The Year I Didn’t Stay Safe

A Love Letter to Beginnings

In this solo episode of Building a Creative Life, Pam Vale reflects on a realization about her own creative nature. While some people are drawn to exploration or refinement, she has discovered that her energy lives in the beginning. The research, the shaping of an idea, the moment something starts to take form. It becomes a reflection on building, and the many ways creative life begins again. About Pam Vale (Series Creator): Pam Vale is an artist, writer, and observer of creative life. Her work centers on noticing, listening, and documenting the small, often overlooked moments where meaning gathers. Through art, conversation, and writing, she serves as both witness and interpreter, holding space for what is present rather than preaching what should be done. Her practice spans decades of studio work, podcasting, and long-form reflection, with an emphasis on depth, attention, and lived experience. www.pamvale.com [http://www.pamvale.com/] Get full access to You Are Creative at pamvale.substack.com/subscribe [https://pamvale.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The Quiet Guilt That Follows Creative Women Everywhere

In this reflective solo episode, Pam explores the societal pressures around busyness and the importance of giving ourselves permission to rest, play, and pursue what truly nourishes our soul. She shares personal insights on guilt, creative renewal, and the need for space to simply be. If this way of noticing resonates, subscribing free or paid lets it arrive when it’s posted. About Pam Vale (Series Creator): Pam Vale is Artist, Writer, and Observer of Creative Life Her work centers on noticing, listening, and documenting the small, often overlooked moments where meaning gathers. Through art, conversation, and writing, she serves as both witness and interpreter, holding space for what is present rather than preaching what should be done. Her practice spans decades of studio work, podcasting, and long-form reflection, with an emphasis on depth, attention, and lived experience. www.pamvale.com [http://www.pamvale.com/] Get full access to You Are Creative at pamvale.substack.com/subscribe [https://pamvale.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

How One Teacher Turned Years of Listening Into Stories That Matter - With Guest Tara Hodgson

Today, Tara Hodgson shares her journey from a junior high teacher to a YA (young adult) author, discussing the hard topics she tackles in her books, including mental health, cyberbullying, and sex trafficking. She explores the challenges of self-promotion, the inspiration behind her stories, and the importance of honest conversations about difficult issues affecting teens today. About Tara: Tara Hodgson is the YA contemporary author of Chasing Through Time and At Least I’m Trying. As a long-time teacher, she is passionate about communicating the potential implications of a technology-centred world and spark necessary conversations about these impacts on teens, using her fiction to do so. She lives on an acreage in Sturgeon County, Alberta with her husband, two children, and a crew of cats and dogs. When she isn't teaching or writing, she is reading. She loves all genres of books, but especially YA Contemporary, Fantasy, and Dystopian (but she’ll read anything, really!) She spends her down time walking, camping, boating, and relaxing at home with her family and animals. Connect with Tara: Instagram: tarahodgsonauthor About Pam Vale (Series Creator): Pam Vale is an artist, writer, and observer of creative life. Her work centers on noticing, listening, and documenting the small, often overlooked moments where meaning gathers. Through art, conversation, and writing, she serves as both witness and interpreter, holding space for what is present rather than preaching what should be done. Her practice spans decades of studio work, podcasting, and long-form reflection, with an emphasis on depth, attention, and lived experience. www.pamvale.com [http://www.pamvale.com/] Get full access to You Are Creative at pamvale.substack.com/subscribe [https://pamvale.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The Year I Didn’t Stay Safe

Reflection on one year of the podcast, what it means to celebrate something while you’re still inside of it, and the different ways we build our creative lives. This episode explores noticing your own rhythm, making space where you need it, and allowing your creative life to evolve as you do. About Pam Vale (Series Creator): Pam Vale is an artist, writer, and observer of creative life. Her work centers on noticing, listening, and documenting the small, often overlooked moments where meaning gathers. Through art, conversation, and writing, she serves as both witness and interpreter, holding space for what is present rather than preaching what should be done. Her practice spans decades of studio work, podcasting, and long-form reflection, with an emphasis on depth, attention, and lived experience. www.pamvale.com [http://www.pamvale.com/] Thanks for watching! This podcast is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to You Are Creative at pamvale.substack.com/subscribe [https://pamvale.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

I Almost Missed It. But I Was Looking.

In this episode, Pam shares a personal story about a beachcombing discovery that links two seemingly unrelated moments through pattern recognition, mindfulness, and serendipity. She explores how paying attention to small details can reveal larger, meaningful connections in life. If this way of noticing resonates, subscribing free or paid lets it arrive when it’s posted. About Pam Vale (Series Creator): Pam Vale is Artist, Writer, and Observer of Creative Life Her work centers on noticing, listening, and documenting the small, often overlooked moments where meaning gathers. Through art, conversation, and writing, she serves as both witness and interpreter, holding space for what is present rather than preaching what should be done. Her practice spans decades of studio work, podcasting, and long-form reflection, with an emphasis on depth, attention, and lived experience. www.pamvale.com [http://www.pamvale.com/] Get full access to You Are Creative at pamvale.substack.com/subscribe [https://pamvale.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]