Creativity, Connection & The Power of Play w/ Nicole Murphy | EP9

Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Hello and welcome. This is Chatting with Humans and I am your host, Darrel-Lynne Today I'm sharing a conversation I had with Nicole Murphy. I've had the pleasure of working with Nicole in a fun capacity. We are collaborators in our project studio, the Creatives Project Studio. It's community and a place for creatives that want to start and finish their projects. And it's such a fun journey, so explorative. Nicole.
Nicole Murphy: hello. ⁓
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: The tables have turned. The tables have turned. 2024. I sat down across from you and you interviewed me on your Super Seam podcast. And now here we are, 2026. A lot has changed. A lot has evolved. Our friendship has evolved and matured and grown. And the collaboration has been very expansive. But here we are. Welcome. so expansive and it was really such a joy to be able to chat with Nicole. We have had so many incredible conversations over the past year, but it's extra fun when you get to sit down and hit record and call it a podcast episode. So just a heads up, when I recorded the episode with Nicole, I was still getting my microphone and audio sorted out. So you'll probably hear my mic clip a little bit.
Nicole Murphy: I'm so excited. excited. I love to be in the opposite seat. Of course, it is a conversation and ⁓ get naturally curious and ask questions too. I just do, I really love being asked questions and being able to share stories. So thank you for inviting me on this podcast.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Yeah. So, so obviously I consider you a friend, a colleague, a collaborator, and I really admire all the work that you've been doing in the creative space. but that's unfortunate, but it does not take away from the power and the potency of this conversation. And you're here to listen to Nicole anyway, and she's got so many incredible shares. We so well, and it's just a delight working her the way that I do, and just have such a deep admiration for Nicole and the work that she does and just her continual expansion in life. So I hope you enjoy this conversation. ⁓ just like thinking, how are we going to contain this conversation for 60 minutes? Because we've together a few times. We have our monthly or weekly meetings. We have to like always try to keep ourselves in check of like, how ⁓ do we contain this? Cause can really jam. And I'm so thankful for that. I just wanted to pull that in and say, thank you. I'm so grateful that you came on and decided to. conversation as much as I did recording it with her. to chat with me on chatting with humans. And I'm just wondering, before we get too far into, can you, for anyone that doesn't know who you are, because I feel like a lot of people do know who you are, can you tell us a bit about your book round and the work that you've been doing and how you arrived here in the specialized way that you have?
Nicole Murphy: 100%. I fell into an scroll last night. I promise this is leading to what I'm about to say, ⁓ where was, I wanted to look at all the things I've reposted. You know how Instagram has the repost button? And I went scrolling through everything I've reposted in the last couple months. And I actually started crying because, and I challenge anybody to do this if you've been reposting, because ⁓ what's to me just came out of the woodwork. It was just. so clear and at times in my life I have felt confused. Like how am I helping people? What's important to me? I know a lot of creatives can resonate with this. We've talked of creatives who resonate with this. Like I have so many things I'm passionate about. I don't know what to focus in on. ⁓ so my background is in arts. At really young age in elementary people were calling me dancing girl because I never sat still. ⁓ I would dance everywhere. And even though now I see that as a compliment at the time, for some reason I felt like the intention was kind of to put me down. I was this girl dancing, not caring what people think, just doing my thing. But I ended up, because of that passion, and thankfully to my stepmom and a few other people who saw how much I love the arts and dancing, I ended up at an art school. But your husband went as well. We talked about this.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm-hmm. Mm. It wasn't... Okay. Yeah. The art school of Edmonton, I'd say.
Nicole Murphy: The art school, yeah. And honestly, it was a fantastic school when I went. I got to dance and sing and act, I truly did not excel at technologies. That wasn't my thing. I wanted to just be with people and be creating and being performative. But years later, I sat down on the couch. I was teaching dance. I was a nanny. I was working in restaurants. But I felt that call. I felt something pulling me to do something else. ⁓ And I sat down on a couch and I was like, God, what do want me to do? And I was genuinely curious and I heard you might like making documentaries.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: oooo
Nicole Murphy: And so from there on in, it's a big call. But I was like, what? I had not made a PowerPoint presentation at that time. And I was 23 years old. People had always said to me, Nicole, you're going back to post-secondary. You have so much more to do. But I've realized, even though I have as a people pleaser at times, there's parts of me that are very opposite. And I just never felt the call to go to post-secondary until I did, because I very specifically wanted to learn a skillset.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: That's a big tall.
Nicole Murphy: I don't want it to hit the ground running knowing how to create film and television. So I went to radio television and the last 10 years I've worked in media in multiple ways, producing, mentoring students ⁓ story. And I absolutely love working in media. And then of course, what we're doing right now is the creative project studio, ⁓ is an accumulation of everything I've done. And what I realized is I just, I'm personally passionate about getting people creating what
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Hmm. Mm-hmm.
Nicole Murphy: they're passionate about. Yeah. That was a long answer.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Yeah, what they're being told to create. No, I feel like you could have, there is even more you can thread in because it's a winding story and you've the best friend along the way. You've made so many connections and various like routes of impact because you do public speaking, you you have a podcast, like the things you offer, the types of clients that you work with. Like I feel like that you've really packed it into. ⁓
Nicole Murphy: There's a lot.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Your explanation really just packed in. Something far more than... Because you did a documentary.
Nicole Murphy: I did a web series, yeah, of female athletes. applied for a grant. This is, this is where the tying in of creative projects came into play. And I was chatting with somebody, I can't remember who it was, but they were like, ⁓ so you're really good at completing the creative cycle and doing creative projects. That's the niche because I was like, I've done dance shows. I've done, we've done pop-up shops. We've done,
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm-hmm.
Nicole Murphy: I could like now I'm like, ⁓ what projects have it done? But, but that's the point is like anything I feel excited about creatively, I try it and I don't need to be like an expert at it yet.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Yeah, so you've, yeah, I get it, I get it. Because you've really executed in various mediums, let's say the creative cycle, which is like the center point of the Creatives Project Studio that we're collaborating on. you've brought this vision into this community that we're building. And you've executed that cycle. Can you just explain the cycle really quick for us?
Nicole Murphy: Totally. So was like, this kind of came to me. It's not, this isn't going to be necessarily groundbreaking, but I have had people who are like creatives who've been doing it for decades be like, ⁓ thanks for mapping this out. Like it makes it more clear. So to me, the creative project, the creative cycle starts with inspiration and so many creatives are really good at this. They get ideas in the shower. They get ideas when they're sleeping. Then they move into creation, which is, you know, starting the book, you know, it's, you know, having the idea for the podcast, getting the ideas out. ⁓ starting the piece of art, then comes completion. And now we start to get into a little bit of a bumpier phase, the high of the inspiration, the dopamine probably has worn off. And now it's like, ⁓ I want to go into the next project, but it's really important to stick through the creation, the creative cycle. goes creation then after, or sorry, completion. Then after completion, you have presentation. You have promotion and this is challenging for people too. see amazing creatives.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Nicole Murphy: who are really scared to share their work, go on social media, share it with people, their family, and then you move into feed, to sell. Yeah, and really that's the word, sell it, sell. And I've heard somebody say.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Where's the cell? I mean, nonsense.
