training for? Beth welcomes back one of her favorite recurring guests, Lisa Murphy, a Vibrant Living Coach (who helps women in their middle years, through perimenopause, menopause, and beyond) live more vibrantly and take on new adventures. This year Lisa is training for a big one: a nine day, 133 mile through-hike of the Isle of Anglesey coastal path in Wales, in celebration of her 60th birthday. Beth and Lisa use that goal as the starting point for a bigger conversation: what training really means once you take it outside the gym, why momentum beats motivation, and how creativity works as both a break and a reward when you are working toward something hard. They talk through: • Optimism bias • The running shoes method for building any new habit • Why core care, creative care, and community care can create a life that feels vibrant at any age. Discover how you can continue to work with Beth and Lisa by joining Sylva Sessions, an online wellness group that works with women to find more happiness and health by focusing on their Core Care, Creative Care and Community Care. Go to https://www.bdi-create.today/offers/TYb6qQtg/checkout and you can join in the next Sylva Sessions! Timestamp: 0:00 Welcome back and meet Lisa Murphy
 1:00 What is a Vibrant Living Coach
 2:00 Health and creativity: a hand in glove connection
 3:00 Lisa's big goal: 133 miles across Wales for her 60th
 4:00 What training actually means
 5:00 Turning 60 and finding renewed purpose
 7:00 Training is a recipe, not manifestation
 8:00 Consistency beats intensity
 9:00 The running shoes method for building any habit
 11:00 Optimism bias, and why momentum beats motivation
 12:00 Two ways Lisa brings creativity into her training
 14:00 Finding creativity in an ordinary garden
 16:00 Using data and rewards to push through a hard mile
 17:00 Creativity as your break and your reward
 19:00 Why strength training changes everything after 60
 21:00 The one habit that helps you live longer
 23:00 Starting slow and finding what works for you
 25:00 Momentum, community, and celebrating tiny wins
 28:00 Setting goals from a high vibration, not a low one
 30:00 Quieting your inner critic
 31:00 Do your best, and then go to bed
 33:00 What Sylva Sessions really is
 34:00 Why core care matters, even for artists
 36:00 Your turn: what are you training for? Reach out to Lisa: Get your complimentary session: https://www.lisamurphyllc.com/ Join Beth & Lisa for Sylva Sessions Sylva Sessions is the creative wellness community Beth and Lisa co-host together, covering creative care, core care, and community care. Learn more or register at: https://www.bdi-create.today/offers/TYb6qQtg/checkout Email Beth and let’s chat:
beth@bdi-create.today The Create-Today Home Page:
 https://www.bdi-create.today Subscribe for a new episode of Create-Today every week, and stay creative, my friend!

  • August 6 · 24 min

    E138 - What are you afraid to let go of? Let's explore your creativity

    How to increase happiness with a Creative Process that really WORKS! In this episode of Create-Today, you will explore struggles like unfinished projects and creative burnout – and how having a successful creative process helps you bypass these roadblocks. This episode digs deep into Beth’s structured framework: Going FourWords™. This is Beth's own creative process that can also help revitalize your energy and creativity. Join Beth as she discusses the four key phases of Going FourWords™: Revive, Realize, Refine, and Release These four simple words offer a roadmap to transform ideas into tangible masterpieces. In this episode you'll explore the last and very important word “Release” and you will learn how to enhance your productivity, improve the quality of your work, reduce stress, and foster greater innovation. Then… go to www.bdi-create.today and sign up for the “Going FourWords™ Clubhouse! This is the space where you can continue to navigate your creative wellness in each of the four phases – to take you to your great masterpiece! Offerings at BDI Create.Today For only $1 - Try out the “Going FourWords” Membership 
 (think of it as a Clubhouse for Creatives!)
 https://www.bdi-create.today/going-fourwords-membership The Create-Today Home Page:
 https://www.bdi-create.today Time Stamp: 00:00 Introduction to the Creative Process 02:15 The Importance of a Structured Creative Process 04:19 Overview of the Four Phases 05:24 Phase 1: Revive 06:34 Phase 2: Realize 07:55 Phase 3: Refine 10:20 Phase 4: Release 11:56 Benefits of a Creative Process 12:50 Close and Takeaways

