“It’s Play!” | Accessing Your Creativity
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The artist's, you know, path or whatever. The artist's way. Remember that book? Oh, the artist's way. I hate it. More, more, more, more, more, more better. Welcome to More Better, a podcast where we stop pretending to have it all together and embrace the journey of becoming a little more better every day. Or at least trying to. That's Melissa Fumero. And that's Stephanie Beatriz. Hi, friends. Hi.

friends. If you're here, then you've enjoyed our absolute bullshit meandering talks. So welcome back. Yay. How are you? Listen, I'm eating a child's strawberry unsweetened applesauce out of a pouch. So that'll give you a brick and grate then, I guess. You know what I mean? Yeah. I'm doing good. I'm doing good. Life is good when you're sucking on a pouch. I

Here come the memes. Here come the memes. You? I'm good. I'm good. Yeah? Yeah. I feel rested today.

which hasn't been the case in a few days. Well, congrats-a-fucking-lations. Thank you. Good for you. Thank you. I'm just kidding. I'm just jealous. That's great. I just have children that have been waking up and bad dreams and coming to my bed in the middle of the night, and I don't think they did last night. And I think that's why I feel good.

That's great. Yeah. Oh, that's great. Oh, now I feel like an asshole for being like, congrats. No, that's actually really great. No, not getting sleep is absolute hell. It truly is. It truly is. What have you done lately that's more better? Hang out with you, Steph. That's nice. That actually is nice. I will say. This has been this is the highlight of my week, I have to say, is spending all this time with you.

Remember how we used to spend every single day together? Every day. Every day. Every day. It was heavenly. What have you done lately that's more better? Let's see. Oh, I've been taking voice lessons again. Ooh! In preparation for anything or just for fun? You know, just maybe. Oh, I hear a little coyness.

You know, I just want to make sure that my voice is in good shape for whatever may come in the future.

Because I tell you what, it's so vulnerable singing, you know? Mm-hmm. Nothing will humble you quite as much as not reaching a note or a voice crack in the middle of a belt or just bring you right back down and humble you so fucking quick. When we did Encanto at the Hollywood Bowl the first night, my voice cracked multiple times because it was freaking...

fucking freezing out there. It was so cold. It was so cold. Everyone in the audience was in jackets and sweaters and hats. And like, meanwhile, I was on stage in the little chiffon dress and Converse sneakers. It's like shivering offstage. It was just like, ugh. Literally worse weather to like sing in. You know, it's not great. More, more.

Enough about me. Let's talk about this week's topic. Well, this glides right into our topic beautifully because we're talking about accessing your creativity. Ooh, a deep well, a deep well. A deep well. Sometimes there's water at the bottom. Sometimes there's spiders. Not sure what you're going to get. Sometimes there's just dust.

Just dusty. It's just dusty and musty down there, babe. I think, you know, technically, technically, what is accessing your creativity? I feel like it's like getting to the bits of yourself that

make things up right like yeah like the ability to like have your imagination I think going at this hyper speed and like a lot of ideas are coming to you and you're attacking a thing a problem or a thing from the side and the top and the bottom and you know and you're just um

figuring something out like a puzzle, but trying to find a new way to figure it out, if that makes sense. I mean, honestly, sometimes it's as small as being like, okay, how do I mush this rice into a shape that my toddler will eat? Like, how do I...

creatively. Like, what am I like staring at the fridge? I can't leave to go anywhere to get something because like I'm home alone with her and she's hungry and I'm like, what do I do here? You know, it's like making stuff up, looking at stuff from a different angle, looking at issues or problems from a different angle or finding other ways to approach stuff so you don't feel stuck in a rut and so that you feel like you're accessing your creativity in some kind of way, shape or form. For us, I think it's

mainly focused on making art, like acting, directing, you directing, making stuff. Yeah. And I think for us and what we do, it's, you know, how do I do this for my unique point of view or my perspective to make this character or this shot just a little bit different or a little bit elevated, right? Because there's always kind of, I think when you

first read a script or approach a role, you can kind of see right away like the sort of baseline way that that should be played. And then I think the creativity comes in of like, where can you find those different angles or those different approaches? Or I don't know, you know, like the stuff that's underneath it or, you know, making things and then making it feel really honest and real. Creativity to me sometimes feels like a...

