Round Up of My Favorite Podcasts to Listen to While Creating

We love podcasts in our house. My husband and I will listen to a podcast on our phones and carry them around the house, some times running into what I call dueling podcasts, where both of our phones are playing different podcasts at the same time. I really enjoy listening while I sew. In such a secluded hobby it can be nice to have another voice in the room. Sometimes I even catch myself talking to the podcast, enthusiastically agreeing with or emphasizing a podcast’s point (Oh man, I need to get out more, please tell me someone else does this). Over time I have developed some favorites, ones that I get excited about when they pop up in my feed in the morning. So, if you are a introvert like me here are some great podcasts to listen to, some creative, some just a good listen, and others are actually audiobooks, stuck on at the end of the list due to their perfection.

Podcasts To Listen To While Creating (or to get you inspired) –

The Sewing Affair – One of only two podcasts just for sewing, that I know of, and my personal favorite. Corrine Beggs runs this podcast and I am so excited to see that she is back from a break. Her most recent interview was with Tilly and The Buttons, recorded back in December and only released recently. It can take me a while to recover from the holidays too, so I am willing to cut her, and her great podcast, some slack. Although there are only 11 episodes she interviews many of my favorites, Onnabaloona, Heather form Closet Case Files, Heather from Handmade By Heather B, and Lauren from Ladybird. Here’s the brief description from iTunes, “The Sewing Affair Podcast features individuals in today’s sewing world, from designers to sexists. Join us each week as we interview sewing bloggers, pattern designers, and other sewing gurus!”

Elise Gets Crafty – This podcast has been live for a year, but is only a recent discovery for me. Elise’s podcast is religiously released on Wednesdays and covers topics from blogging, to small business management, to inspiration, all while coming from a creative perspective. Elise interviews a wonderful array of people, many who I have never heard off, but have  a wealth of advice to offer. The most recent episode was with Amy Tangerine who talked about her journey from T-shirt designer to scrapbooking queen. Some of my favorite episodes include, Starting A New Year with Intent, Maintaining a Creative Habit,  and Making Your Own Creative Path.

Dear Handmade Life – This Podcast is FUN! It is ran by the amazing duo who put on Craftcation and Patchwork, Nicole Stevenson (niece) and Delilah Snell (aunt). I’ve had the pleasure of taking some classes with Nicole and love her laid back, open, personality which really shines through in the podcast. This podcast also has a weekly cocktail that goes along with it, I know pretty amazing, right? Everyone involved with the podcast is drinking said cocktail and you can too! This podcast is relatively young, it only started this year and has 9 episodes, but all 9 dive deep while keeping it playful. I found the Capsule Wardrobe episode very relevant seeing as how I am participating in the Wardrobe Architect Challenge this year. I also enjoyed Episode 7: Competition. Delilah and Nicole describe their blog as, “Drinks and discussions on creative business, DIY, craft and design for entrepreneurs and makers.”

Modern Sewciety – This is the other podcast that I listen to that is fully dedicated to sewing, something I found hard to find in a sea of knitting and crafting podcasts. I enjoy this podcast, but don’t find myself holding my breath until the next one shows up in my feed. Stephanie Kendron’s style is very personal and these podcast are a great way to know the people behind the blogs you read on a more personal level.

While She Naps – I just discovered this podcast, but am looking in to diving deep into the content. The recordings are clear, the questions are relevant and Abby Glassenberg manages to post regularly, a real challenge for many podcasters. Waiting in my listening queue is an interview with Deepika, a discussion if Etsy’s new definition of business, and an interview with Nicole and Delilah of Dear Handmade Life.

 

Great Listen –

This American Life – The classic radio show in podcast form. This was the podcast that started it all for me. I love TAL and have even seen Ira Glass live. For those of you that may not know TAL it is a based around a theme and there are usually several real life stories or Acts that are related to that theme, as Ira says at the beginning of so many episodes. This podcast is a real gem of journalism, it can make me laugh, make me cry, and make me angry all in one episode. It can occasionally even make me question my own personal beliefs and outlooks on the world. Some of my favorite episodes include, Poultry Slam 2011 (mostly about a terrifying turkey), and Middle School (the title says it all).

Stuff Mom Never Told You – I love the ladies that run this podcast. They manage to talk about a wide range of topics relative to woman without ever sounding condescending or pushy. This is the podcast I find myself talking to the most, I think I really just want to sit down and have a chat with Cristen and Caroline. This is a feminist podcast, but you won’t find any angry, shaming, feminism here, just honest chats on a wide range of topics. An example of their range includes, anatomy podcasts about the clitoris (Cliteracy), historical podcasts (The Woman Pharaoh), and current cultural event podcasts (Why Take Taylor Swift Seriously, Beyonce’s Feminism) The podcast that converted me to an avid listener of SMNTY, was “Why is ‘Bossy’ a Bad Word.” This podcast really hit home for me because I struggled with being called a “bossy” girl as a child a lot. Only now am I a recognizing my leadership skills.

 

Stuff You Should Know – I think of Stuff You Should Know as the male version of SMNTY, but I think that is just because I discovered SMNTY first. However, they are both part of the How Stuff Works podcast community which means the style of podcast topics is similar. Stuff You Should Know covers many different topics from current events, to science topics, to history like SMNTY. They tend to keep it quirky, upbeat,and laid back while discussing some serious, and some not so serious topics. I would suggest How Perfume Works, How Hot Wheels Work (my husbands favorite), and How Jim Henson Worked.

 

Audiobooks

Yes, Please by Amy Poehler – Fantastic, if you didn’t love Amy Pohler before you will love her after listening to this. She reads her memoir herself and does a fantastic job making the audiobook something special. She includes special guests in a hilarious and unique way, even having Seth Meyer write and read a chapter for her book. She talks a lot about her life on the way to becoming famous and having a prolific career in comedy, but spends equal time talking about the birth of her two sons. Her birth story with her first son is one of the most fantastic that I have heard.

Not That Kinda Girl by Lena Dunham – Oh Lena, she is so polarizing. You either love her or hate her and I love her. GIRLS is brilliant on so many levels and so is this book. Although Lena doesn’t manage to make this adiobook as captivating a listen as Amy Poehler managed the content is still very rich and entertaining. I loved this book for it’s honesty, quirkiness, and ability to make you think. If you love GIRLS I would recommend giving this book a listen.