Today, we’re diving into the inspiring world of creative resilience with our guest, Daniel Curtis. With a stellar track record of orchestrating massive charity campaigns and collaborating with big names like Sir Paul McCartney and Will Ferrell, Daniel's journey offers a treasure trove of insights for any artist. We're chatting about how to tackle that pesky imposter syndrome and the importance of anchoring yourself in your purpose, especially when the world throws a “no” your way. Plus, we’ll share a few laughs as we discuss how to embrace the creative process, even when it gets a little messy. So, grab your paintbrush, turn up the volume, and let’s get inspired to create more than we consume!

Bio

Daniel Curtis is a composer, educator, and speaker dedicated to exploring the intersection of creativity, identity, confidence, and human potential.

With a rich background in the creative industries, Daniel’s career has seen him perform at iconic venues like the Royal Albert Hall and collaborate with legendary figures, including Sir Paul McCartney, Dame Judi Dench, and Sir Stephen Fry. However, the core of Daniel’s work is deeply informed by his own lived experience. After being bullied as a child and being told by educators that music was not for him, he spent years navigating the challenges of his own identity, later receiving an ADD diagnosis that reframed his understanding of how he learns and creates.

Having successfully built a multifaceted career around performance and education despite these early obstacles, Daniel is now a passionate advocate for others. He uses his platform to challenge the labels and environments that stifle individual potential. He is currently writing a book that examines the complex relationship between identity, creativity, and the environments that shape who people become.

Links

• IG https://www.instagram.com/danielcurtishq/
• Website https://www.danielcurtishq.com/

Takeaways:

• Artists, remember that not everyone will cheer you on; stay persistent and true to your vision despite the naysayers.
• Daniel Curtis emphasizes that having a deep purpose is key to overcoming rejection and self-doubt in creative endeavors.
• Even the most successful artists faced countless 'no's; it's about resilience and believing in your art that makes the difference.
• You must create for yourself first; if you don't love your work, how can you expect others to?
• Embrace the highs and lows of creativity; real success comes from learning and moving forward from every experience.
• Massive change in your life requires massive action, so don't hold back in pursuing your dreams with everything you've got.

How do I get such great guests?

PodMatch I use Podmatch to get the best guests on the show. Check out PodMatch if you want to be a guest on other podcasts or if you have a podcast and need guests for your show. Guests from Podmatch

Want to be a guest on Create Art Podcast? Send Timothy Brien a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/createartpodcast

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Reach Out To The Podcast

To reach out to me, email [email protected] I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation.

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Timothy: 00:00:02

Create art podcast.

Hello friends, this is Timothy Keem o', Brien, your head instigator for Create Art Podcast where I bring my over 30 years of experience in the arts and education world to help you tame your inner critic and create more than you consume.

So today I'm taking a break from the Create Anyway series because, well, recently I got an email from this guy, his name is Daniel Curtis and he was impressed with what he heard from the show and so he asked to be on the show and I said, yeah, sure, why not? So let me tell you a little bit here about Daniel.

Now, Daniel has produced large scale charity campaigns supporting veterans, children with life threatening illnesses, anti bullying initiatives and World Mental Health Day. Now, these projects have launched in Times Square, Piccadilly Circus and reached a global audience of millions.

And he's worked with such artists as Sir Paul McCarthy, Dame Judi Dench, Will Ferrell, Whoopi Goldberg, Jack Black and Bryan Cranston, amongst many others. So when he said, hey Tim, I'd like to be on your show, how can I say no to that? So let's get into this interview with Daniel Curtis.

Timothy: 00:01:39

I have with me a great treat, someone from across the pond. This isn't my first time doing an interview across the pond, but I'm proud pleased to bring to the show Mr. Daniel Curtis.

Daniel, how is it over there in the UK today?

Daniel Curtis: 00:02:01

It's been wet, very wet today. I've, you know, you're kind of optimistic.

You know, you wake up in the morning and you're either, you know, glass half full, glass half empty kind of person and you think, do you know what, the weather forecast that I saw yesterday could be wrong, but today the weatherman nailed it. Wet all day, bit bleak, so I heard. It's very nice with you though.

Timothy: 00:02:31

Yeah, it's not too bad here in Virginia and get a little bit of a heat wave, but it's summertime here so that's, that's to be expected, I guess that's to be expected. Well, brought you on here because first and foremost you reached out to me and I thought that was fantastic. I always love hearing that.