that like it's not going to turn on by itself, right? Yes. But if you turn it on, the water will come out, right? And you can direct it. You can get a hose and direct where you want that water to go. How do you – this is going to sound dirty, but like how do you turn on your faucet? Oh, how do you turn on your hose, baby? You know –

That's such a good question because it used to be reading. I used to read a lot, a lot, a lot. And since the advent of the iPhone, which, you know, I remember when. Yeah. I remember when I didn't have a smartphone. I remember when there weren't all these apps. I remember when I couldn't just get on my phone and read the New York Times or Substack or whatever. And yeah.

I used to be a really avid reader. I'm not anymore. But that was the way for me to access creativity because it was falling into story was really fun for me. And I don't do it anymore.

Yeah. I started the year actually like reading again. We were instead of like going to bed and scrolling or watching a show, we were going to bed and reading books every night. And it was amazing. And I read two books. And then we got fucking busy and we've dropped it and we keep talking about like starting it up again. And it actually was so –

nice. It was a really nice way to settle in and get ready for bed. But it also kept me up late some nights because if the book was good, I was like, oh no, I can't put this down and it's 1130. Oh no. Yeah, yeah. But yeah, I think- I get that completely. And when I was younger, I kept a journal all through elementary school, high school, and college in my early 20s.

And then somewhere in my 20s, I journaled almost every day. Are you serious? Can you believe that? And then somewhere in my 20s, I dropped the habit and I never got it back. And I often think about it because I do remember just sitting there and just like,

and how it just made me feel creative, like made me feel like I was organizing my thoughts and my feelings. It was like my own little therapy, I think. And it's such a good habit. But like, when would I even fucking do that? I will say, I have heard that my whole life. It's like, oh, journal, journal to get your like thoughts and creativity and your blah, blah, blah.

And I've tried it so many fucking times. And I'm like, I finally said in therapy to my therapist, hey, Dani, you're probably never going to listen to this. But I finally said, I was like, I cannot. My brain is just going too fast for my hand. Like, it's too fast. And she was like, yeah, journaling just doesn't work for some people. And I was like, what?

What? Like I'd never heard. No, I was like shocked because I just never heard someone say like journaling doesn't work for everyone. Like I thought there was something wrong with me because I couldn't journal myself into creativity. Like I couldn't do it.

No, man. I thought it was like, I was like, everyone has their fucking, I have so many fucking empty journals in my house. I can't even tell you. So many. I'll buy them. I'll be like, yes, I'm going to be a woman who journals. I'm pretty sure I have a few empty ones too. And like, I'm going to start journaling again. Look at this beautiful journal. I'll have like two pages written.

And then I'm like, oh, this fucking thing. I've bought those like guided ones too where you like just write for five minutes a day. And like that shit is sitting empty in a drawer somewhere in my house. Absolutely not.

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There is no option but to overcome it. You've got to lace up your kicks and keep charging forward with love and positivity because life keeps happening, baby. But you got this. Hi, I'm Honey German, and I know how a positive mindset can help us overcome all sorts of setbacks. That's why I make sure to empower my community every day because a bit of motivation and support can go a long way. And luckily, we have State Farm to support us.

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Text BVJOBS to 97211 to apply. I had a crazy experience during the strike, in the middle of the strike. I was asked by my good friend Leonard Robertson, what up, shout out Leonard, to do an improv show at the Groundlings.

And I was like, yeah, fuck it. Like we're on strike. Nothing's going on. Like this will be good for me to like, you know, just like a workout. I was thinking of it like it's a workout. Groundlings is a really small theater. I was like, I'll probably fuck it up. But like it'll be fine. And –

I show up to the theater and then that day, this is usually what happens to me, is I say yes to things and then the day comes and I go, why did I say yes to this? I do not want to do this. Why did I say yes to an improv show? I'm not a trained improviser. I'm not, you know, like the shit we do on set. It sounds like my idea of like the fifth level of hell, by the way. Like that is so terrifying to me. Well, what happened? Okay, so we're in the middle of the strike.