Nicole Murphy: What's funny is so many creatives say that they're not good at selling, but then they're amazing at promoting other creatives work. Selling it. I've seen this multiple times. So it's not that you're bad at selling. It's that there's something I mean, I'll just speak for myself. I've noticed for me, that's true at times. It's just being seen. It's just putting yourself out there. And then the last part of the cycle is feedback. You're going to inevitably get feedback when you start to promote and present what you've created.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm-hmm. ⁓ Interesting. Hmm.
Nicole Murphy: And that's really challenging for people too. And then you do it again, inspiration, creation, completion, promotion and feedback.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm-hmm. Yeah, and that's what is the cycle that we're helping people walk through themselves in the creative project studio. it's, it could literally be any sort of creative project too, right?
Nicole Murphy: Yeah, and I'm really passionate. Like you both of us are actually really passionate about music. So that's something I want to stretch into because what we're helping people with isn't creatives that ⁓ come across on what I've seen is they have like the baseline ⁓ even an extensive skill set. So it's like the skill set is there. The passion is there. It's that there's just really big struggles with that being seen, understanding how to complete that cycle and sell and put yourself out there.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, it's easy to get caught up and we've, ⁓ my gosh, we've jammed on creativity in many ways ⁓ the last six plus months as we've been. guiding and evolving this into fruition. And it's been so expansive ⁓ a creative standpoint, just being a collaborator in our own evolution of this creative project that we're executing for ourselves, because I absolutely think that this community is in itself its own creative project and it's in its own cycle. ⁓
Nicole Murphy: Completely, yeah.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Now that I'm saying that, like, where do you think, where are we the cycle, do think, for a CPS?
Nicole Murphy: It's funny because as you're saying that this is where when you're building something that a, doesn't have a clear end, which a membership doesn't, you're actually at different parts of the cycle at different times. ⁓ So like in promotion. We've started to really solidify that creation and that completion ⁓ of what offering people. Now we're in that presentation, promotion and feedback.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm-hmm. Right, that's what I was thinking. Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Nicole Murphy: because we're tweaking as we get that feedback.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Very true. Yep. But then there's like this also this other layer of like the creation within that. It's really interesting to kind of think about when, yeah.
Nicole Murphy: the spirals. Yeah, because you and I are also, we really connected with, we did an awesome event last month, but we both are like, okay, we're feeling called that like we have to get people in person. So at the same time as we have this membership, we're creating classes within that, we're creating events within that, we're tweaking. yeah, it's whole spiral of the creative cycle.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Yeah. Mm-hmm. It really is. And look, can we talk about the in-person a little bit and just where I'm, what I'm thinking about and what's just been so top of mind and relevant for me right now is just the power of being, of human connection and be getting in rooms with people. ⁓ know it's kind of surface to kind of like say, but like obviously, right? That's important. But I mean, for someone like me, who's just kind of like naturally gravitates to, I mean, over time, of like an introverted state almost, I work from home, it's remote. ⁓ that I've started getting in rooms with people more in the last few months, I'm like, ⁓ yeah, I forgot ⁓ important this is. And I know that's not, I don't think that's ever been lost on you. ⁓
Nicole Murphy: Mm.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Correct me if I'm wrong. just, the sense I get is like, you've been executing events for quite some time in various capacities. I know you know the power of getting in rooms with people, but now that we're doing it with the creative project studio and with the clarity of vision that, mean, obviously just continues to surface more and more as evolution of the vision occurs, but also your growth. How are you feeling about in-person events now and like what you're feeling and seeing and where you want to go with that?
Nicole Murphy: Mmm. Such a good question. There was a few things that popped up while you were talking and I was like, ⁓ we're going here already. We're going, we're going deep already. think it was really a strategic ⁓ to isolate people ⁓ the pandemic because like you said, we can sometimes, we can forget that power, right? ⁓
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm-mm. Mm-hmm. ⁓ Mm-hmm. I'm getting goosebumps. I'm sorry. I'm actually getting goosebumps. I just had to, I just want to acknowledge them because this isn't, this isn't like a small note in what you're saying is that we forget. Yeah. Sorry.
Nicole Murphy: And then our news... Yeah. Yeah Ooh, I got them too. Yeah, we forget because as human beings, we like familiarity and comfort and to feel safe. And so I think it was a very strategic move to make people afraid of each other. Six feet distancing, stay home, isolate. And there was actually, to me, a lot of great things that came out of people going home, being with their families. And I think of that time fondly a lot now, actually. But there was, there was fear with people. And I think that was on purpose because we forget and we gravitate towards safety and then our new physiological comfort zone becomes isolation. And a lot of problems with that. ⁓ when you said it hasn't been lost on me, I think I'm very extroverted. So I, I do to lean towards like getting energy when I'm with people and loving being around people. ⁓ However, that I...
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm-hmm.
Nicole Murphy: was, I used to love walking down White Ave. It's a cool street in Edmonton and bumping into people and being like, hey, how are you doing? Like, that's me. after the pandemic and, ⁓ know, the challenges and the divisiveness, I was scared to walk down White Ave and bump into people. I didn't want to be.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm. Because of? Of what? What was the fear factor there?
Nicole Murphy: Yeah, it was because I had spoken out about things and I was like, these people who I was friends with before, I thought I was friends with before, are now mad at me. Now I'm rejected. Now I'm ostracized. And it's funny, I didn't think we were gonna go here. What's funny is I wanted the business that I was creating to be so successful and I thought it was with good intention. God has unfolded the last few years for me. It was, I wanted money so I could run away.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mmm. Okay. Mmm.
Nicole Murphy: I wanted money to be able to go build my retreat center or travel the world or whatever. There was an intention there that was to run away from connection. And because of how life unfolded, I ended up getting a serving job and bumping into people who unfriended me on social. I imagine said things behind the scenes, friends of friends. I bumped into a guy on the first shift that I had a situation ship, which had a lot of shame wrapped around it.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mmm. ⁓ interesting. Wow.
Nicole Murphy: years ago, years ago. So it's like God put me in the place of if I would have had a bunch of money I wouldn't have chose to do that serving job. But the serving job was necessary for my growth and resiliency and to connect with people again.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: ⁓ gosh. Wow, that's so powerful. It's like God's like, look at this. I got something for you and I need you to look at it.
Nicole Murphy: Yeah. You know, it's also, was thinking about this this morning. I'm getting shivers. Years ago, I do like, I do life plans every year. I've missed a couple of years, but pretty consistently where I write Envision Futures. And a few years ago, I wrote something like, there'll always be an overflow of cash and money unless there's something more important for me to learn. And I shared that with a friend and they're like, you shouldn't have that part in, but that's, that's the important part.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Hmm That's the part that needs to be written. Yes.