I always tell people, feel free to reach out to me. So this is proof positive. If you reach out, more than likely you're going to be on the show.

But I wanted to talk to you today about your career, about your artistic journey. And kind of the first thing to kick us off here is reading through your bio.

I see that you've pulled together some really magical, massive and high stakes projects that involves a lot of performers. And with these projects, I'm sure you've heard the word no on occasion or felt a lot of pressure.

But for you, when you're doing these really intense projects, how do you anchor yourself in your own confidence? Because imposter syndrome is all over the place.

But how do you anchor yourself in your own confidence when a project is at risk or you hear that word, that dreaded two letter word no, when you're ready to do a project?

Daniel Curtis: 00:03:47

It's a really good question. I think purpose is this huge thing if you have something that is incredibly meaningful.

And I'm not just talking surface level or something you want to do, but something that to you feels like a calling, something that drives you, it wakes you up in the morning wanting to push forward. I pretty much everything in my entire life that has worked out for me has been because I have been persistent.

I have continued, despite countless notes, despite the negative, sometimes opinions, or, you know, negative, we could call it atmosphere that sometimes can creep into your life. Not everybody's going to be your supporter, not everybody is going to be in your corner.

And even when they seem like there's no vested interest, some people genuinely don't want you to do well. And I think it helps to understand why you're doing it. Beyond this is a good idea.

Because there is an outcome that means more to you than dealing with the nose. I think that's the best way of summing it up. It has to mean more to you than the rejection, the potential for someone to say no.

And I really, truly believe that, that if you pour everything you've got into something, it may not work out exactly the way that you planned or hoped. But something will happen, something will come together.

And it may not be now, it may be in a few months, six months, 12 months, two years down the line. Sometimes you've got to sow the seeds. And those seeds genuinely sometimes just need time. And I realize that.

Timothy: 00:05:55

Let's dive into how you got to that realization, because I can only speak for me. I can tell you right now that when I first started in theater, in music and painting, I did not have that realization about that.

How did you get to be that point? Because someone like you, when we're first starting out, we kind of expect to hear a lot of no's.

But with your status, where you're at in your career and your journey, and for you to hear a no, but have that kind of mindset, how do we get there?

Daniel Curtis: 00:06:34

I was brought up in the valleys here in South Wales and I was not the coolest kid you've ever met. I was brought up by my grandparents who were incredible, amazing people. But I was a big fan of Superman, huge fan.

And I was watching the Chris Reeve Superman and he had those big glasses and, you know, that was part of the disguise. And I had these big. I found the biggest glasses I could find to kind of emulate the great late Chris Reeve.

And I had this mop and Superman like, of curly ginger hair. And school was a nightmare for me. I was bullied relentlessly for just being me, just being alive, seemingly offended people.

And I went through school with no confidence, absolutely zero at all. And something internally, despite all of this kind of negativity, told me I needed to, to pursue, to pursue music, writing, singing.

And I was immersed with music my, my entire life. And I was. I've had a lot of moments in my life where things have come to me.

It may be comments, quotes, movie taglines that have really changed my perspective on things. And one of them comes from the film Rocky Balboa, which now I'm going to do my best and I'm going to mess it up a little bit.

But the world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there if you let it.

But you, me or nobody is going to hit as hard as life.

But it ain't about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit, how much you can take and keep moving forward, because that's how winning is done. And I think Stallone nails that. You know, it's, you're going to be hit, you're going to drop, you're gonna go down.

But the true testament of character isn't about when you are doing really well. It's the resilience to get back up when things are not going well.

And believe me, there are times where I have felt I just don't want to do it, I don't want to get up anymore, I've had enough. But something inside of me always tells me there's more.

There's more people to help, there's more good things to do, there's more good things to create, and that fundamentally there is something out there that I need to do, as kind of foolish as that may seem.

Timothy: 00:09:37

Not at all. That's not foolish at all. It's why I do the show. I know it helps people out, literally from all over the world.

Otherwise nobody would listen to the show and I could Completely agree with you on that. That's a good thing to have inside of you when you're hearing crickets, when there's not the roar of applause that we so often here in podcasting.

So much applause.

Daniel Curtis: 00:10:05

I get it. It's. It's not easy, right?

You commit your heart and soul to something and you hope that when you pass it over to the world that the world will like it as much as you do.