And as I'm driving to the theater, I'm like, oh my God, my brain feels empty. I feel like there is literal dust between my ears right now. What the fuck am I going to do? I am about to go to something where it is reliant on me coming up with ideas the entire time. Hell no.

Hell. So I get to the theater and I park my car and I'm there early and I'm freaking out because I'm like, and so then I quickly look up like a guided meditation on creativity. Oh my God, that's so good. And I sit in my car and I do this five minute creativity meditation and

And I'm trying not to judge it too. It'd be like, it's so fucking stupid. I'm sitting in a car of Melrose trying to freaking meditate. But like, yeah, just go with it. And I do it and I feel slightly better after. And I got to say, I was not good in that show. I was not good.

I basically just tried not to ruin it the whole time. At the end, they always do like a sort of longer form sketch with like everyone. And I barely spoke. Did you sit it out? I just, I was there physically. Okay.

And I only talked if someone called me or threw something to me. And I just didn't even try to be funny. I just was trying not like keep it going, but don't ruin it. So I don't think I ruined it, but I definitely did not contribute in any significant way that night. Girl, you are describing hell. Hell. That is...

I went back a couple months later after The Strike was over and I had a much better show because I was like, I have to redeem myself. And it felt better, way better. But like, I mean, I still wasn't great or anything, but like it was awful. And I was just like, oh my God. And then I sat with that for a long time of just like, what do you do when you got to go perform or figure something out? And like,

Yeah. Your brain feels like it's empty. The only way out is through. It's like you had to do it. You had to. If it hadn't been that moment, it would have been another moment. That's the thing about I feel like creativity blocks everything.

for me at least, like, I have to go through it. Like, I have to move through the shitty part to get to the other side of it. And then something wakes up, kind of. Yeah, like, sometimes. Because if I give up and go, oh no, like, I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't do this, then what's going to happen is I'm going to stay in that place. I will stay in the place of I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't. When we started this by saying, like, I was taking voice lessons, I am taking voice lessons again, right? And like,

The first few were not good. It was not good. My stomach was dropping and stuff. It's so... To sing out loud. To sing and bury your soul. It's yucky. It feels yucky when it sounds bad. The only way that I'm going to get better if it sounds yucky for a while. That's the only way I'm going to get better at that. I feel like...

My creativity is mostly expanded, though, when I'm reading scripts for work or like I'm working. That's when it because I also think.

When you're on a roll, I mean, part of what happened to you, I think, for that improv show was like, when you're on a roll, you're on a roll, like you're working, you're being creative, you're trying it, you're doing it. And then if that roll stops, then you feel like you took a few steps back. But when you're on a roll, like if you're working on a job or something...

When I'm working on a job, I feel like I just start to trust myself more and I like relax into like choices and things and, you know. But also it can go the other way because I also feel like sometimes when I'm too busy or overwhelmed and there's too many things happening, I feel like a dip in accessing that part or that creativity. And then if I get a break and I just get some quiet, you know, like...

And it can be, we were just talking about trips and vacations. It can be like literally a trip, you know? Like, I mean, I often think like Lin-Manuel Miranda came up with Hamilton on a vacation because it was like the second he got like- Wasn't he like reading? He was reading the book and that's when he got the idea for like the album and the show. And I think he said something like, you know, uh,

It's not lost on him that the first time he stopped and got a break, he got one of the best ideas of his life. Yeah. Yeah. That's real. I do love museum trips. That, for me, really sparks my creativity, especially if I go by myself and do my own pace through the museum. Yeah. That's such a great reminder. I used to do that in New York all the time, go to museums by myself, and I don't do it here in LA. I used to go... You know what I used to do?

I have all these... I should do this again. I have all these coffee table books that have really beautiful images in them. I used to collect...

coffee table books about fashion and travel. And I would just go through the coffee table books and then I would get out my little watercolors and like do little watercolors. And I haven't done that in a really long time. I started actually, I will say I started the other day. I did a little tiny flamingo. Like I painted a little flamingo because we got some, we got some flamingos for the front yard and I was like, I'm going to paint one. And I painted one. It was really fun. It was really fun.