Nicole Murphy: Yeah, and I've been the last, I traveled in 2025 and serving and on the train and it's been such an amazing recognition of what we're talking about here of like, we're supposed to be around each other. ⁓ I think there's a lot of people who are seeking and abundance because they're trying to run away from the pain that comes with connection and working things out with people.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Yeah. it down really here, Nicole. Can we just pause for a second? Because it's lost on me even the timing that we kind of came into each other's spheres. obviously, I don't recall how we first maybe started chatting, but obviously there's a lot of mutual connections there. But around the time I really started to look at you, like I said, came on earlier, I came on your podcast. You were in the midst of making some big decisions for yourself where then you ultimately decided that this restaurant job, you took a leap. You took a big leap and said, sorry, money, sorry, security. I've got places to go and things to do. And can we just talk about that a little bit? Like the adventure that you took yourself on and went. to Asia and whatnot. Can we just talk about that for a second?
Nicole Murphy: Yeah. Yeah. This is, this is so for how the creative project studio came to be too, because we're going at things in a different way. But at that time, the serving job served its purpose. And this happened so much in our lives at times where we want to hold onto the thing that isn't serving anymore. ⁓ So had its service, the resilience, the thing, and then certain things happened where the environment was not great for me anymore. started having. disease spells, which think now looking back was connected to stress. ⁓ a where there's golf. So there's what's called shotguns and everyone comes in at once. And so there was, and then there was, I was having challenges with a manager there and like that's pretty common ⁓ for environments become not great for health when there's relational struggles, right? So we're talking about relationship ⁓ and ⁓
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Nicole Murphy: And so I was like, okay, I felt this nudge and Shawna was really amazing. She's my business partner in the other part of the business. She was amazing at supporting me and saying, hey, we'll figure it out.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm.
Nicole Murphy: My lease was up, my roommate was about to, she was looking to move, my car broke down. All things that you would think are bad things, but they gave me a very easy out to literally leave the country with a, like a small carry-on bag and a backpack. And I didn't have a house, ⁓ a car, anything. That's all I had. I stored some, boxes, but not much. ⁓ had a friend from junior high who I met at the art school who was living in Maroushous.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Yeah.
Nicole Murphy: a little country off the coast of Madagascar. Marouchis, tropical place. A lot of people I think call it like, maybe I'm making this up, but it's like a Hawaii of the Southern Hemisphere, you know?
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Maroussis, guys. Yes. Mauritius. It's not a lore. This place exists. I only heard about it in childhood and just thought it was a fantasy spot somewhere. going to be real.
Nicole Murphy: I didn't, maybe you did tell me that, I didn't realize that you heard of, I never heard of this country before my friend moved there.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Well, the lore that I've heard around it, you can tell me if this is right or not, Mauritius, there's, what was it, it's like there's various religions and cultures living among each other very peacefully.
Nicole Murphy: Yeah. Yeah, that's relatively correct. Well, what I was told while I was there, course I questioned everything, but I didn't fact check it, but the locals told me ⁓ this was at, Mauritius was an island that didn't have anybody on it in like a few hundred years ago. ⁓ you had the Portuguese, the French, the English coming and bringing ⁓ the time their Indian and African slaves. ⁓
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: I may be summarizing that kind of room, but I mean. Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Mmm. ⁓
Nicole Murphy: So you can't tell who's a native Marushan because they're all different colors. They speak French, Creole, and English. And yeah, it was cool. It was really cool. Yeah.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Okay. Cool. One of the most random places in the world you ended up there. Not only making a friend there, but you get to go there for like months or weeks at least, right? Yeah.
Nicole Murphy: ⁓ I did. I went for like six weeks. And what's funny is that while I was there at Google search, I all of a like saw it on a map and I went, what's the furthest place away from Edmonton, Alberta? And it was meruscious. Like, cause it, cause you go around to the other side of the world and down. So was exactly the furthest place on the planet I could ever be from my home city. But yeah. And then I went to Thailand, Vietnam. traveled and I stayed with friends.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: I'm crazy. ⁓ my God. That's so cool.
Nicole Murphy: across Canada too in like Ontario and on Vancouver Island and in Vancouver and this country is beautiful too. So I really I got to go around I went around the world technically so in 2025 yeah and I was probably gone for around six seven eight months something in there and it was funny because because I said I had the realization as I was doing my taxes I'm a little bit behind but I started doing it I was like
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm. Yeah. Yeah. In 2025. End of 2024, 2025, right? Yeah.
Nicole Murphy: Oh, 2025 is the year I've made the least amount of money in my adult life. And I had the best food I've probably ever had consistently in my life, because I'm eating in Thailand, Vietnam with my sister on the island who they caught crab and we made homemade crab sushi. Like my sister's an amazing cook. And in Ontario, oh, had this, there was an, I think it was an Iranian restaurant that was amazing in Toronto. I had the best food.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm-hmm. Mm. ⁓ Yeah.
Nicole Murphy: I had the best conversations and I visited more people in my life in one year I ever have. And traveled the world. It was the most wealthy, abundant of my life ⁓ with the amount of money. ⁓
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, that's wealth.
Nicole Murphy: relational wealth and I met people from all around the world. Like that was so cool too. Wealth of perspective.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: I know. you should. I kind of I remember you sharing here and there on Instagram and you were there was photos and stories of people you were meeting, but. Because we're talking we were talking about community connection in person. Now, obviously you were you encountered a lot of people that I'm imagining would have felt differently than you did when so it was. ⁓ happening and how you spoke about different political religious beliefs. I like though what came through to me and you let me know is there was this thread of just humanity that you felt more than anything. ⁓ You to talk about that a little bit?
Nicole Murphy: yeah, this is good to come back to what we were talking about of that and God taking me on this adventure. I obviously had to say yes and other things needed to unfold, but this adventure of being in very uncomfortable situations that I wouldn't have chose had I had tons of money, if I'm honest. I probably wouldn't have stayed at hostels if I had tons of money, but at times I was staying with 12 people in a room at a time and other times it six people and... And I was really put into a place that even took me to a new level.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm.
Nicole Murphy: Okay, the people who travel, I will say this, people who travel probably tend to be, tend to be a little more open-minded because you're traveling to different places and you're working that muscle, which I think is very important for everyone. However, what I did notice is that people, if they like you, they assume you believe the same things as them. So then what happened was at dinner one day, there was an assumption taking place and I kind of had a bit of an outburst of like, well, I don't believe that or like, can't remember. was like, well.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Yeah, right. ⁓ yes. Yes.
Nicole Murphy: I'm conservative, something like that. And then a pretty uncomfortable conversation happened where someone started to shut down. There was questions, after that, what was really interesting ⁓ ⁓ person who was the most uncomfortable, funny enough, just messaged me a couple of days ago, seeing how I was doing. She's from Germany and it's there. This is muscle that I think strategically we haven't been working because
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: So good.