Timothy: 00:10:19

Yeah.

Daniel Curtis: 00:10:19

What?

One of the lessons that I learned very early on, and this was an Alan Menken, eight time Academy Award winning Alan Menken, the writer, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, you know, Pocahontas, so many incredible movies, Little Mermaid. And Alan Menken said that his job is to write the song and then it's his job to hand it over to the world.

And I've never considered art that way, that you pour everything you can into it, then you are no longer responsible. You hand it over to the world and you hope they enjoy it as much as you enjoyed creating it. And then you move on.

Because if you get stuck that your last project was your best project, you can never beat that project. Life will get stagnant and you will not push forward anymore.

And you have to have that ability sometimes, even when something is good, to put it in a drawer, maybe for now, maybe forever, maybe it will come together and some point down the line.

But you cannot be completely overly protective with art because the truth is the art comes from you, but it's how other people interpret that and grow to love it or hate it. You know, we've all had both. Oh yeah, we'll add both.

Timothy: 00:11:52

Absolutely. I like what you said with Menkin there.

And then something that I've been reading for a number of years now, a guy by the name of Seth Godin, he's a, he's a marketer. And I came this close to getting him on one of my podcasts. That close. He wrote me back, said, I'm too busy right now, kid, leave me alone. But.

Daniel Curtis: 00:12:15

But he's gonna do it.

Timothy: 00:12:16

I'm telling you, he's gonna do it. Absolutely. Well, I gotta do it. I got his best friend, Guy Kawasaki on one of my other podcasts.

So all I got to do is call up Guy and say, hey, get Seth over here.

Daniel Curtis: 00:12:26

But absolutely, I believe in you. I know it will come together.

Timothy: 00:12:30

It's going to happen. I'm going to be persistent with it.

But one of the things that Seth Godin has said is that whatever you're making, whatever product you're making, your gift to the world. It's not for everybody, but it's for the people that it's for. And you have to be good with that. I'm paraphrasing him horribly with that.

But what you create may not be for everybody, and that's okay. And that's good with that. And we can't control what our audience feels about it.

As a matter of fact, I rather enjoy when an audience member comes up to me and says, hey, listen, I heard you do this poem. This is what I got out of it. Or I read this piece that you did.

Timothy: 00:13:14

Or.

Timothy: 00:13:15

Now, I'm not a composer like yourself, but I have two keyboards here in front of me that I noodle around with, and I'll shoot it out to friends and they'll say, wow, that was really. This is how it impacted me. And I'm like, I was just noodling around.

Timothy: 00:13:31

I.

Timothy: 00:13:31

There's better people to listen to than me. But it's fantastic. And I absolutely. It's why I've been doing art for, well, as of today, 40 years.

Daniel Curtis: 00:13:44

And you know what? It's. It's remarkable. What you just said is. Is really interesting because a friend of mine, a great writer here in.

Here in Wales, he wrote some sitcoms here, some very funny things. But he said to me once, dan, listen, all music is good music, but some of it is just not meant for you. And I thought it stopped me.

There are a few times when someone says something that kind of deeply, kind of penetrates the. The neurons and. And kind of rewires something that just because someone doesn't like it doesn't mean that it's rubbish, that it's not worthy.

And we have a real issue in this life where the negative comments, it doesn't matter how many good comments you have, right?

You could have literally the whole street knocking on your door, telling you you've done incredible work, but someone comes over to you and says something that hits you right in the chest, right in the solar plexus, and it seems to, like, penetrate your whole system.

You know, you go into this panic mode, and because someone has this personal thing that you've created, somebody has said they don't like it, or they don't agree with it, or they don't resonate with it, or maybe you're wrong or they hate your opinion. But I think that's why Alan Menken's Outlook works.

You create it, you draw a line, you hand it over, hope people like it as much as you do, and you move on. And it doesn't mean that he doesn't celebrate the things that he's done, obviously.

But it is a way of disconnecting slightly once you have created something to allow your brain, your heart, your mind, your soul to create again without becoming utterly obsessed on one thing. Because I think that's what destroys people. They do something and they're expecting the world to explode.

They're expecting something, an instant reaction, a ripple effect that they can see. But that's where things go wrong, because there are. How many of these famous people in their lifetime did not get any recognition?