When did you always feel you were creative? Like when did you first realize that you were creative? Oh, girl. Like, right? Like as long as you can, like it was just, was it always something you gravitated towards? Yeah, I feel like, well, I was bored a lot as a kid because we were, you know, I think the term now or then was latchkey kid, but I didn't know that term at the time. It was like

I would come home and let me and my sister in. I don't know if I know that. I know that. Oh, because your parents... It's basically like... Yeah. Your parents are working. So, yeah, you're alone. So, like, we would come home and, you know, we weren't allowed to watch TV, although we snuck it for sure. For sure. But we would do stuff because we were bored and we weren't allowed to, like, go outside because, you know, the neighborhood I grew up in wasn't, like, super... Like, it wasn't a real ride-your-bike-around-the-neighborhood neighborhood. Mm-hmm. So we were inside kids and, like...

My sister and I would make up board games. We would, I would do like crazy collages. I would like cut up my sassy magazines. When I was really little, my mom got us, they had like free art classes at the community college and we would take them and we were like playing with clay and doing clay stuff like when we were five and six, you know, like really little. So,

So it was really early on that we had access to art. And my mom would take us to museums and like take us to the Museum of Natural History in Houston or take us to the art museums in Houston so that we could see stuff when we were really little. Because a lot of it was like, you know, a lot of museums do like free days, a couple days a month. And my mom would always take advantage of that. And so like I just always felt like I would cut up – I would get in trouble because I would like cut up my Barbie clothes and stuff and like make them different. Yeah. Or like I would cut up my own clothes and I would get in super big trouble for cutting up my own clothes. Yeah.

I was just always had like a... I always had like a different angle of looking at stuff. What about you? Were you like that when you were little? Yeah. I think I... Yeah. It was just sort of this natural gravitation. I mean, I was in dance classes pretty young, starting at like three or four and just stayed in them until I was, you know... I mean, I stopped taking dance classes in my like early 30s. But I...

And I had a lot of – there's a lot of artists in my family, like a lot of painters. My great aunt was a painter. Painters, yeah. And my great uncle was a sculptor. And we used to go to their house in Queens like every Saturday growing up. And so they had converted their little – and they had like a house like in Queens because they were in Sunnyside like forever. Yeah.

And so they converted their garage or little one car garage and was my uncle's studio. So there was all this, you know, sometimes there'd be like a huge block of marble in there and like, Oh my God. Yeah. He's and we just, and we would go in, we weren't like super loud in there.

I have memories of him being in there working sometimes, but usually he was socializing. But I guess if he was into something, he wouldn't take a break. And we would usually go in there to look for tennis balls or whatever to play off the wall because they had one of those driveways that went down. So it was in between two tall houses. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then the main floor of their house was all my aunt's paintings and

And I just remember thinking their house was really cool. I loved just roaming around and looking at these paintings and these sculptures that I had seen a gazillion times. And same thing, my parents would take me to the museums in New York. And I think they kind of really fostered that. Yeah.

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As an actor, I know from experience that we are only as good as our supporting cast.

We strive to bring out the best in each other and set each other up for success. If we do our job right, you come away entertained and inspired. Hi, I'm Wilmer Valderrama, and whether it's my work on TV, film, or even standing up for causes important to me and my community, I make sure to be present and be prepared. Starting with that work ethic only brings out the best performances.

It's like when you need insurance. State Farm is there 24-7 to help you choose the right coverage. State Farm agents offer great support when you need it, so you feel at ease. State Farm knows that community comes first, and that's why it supports the Michael Tudor Podcast Network. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Listen to new episodes of your favorite Michael Tudor podcasts on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

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Text BVJOBS to 97211 to apply. Okay, so I want to read something speaking of other artists. Dirk Blocker. Dirk Blocker. Shout out, Dirk. We love Dirk. From Brooklyn Nine-Nine. You know him. I do. Dirk, I think, is just a phenomenal human being. But also, I...