Nicole Murphy: that fear, isolation, that people are dangerous. what I found is that's not true. There are people who do things that are, know, when they feel attacked, they'll attack you, right? That there is an element of that.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: I mean, I'm just, this is what, there's something coming up for me that we can't ignore in this is that we can't negate the fact that had that dinner party been online, people wouldn't have probably responded and maybe the would have been.
Nicole Murphy: Yeah. you
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Right? I ⁓ that's like a fingertip, ⁓ ⁓ party would never be online, but in the online environment versus feel being in the human energy of whatever's happening and being able to look people directly in the eye.
Nicole Murphy: Can you say that again? Your mic? ⁓
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: going to change the outcomes of things. It's going to change how we listen and how we respond, obviously. Right? But go ahead. What were you going to say? I want to hear.
Nicole Murphy: It's, it just cut out a little bit. So, but you, you did clarify. you're a hundred percent correct. And this is reminding me of a story I just chatted with somebody recently and she's such a beautiful person. ⁓ said to me that in COVID she had, she was around people who were really into the vaccines, who were judging people who weren't getting them. ⁓ she was starting to feel that tribalism, ⁓ she was a therapist and she had to, one of her patients disclosed how he felt. really violated by the mandates. He disclosed his story and things like that. And she said it totally brought her into a total different perspective and reality. And she realized this thing that was going on was not healthy. And that's what you're talking about when you're in person with someone, listening to them, feeling their heart, seeing their eyes. It's totally different. And that's what I learned bumping into people who I knew disagreed with me. None of them were saying the things that
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm-hmm.
Nicole Murphy: they said online to me. none of people were, people in person ⁓ rarely are saying what they would feel comfortable saying as a keyboard warrior.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: I'm thinking of like when someone needs drinks and they get liquid courage. think that we need to have a term for when they're alone, like digital courage. Something. Keyboard courage. Yes. Really, that's what it comes down to. Like the fact that like the majority of people think people say online, they wouldn't actually say to someone's face is like pretty. mean, there's a bunch of words I could say, but it's it's. ⁓
Nicole Murphy: Yes, keyboard courage, yeah, digital courage. That's so true.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: It's alarming and it's real. I mean, if we were really to want to drive down to some of the root of like the divisiveness, social media, online, not being in human connection and actually talking things about like grownups. And as soon as we get in the space together, I feel like just instantly humbled by the fact that, there's no hierarchy here. There's no, there's no, we're just humans. We're talking, right?
Nicole Murphy: Yeah. And that's why I love what you're doing too. made me think of is in this world of AI, which you and I both use AI. So this isn't us. There's, there's a space I believe for it. Although I do think we get to be cautious, but what it made me think of is AI is artificial. And so when someone's online and they feel this like surge of courage, it's artificial courage. It's the, it's, it's, it's the, ⁓
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm-hmm. Mm.
Nicole Murphy: It's not the real model. Yeah. Keyboard courage. It's like there's a self-righteousness and this fake courage and this like standing up for what's right that I don't think is real unless you have the capacity to have a conversation with somebody and say the things in real life.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Keyboard purge. Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Nicole Murphy: That's just what's coming to me, which is real. When you're face to face with somebody, that's more real. And I'm so grateful for social media. I want to say that it's brought me some of my best friends. It's brought me opportunities. It was a place where truth really was circulated.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Yeah, right. Yeah, Marie. Yeah. There's the there's the other side of that coin. The social media has actually been such an incredible component or proponent of being able to spread, spread truth, spread facts, mainstream like not even ⁓ two ago. You'd have to turn on like, well, maybe a couple more than a couple of years.
Nicole Murphy: And the dark side. Yeah.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: We couldn't find other sources of truth that easily. But now we're left to filter through a whole lot of other stuff while we're looking for the truth too, you know?
Nicole Murphy: 100%. 100%, a hundy. ⁓ gonna be a hundy. ⁓ also think this is coming to me right now too.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Uh-huh, me. Love it. Mm-hmm.
Nicole Murphy: that going back to the in-person stuff, like we've had to filter through truth. I think there's a lot of people like us being called to do in-person events. Groves has started doing like, well, ⁓ done them before, but ⁓ know he talks about that call to get people in person off their phones. logically, you're just going from a business strategy perspective, in-person events don't make sense for a bottom line.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, right.
Nicole Murphy: And so I think a lot of people, maybe myself included, have thought this idea of in-person events because we've been sold. Make your online business super successful so you can work remote, so you don't need to go into the office, so you don't have to do these things. ⁓
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Your overheads minimal, yeah, all the things.
Nicole Murphy: Yeah, and there's a truth there and we're exploring it. Shawna has passive income products that she sells about how to be in markets and stuff. if you are feeling the call to do in-person events, I personally believe that this, that ⁓ a word for some, but that obedience to that call and what you're feeling pulled to do is where the abundance will flow from. And it doesn't mean you can't have an online product. ⁓ We have online membership, online things.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm-hmm.
Nicole Murphy: But I think that the reason why things are not working for people is because they're coming at it from really a baseline of fear versus creativity, connection, and that's what we want to help people with.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: There's so much here, honestly, I'm like, where do we go? ⁓
Nicole Murphy: Thank
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: It's not some like eureka moment identifying what we have and just what we're chatting about, about like the reality that being online creates this connection, being in person creates connection. I mean, obviously online does create its own form of connection, but. There is this fact that a lot of people are just not acknowledging what happened to us when we got phones in our hands that looked like this. Not just any phone, they look like this. And we're not talking a bit. Because it literally changed our world and it's impacting our mental health. And it's changing our attention span and our ability to communicate. So, yeah, just that nudge that you're talking about is like feeling a nudge to get in a room. And I think more people now than ever are feeling that nudge. You have to listen to it. Because there's a very powerful reason you're being nudged to get off of the virtual world of conviction that you think that you have.
Nicole Murphy: Yeah.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: or think you have and actually go vibe with people in a physical or a sense, you know, I feel that just feels very strongly about this. So.
Nicole Murphy: I'm so glad you brought that up because you've done content around this too. And you're passionate about, as am I, but you're really passionate about people's mental health and wellbeing. And there's clear statistics that showcase a down spiral when we're introduced to the phone. It is, I always say it's like a gun. And
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm-hmm.
Nicole Murphy: we weren't necessarily prepared or taught how to use it. there's, ⁓ people the scenes are strategically making things addictive, hitting your dopamine, like it were, as human beings were really being called to ⁓ a level of awareness. And I'm not, ⁓ not like I've noticed massive scrolling in my life in the last couple of years. Whereas before that I didn't, I was pretty I'd go to bed without the phone or computer nearby. So I get to reintroduce those habits. It is interesting though. Yeah.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Yeah, and I mean, this is just the through line to, again, the conversation for the Creatives Project Studio, because we know that focus is more fragmented than ever. That focus being impacted is actually impacting the creatives, which were all creative, and our ability to... create and focus on the cycle, which is seeing it through from inspiration through to completion and feedback. That's why this is part of what we're the, ⁓ I'd say the fuel behind why we've created this is because we know the fragmentation of focus we need people creating more now than ever ⁓ that we can pull away from this ⁓ of insidious thing that's happening. ⁓ undeniably insidious actually to our focus, our mental health, our creative process, our creation, tapping into the creator,
Nicole Murphy: 100 % I love how you said that and And more than ever, I believe the pathway. what people are really desiring, like what they think they're seeking by ⁓ strategy, by trying to build the business or trying to get that abundance, is be able to, like you said, put yourself in that state of creation. That's where the magnetism, the attraction happens and focus that, that creative getting curious. You'll find the bumps while you do it. ⁓ And what I've to believe is that ⁓
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm-hmm. RUYA!
