We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kat Lively a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Kat , appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
When you open your eyes, there is creativity. Whether we realize it or not, most things we encounter on a daily basis were once an idea. The car you drive? That was someone’s creative thought. The dish you’re served? Creativity. The flower you notice brightly budding? Created by the heavens and the Earth. Everything is creativity.
I have always derived inspiration from the simplest of things. From mans emotion, the touch of love, the song that makes me weep, the sensation of a warm smile in my direction. Perception and perspective are everything when it comes to the artist.
The way we see the world, the thoughts we think, these pave the way to what we produce.
It goes without saying we are not our thoughts, but the energy we grant them creates our reality. It also creates our art.
The various facets of art in the world are so very real, and inspiration stemmed like like lightning from the simplest of elements, emotions, joys, and the world around us.
The question is how can one not keep creativity alive, when the world is full of inspiration for it?
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
In December 2019 I created ‘Calling old Hollywood’, a podcast focused on the pioneers of Film, Television, Music and Literature. It has been a passion that consumed me, interviewing the greats in these fields about their lives, careers, life lessons and experiences. This in efforts to document history and keep alight the flame for the younger generations. I feel a great obligation to do my part in keeping history alive.
Recently, I have inked a book deal. It will be published in 2024. It’s a tale old as time about a young woman in the throes of Hollywood. The book is a true account of the up’s and down’s, high’s and lows, and an effort to dissolve the pedestal of which we place things like fame, wealth, notoriety, and material possessions. A lesson in truth on what it is truly important in life, and how not all is as it may seem. It’s a fun adventure full of personal stories, spiritual leanings and beautiful moments, and a healthy balance of reality and resilience. Naturally, there is plenty of reference and relation to Classic Hollywood. After all, the podcast is what made it possible to experience the things that have happened to me.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Learn from your elders.
I renounced my own generation years ago, setting sail for a life and quest for early wisdom, dropping anchor in deep waters of exponential growth in a limited time frame. I figured the faster I became smarter, the better off I’d be for it. You can’t learn much from viewing the world on a proportionate level. If you only ever strive to see eye to eye, you’ll never see what’s above, below or beyond. Since I’ve been of age, I’ve intentionally surrounded myself with an older and more accomplished crowd. From working with Actors and Directors, to Authors, Business owners, and worldly types. I’ve never sought to gain from anyone, aside from observations of wisdom and real-time examples of how to navigate the road to a successful and creative life. Always on the outside by choice as I was in refinement, I studied everyone as I assembled myself like a Frankenstein. I am a conglomerate of the mental and spiritual appendages of my creative influences.
That’s the best advice I can give those starting out. Start by reaching deeper than you can see.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
My Dad recently passed in September of 2023, he was my best friend. I was beside him in his final breaths, as I sang Johnny Cash and Beach Boys songs to him.
As long as I live I’ll never forget the love and light they instilled within me. My mom passed when I was 12, so now it’s just me – it’s a weird feeling. I’m still in my youth and it’s just me and the world now. I carry their words and their love on my shoulders like angels. I know they’re always near in spirit, and the ways in which they raised me with respect, morals, and integrity were the most impact thing they could’ve done. I am so lucky to have been raised by two people full of so much love. So so lucky.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://substack.com/@officialkatlively
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialkatlively/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialkatlively
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/thekatlively
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@officialkatlively
- Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/calling-old-hollywood