  • July 30 · 27 min

    E137 - Neuroscience and Creative Play - The power of creating with your hands

    Your Hands Can Fix Brain Fog Ever notice how you feel wired AND tired after a scrolling binge? That foggy, restless feeling has a name, and this episode is about the science-backed fix hiding in your own two hands. In this episode of Create Today, Beth Buffington breaks down why tactile creativity like, painting rocks, crocheting, kneading dough, coloring, and more, calms your nervous system faster than almost anything else you can do. You'll learn about: • The hand-brain connection first mapped by neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield • Why repetitive motion works like active meditation • Why a finished craft feels so different from an endless scroll. • The research on cortisol, dopamine, and oxytocin, • Seven simple ways to bring creative play into your day in as little as five minutes. (No talent and no required.) If digital fog, brain fog, or doomscrolling have been running your days, this episode gives you a real, research-backed alternatives you can start today. Join the Going FourWords™ Clubhouse, $1 for your first month, then $9 a month: https://www.bdi-create.today/going-fourwords-membership Inside the Clubhouse you'll get Beth's Best Books Book Club, the Recipe Exchange, and ongoing creative challenges with quarterly prizes. Learn about more offerings at Create-Today: www.bdi-create.today Mentioned in This Episode Rock painting markers: Click Here Air Dry Clay: Click Here Follow Beth on: Instagram: @b.b.buffington_celebratetoday Facebook: BDIcreatetoday LinkedIn: bbbuffington Pinterest: bdiboss Timestamps 0:00 The digital fog we all know 4:00 Your hands: a remote control for your nervous system 6:00 The science of creative play: the hand-brain connection 11:00 Why repetitive motion works like active meditation 15:00 The effort-driven reward circuit: dopamine vs. oxytocin 18:00 7 ways to play with your hands today 24:00 A word from our sponsor: the Going FourWords™ Clubhouse 27:00 What will you create today? #CreativePlay #HandBrainConnection #StressReliefHobbies #CreateToday

  • July 23 · 45 min

    E136 - What You Need From Your Creativity. Guest, Ezra Vancil, Singer & Songwriter

    Artists Have to Live It Before They Can Create It Creativity is not just something you make. For Ezra Vancil, Creativity has been the saving grace that gets him through the hard parts of life, and the gift that keeps handing him back his own confidence. Ezra is a Texas based singer, songwriter, poet, and author whose career spans more than three decades. He is a Kerrville New Folk finalist, a New Song Competition winner, and a South by Southwest showcased artist, and his music has been featured on VH1 and the BBC. These days he lives in an East Texas forest, performs alongside his daughter Cozi, and writes music centered on redemption, resilience, faith, and the pursuit of wholeness over fame. In this conversation, Ezra and Beth talk about what happens when a record deal falls apart and there’s no plan B, why confidence and creativity build on each other in a loop, how decades of scattered attempts eventually turn into something meaningful, and why Ezra’s goal with his creative work is to write his life’s experiences and stories to help others endure the hard parts of life a little easier. If you’ve ever needed your creativity to carry you through something hard, this conversation is for you. Chapters 0:00 Meet Ezra Vancil 2:00 Life in the East Texas woods, and why silence fuels the work 5:00 Dropped from his label at 21, and why nothing creative goes to waste 9:00 Decades spent learning poetry. Learn the rules, then throw them out. 13:00 Why “do whatever you want” is a creative's worst nightmare 14:00 His unstructured morning practice, and quieting the comparison spiral 18:00 The bird analogy. Art as digested truth, given back to the people who need it. 23:00 The pressed flower story. Waiting years to get a piece of art back. 27:00 Redeeming the past through music, and healing his family through Morning and Midnight 31:00 Getting sober, hiring a coach, and rebuilding confidence on stage 34:00 Fear as a compass. It always points the wrong way. 39:00 “The answer is in the work,” and beating gear acquisition syndrome 43:00 Where to find Ezra's music, poetry, and Morning and Midnight Find Ezra Vancil and his music Website: https://ezravancil.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ezravancil/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/53DBJZYKrYOYUGz0co8XLQ Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/ezra-vancil/412473491 Find Create Today Website: https://www.bdi-create.today Join the Going FourWords™ Membership: https://www.bdi-create.today/going-fourwords-membership Create Today Membership: https://www.bdi-create.today/membership_coaching Sylva Sessions: https://www.bdi-create.today/sylva Instagram: @b.b.buffington_celebratetoday Facebook: BDIcreatetoday LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbbuffington/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/BDICreateToday/