Nicole Murphy: Any bump you have in the creative cycle is connected to some kind of relational element, whether that's relationship with yourself. It feels uncomfortable to sit and see yourself relationship with others where you're like, I don't want to be rejected and ultimately relationship with God, the creator, where there might be a little lack of trust that you're loved, that you're held, that, you weren't just left here without.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm. Yes. source. Yeah. Mmm.
Nicole Murphy: a purpose without meaning. Yeah, without impact.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Yeah, that's so good because I remember when you had that download and you first shared it with me those aspects and how they feed into the creative cycle. ⁓ There's couple of things you said there. Obviously, there's nothing like most It's not a linear process where you just go through the same thing. No, man. There's going to be these I don't want to say blocks, yeah, blocks. There's going to be things on that cycle that are going to want to try to stop your momentum or make you question that initial inspiration, whatever that is. the relational piece felt so profound when you first shared that with me, because I was like, ⁓ Okay, great, relationship with self, relationship with others, relationship with creator, whatever you want to call it, whatever your belief is. I was like, okay, there's something really, really profound here. Can we, I'm just wondering where we can go with that because there a way we can kind of like thread in an example of what that looks like?
Nicole Murphy: I Yes, because this goes back to the in-person events. When we had that event...
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm. Mm-hmm.
Nicole Murphy: I know I personally had profound experience where I feeling filled up and able the next day I had a really creative, productive day and not productive. Like I'm pushing through. was, I was dancing through the productivity and doing the tasks and the things that I had been avoiding, whether that's laundry or taxes or looking at things that feel uncomfortable. ⁓ next day I really felt this dance of productivity and the things that
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm-hmm. Mm.
Nicole Murphy: usually felt hard and draining, felt creative, like in creative flow. And I had someone message me who I had, who was at the event, D'Artagnan, and he and I also had a dinner previous and he said, the contrast of being in that space, talking about creative projects to him getting offered a promotion at a job that he's not lit up about was so profound. He was like, I can't do it.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm.
Nicole Murphy: I can't do that promotion, that's not it. So I guess example I guess I'm trying to give is when you're with people, especially people who value creativity, there's...
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Nicole Murphy: That's the energy people are seeking often that they think they need to sleep or scroll or rest to get. There's an energy you get being around people relationally, connecting with God, which is more like the meditation and stuff you can't ⁓ ⁓ prayer, that you can't get by trying to do it on your own. It just doesn't happen.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm-hmm. Mm. ⁓ yeah. I know exactly what you're saying. I will just kind of push back slightly and say that I feel like that event was trifold. Like it was all three. Because I feel like there being in that creative energy with others is like God kind of whispering through the ethers of that room. I could feel it in the space. The hearts just felt lighter. And in the beginning,
Nicole Murphy: Yes.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: So yeah, so just to say like the three-prifold is it was in connection. It was in self in that moment. So we were showing up, how we were feeling, allowing ourselves to feel safe ⁓ the people that we were connecting with. And then just that the vibe in the room was undeniable, which I think has ⁓ three mixed into that, ⁓ reason for that. What was I going to say on that though? I don't remember right now. ⁓ yeah, when we went around in the beginning, I think the most clear theme for everyone was they wanted to get out of their houses, of the isolation that they'd been in and get connected with people. I'm like, well, that's pretty telling. We're all going to play in the same game with ourselves right now.
Nicole Murphy: It's true and I should look up the statistics so I know it better, but I remember them people saying the majority of people say they want to work from home, which I completely understand. I completely understand. It gives a certain freedom and ability to connect with your family in a different way. But the studies have shown that the people who work from home have higher mental health issues.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: and then.
Nicole Murphy: That so, so as human beings, like to pretend like we know so much, included. ⁓ we think we know what's good for us. My dad always says this, you know, people always do what they think is good for them. They don't always know. ⁓ ⁓ I think this is an example. We think that it's going to feel safe at home, but there is a tipping point happening where people are spilling over. And like you said, getting into that space, it was, it was amazing. was, God was present. That was a form of, of church. ⁓
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Interesting. Right. Yeah, absolutely.
Nicole Murphy: if that's the way to say it. That's where I always feel the most connected with people is when I'm doing a creative project or talking and collaborating and dreaming. That's where I feel the most connected. We had someone at that event who said, I don't want to tell you my creative dream because I know Nicole's going to make me do it, Brittany. she's being playful with that because she's coming up against a block of fear, but she's actually recognizing something that's really true. When you get in the room, and you're collaborating, creating with people who want the best for you, who want you to showcase who you are to be authentic, there is a fear because there's expectations of participation. And I'm not gonna, yeah, and that pressure, you can titrate it, right? Like it's not, didn't make her, she wants to do some standup comedy. I didn't make her get on stage right then, but there is an element of like, that's why I think people stay home too, is like, you know you're gonna be expanding.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Yeah. Mm-hmm. There it That's true. Yeah, gosh. That's such a good point. And I'm just, I keep coming in my brain and I'm just like, I do keep coming back to ⁓ improv journey I've been on and how, you know, I've been getting a room with people once a week and how much that's literally shifted things the nourishment I feel in my body and in my brain.
Nicole Murphy: S.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: And it's very profound. think there is something different than when I was getting into a room with people in a boardroom an improv class or a creative session, you know? Because, I used to be in corporate. I'm just kind of saying like I used to be in corporate. I'd be in an office space with people every day. But I think it's ⁓ we're getting spaces with people, right?
Nicole Murphy: And it's been so cool to see you on this journey because you have unfolded or like unfolded. I've seen you. You're like a flower. But I've seen you. You've inspired me. I'm actually looking into joining a choir or something because I because I've seen an improv is cool too. But everybody listen to like where you're feeling called ⁓ because place you put your energy to be creative for the sake of being creative, ⁓ it spill out into every
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Ooh.
Nicole Murphy: everywhere else in your life. And you said that a lot of people you're in improv with are in corporate, corporate environments.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: everything. Yeah, mean, everyone's like, there's not a single person that came in. They're like, ⁓ yeah, you know, I took drama and like, you know, post-secondary, the arts, like, no, like these are bookkeeper, nurse, like ⁓ working professionals in various industries. And they all had their own moment of need to crack my reality ⁓ somehow. how. feels to me at least. And because I had that same moment where I was like, so serious a lot and I'm not like, I can be serious, but I'm not a serious person. You know, that was a big one for me. People were even calling me serious. So like every single person had their own moment. like, well, I like to say they just like put pause on their. will pause on their week and like they go play with people. go play with other humans and we're all different. We're all so, so, so different and that's just what this is an of to me is this isn't like We need this. It's required. Yeah.