He and I talked a lot about acting stuff. And he mentioned this teacher that he had that was really, really interesting. And he sent me an email about a bunch of stuff that this teacher said. And I think one of these actually applies to everybody, even though they're not... You might not necessarily be in the arts. But this is really interesting. When you watch children play make-believe, they immediately accept their roles. When actors say, I can't play that,

His teacher's response, I think his name was Harry. When actors say, I can't play that, his response was, if you can tap into your childlike innocence and use your limitless imagination, you can. Stop thinking like an actor. Tap into your humanness. Be childlike. Play the game. And that, I think, is the core of creativity. Like, if you can tap into... Play the game. Play. It's play. It's play. And so, like, if I'm...

opening the fridge and going, what the fuck am I going to serve this picky ass toddler for dinner? It's like, how do I play with what I have? How do I play? Like, maybe it's like, I'm going to cut all this stuff up into weird shapes, or maybe I'm going to make up a funny game that we can play while we eat the white rice that she inevitably gravitates toward. You know what I mean? Like,

I think a lot of creativity is based in like, how can I just like be free and play a little bit within this? It's not as serious as I'm making it out to be. It's not this like, creativity doesn't have to be this mountain that you have to climb, right? It can just be a game. Yes. It's just a game. And I can find play so freeing. Like sometimes that's such a great reminder because there'll be times where I'm like,

tired and stressed out and the kids are being whiny and I'm just like... And something...

clicks or like my partner David is really good at play and like kind of turn like just flicking the switch and making something playful and silly and then I find myself going like oh whatever fuck the bedtime tonight like we'll be a little late or like well you know and it ends up being a great night and the kids like do what you want them to do and like and

And you're also just released from just the expectations or the whatever that wasn't going right that you were like gripping onto. And just, it can just be so freeing to just say, fuck it and let's just play. Let's just play. And you're so right. And that's a great way to also just access that. I think part of your brain that is freeing.

It's silly and imaginative. It's there. It's always there. And everybody did that. Every single person, every serious grown-up that you've ever met was a little kid who played pretend. Everybody has it in them. It's not like creativity is just for artists. It's for all of us. It's accessible in all of us. I think people that choose...

The artist's path or whatever. The Artist's Way. Remember that book? The Artist's Way. Wait, let's talk about the OG. The Artist's Way, which is a book. I hate it. By Julia Cameron. The Artist's Way is a 12-week course and book that helps people unlock their capacity for creativity, whether in art, at work, or in life. And it has been around forever. Forever.

I think I first was given a copy in like high school. That's how long ago this book has been around. I think I got a copy when I first moved to New York when everybody was doing it. Everybody was doing it at one point, yes. Tell me why you hate it. I just feel like I might... I mean, there's things in it that I like. For example, I remember she would be like, oh, go out and...

you know, have artists, I think she's like artists dates with yourself or something. Like you do stuff for fun. Like that's kind of like what I was saying. Like I love going to the museum. Yes. I love that. Stuff like that. It's like, I'm going to seriously try to do that more. Or like go to a movie by yourself. You know, like I used to do that a lot and I haven't done it in a long time. Like things that, that are, that are,

Just for you, you know, go to a bookstore by yourself and like look at a bunch of stuff. I like that. What I hated was the morning pages. The morning pages are like within an hour of waking up, you have to journal. See, journal. I hate journaling. It doesn't work. Journaling is not for you. But as someone who used to journal, I also could never do the morning pages.

Yeah, you're supposed to do it within like the first hour that you wake up. You're supposed to like free write whatever. I can't even. Even if you don't know what to write, you just write, I don't know what to write. I don't know what to write. This is so dumb. I don't know what I'm doing. And you're supposed to do it. I don't remember how long you're supposed to do it. I think I remember. Three pages. You have to finish three pages. That's what it is. Okay, so. Three pages. And she'd be like, you can't do like a small notebook. Like get a spiral notebook. Like fill up a whole page. And I was like, bitch, what?

what life are you living that you can just sit around and fucking fill out? I have like a job I have to get to. I have to make my own shitty coffee. Three big ass pages. That's like it.