  • July 16 · 23 min

    E135 - Lost Your Creativity? Four Words Changed My Creative Life

    Years ago, Beth thought she'd lost her creativity for good. She was doing the job she'd always dreamed of, but somewhere between the grind of deadlines and hustle, her joy disappeared. In this episode, Beth shares the personal story behind her Going FourWords™ Framework. The four-word creative wellness practice she built to find the way back to her creativity. Listen in as she explains why every one of these four words works better with guidance. Inside this episode you’ll discover: • How to read your creative energy so REVIVE isn't a one-size-fits-all fix • Why REALIZE is about waking back up from autopilot • What actually gets you unstuck in the REFINE stage when a dozen projects are half-finished • How RELEASE teaches you how to let go of things that are holding you back Beth also opens the doors to the Going FourWords™ Membership Her low-cost, judgment-free space to practice these four words with real guidance with the extra benefit of a creative community behind you. Your first month is just $1, then $9 a month after that. Join here: https://www.bdi-create.today/going-fourwords-membership Chapters: 0:00 Beth's story: when her creativity went quiet 0:07 Why creativity needs guidance, not more willpower 0:08 REVIVE: reading your creative energy 0:10 REALIZE: waking up from autopilot 0:12 REFINE: building the confidence to do the work 0:15 RELEASE: letting go and sharing what you made 0:18 What makes the framework actually become a way of life 0:19 Inside the Going FourWords™ Membership 0:21 Join for $1: to get started today Subscribe for weekly conversations about creativity as a wellness practice, from Beth Buffington at Create Today. www.bdi-create.today

  • July 9 · 29 min

    E134 The Health Pillar You're Skipping (It's Creative Fitness)

    We all know we need eight hours of sleep, regular exercise, and good nutrition. But there's a fourth pillar of health nobody talks about: your creativity. In this episode, Beth breaks down the real, measurable science behind "creative fitness" and maps her Going FourWords framework, Revive, Realize, Refine, Release, onto your actual body: your nervous system, your eyes and brain, your hands, and your heart. Whether you've never picked up a paintbrush, or you create for a living, you're going to walk away with actionable ways to increase your happiness and health by building your Creative Fitness. In This Episode, You'll Discover: 🩺 Why creativity belongs in the same conversation as sleep, movement, and nutrition 🧠 Creative Malnutrition: what's really happening when you keep putting your own creative work last 🫀 The Anatomy of a Healthy Creative: how Revive, Realize, Refine, and Release map onto your anatomy through your nervous system, eyes and brain, hands, and heart ✅ Four Snackable Actions for Your Creative Fitness 💼 Why a creatively fit mind makes for a sharper problem-solver, even outside the studio 🔔 A First Look at What's Coming in July – get on the email list so you're the first to know 💛 Resources from this Creative Fitness episode: Link mentioned to a past episode about micro dosing your creativity E117 Small Creative Deposits, Big Life Returns: The Science of 10-Minute Creativity https://www.bdi-create.today/podcasts/create-today-with-beth-buffington/episodes/2149177831 Get on my email list - so you can Create-Today (and join me in July)! https://www.bdi-create.today/ If this episode spoke to you, please share it with someone who's been treating their own creativity like it needs permission. 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode of Create Today with Beth Buffington! Timeline: 00:00 Welcome and the Fourth Pillar Nobody Talks About 01:16 Creative Malnutrition Explained 04:00 Introducing Going FourWords 06:45 REVIVE - Rest Your Nervous System 08:45 Try This: The 5-Minute Doodle 11:45 REALIZE - Wake Up Your Eyes and Brain 12:40 Try This: The 5-Minute Noticing Walk 14:35 REFINE - Your Hands and Motor Cortex 16:15 Try This: 15 Minutes of Focused Making 18:20 RELEASE - Building Confidence in Your Heart 20:35 Try This: Share One Piece of Work Today 22:30 How Creative Fitness Changes Your Whole Life 23:55 A Word From Our Sponsor (Me): What's Coming in July 26:20 Your Creative Prescription 27:40 Closing Thoughts

