In this episode, I use some very personal stories from my own past to demonstrate how important it is to avoid toxic relationships and our own toxic behavior if we want to be productive and prolific in our creative lives.
Along the way, I submit that, while it sometimes means making difficult and painful choices, avoiding toxic people and behavior is part of the artist’s responsibility to the rest of the world, let along to ourselves.
Before all that, you’ll get a little update on my own creative endeavors, including the addition of this podcast to most of the popular podcasting apps and directories, and a new serial fiction perk for my patrons.
It’s a deep, “real talk” episode, albeit not without some humor! I hope my experiences and life lessons have some value.
There’s no way to link to just one definition of “the artist’s responsibility,” but I make my interpretation of that concept clear in this episode. After listening… what do you think is the artist’s responsibility?
What Do You Think?
For me, a podcast is much more than just talking into a microphone and putting the result out into the world. It’s an invitation to a relationship; to community.
I strive to be as transparent, honest, and vulnerable as possible in this, and every episode… perhaps especially in this episode! Let me know that’s valuable to you, and return the favor:
Tell me what you think about the episode, and if you’re willing, please share your own experiences with toxicity in your relationships and in our own behavior, especially with regard to how those toxic elements affected your own creative progress and process. Let’s hear from you in the comments!
The best way to listen to Sonitotum With Matthew Wayne Selznick is to subscribe in a podcast app so you receive new episodes automatically. You’ll find Sonitotum at Apple Podcasts, Google Play Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, or anywhere you get your podcasts. To subscribe manually in any podcast provider, simply copy / paste the RSS feed: https://www.mattselznick.com/feed/podcast/sonitotum
The Music!
The opening theme song of Sonitotum is “Anastasia” written, performed, and recorded by yours truly, Matthew Wayne Selznick. You can hear or buy the full song on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon.com, iTunes, or just about anywhere you can buy or stream music online.
The closing and interstitial music is a little ditty I call “Gwinton,” also by yours truly, Matthew Wayne Selznick. It’s super-short and really just a looping thing, so it’s not available outside of the show.
On both songs, I play a 1972 Gibson Ripper bass guitar and a Fender “Bullet” Squire electric guitar. On “Anastasia,” the drums are performed on an Akai Professional MPD218 MIDI drum pad controller. For “Gwinton,” the drums are royalty-free loops found in the excellent Mixcraft Pro Studio software, which was also used to record, mix, and master both “Anastasia” and “Gwinton.”
Interested in starting your own podcast? Need help managing your existing show? I can help you like I help The What Matters Most Podcast and The Possibility Podcast with Mel Schwartz, among others. Reach out!
Affiliate Declaration
Many of the links in these show notes are to products and services with which I have an affiliate relationship. This means that when you purchase that product or engage in that service, or, in some cases, related products or services, I may receive a modest commission at no extra expense to you. This is a great way to help support Sonitotum and my related creative endeavors, so thanks for doing business with these companies!
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
NoDerivatives — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.
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Episode 38 of Sonitotum with Matthew Wayne Selznick introduces the brand new patron-supported community for friends and fans of my work and those who want to build a healthy, successful creative life.
In the second episode of Sonitotum with Matthew Wayne Selznick, Matt shares his current state in terms of finances, creativity, productivity, and emotional and mental health in the spirit of transparency and honoring the mission of the podcast: helping you lead a healthy, successful creative writing life.