And now they're names that are, you know, roll off the tongue that people talk about. And I'm not saying people should go, you know, in. In long after I'm dead, my work will be celebrated.

But I think it is a realization that do the work, do it well, Hand it over. Your best work is still ahead of you somewhere. Just keep plowing forward.

Timothy: 00:16:45

Yeah.

Daniel Curtis: 00:16:45

Learn from what you've done and, you know, keep. Keep trying. Keep doing what you do and get better at it.

Timothy: 00:16:54

I love that idea. Learning from what you've done and then getting out of the way so you can do the next project. Because that next project is sitting right back here.

I know the audience can't see it because it's audio only podcast, but it's right behind you, ready to jump to the front and go, all right, work on me now, work on me now. And then get this out into the world. Do you think, like, with younger artists or newer?

And when I say younger, I'm not necessarily talking about age, but people just coming in into really connecting with their art. Do you think that part of the issue is they're losing trust in their own voice, especially when they hear the criticism?

And if I could have you speak to that, to the new artist that's out there, on how they should be able to trust their own voice.

Daniel Curtis: 00:17:49

I think there's a couple of parts to this. The first thing is if you don't like what you create, you're in big trouble.

There are many people, and it sounds really silly what I just said, but there are many people who are told how to be an artist, how to write a song, how to go through a process to create something.

And you start creating not for yourself, but for some imaginary audience that you are not in contact with, do not know, do not see, and have no idea really where they are, how they exist, what they do, where they think, or where you're going to find them. Them. But still you are drawn in this line. Of creating something for these imaginary people.

So what you're actually doing is not creating something even you were happy with. Because you imagine this, this, as I said, this person. You don't even know who that is. So you are self censoring.

That is the first part of self destruction. Now, if you believe in it, there is a very good chance you can make somebody else believe in it too.

But if you do not believe in it, how on earth are you going to get anyone to get on board, buy into what you do? How are you going to inspire? How are you going to be passionate about it? So it's dead in the water. So the first tip is really simple.

Create work that you would enjoy. That's the first step. The second step is we live in a culture now that are very, very critical.

The hardest people to impress in this world are the people you already know. Because your mother with your mum and your dad, half the time they're trying to protect you, your best friend. And jealousy comes into it.

They may not, sometimes it's not jealousy, but they're just trying to protect you. They're used to seeing you as a certain person doing certain types of things and pursuing new careers.

And we can become really obsessed about trying to get the approval of certain people. Again, we've got imaginary people who we don't even know and then we've got people closer to home.

So you've got to have this incredible conviction to push past that, to believe in yourself and your work so much that despite all of this criticism and yeah, it's going to annoy you, it's going to hurt you, it's going to rip you apart at times, but some damn thing deep inside you just refuses to not pursue it. You know, that's. I have a great story. I'll tell you in a minute. But sure, yeah, that's that, that's what I think it is.

I think you've got to outwork people too. Outwork the other people.

Timothy: 00:21:11

All right, let's take a breath for just a moment. Okay.

Now if you're listening to this, you're probably in the middle of a project, or more likely you're thinking about the one that you're about to start. But maybe you're too scared now. Here at Create Art we're all about creating anyways and embracing the ugly stage of the process.

But I don't want this to be a one way conversation. I want to hear about your message.

Daniel Curtis: 00:21:46

So I've opened up a couple of.

Timothy: 00:21:48

Ways for you to join me on the Show.

Now, if you want to send me a high quality story or poem, you can head on over to my contact page where you see I have a link to my Speak Pipe app that you can leave that message to.

-: 1793

-: 1793

Now, these don't have to be perfect projects. They don't have to be done projects. They can be projects that you're just starting up.

Maybe you're just starting up and you're really scared about it. I don't care. That's fine.

-: 1793

-: 17933

I mean, because there's so many, there's so many polls on our eyeballs and our ears. I love that we're in the modern world.

We have all this technology, we have all this information out there, but the problem is that we have so much stuff out there trying for our attention and that it's hard. It is hard to know, okay, which social media do I go with, which thing do I do?

And it's not just you and me having these polls, it's everybody having these polls. So you never know what's going to connect with the overall audience.

But I think it goes back to our earlier point or your earlier point, which I totally agree with. You got to be into what you're doing. You got to be convicted about what you're doing. You have to have that conviction.

And then other people, there's a good chance other people will have that conviction to believe in what you believe in. And then that audience will grow organically like that to make it, as Guy Kawasaki says, remarkable for his Remarkable People podcast. So.