Nicole Murphy: Yep. I want to speak on that because that was coming through in the last 24 hours as I was thinking about us doing this podcast. And when I was going through the social media scroll, we've been sold a lie that you have your basic needs, food, shelter, water, that kind of thing. And we have those basic needs.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: with Yeah.
Nicole Murphy: However, true abundance, I think, comes through creativity, because you have to shift out of survival. You have to go into a different energy and creative energy. I think if someone's always focused on those basic needs, they're going to always be in that energy of those basic needs. And so it takes a leap of faith to go, you know what? I think, and I had these thoughts throughout the year. I was like, I don't think God wants me having dizzy spells at a restaurant. I don't think this is where God wants me.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm. Mm-hmm.
Nicole Murphy: And then I went traveling. And then recently I was like, I think God would be totally okay with me having abundance, creating and being in person with people and being at events. And it's not, it's not like I'm trying to tell God what or anything like that, but it's the realization that that survival storyline that I have, it's not what makes me like, that's not where the humanity fully is. We need creativity to be able to shift out of survival.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Hey. Mm-hmm. Thank So good. Are you familiar with Maslow's hierarchy of needs? Yeah, when I first heard about it, like long time ago now, I was like, what is this? And I've been trying to poke holes in it forever. Although I do love the little pinnacle, like self-actualization, that sounds amazing. But I think what I'm hearing and what feels very real and accurate for me is,
Nicole Murphy: Yes. Yes. you
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: what you said as we've been sold a lie that we have these fundamental needs and then if we have those, we're with it. But actually it's missing the component ⁓ yeah, OK, you could argue it's in one of those levels where it's like human connection and safety. like we in modern society as we are right now in, let's say, Western civilization, we believe
Nicole Murphy: Yeah.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: that the job, money, getting bills paid, making sure everything's just baseline taken care of is going to fulfill us when really something there that needs to charge the bill to read and that's the creative component. ⁓ something in I'm missing just slightly. and how I want to say it, but I know you know what I'm saying and we're saying the same thing, but like I said, this is necessity. The connection, I'm clay. Now more than ever.
Nicole Murphy: Yeah. Yeah. Yes, and I saw another clip of somebody saying people who take in the arts six times a year live 40 % longer or something like that. Like it was actually really shocking. And what, I don't know the needs that much. Like, okay, I guess I think the hole that I'll poke in the needs thing, because he probably has all the needs in there, but it's the idea that you're going up through the tears that I'll poke a hole in because
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Yeah. Yeah. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm.
Nicole Murphy: Who are the kids that make it out of the inner city? It's the ones that find the passion the play, in the sport, in the, I'm like ⁓ shivers right now.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: I'm getting emotional, I'm not gonna lie. It makes me emotional because I don't know, I just think about...
Nicole Murphy: Yeah.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: I think about how it's been lost. Well, we forgot, you know, like, how we forget this fundamental like need to just play with each other and like, slog off all of the beliefs and all the shit just play, laugh and laugh at ourselves the most first, you know? ⁓ That's why like I've literally teared up on my way home from improv class because I feel so bad.
Nicole Murphy: Yes. And this is where we go back to the conspiracy.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mmm, damn girl. Yeah.
Nicole Murphy: We've been told that play is what you get to do when you've gotten everything else in order.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mmm. There you go. That's what I was trying to get to. That.
Nicole Murphy: But the play makes the things that feel really hard to you a whole hell of a lot easier. I remember me, my dad had this moment. My dad, would own this. He comes from a traumatic childhood of, of dysfunction. And I remember growing up, everything had to be hard. Everything was like a militant energy. And he was very playful at times. I should say everything, but if it was like chores, it had to be hard. And a few years ago.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Thank you. Mm. Mm-hmm.
Nicole Murphy: We were cleaning an apartment building because they were moving, my parents were moving, we had so much fun cleaning this apartment building. ⁓ were laughing, joking. was talking about a Dale Carnegie book I was reading and we were, we had so much fun, the spirit that we cleaned that apartment. ⁓ it's a memory. It's a memory for me. It's a core memory. Think about that. Cleaning an apartment with my dad is a core memory ⁓ that's the power.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Nicole Murphy: of play and spirit and connection to God. Bringing God into the things that are hard. How do you make things fun again?
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: I think that's why a lot of people are, I would just say like if the corporate, the corporate culture as we've known it for last several decades at this point, I think that's why a lot of people are like, it's a mass exodus.
Nicole Murphy: Because it's not even, I'm realizing, because I just got a little side gig where there's more like, you have to be there at the office with these hours. And ⁓ loving it because get to be around people again and there's elements of it. But it's the spirit. That's actually what I'll say. It's the spirit that, because you can go to networking events where it doesn't feel like you feel drained So there's something happening. I think
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm-hmm.
Nicole Murphy: I know that we're almost at an hour, but I do want to play this and I think, and people sit with this. I think the reason why play can feel unsafe, this is going to be a little bit intense potentially, is play is what's utilized by people who manipulate to take advantage as well. So when we think of groomers, when we think of sexual abuse, when we think of areas where we've been deceived often,
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm.
Nicole Murphy: there can be an element of, hey, play that is used take people to places where they're self abandoning.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: I 100 % agree. What was coming up for me while you were saying that is also, I don't know about you, I was a playful, of course I know about you. You were a very playful child, dance. But there's also programming that slowly creeps in or maybe even with a firm hand and tells you. This isn't acceptable. This isn't how we want for merry. This isn't how you're supposed to show up in the world. And the play gets set on the very far back burner and even can be like dressed up in chain two.
Nicole Murphy: Yeah, well even the name, I was called Dancing Girl not from a place of building me up.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Yeah, like mockery, mockery. But the place we need to be accessing though.
Nicole Murphy: ⁓ Yes. And then, then having real conversations with people where we learn how to give and receive feedback, because I would argue that the people who use, let's say, play as a manipulation tactic, the charm, the fakeness, they get called out real fast in healthy communities. They don't get called out fast in idolization dynamic communities, but, but is where it's important that we start practicing being around people, having these conversations, doing it not perfect.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Hmm. Mm-hmm.
Nicole Murphy: is because of that. Jillian, she has a school, Infinity Academy, and she talks about how she looked at the school system for years and creativity, like a person's creativity is not necessarily, it doesn't expand while they're in school. It gets crushed out, like you're saying, that play, that creativity. So she's created a school that does things differently that looks absolutely amazing. And it's project-based, which is why
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm. that fostered creativity. Hmm.
Nicole Murphy: We do, Jillian and I have talked about this. She was in the project program a few years ago because I know there's something important about doing things in creative projects because I've experienced it in my own life. There's a clear start, there's a clear end. In corporate world, you're always just doing tasks and there's projects too. I'm not saying that. Yes.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm-hmm. That's a never ending. Yeah.
