Join Ollie and his girlfriend, designer and Studio Hot founder Nicole Cukier, for an honest conversation about the messy & exhilarating process of creating. Together, they share personal stories of hitting walls, pushing past resistance, and finding momentum while building businesses and producing podcasts. This episode dives deep into the psychology of creativity - why openness, sensitivity, and even discomfort can fuel your best work, and how resistance, self-doubt, and critics try to hold you back. Along the way, they explore ideas like Nietzsche’s Will to Power, the importance of childlike wonder and beginner’s mind, and the ongoing tension between art and commerce. Packed with practical strategies and encouraging insights, this conversation will help you overcome creative blocks, embrace vulnerability, and balance artistic passion with real-world demands - so you can bring your ideas to life.
Recorded on June 11, 2025
TIME STAMPS
(0:00) - Coming Up
(1:03) - Introduction
(2:14) - From Designer to Entrepreneur: Nicole’s Story
(8:55) - The Link Between Environment and Creative Ideas
(11:31) - Overcoming Internal and External Creative Blocks
(18:39) - The Truth About Creativity: Who Really Has It?
(23:32) - How to Tap Into Your Inner Drive To Create
(27:35) - How to Avoid Procrastination
(33:54) - Nicole’s Design Business: Studio Hot
(37:10) - The Creative Instinct and Nietzsche's Will To Power
(44:24) - Reclaiming Your Childlike Curiosity and Beginner Mentality
(50:21) - Why What You Consume Shapes What You Create
(54:28) - How Sensitivity Can Be a Creative Superpower
(1:00:58) - The Will to Power & Creative Journeys: Socrates + David Goggins
(1:09:49) - How to Push Through Resistance and Keep Going
(1:18:19) - How to Create Boldly Without Seeking Approval
(1:27:17) - When Creativity Meets Business: Finding Balance
(1:31:35) - How to Keep a Child’s Creativity Alive
(1:37:40) - Momentum Starts When You Begin - Start Now
(1:44:42) - Stop Overthinking, Start Making
(1:55:19) - Embrace Discomfort and Follow Your Heart
BOOKS USED TO CREATE THE EPISODE
- The Creative Act: A Way of Being: https://amzn.to/4725hzK
- The Artist's Way: https://amzn.to/4nZMeMo
- The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles: https://amzn.to/4gLwjPn

PODCAST LINKS
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- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ollielewispodcast145
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- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ollielewispodcast/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-lewis-864064315/
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