But you have a story for me. So I'm on pins and needles. I need to hear this.

Daniel Curtis: 00:25:22

So for many years, the biggest question I ever got asked was really simple. How do you make it as a add the word songwriter, actor? Doesn't matter really. It doesn't really matter what that is.

But I'm going to keep it in a very arts orientated world. And so how do I make it in the world of musical theater was the kind of the question I keep getting asked.

Now the story I'll come to in a moment, but my response to this, and I don't mean this in any cruel way, is just one simple question. How much have you done today to make your dream come true? Now the normal response goes something like this.

So I did a bit of practice, you know, half hour, 45 minutes. And then, you know, I had a little look at my rep and I had a look at some songs and. And you go, okay, you know, I sent a few messages.

So what they're talking about really is one to two hours of output perhaps. Now, believe me, yes, some people are out there killing themselves. Some people are just lost on a path and don't really know where to start.

But let's say that people who dream to be world class, maybe some of them are putting in this one to two hours, unless they're doing a course or something like that. And they don't use the word forced, but they, they need to be in a certain place at a certain time.

One of the great honors of my lifetime was I was called up by the British Film Institute, the BFI and the South London. I was told that Debbie Reynolds, Singing in the rains, wonderful Debbie Reynolds was going to be a special guest.

Would I provide some music for the event ending in singing in the Rain as the event started. So to perform in the, you know, outside the main auditorium, create the atmosphere for the people come in for this special Debbie Reynolds event.

And of course the answer was yes. But Debbie Reynolds sat there in front of herself.

So Debbie Reynolds in a, you know, the latter part of her life, you know, she's no longer with us, is there? And you can see her as a young actress with Gene Kelly who for me? You know, we're talking about gods here.

Timothy: 00:28:03

Oh, yeah.

Daniel Curtis: 00:28:05

And Gene Kelly was notorious for being pedantic, for being fixated, for being a perfectionist. This man's work ethic was scary. He would be there into the early hours of the morning rehearsing.

He was relentless with himself, and he expected those standards. And Debbie Reynolds told this story that she was not coping with it at all. She'd been given some. Some dance tuition by his.

What became his wife and another dance instructor. And they were told to put her through her paces. And Jean, as I said, relentless.

So one day she has enough, and she goes into one of the studios on backlot and sits underneath a piano and starts crying. She hears footsteps and someone says, are you okay? She has a look who it is. And that person is Fred Astaire.

Fred Astaire is in the same studio recording, you know, prepping for one of his forthcoming movies. He asks what's the problem is? She explains the issue. I don't know what it takes. I don't know what I've got to do. Nothing I do is good enough.

So he said, I'm going to do something that I never do. For the next, you know, for the rest of this day, you are going to sit in here with me while I practice. And I just wanted to watch.

I don't let people into my practice sessions. I want you to watch. So for the next few hours, this man is. Got towels, he is sweating, his feet are bleeding, he's putting plasters on things.

He is relentless, just for hours and hours, this crazy work ethic. And he finishes up and goes over to her and says, do you now understand what it takes, how much it takes to be great? And she said, yes, I do.

Thank you very much. Walked away and never looked back.

Because in that moment, she understood that whatever she was doing, despite it being six, seven hours of practice, was nowhere near enough because Gene Kelly and Fred Estab in particular were doing double that. These people were crazy. They just demanded this standard.

So what it takes to be great is you have to work and work and work and almost be, as I said, refuse to let people ignore you. Refuse to let other people essentially be better than you. And of course, you're never going to be the best at.

And, you know, to be the best at anything. It's almost absurd because, you know, how do you monitor, how do you.

But these two guys credit there and Gene Kelly, there's virtually no argument that these. These guys were the best. And that's the work ethic. They put in.

Timothy: 00:31:23

So, Daniel, you're telling me, you're telling me that I can't just go on to Facebook and do a couple of posts three times a week and. And I shouldn't expect to have the Golden Globes, to have an Oscar, a Tony or anything like that? Is that what you're telling me?

If I just do three posts, don't.

Daniel Curtis: 00:31:45

Expect somebody, somebody somewhere has made that route successful. I have got no doubt that somebody went onto Facebook and put some posts out and their whole life came together.

But I think, you know what, when you, when you break all of this down at heart, if other people who you want to emulate. Jimmy Car, the comedian.