  • July 2 · 30 min

    E133 Finding Joy! The Miracle of Being...Together

    Let’s talk about Joy! (...using a story about songs, soccer, and bagpipes.) Is it possible for 50,000 people to descend upon a city to watch soccer — and give the whole city permission to stop worrying and feel good together? The answer is –YES! That’s what joy inside a community can do. 
 Today, we're going to talk about why JOY matters for your health, your heart, and your life. In this episode of Create Today with Beth Buffington, we explore the science of shared joy, and what happens in your brain and body when you experience joy – not alone, but inside a community. Come and discover how YOU can find and savor joy starting today. Nuggets of Joy in This Episode: • The spell they cast on Boston (by a community of bagpipes) during the 2026 FIFA World Cup • Why loneliness is as dangerous as smoking 15 cigarettes a day (from Episode 132) • Dopamine and oxytocin, and why (together) they create something extraordinary • How shared laughter raises oxytocin levels and why joy is physical, not just emotional • Revive and Realize — the first two words of the Going FourWords™ framework, and how community joy activates both • Seven ways YOU can discover and relish joy when you're in community • Something exciting coming in July — get on the email list so you're first to hear Timestamp: 0:00 Hello + the World Cup story you didn't expect 2:00 The Tartan Army, Boston, and the spell of joy 4:30 What joy in community is (and why it's different from happiness) 6:30 The dopamine and oxytocin science: why shared joy hits differently 9:00 Going FourWords™: REVIVE, community joy through restoration 12:00 Going FourWords™: REALIZE, waking up from autopilot using joy as a tool 15:30 The Scottish fan quote that is worth remembering 17:00 Mid-roll: Create Today Membership and Sylva Sessions 19:30 Seven ways to discover joy in community 26:30 Closing: the spell was joy Links Mentioned in this episode E133: Join the email list: 
 https://www.bdi-create.today Create Today Membership: 
 https://www.bdi-create.today Sylva Sessions Creative Wellness Membership: 
 https://www.bdi-create.today/offers/TYb6qQtg/checkout REVIVE episode (E123): 
 https://www.bdi-create.today/podcasts/create-today-with-beth-buffington/episodes/2149197491 REALIZE episode (E124): 
 https://www.bdi-create.today/podcasts/create-today-with-beth-buffington/episodes/2149200757 REFINE episode (E125): 
 https://www.bdi-create.today/podcasts/create-today-with-beth-buffington/episodes/2149203573 RELEASE episode (E126): 
 https://www.bdi-create.today/podcasts/create-today-with-beth-buffington/episodes/2149205396 The Going FourWords Framework explained: 
 https://www.bdi-create.today/podcasts/create-today-with-beth-buffington/episodes/2149207250 Create Today with Beth Buffington is the podcast for anyone who wants to use creativity as a wellness practice — for a fuller, happier, healthier life in heart, mind, body, and soul. Subscribe so you don't miss what's coming in July. And if this episode made you think of someone who needs more joy right now — send it to them. That small act of reaching out? That's community too.

