Colour Me Happy! - By Brandi Hofer Studios

What if the first step to living a creative life is simply believing you are worthy of one?
In this inspiring conversation, Carrie Schmitt shares how creativity begins with self-worth.
Together, Brandi and Carrie discuss the stubborn courage required to protect your energy, say no to what no longer serves you, and remain devoted to the life you know you are meant to live.
This episode is a reminder that creativity is not reserved for a select few. It is a relationship, a calling, and a sacred force waiting patiently for you to say yes!
Two Takeaway Tips:
1. Believe You Deserve to Create
A thriving creative life starts with self-worth. When you recognize that your ideas and perspective are valuable, you give yourself permission to pursue creativity with confidence. This is so important, if we can do you it that means you can too!
2. Build a Temple for Your Creativity
Design your environment and daily habits to nurture your imagination. Whether it is a dedicated studio, a sketchbook by your bedside, or simply protecting your mental energy, creating supportive space allows your creativity to flourish.

Fear can ask endless questions. Intuition makes a clear statement and your body already knows the answer.
This week on Colour Me Happy Podcast   I sit down with Jennifer Halls to explore how to quiet the noise of overthinking, move beyond fear, and begin trusting the inner voice that has been guiding you all along.Jennifer shares powerful insights from her new book You know: How to Invite & Nourish a Relationship with Your Intuition. Where she teaches practical tools to help people reconnect with their intuition in everyday life. We talk about one of the biggest challenges many creative people face: distinguishing anxiety from genuine intuitive guidance. When fear takes over, it often disguises itself as urgency or doubt. Intuition, on the other hand, feels clear, grounded, and present. 
One of my favourite takeaways from our conversation is Jennifer’s simple but transformative practice of making statements instead of asking questions. If you have ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or uncertain about your path, this episode offers practical wisdom to help you reconnect with your inner knowing and move forward with greater confidence.
Takeaway Tips:
1. Turn Questions into Statements
Instead of asking, “What should I do?” make a clear statement such as, “This is the right next step for me.” Then pay attention to how your body responds. Your intuition often communicates through a sense of calm and openness.
2. Notice Where Fear Lives in the Body
Anxiety often creates physical tension, while intuition tends to feel steady and grounded. By tuning into your body’s signals, you can better distinguish between fear-based thinking and genuine inner guidance.

When you follow your intuition and creative flow and stay curious, the path has a way of meeting you there.
-Brandi
In this episode, I sit down with Alexis Marie Chute to talk about what it really looks like to follow your creative intuition while building a meaningful career over time. Alexis shares the power of staying devoted to your path even when it is not linear.
Alexis opens up about how batching tasks, time blocking, and protecting her focus allows her to move between projects without losing her creative energy. I bring up the importance of writing down your goals, staying a little obsessed with what you want, and trusting that the work is leading somewhere even when you cannot yet see it.
This conversation is a reminder that creativity is not about doing one thing. It is about listening closely, following what feels alive, and trusting yourself enough to keep going.
Two Takeaway TipsFollow your intuition but support it with structure by batching similar tasks and protecting focused creative time
Write your goals down and stay committed to them even if it takes years because persistence creates opportunity

Brandi and artist Ana Sneeringer explore what it really means to move through fear as an artist and a human. They talk about how shyness, anxiety, and self-doubt don’t disappear before you begin, they soften because you begin anyway. From public murals to personal breakthroughs, they share how repetition builds confidence and how fear loses its grip when you stop waiting to feel ready.
They also reflect on the shift from hiding your creativity to sharing it fully, and why your story matters just as much as the work itself. This conversation is about action over perfection, courage over certainty, and learning to trust that you don’t need to have it all figured out to start creating something meaningful.
Takeaway Tips:
Start before you feel ready. Confidence is built through doing, not before it. The fear doesn’t disappear first, it fades after repetition.

Treat your life like a role you are willing to step into. Show up as the version of yourself who already makes art, takes risks, and shares it anyway.

I thought I was messing it all up… but really, I was failing forward into the life I was meant to build.
In this episode, I sit down with Julianne Holland from Aphrodite Art School to talk about what it really looks like to build a creative life without a roadmap. From running an art school in a remote, cowboy-filled corner of Australia to creating community where there wasn’t one before, Julianne shares how “failing forward” became her greatest teacher.
We dive into trusting your creative gut, navigating a path without mentors, and embracing the messy, non-linear journey of being an artist. This conversation is a reminder that there is no perfect formula. Your path is built by showing up, taking risks, and learning as you go.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing it all wrong, this episode will reframe everything.

2 Takeaway Tips:
Reframe failure as momentum: Every misstep is actually movement. The faster you “fail,” the faster you learn what works for you.

Build where you are: You don’t need the perfect creative hub. Sometimes the most powerful communities are created in the places where nothing exists yet.