Timothy: 00:32:10

Oh, yeah.

Daniel Curtis: 00:32:11

He summed this up beautifully. He said, people want my next. My Netflix specials.

They want the sellout tours, they want my kind of fame, my money, my, you know, what I've built, But they do not want to do the work that it took me to get it. I write jokes eight hours a day. Eight hours a day. That's what I do. Nobody wants to write jokes for eight hours a day. And it's perfect. It's perfect.

Because if you're not willing to invest that time, why on earth should anybody else?

Timothy: 00:33:06

Absolutely. Absolutely. Kind of talking from a high level here, which I'm glad you brought up, Mr. Carr. He's one of my favorites. I found him on.

It was either Instagram or TikTok, and I saw him and I was like, oh, this guy's brilliant. Oh, I lied. I would love to see him when he comes back to the States.

But for those people at that level and for the people that are at your level because you have done some fabulous things?

How do we find our way back to that curiosity, to that kid that was happy to get his painting or picture or crayon drawing on the refrigerator, that mom and dad put that on the refrigerator, and that was the greatest thing on the planet. How do we get back to that kind of wonderment, that kind of curiosity?

Daniel Curtis: 00:34:02

I love that as a question.

I wanted to imagine something for me, every person on Earth, when you go through any form of recruitment for anything, generally who you are is assessed by either an application form, a cv, a CV and an application form. That's what they assess. Now, it starts at the top and it says name there. Then everything else underneath your name is trying to.

To tell whoever's reading this actually what your name stands for. Everything.

The references, where you went to school, what you're good at, what your skills are, where you've worked, all of it is trying to just answer one question. Who are you? Who are you? And I do something in my talks. The title is who were you? Before the world told you who to be?

Before the critics got you, before that annoying person told you that you should not pursue your dream, before that teacher told you that you are no good, before anybody told you the way you needed to act, dress, stand, walk, write, run, cycle, swim, whatever it is for you. Who were you? Now, I believe everybody has natural inclinations, but I also believe that anybody can learn anything.

I really believe that, you know, there are incredible studies for that, you know, we've all seen, you know, how many hours it can take you to become brilliant. 10,000 Hours and different things. But I think what that's trying to get at is that if you work hard, fundamentally, you can become great at anything.

But I want to show you an example of. In music, I believe you can teach anybody to sing virtually perfectly, but you are born with the tone.

So I can teach you the technical side, I can get you to hit the right notes in your vocal range, I can get you through the exams, but I can't give you tone. Tone is God given.

And if people listening to this, you know, if you are not religious, you don't have faith, you know, you can call that luck if you wish chance you were born. But I, I believe that, you know, that we have these natural inclinations and they are given to us.

And to get back to it, you have to ask yourself some very serious questions. What is holding you back? What truly is the issue? Are you afraid? Are you lonely? Are you scared? Are you scared of actually succeeding?

What that looks like my life's going to change this. You know, every single action has a reaction, unquestionable.

There's a line in a Chris Dawtry song which says something along the lines of, you know, you might just get it all and some that you don't want. And I think that's quite profound because it's kind of saying to you your dream is going to cost you in rejection, in pain, in hurt, in suffering.

You might get what you want, but you have to get rid of what's been built around you, the force field. You know, think about the Ghostbusters with the marshmallow man.

You know, you've got to get the old proton pack out and blast it and try and see what's underneath. Because we're scared.

A lot of us are afraid of being wrong, of that someone's going to tell us we're no good, that it's almost better that nobody tells us nothing and we can still have this pretense and maybe we could have done it. Someone's going to love your work. Somebody is some. There are audiences out there who are looking for what you do.

There are people out there who are desperate to see what you do. But you have to hit the road bumps, the speed bumps. You got to pound through them. And people are going to laugh at you.

They're going to tell you you're no good. They're going to tell you you're a joke. And somebody somewhere along the line is also going to tell you that you inspire them and you do great work.

And you need to listen to both sides. Because if you're only going to listen to the negative, give up now. Yep, just walk away.

Because if you can't take the positive when it comes and you only look at the negative, just walk away and do it for yourself and put up your art around your house and enjoy it for what it is. Because if you put something out into the public forum, you are going to have both sides. And you have to accept that.

But within you is something magnificent. You just have to have the, the will. You have to risk something to get something.