  • June 25 · 31 min

    E132 - Being lonely is making you sick.
(Here's the Good News...you can fix it!)

    When was the last time you were with people who genuinely “get you”? Not acquaintances. Not coworkers you nod to in the hallway. Your people. The ones who have a similar passion, who can laugh with you. Who can cry with you…when needed. If it's been a while, something important has been quietly draining out of you. And this episode is your wake-up call. This week in Create-Today, we explore why community isn't a luxury you earn when the to-do list clears. It's a biological need. The research is remarkable. You’ll discover the science of what actually happens inside your body when you're with your people versus when you're running on empty and going it alone. You’ll see… through the Going FourWords™ framework, how community feeds every stage of your creative life, from reviving your depleted energy to finding the courage to finally release your gifts into the world. Here's what you’ll love in this episode: Why community is as important to your health as anything else you do for your body The longest-running happiness study in history and what it found after 85 years of data How shared-passion community is different from community by proximity (and why it changes everything) The Going FourWords framework: Revive, Realize, Refine, Release and how each phase is strengthened by being with YOUR people Why your creativity is your compass to finding the community you need right now Beth's personal stories from the Create Today Membership, Sylva Sessions, Sylva Solace retreats, and a four-day bike tour on the GAP Trail The dare Beth has for you this week LINKS AND RESOURCES: Create Today Membership: 
 https://www.bdi-create.today/membership_coaching Join Beth's email list (for info about the new community coming in July): https://www.bdi-create.today/ 
 Discover the offerings at Create-Today:
 https://www.bdi-create.today/ Sylva Session Creative Wellness Membership:
 https://www.bdi-create.today/offers/TYb6qQtg/checkout LET'S CONNECT: Instagram: @b.b.buffington_celebratetoday Facebook: BDIcreatetoday LinkedIn: bbbuffington Pinterest: bdiboss If this episode made you think of someone who needs to find their people, share the link and tell them, "I thought of you." That small act of reaching out? That's community, too. Timestamp: 00:00 Opening: When were You Last With Your People? 02:30 Why Community Is a Biological Need, Not a Bonus 04:00 What Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel Says About Social Connection and Your Body 06:00 The Harvard Study: 85 Years, 724 People, One Clear Answer 08:30 Creativity Is Your Compass to Finding Your People 11:00 Community Beth Has Witnessed Firsthand 14:00 The Research on Creative Community and Belonging 16:00 Create Today Membership and What's Coming in July 18:30 Going FourWords with Community: The Framework 19:00 REVIVE: How Community Refills Your Empty Tank 20:30 REALIZE: Community Lifts the Fog 22:30 REFINE: Getting Better (and Braver) Together 24:00 RELEASE: How Community Dismantles the Lies Your Inner Critic Tells You 26:00 Your Dare for This Week 28:00 Closing: Keep Connecting