like at least 20 minutes, 30 minutes of writing. And I can't do them later. Like I'm gonna have to get up at 5 a.m. to do this bullshit. I remember when I had a job in Hell's Kitchen and I was living in Brooklyn and I'd be like getting up at like 6 a.m. to do these stupid morning pages, hating my life. Like what is this giving me? Nothing. Yeah, I feel like I have a memory from college of attempting to do the morning pages and same thing, having like ballet class at 9 a.m.,

or 8.30 a.m. and waking up. And I am not a morning person. And so I would just sit there and be like, this is torture and I hate this. I need coffee. I need quiet. I need to walk. It honestly felt like writing lines as a punishment. Yes. It felt like

It would be like, I will be creative. You have to write that a hundred times and then you will be. It's like, no, that's not a recipe for anything but me hating the artist way. Yeah, I'm with you. And listen, if you're a person who, I mean, it sounds like a lovely practice and perhaps if you're a morning person-

You know, the kind of person, like, I know some people that, like… Way to cover. Way to cover. You know, wake up and, like, they fucking meditate in their bed for five minutes when they wake up. Like, that is… That sounds lovely. You probably would love morning pages. And it would start off your day. And, like, it's worth a try. But, like, I am and have never been a morning person. When I did journal, I used to journal at night before bed. Yeah. Yeah. And…

Yeah, that shit's not for me. So I'm going to access my creativity through a cup of coffee. Another way. And some quiet in my morning. That's the thing, right? Like, to me, that was also part of it was like, so this is supposed to access my creativity, but I have these...

very intense strictures around how I get to access the creativity. I remember that's what I didn't like either. I didn't like a deadline. I didn't like being told. I don't want that deadline. I don't want that. You know, I don't want that. But I mean, it works for a lot of people. It like breaks through. Who are you in your three pages? I feel like

Like, the thing that I got... I mean, it's like anything. I remember in acting school, they'd be like, listen, we're going to talk about all these different schools of thought, all of these different teachers, and they all access, you know...

they all access it in different ways. Like one of my favorite books is The Actor and the Target by Declan Donilon. And like that book is a lot about focusing on the thing that the character wants at any given time. And it changes constantly within the scene. And I've recommended that book so many times to people and some actors will come back to me and be like, that fucking sucked. I hated it. I hated how he said it. I didn't understand it.

And, like, creativity is so personal. It's so singular and personal. And there's not one way to do it. What works for you is not going to work for me. And, you know. Yeah. That's so real. You take and cull what you want and, like, you know.

Well, you have to find it's like I always liked the expression of like the actor's toolbox of like this idea of just kind of learning about as many techniques as you can and like filling up your toolbox of the things that work for you. And I think that it changes also. Like as we get older and have more experience, like I just worked on something where I had to be real dramatic, more dramatic than I've been in a long time. And –

I found that like some things that worked for me when I was younger don't really work for me anymore. They don't work anymore. And then I was like, I gotta find some ways in to like figure out... Oh, shit. Oh, shit. I was like, how am I gonna approach this moment? I gotta get at it a different way. Yeah. I just wanna, like before we wrap up, I wanna tell this story about Andre, actually. Yes. Because...

I had so much respect for Andre. I think we all did on Brooklyn. We did. But we were doing this scene. It was a comedy scene, right? But he and I both had to cry. Oh, I remember that scene. We were doing it and he wasn't getting it. He was like, ugh. Like, it felt like we did it like three times and it was like, he wasn't quite there. Meanwhile, I'm like sobbing, right? I'm crying. Well, you, Stephanie Beatriz cries. Yeah, you'd be like, cry! At the top of a hat. Yeah.

I had a traumatic childhood. Okay. But he was like, he was like, he was so, he was so confident. Like he, I don't even know if confidence is a word, but like he turned to makeup and he was like, give me the tear stick. And I was like, what's that?

And he goes, oh, you've never used a tear stick? And it was one of those little sticks. They sell them on the internet, you guys. Teenagers, if you need to cry and stay home from school, I highly recommend. But they're these little, they look like little chapsticks and you put them near your eye and your eyes tear up. Yeah. And I had never seen someone who I respect so highly as an actor use one of those. I'd always thought it was cheating.