Nicole Murphy: Like in life, if can feel like one day is just going into the next. That's Yes, yes. And let's be very clear, like we're we're about money in abundance, too. It's not that we were. What? Yeah. Yeah.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: but it's also money motivated. It's money driven. or honey. There's no, honey, there's no question. There's no question. But that's not what that's, at least I know we've, hold on, sorry. We've made a conscious, at least I can't, I don't want to speak for you, but I feel like this is accurate. I've made a conscious decision that money isn't driving ⁓ ⁓ I'm willing to step away from money to make sure that I'm living more in integrity and alignment. Because in the long run, because this is a long game, that's what's going to pay dividends and listening to God. Because don't actually have, ⁓ not like the true decision maker. I can have goals, I can have vision, I can have things that I want. That's normal, that's a human function. But there's certain lessons that have been dealt and will be dealt that are outside of my control. I just have to learn to listen to like, what makes the most sense and what feels most attuned when I'm like turning the phone. Right? And that's a practice.
Nicole Murphy: It's a practice and it's been years in the making for me too and I think that,
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Right. But I think that like, I think the big leap for you with the restaurant, going from the restaurant and just like being able to see how there was value and why you needed to be there, but then also realizing when it was time to go and then feel that abundance in like brand new ways for many months overseas in relation in travel.
Nicole Murphy: Yes. You know what I will say though, and this is, hope people can learn from me because I had a bit of a realization when I looked back at that year that I had chosen to be stressed about money a lot of that year because yeah, I did. had not the whole time, but something about me looking back now, something's been released in a new way too. ⁓ so like, yeah, so it's not like I like,
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm-hmm. Did you? Yeah. Okay. I appreciate you saying that. I appreciate you sharing that.
Nicole Murphy: was traveling the world, jet setting being like, yeah, thank you. had elements of that and I was still like not totally in that faith and trust that I'm being taken care of. And so now I feel like I'm sinking even more into that now. But it goes in waves for me too. I felt this way years ago when I had a breakup ⁓ I looked back and I was like, okay, if I could go back, what would I do differently? And I was like, I would have enjoyed the moments more. Just like ⁓ general, why am I stressing so much? Why am I worrying so much? So that's a lesson ⁓ a journey for me.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm-hmm. Mmm. I feel like this is like a perfect example of what we were talking about with the creative cycle being like this, there is like an ebb and flow. There's a bump. It's like every time you go through it, you're going to encounter new ways that you can get choked up in your head and over time or you can never fuck yourself out of it or worry. It's the same thing in that creative cycle, right, that we were talking about. And now you have the retrospect of like, okay, I went through this incredible experience and like...
Nicole Murphy: Yep.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: If you were in my head at the time, it wasn't all perfect because nothing ever is. It's like, what are we observing while we're in it and how we bring fresh presence the next time we get, we're moving into our next cycle of whatever it is.
Nicole Murphy: Yeah, and that fresh presence and just like holding compassion. But I'm realizing why did I have stress? It's because I had this storyline in my head that, okay, I'm making this big leap showcasing faith and now like, when I come back, I'm gonna be crazy wealthy and rich. So it's like still an image management and caring about how I'm perceived almost like that fake it till you make it.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Right. Mm-hmm.
Nicole Murphy: that type of thing. And more and more that's just falling away when I let go of that image management, which is really, that's, think as human beings, I think that's what drives it. I'm going to say something that I'm not trying to hurt people's feelings with this. For me, it was always like a no for the vaccine. And for other people, was just like, they didn't see anything weird with it. wasn't much of a thought. I get that. But there are people who
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm.
Nicole Murphy: who didn't want it, who got it because felt they needed to keep up with the standard of life and they didn't see a way to do that without taking it, like keeping their jobs. And I have empathy for that. At time I was like, I would rather work at McDonald's or do something like that than, ⁓ I yeah, ⁓ because was like willing to give up that image because it just felt like such a no for me. In other areas of my life, I haven't been willing to give up the image. ⁓
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: and get the vaccine. Yeah.
Nicole Murphy: This is, think, as human beings, where when you start to get in real communities, like what we created, that will boil to the surface as well. And when you're practicing authenticity, lots of people at our events said they felt their nervous system relaxed. They felt like they could be themselves. You're not going to care as much about that. And then actually you can ask for help. You can ask for help. then, then the community becomes stronger. I'm sorry, I'm going on a bit of a tangent, but I'm realizing that's the whole breakdown of how the system controls us is because
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mmm. Hmm. No, this is great. This is good.
Nicole Murphy: You get us obsessed with image management, fearful, yeah, fearful of our neighbors, afraid of losing money, just focused on survival, not doing creativity play, like that's all that's extra in life. And so then you don't get communities growing and expanding and creating solutions and meeting each other's needs.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Yeah. Keeping up with the Joneses or whatever. Yeah. Well, I mean, I'm sorry, want to like, I want to go on a tangent now, but I have to restrain myself. But they're all like the middle places being squished out. So to even meet those fundamental needs, we have to work twice as hard as we used to do and not, excuse me, twice as hard as a lot of people used to be able to say and be able to sustain like, unquote, comfortable. everything's, the inflation's wild, everything's getting more expensive. So even meeting for the average person, meeting those fundamental needs is that much more exhausting. Why don't we just, you know, make it even harder to squeeze out our ability to just be happy and enjoy and be in company? Because we're just trying to make it work in this freaking, the structure that's been.
Nicole Murphy: And my theory, haven't totally got there, but I felt at our event, which we'll have more of, join the free creative project studio, that's where we're gonna have the events posted. But I feel like this is where we're being invited to be like, yeah, to keep up, to do it the way it's been done. We can't anymore. So let's just try playing creativity. Let's try something different, because ⁓ it's working. Yeah.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Nope. Find a way. Make it a non-negotiable. That's what I've decided. This isn't something I'm negotiating on anymore. I'm gonna go hang out with humans and we're gonna do it in a fun way, not how we did for some 20 years where it was like we had to schedule and play and corporate. We'll have a lunch and learn. Anyway, I don't wanna make it sound like.
Nicole Murphy: Yeah Yeah.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: I'm not grateful. Like everything that I'm able to do today is because it's a culmination of everything that I've walked through previously. But there's, we can't negate the fact that there's... some clear disparity in what's needed and what people are actually doing.
Nicole Murphy: And again, I think that this whole structure is set up to create pressure in order for us to realize, this is just my personal belief, that we can't do it alone, we need God. And we need that connection to creativity and we need faith and we need to walk in this world differently than what they say, has been ⁓
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm-hmm. Mmm.
Nicole Murphy: which is a hierarchy structure, which is what we've talked about throughout this. It's the pressure cooker is giving you an option every single day. I have found, a lot recently, just like... Just a certain peace and contentment that I'm tapping into that I haven't before, that consistently I should say, that it's not found in what some of the things that we've been told around strategy and grinding it out. And for people, I'm like, I'm not against the idea that for some people that's actually how they feel alive. And like, there is a place for that pathway in life that strategy and build the business. And think there's a lot of creatives that that's not working for, and it's because you have to come at it from a different place.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: I agree.