  • June 18 · 31 min

    E-131 Want to Be Happier? Find your people. Here’s how I did it

    One of the most powerful things you can do for your happiness and health (and creativity), has nothing to do with supplements, your routine, or your schedule. Spoiler alert…it’s about adventure, new people and feeling a bit “new” In this episode, Beth Buffington shares how a four-day, 153-mile tandem bike tour stoked and energized her creativity. Not just from sunshine and exercise, but from something that happened to her heart, her mind, and her soul on that trail. She sits down at the mic to tell you all about it – and explain why this story is for YOU, even if you’ve never touched a bike in your life. 🌟 In this episode you’ll discover: • How a group of complete strangers became close friends in just 96 hours • The real science behind why this happens so fast • What synchronized movement (like tandem biking — or dancing, or hiking!) does to your brain chemistry and your relationships • Why biking, hiking, rafting, and other outdoor adventures absolutely count as creative hobbies, and how this perspective will change the way you think about creativity • The awe factor: How shared moments of wonder make you more generous, more connected, and more open • The “third place” concept from sociologist Ray Oldenburg, and why your mental health is craving one right now • How the Going FourWords Framework’s Revive and Realize phases showed up in real life on a trail in Pennsylvania • What volunteers clearing downed trees from a tornado teaches us about community pride and the goodness of people • Why rest isn’t the absence of activity – it’s the absence of stress • The tandem bike as a metaphor for partnership and trust with the people you love • A powerful takeaway invitation: Find YOUR GAP trail – your creative passion, your people, your community Resources mentioned in this episode: Create Today Website:
 https://www.bdi-create.today Create-Today Membership:
 https://www.bdi-create.today/membership_coaching Sylva Sessions Membership:
 https://www.bdi-create.today/offers/TYb6qQtg/checkout Workshops & Events: 
 https://www.bdi-create.today/workshop-events-calendar Online Courses: https://www.bdi-create.today/courses Wilderness Voyageurs Bike Tours:
 https://biketours.wilderness-voyageurs.com/ 💕 If this episode moved you, share it with a creative friend who needs to find their people. And leave a review — it means the world and helps other creatives find Create Today! 🚴‍♀️ About the trip: Beth and her husband Tom rode 153 miles of the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP Trail) in Pennsylvania with Wilderness Voyagers, guided by the incredible Chuck Morris and Montana Miller. The night before the tour, tornadoes rolled through the region — and by morning, GAP Trail volunteers had cleared the path with chainsaws. Many of them had no power at home. That is the kind of community this episode is all about. 🧠 Science woven into this episode: Arthur Aron’s research on how shared novel experiences compress time and deepen bonds Synchrony studies — oxytocin, rhythm, and biological connection Dacher Keltner’s awe research from UC Berkeley Dopamine and novelty — why new adventures reactivate your brain’s reward system Ray Oldenburg’s “third places” and why your mental health depends on them

  • June 11 · 26 min

    E-130 Creativity Makes You Happier and Healthier! 10 Ways to Start – Today!

    Looking to Change Your Life? 10 Proven Ways Creativity Boosts Your Happiness & Health Are you creative? (Hint: Yes, you absolutely are.) 🎨 In this episode of Create Today with Beth Buffington, we're exploring something that has the power to genuinely transform your life – and it's waiting for you right now. Whether you've never thought of yourself as creative (I can’t draw a stick figure), or you've put your creativity on a someday shelf (someday, I’ll get back to my art), or you're a professional creative who is flat-out burned out...this episode is for you. Beth shares 10 practical and joyful ways to discover, dust off, or reignite your creativity! PLUS you'll discover her Five P's of Creative Transformation framework to help you make YOUR creativity a lasting, meaningful part of your everyday life. In this episode you'll discover: • Why creativity isn't just for artists — it's for everyone • The real reason creativity makes you happier and healthier (science agrees!) • 10 actionable ways to find, revive, or reignite your creative spark • How to go "analog for a day" and why it works • The power of a 30-day creative challenge — and how to start one • Why creative play (without pressure or perfection) is the most important thing • The Five P's of Creative Transformation: Passion, Practice, Permission, Potential & Power • How to protect time for creativity — like a meeting you can't cancel • Why your creative life doesn't require talent — it requires intention Whether you're looking for something brand new, or rekindling an old passion, Beth's warm and practical guidance will have you reaching for your creative tools before the episode is over. 💛 Resources mentioned in this episode: Create Today Website: https://www.bdi-create.today Doodle Meditation Workshop: https://www.bdi-create.today/almost-free-resources Create-Today Membership: https://www.bdi-create.today/membership_coaching Workshops & Events: https://www.bdi-create.today/workshop-events-calendar Online Courses: https://www.bdi-create.today/courses 🕐 Episode Timestamps: 00:00 — Welcome to Create Today with Beth Buffington 00:11 — Unleashing Your Inner Creativity 01:47 — The Importance of Creativity for Happiness and Health 03:49 — Reigniting Your Creative Passion 07:56 — 10 Ways to Discover or Reignite Your Creativity 15:07 — Incorporating Creativity into Daily Life 16:25 — The Five P's of Creative Transformation 22:52 — Join the Create Today Community

