In this episode of The Apple Cart, I’m joined by Kristina Adams to talk about her work as a novelist, a non-fiction author and content marketing, and the myriad ways to explore creativity.

Kristina is the author of 18 novels, 3 books for writers, and too many blog posts to count. She publishes mother/daughter ghost stories as K.C.Adams. She also works part-time as a content marketer.

When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dog, inflicting cooking experiments on her boyfriend or attempting to keep the contents of her greenhouse alive.

Listen to the Interview

Using Content Marketing to Explore Creativity

Kristina has been working as a content marketer for several years. She explains: “I see it as another way to be creative. Certainly, the best in content marketing, I find, is often quite creative.

“And I think that’s what appealed to me when I first started content marketing. I view it always as a way to help people. You can do it in a non-salesy way, and explore how you educate your audience. And always put your own spin on it.”

Too often, people focus on the ‘marketing’ element rather than the ‘content’ piece. But the crux of content marketing is about being helpful. And there are so many ways to be creative. It can be video, audio, graphics, writing. Whatever you find fun will appeal to your audience too.

Why you Should Share Behind the Scenes Content

Kristina and I both agree that behind-the-scenes content is gold, because it fascinates people. Kristina adds: “And for me, that’s the content that does well and brings people into my world. So you need a balance of personal content alongside your sales posts.

“But if you have provided value to your audience some point, whether that is in content, on a sales page, on a sales call. They associate you with being helpful and valuable. And they start to wonder what it would be like to work with you.”

And if you’ve shown your personal side, it encourages them to learn more. People like to take part in conversations about favourite biscuits or crisp flavours! Kristina adds: “You tend to get more engagement on that content, which then boosts your salesy content anyway.”

How to Explore Your Own Creativity

Want to be more creative? Then you need to be more open-minded. Kristina explains: “Don’t say I’m not this, I’m not that. Don’t let other people’s narratives define you. Because the more we say those things, the more it becomes very limiting and a self-fulfilling prophecy.

“When you say I am not creative, you shut yourself off to a lot of options.. And the other thing is, consider what you enjoyed when you were younger. Because there’s probably a reason you enjoyed it when you were younger.”

For instance, Kristina has recently rediscovered her love of dance, something she’d done a lot of growing up. “And I think if I hadn’t been open to trying out things I enjoyed before, I wouldn’t have found those classes. But now I love it and feel different if I don’t go.”

The Different Ways You can be Creative

What you’ll learn when you start to explore creativity is that there are myriad ways of doing it. If it feels like fun and a form of self-expression, then you’re being creative. You don’t have to carry around a sketchpad like an Edwardian lady!

Because if you’re expressing yourself and doing something different to the norm, that’s creative enough. Kristina also suggests lowering the bar: “People want to create perfection in things they’ve never done before.

“And the truth is, you’ve got to allow yourself to be shit, because if you don’t allow yourself to be bad at something, you’re never going to be good at it. Remember what it was like when you first started your job or set up your business – you weren’t perfect then either.”

Timestamps

• 03:32 – 05:15: Where Kristina gets her ideas from
• 05:29 – 10:37: Why consistency is important for your characters
• 3:19 – 15:20: Kristina’s non-fiction writing, and why she stopped doing it
• 15:28 – 18:50: Kristina’s experiences of self-publishing
• 24:16 – 25:23: Experimenting with content marketing as a way of being creative
• 26:05 – 29:04: Why you should share behind the scenes content
• 5:01 – 37:50: Running a business with a chronic health condition
• 46:11 – 48:35: Kristina’s advice on how to start exploring your own creativity
• 50:06 – 52:49: Physical exercise for stress relief
• 56:56 – 59:09: The different ways you can be creative

Useful Links

• Find Kristina’s books online
• Kristina’s non-fiction blog
• Kristina’s content marketing services
• Connect with Kristina on LinkedIn
• The Apple Cart interview with Laura Pearman
• Mini course: plan your next four blogs in less than an hour
• Download the transcript of this interview