Nicole Murphy: And a lot with connection. Like, people who tell stories of like, I didn't hang out with my friends in high school because ⁓ was focused on building my thing. I actually think there's a truth there. If you're hanging out with friends, doing things that maybe aren't, you know, productive. At the same time, all my partying and stuff has created a lot of stories that I'm going to put into a movie. like, it's like, how can you take, yeah. ⁓
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Yeah, your wrong thumb. We didn't even talk about the wrong thumb.
Nicole Murphy: It's okay. It's, it's, we'll have, when there's more of it in place, there'll be more conversations.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: I know, but let's just mention you're working on webcom, writing, eventually directing, producing the whole meal deal. And sounds really interesting.
Nicole Murphy: Yeah. That's something going back to the beginning. There's something that I love about trying new creative projects where skillsets, new mediums, where skillsets are still there. I've done documentary web series, I've written articles, I've definitely written things, but now a sci-fi rom-com just seemed fun and want to explore that, so I'm going to.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, and you've been working on this group.
Nicole Murphy: Anyway.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: You've been writing the script?
Nicole Murphy: Yeah, I've got like outline. I think I work best because I did like a little retreat a couple of weeks ago where I just spent a weekend doing it. So I think that that's how I work best is with like focus times. Yeah. ⁓ So be another there'll be another time.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Yeah. Yeah. that's like another part of this adventure is like, do we, figuring out how we function best. And I just, because like, think just what you mentioned, your recent new job. ⁓ of the aspects of the jobs that you do is you're going to an office, you're around people. It's kind of a shift in like how you've probably functioned in your schedule, but...
Nicole Murphy: Yes. Yeah.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: to just pull in that larger thread where we've been talking about the journey that you've been on you said this, this is, it's not just any kind of place you're going to. You're going to a space where you're actually utilizing a skill that you have and something that you ⁓ really, really doing is creating events for people, creating spaces for people. You literally called in this job. I don't want to call it a job, let's like live for our less for the sake of the conversation. You called this in. Right. So it's just another component where we're talking about falling into alignment and like magnetizing ourselves, not for. This is the direct differentiator I just wanted to bring in because. A lot of people. They're pursuing money, they're pursuing power.
Nicole Murphy: Yeah.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: But if we pursue our soul's purpose, if we slowly inch by inch, tiny step by tiny step, learn how to listen to that, and that's coming through straight from source from God to us. That's a transmission, whether it's to create a creative project, whatever that is, that's the we need to be pursuing.
Nicole Murphy: Yes. Yes.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: And I think I've really had an interesting time understanding. the war and the dynamic of light and dark, but I'm starting to get it and I'm starting to see it I'm starting to see how easy it is to fall prey to the dark because we've made it very appealing.
Nicole Murphy: Well, and I will say, so this this core need that I have that I love is that connection element. I love creating spaces with people, da da da, and how what I see is, I don't know if this is totally true, but this is a theory I have, the darkness, if that's what we want to say, evil, it's not a creative entity because it's not connected to God in the same way. It's not connected to God. And so what it does is it hijacks
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm. Mm.
Nicole Murphy: I think a lot of our creative destiny and our gifts. So I have this genius zone around connection and how it's been hijacked in the past is one night stands that didn't really give much fulfillment. How it's been hijacked in the past is me trying to fit in, trying to fit in it be loved, to belong. So that's the spiritual warfare is that it's, really do think the darkness is always going to go for
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mm.
Nicole Murphy: the thing you're most meant to bring into the world because that's where the light is found.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: So I think just to kind of pull all this in, because I'd love to, we're going to have to kind of put a bow on this, I just want to, oh gosh, sorry. Yeah, go ahead.
Nicole Murphy: I Can I say one more example of that that I saw yesterday? Because I think I want people to start thinking like this because it might sound a little like intense, but there's hope found in this message. Because I saw yesterday, I might cry little bit, this little video of a boy who was missing his arms and legs and it seemed like he maybe was born that way. And he saw a drummer and he was maybe two years old. And he started to imitate the drummer. And you could see he was getting the rhythm like perfect. And I shared this and I said, destiny unlocked. If he gets too caught in what the world says, it's gonna say you can't do your destiny because you were born without arms and legs. But the truth is, and this is where the hope's found, no matter what darkness you've experienced, no matter how you've been sabotaged or there's been an attempt for sabotage in your life, your cannot be stopped. your purpose, why you're here, your creative genius zone cannot be stopped unless you co-sign a belief that says you can't do it.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Mmm. That's a mixed drop. Unless you co-sign a belief that you can't do it. sure that I'm not alone in this, but I've co-signed a lot of fucking agreements in my life. And this is what I wanted to, how I wanted to pull this in. So thank you for the comment. That was incredible. I episode one, I talk about our needs to be seen. It's not lost on me. You have a podcast called Super Scene. We have a need to be seen. We have a need to be witnessed. And I'm going to go back to where we started. It's, you know, we sat across from each other in 2024 and you interviewed me. We're having a full circle moment now. We've also been collaborating and we're building something together and we've been witnessing and seeing each other's growth and journey through this. And your growth is not gloss on me. I've seen it in real time. And inspired just as much as I think, you you've shared it. There's certain things I do that inspire you. You inspire me. And I that I wouldn't have experienced the growth. that I have over the last year and a half if I did not come into connection as I feel like it was meant to happen. It was, you know, divine connection, let's say, because of you. And I admired you before I even fully understood who you were, because I just could see you are not afraid to use your voice, So let's just acknowledge the power of that relational connection and the need for collaboration as well so that we can witness and see each other grow in real time. So, yay.
Nicole Murphy: Thank you. That moved me so much. Because friendship...
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Thank you. Thank you.
Nicole Murphy: Friendship is really important. And Hugh sent me when we first started to collab that podcast with Simon Sinek. And it said something like, friendship is two people agree to grow together. And that's what we've been doing. Amen. ⁓
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Read a girl. Amen. Well, this was wonderful. I know we could definitely do a whole other jam. This has been so solid and just, it's always good chatting with you as you know, but thank you.
Nicole Murphy: Yep. Yeah, thank you. Well, you and I have to actually do a video update. I'm sharing this so that people know the behind the scenes of how things are created. We're going to do a new video for the Creative Project Studio. If you feel called to join, if it feels like a nudge on your heart, go and join, go and join. We have a free level and then we have a premium tier where we help you step into that creative courage ⁓ and your creative projects. We just had a member put out her first podcast. She sent it to me she was so excited. ⁓ yeah, we'll celebrate you.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: I'm into the space. That's awesome. That's what it's all about. And you get to come hang out with us. Like we're kind of good time, right?
Nicole Murphy: We're fun. Thanks for having me.
Darrel-Lynne Thieson: Thank you so much, Nicole. ⁓