Timothy: 00:39:47

Amen to that. Something that put a huge smile on my face. I don't know if you saw it when you said it, but I had to write it down too. Are you scared of succeeding?

And actually two things that you said, but that was the first thing that you said and I wow, that hit me like a ton of bricks. But it is true, because if you work hard enough, you might just achieve that dream that you're going, that you're going for.

And once you achieve that dream, what's for me, once I achieve that dream, whatever it is, my next mind, that next thought is, okay, what's next? What's the next thing that I can accomplish? Not everybody is like that. Some people are truly scared of, of achieving that dream.

And because there, there comes responsibility with it, there comes responsibility with it. But to, to continue down that thread, there's a responsibility with it, but there is such a joy that, hey, I achieved this. This was fantastic.

And again for me, I'm always looking what happens next.

Another thing that you said was that when we put stuff out there, we're going to have the negative and the positive and don't stay with the negative all the time, but enjoy the positive.

And for the longest time for me, and I don't know if it's upbringing or whatever it is, it was hard for me to accept a compliment and when I learned to accept the compliment, just don't steal somebody else's blessing to you accept the compliment and move on and be good with. Freed me up. It opened me up and just good things started happening for me and I started feeling better about myself and about my work.

So those two things. I might as well get them tattooed because I don't have enough tattoos.

Daniel Curtis: 00:41:45

Do you know what. When. And he's so right. If somebody. What is better than somebody coming up to you and offering you a sincere compliment? And it's rare. Right.

It's not something that someone just does kind of. We have silly sayings in this country. Willy Nilly is one. And I, I. You probably never. You may have heard it. It's. It. Okay, we're good on that one.

But I, I realize sometimes I say these things and it's like, yeah, I don't know. It's. It doesn't translate across the channel. But, you know, you. People don't just say these things.

If someone comes up to you, they're giving you something and it's a gift and it's. You may not agree, but they meant it. And that's. That's what matters.

You know, the opinion we hold of ourselves changes minute by minute, hour by hour. Sometimes we are doing really good and we can have that bit of confidence. And sometimes we're on the floor and we. We just don't want to do it.

Everybody can succeed when they're up here in the top. Yeah. Anybody can do the things that they want to do. It's about, how do you manage the rest of it?

How do you get up and go, I don't want to do this, but I'm going to anyway. I don't want to record a podcast with Daniel Kurtz tonight. But you know what? I'm going to do it anyway.

Because once I'm there, you know it's going to happen and we're going to have a conversation and things can happen from it that would not have happened if I just go, I just don't want to do it. Or I haven't got it in me today. The truth is, you do. You know, Tony Robbins, he talks enormously about state, about changing your physiology.

And I have to do this. I have to do this. I. Sometimes I am stuck in a rut. I put on a song. My thing is silly dancing. I can't dance. I'm hopeless.

But I get up and I give it everything I've got. I dance around the room like a Crazy person. And I try and change the way I feel, and sometimes it's more successful than others.

But it's been proven that if you change your physiology, you know, you change a state and you can kind of get yourself in a better place. Dr. John Deloney. I'm a big fan, and John Deloney says something which I think is brilliant, and it's really simple.

Do the next right thing, whatever that is. Do the next right thing. And I. The right thing is not to hide away, to give up. That is never the right thing.

Now, you can have a decision with yourself. You can go through a process and decide, I don't want to pursue this career anymore. That's okay. Many people have walked away because they're tired.

Their life goals change. Something else happens. But do it on your terms.

Timothy: 00:45:23

Yeah.

Daniel Curtis: 00:45:24

Yeah.

Timothy: 00:45:26

Shut those doors for yourself. Don't have anyone else shut it for you. And I would say don't even shut any doors. Just keep all the doors open. Keep all the options open.

But if you do need to step away, you can step away. Maybe you come back later on when life is better. Don't know. But yeah. Oh, man, now I'm pumped. Now I don't need a plane to fly over to the uk.

I'm just going to swim. That's it. Just going to hop in the ocean and swim on over. Awesome. That is all the questions I had for you today. I. Man, this was fantastic.

I got to say, I'm very happy with all of this. You've given the audience, my audience here. Yeah. A lot to think about and a lot of encouragement. So from.

From me to you, thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and being so generous with me here today. Definitely appreciate it.