  • June 4 · 34 min

    E129 - Stop Chasing Shiny Objects: A Creative Brief That Actually Works

    Is Your Creative Work Pulling You — Or Are You Pulling It? Have you ever looked up from your desk, surrounded by 17 open browser tabs, three half-finished projects, and a to-do list that somehow keeps growing — and wondered how you got here? That feeling of frustration and lack of control means… Your horse is behind your cart. Today, Beth Buffington brings one of her favorite workshop questions to the podcast: 
Do you know where your horse is? It sounds a little odd at first. But stay with her... This simple metaphor might be the most clarifying thing you hear all week. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: • How to know where your horse is. • What “putting the cart before the horse” really means for your creative work • Why “think outside the box” might actually be keeping you stuck (science says so) • The surprising truth about constraints, creativity, and why limits can set you free • A simple 6-step creative brief that works whether you’re making art, running a business, or managing a team • The “tomorrow corral” idea that will change how your handle shiny object distractions forever • How this entire episode fits inside the Going FourWords™ framework — Revive, Realize, Refine, and Release • How Revive, Realize, Refine, and Release map perfectly onto everything in this episode 🔗 Connect with Beth Buffington & BDI-Create Today: Join the email list: www.bdi-create.today Join the Create Today Membership:



 https://www.bdi-create.today/offers/2GB9xYBj/checkout Book a One to One Creative Coaching Session with Beth:



 https://www.bdi-create.today/membership_coaching Discover more about how you can Create-Today!



 https://www.bdi-create.today/ Sylva Sessions Monthly Online Creative Wellness Membership:
 https://www.bdi-create.today/offers/TYb6qQtg/checkout You'll find Beth here: Facebook: BDIcreatetoday LinkedIn: bbbuffington Pinterest: bdiboss Past Episodes discussed in this podcast: Going FourWords™ Episode 123 — REVIVE: https://www.bdi-create.today/podcasts/create-today-with-beth-buffington/episodes/2149197491 Going FourWords™ Episode 124 — REALIZE: https://www.bdi-create.today/podcasts/create-today-with-beth-buffington/episodes/2149200757 Going FourWords™ Episode 125 — REFINE: https://www.bdi-create.today/podcasts/create-today-with-beth-buffington/episodes/2149203573 Going FourWords™ Episode 126 — RELEASE: https://www.bdi-create.today/podcasts/create-today-with-beth-buffington/episodes/2149205396 The Going FourWords™ Summary Episode 127: https://www.bdi-create.today/podcasts/create-today-with-beth-buffington/episodes/2149207250 Episode 128 with Liz Wilcox (the “stay inside the box” interview) https://www.bdi-create.today/podcasts/create-today-with-beth-buffington/episodes/2149208955 If this episode made you stop and ask, “Wait — where is MY horse?” — share it with a friend. Someone in your world needs to hear this today. Key Moments: [00:02] Beth introduces the horse metaphor — and why it made a whole room of creatives pause [00:08] The real reason “think outside the box” backfires — and what Barry Schwartz’s research on the paradox of choice has to do with your creative block [00:13] Building your beautiful cart: why a well-defined space makes you more creative, not less [00:17] The Dr. Seuss story that proves constraints produce brilliance [00:21] The 6-step creative brief: your practical tool for getting the horse back in front Time Stamp:
Where Is Your Horse? Put Yourself Back in Front of Your Creative Work 00:00 Welcome and Big Question 01:54 The Horse and Cart Metaphor 06:48 When the Cart Leads 08:02 Meta Awareness Check-In 09:32 Think Inside the Box 15:17 Constraints Spark Creativity 18:14 Sponsor and Ways to Work 20:01 Six-Step Creative Brief 26:37 Tomorrow List for Ideas 28:18 Going FourWords Framework 32:27 Wrap-Up and Next Steps

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