Is social media quietly draining your creative energy and peace of mind? In this honest episode, I share why I deactivated my Instagram account for the time being and the surprising effect it has had on me already.

Here's what I cover:

• 🎯 [0:00-4:00] What happened during the holidays that made me realize I wanted to take a step back.
• 📱 [4:00-10:00] My beef with Instagram's story feature and how it creates unhealthy checking habits.
• 🤔 [10:00-16:00] The difference between Instagram's "highlight reel" culture versus more authentic platforms
• 💭 [16:00-22:00] Why keeping up with friends' stories isn't as important as we think (and better alternatives).
• ✨ [22:00-27:00] How stepping away from Instagram helped me feel more present and content with the here-and-now.
• 🌱 [27:00-31:00] Practical questions to help you reflect on your own social media use and what might need to change.

Are your social media habits truly serving your creativity and wellbeing? I hope this episode inspires you to reflect on what digital minimalism might look like for you in 2025.

🎧 Want to get podcast updates in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter at ⁠www.whatthefocus.com

Ever feel like you're stuck in your creativity because something’s off in your life?

In this episode, I share how being out of alignment with myself affected my ability to make music as well as market my music last year. And the difference I’m experiencing now that I actually moved on.

Here’s what I cover:

• 🎵 A bit of backstory behind my song Move On—and the truth I wasn’t ready to admit.
• 💔 How staying in a situation that didn’t serve me kept me stuck creatively (and emotionally).
• 🙏 Why living in your truth isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the foundation for creating art, in my opinion.
• 💡 How my lyrics are my subconscious speaking to me, and why I believe creativity and honesty need each other.

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Is there anything you need to let go of in your life to build a deeper relationship with yourself and your art? I hope this episode serves as a bit of inspiration to reflect on that!

🎧 Want to get podcast updates in your inbox? Sign up for the newsletter at www.whatthefocus.com

In this episode, I dive into good-old resistance when it comes to creativity. From Stephen Pressfield’s “The War of Art” to my own struggles of sitting down and doing the work.

If you’ve ever felt the pull of procrastination or the nagging voice saying “why bother?”—well, same!

I cover things like:

• How resistance sneaks in before and after committing to something creative (and how your brain is basically full of 💩).
• How I'm trying to get out of these inner patterns by recognizing them.
• My weird love for planning systems even though creativity doesn’t care about control.
• How I’m experimenting with live looping and remixing my own song “Alive” (spoiler: it’s messy and frustrating but worth it).

Feeling stuck? Just take one small step. Doing the thing is the point.

Want to stay inspired and updated? Visit AnjaEve.com/podcast to sign up for the newsletter. Let’s keep creating! 🎧

In this episode, I share why I'm restarting my podcast under a new name, WHATTHEFOCUS, and reflect on my creative process and the challenges of staying committed.

Here’s what you’ll hear:

• Why I chose the name WHATTHEFOCUS and how it reflects the core themes of creativity, focus, and authenticity.
• My insights from stepping back from social media and how that didn't quite make me happy either!
• How I'm gonna approach the sharing part of my creative journey the coming period.
• The balance between financial security and artistic freedom, and why it’s okay to have a plan B (or let's call it plan M: money!)
• A quote that can help keep you focused on the creative process and not the outcome.

Want to stay inspired and updated on future episodes without being tied to social media? Visit AnjaEve.com/podcast to sign up for the newsletter. Keep creating!

Today I will update you on my mindfulness journey aimed at reigniting my creative spark.

In this episode I share:

• The three habits I've embraced to infuse more mindfulness into my life and creative process.
• The complex relationship I have with Instagram, why I deleted it off my phone and no longer post stories.
• Plus, other mindful habits to make more time for creativity and real connection.

Thanks for hanging out, and here's to a week filled with creativity and mindfulness!

🎙️ Welcome back to the Anja Eve Podcast! In this episode, I delve into my journey to reclaim my creative focus. Here's what I'll be sharing:

• Reconnecting with Creativity: I discuss my recent feelings of disconnection from my creative practices and my intention to document my journey of reconnection.

• Digital Detox: Insights from my holiday in Tenerife, where I took steps to reduce my screen time and social media use.

• Realizations and Changes: Post-holiday, I've made some changes around social media and other more mindful habits that I am planning to stick to! Including some tips if you want to do the same.

• Creative Challenges: I share my struggles and progress in songwriting, and why I think embracing discomfort (and avoiding scrolling) is so important.

• My New Song: My latest synth-pop single "Alive" reflects my ongoing quest to feel more present, bold and alive, a theme deeply connected to the content of this episode.

Join me to explore the power of living more intentionally and creatively. I hope the episode inspires you to make some mindful changes as well where needed 🎶✨

Tikwhat? Isn't that just for 12-year olds? Clearly not, a lot of musicians have found their fanbase on TikTok and the music industry is pretty obsessed with it.

But what is it REALLY like to start on the app from scratch? Is it really that easy to grow followers or go viral? In this episode I share my experience from my first month on TikTok.

No, I didn't exactly go viral haha, so I can't help you with that ;-) But I do have a lot to share on what it was like to learn a new app, show up on video daily, challenge myself and experiment.

Plus, I share what I'm learning from other successful creators and what I want to change + improve in the future.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Welcome back!
00:01:03 Details of the 30-day challenge
00:04:57 The results of my challenge (followers, streams, time spent)
00:06:44 What I loved about this challenge
00:11:10 What I didn't love + honest thoughts on TikTok
00:18:27 What I'm learning from other successful creators
00:24:03 Learning to be vulnerable while having boundaries
00:28:29 My thoughts on having to niche down
00:32:13 Why I want to experiment with ads again
00:35:13 Focusing on small progress for each release

The TikTok accounts mentioned in my episode that inspire me, when it comes to powerful storytelling, are @callmestevieray and @mirielmusic. Check them out!

My own Tiktok is @anjaevemusic

You are never too old to reinvent yourself or try something new!

In today's episode:

0:01 My new single Never Too Old is out!

1:25 When I realized I started to fear aging

4:21 My favorite older person and how she has inspired me big time

8:53 Another example of a super cool old person

10:45 Introducing the Never Too Old Song Experience

Check out my new self-produced song Never Too Old on all streaming platforms. Plus, find the bundle on www.anjaeve.com