Daniel Curtis: 00:46:25

Hey, listen, I was excited to talk to you, and I'm excited to see what's ahead for you because I've listened to, you know, some of your episodes, and I'm gonna. I'm going to listen to more. I'm. I'm a fan now. I love what you do. I think it's really sincere. Now, remember that thing about compliments? Yes.

That we talked about? I hope you take this in the way that it's intended.

You know, your work is sincere, it's honest, and it helps people, and you should be proud of yourself for that. Well, I hope you. I hope you take that.

Timothy: 00:47:01

Absolutely.

Daniel Curtis: 00:47:02

Cause you're only just starting out 40 years, and I'm telling you, you're only just getting started. The next. The next chapter is going to. Going to be a good one. There's one thing I want to leave you with. And it's.

It's something that changed my life in many ways. And it's, It's a very simple phrase. Again, it comes from Tony Robbins, and it says very simply, massive change requires massive action.

Massive change requires massive action. If you are sat there today and you want to achieve something, you want to change your life, you are in that position.

You have a goal, a dream, an aspiration. Perhaps you've left it behind. Perhaps this is the moment you're going to pick it back up.

Maybe you've never dared to dream enough, but this is the moment and you really do want to succeed. Massive change requires massive action. If you want to change your life majorly, the action that you have to take has to be massive.

And you've got to be willing to give everything that you've got. Not, may I add, not in a way that hurts your family, that hurts your loved ones, your friends.

Do not become a terrible person who is inconsiderate or anything like that. But in the hours that you dedicate to work or the hours you dedicate to your dream, give everything and then give a little bit more.

Be open, be generous, be kind, be courteous.

And remember that people who say negative things, you know that they're saying things that quite often someone said to them, someone they're worried someone could say about them, and it says an awful lot about their character and not very much about you, if, if anything at all.

Because you, you just, you've got to do the best that you can do and never think that you know enough, have learned enough, and if you keep pushing, you will get there. But your dream may not look exactly the way you dreamt it.

Some people dream of being a speaker, and they end up speaking in a very different way, using a very different voice, but it achieves the same goals. Some people dream of being an artist and they, they end up doing something that uses those skills. That's not, that's not failure.

That's resourcefulness. That's creativity. That's innovation. You know, don't be afraid to dream. Don't be afraid to follow the path as well. I think that helps.

Timothy: 00:50:11

Absolutely.

You're just saying my life right there because I. I have my degrees in theater education and technical theater, and I work for the federal government, not doing anything with theater whatsoever, doing stuff with financial wellness. But I use my acting experience, I use my artistic experience, I even use podcasting as my artistic outlet, so to speak, at my day job.

And it works because I'm touching people at work. I'm touching people here through this podcast. And, and, and I gotta say, today you have touched me so much.

So I take your compliment right here and thank you very much.

Daniel Curtis: 00:51:01

It's been a privilege. It has. And I hope we can talk again in the future.

Timothy: 00:51:06

Absolutely.

Daniel Curtis: 00:51:07

Never forget that you have a friend across the pond. You know, don't be a stranger.

And I hope that everybody listening to this, you know, I wish them well, I wish them success, and I wish them fulfillment, because I tell you, success and fulfillment, they're not the same.

Timothy: 00:51:29

Absolutely not. Absolutely not.

Because if you're listening to this podcast, you have been fulfilled today, and we've been successful in making sure you're been fulfilled.

Daniel Curtis: 00:51:42

Very kind.

Timothy: 00:51:44

All right, thank you again, sir. Thank you very much.

Daniel Curtis: 00:51:47

My pleasure.

Timothy: 00:51:51

So I'm going to do something now that I don't normally do in my podcast, and I just got done editing this podcast right now, and I'm pumped up. I am fulfilled as we closed out the interview here today. More of a conversation, really, than an interview. And I got so much out of it.

And I know you got something out of it because you're still listening to this podcast here at minute 55 or whatever it is. So feel free to reach out to me at the website creedartpodcast.com contact. Let me know what you think.

And also feel free to reach out to Mr. Curtis on this because he dropped a lot of great nuggets for you and follow him on all the socials. I have all the links in the show notes there for you and.

Timothy: 00:52:52

Wow. So I'm going to close out the show like I usually do.

Timothy: 00:52:57

It's time for you to tame your inner critic, to create more than you consume, and to go out there and make art for somebody you love. Yourself. I'll talk with you again next time.