And I was like, Andre, you're cheating. And he looked at me and he was like, he kind of laughed and was like, you know, he said something like, well, you know, it's you just need to use any tool that you can to get to get to the place where you need to get. And I was like, oh, oh, that's so smart. You know, he wasn't going to sit there and torture himself because he wasn't tearing up. He was going to.

use a tool that allowed him to cry while still being like super funny. Yeah. And honest in the scene. Because for him, that's what he needed to create what we needed for the scene to be funny. Right? Like he, if he was going to really cry, it wouldn't have been at the level of comedy that we needed it to be. So he needed that tear stick. I just thought that was so cool. Yeah, because the physical tears made that scene so,

Funnier. Funnier. And sometimes you can be crying and not even produce fucking real tears. I know. Tears like that. If you're dehydrated, babe. If you're dehydrated, baby, they'll never come out. It's true. I learned that the hard way on stage doing Measure for Measure one night where I was like, what is wrong with me? I'm the worst actor in the world. Why am I shaking and snotty and no tears are coming down? I'm like, there's nothing coming out of my eyes. I forgot to drink water. Hydrate.

Anyway, what did you come away with today? Come away with me.

Um, that accessing your creativity can be hard, but I feel like very, uh, like less alone. I loved sharing these little stories with you because I was like, Oh, it's, it's not just me. And also so many great reminders too, of just like, I can't, I'm going to go to a museum by myself. I'm like, Oh my God. Yeah. I'm gonna get back into reading. What did you learn today?

I think I learned that I'm being really hard on myself about not being creative. I'm being really hard on myself. Like, I don't do this. I don't do that. I don't do this. Oh, my God. Yeah, you are. And you're like one of the most creative people I know. You are. Oh, that's nice. Oh, my God. That's nice. Maybe you don't have to do all this shit, Stephanie, because you're just creative as hell. Really?

Thank you. But also it sounds like you do do the things that like foster and nurture your creativity and they just maybe are like the things that are more unique to you. Yeah. I think that's what it is, right? Like I don't need to write the morning pages. Yeah, I'm more of a basic bitch that does like the ones that, you know, everybody does. Don't you dare call yourself a basic bitch. But I'm going to start going to a museum and elevate my shit. Do you remember that sweatshirt that I had for a while that said basic on it? Yeah. Yeah.

I wish I still had it. I don't know what happened to it. Oh, that was a good sweatshirt. Yeah, it was a good one. Anyway, do you feel a little more better? I do feel more better. Do you feel more better? Yeah. Yeah, I do. I actually really do. I feel kind of like, I don't know. I feel very confident. Like, I feel very like, oh, yeah, I am creative. Like, I can access that. Let's be that. Let's go out in the world and be Andre Brouwer confident. God.

Yeah. God, we'd be unstoppable. Truly. Anyway, guys, we hope you would be unstoppable in your own lives. Why don't you just channel Andre? And you know what? Get yourself a little tear stick on Amazon. Get yourself a little tear stick. You know, sometimes you just need to like come out of the bathroom and be like, I just really need some time for myself. You can do it. Oh, the amount of play you could do with a tear stick.

Try it this week. See what happens. Tell us what happens. Okay. Love you. Bye, friends. Bye. Do you have something you'd like to be more better at that you want us to talk about in a future episode? Can you relate to our struggles or have you tried one of our tips and tricks? Shoot us your thoughts and ideas at morebetterpod at gmail.com. And include a voice note if you want to be featured on the pod. Ooh.

More Better with Stephanie and Melissa is a production from WV Sound and iHeart Media's My Cultura podcast network. Hosted by me, Stephanie Beatriz, and Melissa Fumero. More Better is produced by Isis Madrid, Leo Clem, and Sophie Spencer-Zavos. Our executive producers are Wilmer Valderrama and Leo Clem at

WV Sound. This episode was edited by Isis Madrid and engineered by Sean Tracy and features original music by Madison Davenport and Halo Boy. Our cover art is by Vincent Remis and photography by David Avalos. For more podcasts from iHeart, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. See you next week, suckas! Bye! Un poquito más mejor. Hola, mi gente!

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