Create with Franz

Have you heard the "autopilot" fear currently running through the creative world? It's the nagging thought that says: Why bother training for a career in voiceover when an AI can clone a voice in seconds? Many aspiring artists are stalling before they even begin, convinced that the machine has already won the race. But is a cloned voice actually the same as a human story? Or are we confusing "data" with "connection"? Let's make the case that while AI can create realistic digital avatars, it currently lacks the emotional depth, spontaneity, and "soul" that define human performance. The solution isn't to ignore AI, but to double down on the one thing a machine cannot replicate: authenticity. This is the philosophy of Tish Hicks. A classically trained opera singer and legendary voice actor with over 30 years in the industry, Tish has voiced everything from high-profile Subaru campaigns to iconic roles in Grand Theft Auto V and World of Warcraft. As the "Master Sensei" of The V.O. Dojo, she is a self-described "educational rebel" who is proving that human-made art isn't just surviving—it's thriving. In this episode, Tish shares how she maintains a six-figure career in an era of digital clones. We discuss why the "human premium" is becoming more valuable as the market gets flooded with AI, and why now is actually the most important time to master your craft. If you've been hovering on the edge of a creative career but are held back by the fear of technology, Tish's insights will provide the mindset shift you need to find your own authentic resonance. She will also share the 5 rules of voice over and get you in the right mindset for thinking this is actually possible. Sharing our conversation could be the spark that helps a talented voice find the courage to speak up in a world of digital noise. Find Tish Hicks here: https://www.thevodojo.com/cwd Watch our interview here: https://youtu.be/V1-9Viv2bmw 🙏🏼 Thank you for investing your valuable time with us today. If this message spoke to your soul, you are now a messenger. Choose to be the light today and help someone to change their life, too. 🌅 Share the Light: leave a comment, hit subscribe and share this episode right now with one friend who needs an actionable solution. ✍🏼 Leave your legacy: write a quick rating and review on iTunes to help others find true wellness. ❤️ Thank you for being the reason this message reaches the world. God bless you!

So, you want to be an artist. But there is a "but" here, isn't there? A chorus of internal voices holding you back: I'll never get paid for this. Nobody will like it. I don't have time. It isn't a "real" career. If you've listened to our previous conversations on the "autopilot" brain, you'll recognise these as the classic scarcity narratives—the mental traps that lead to analysis paralysis before you even pick up a brush. We convince ourselves that in a world of Canva and AI, the human artist is obsolete. But what if that's just a convenient excuse to stay safe? The solution isn't to wait for the fear to vanish, but to develop the grit to work through it. This is exactly what Tony Concep did. After earning his BFA in Film Animation and facing a string of rejections from design firms, Tony refused to accept the "starving artist" script. Instead, In this frank and inspiring chat, Tony outlines the exact steps he took to unmask cultural erasure and preserve his creative identity through multidimensional art. You will learn how he balances intuition with a professional framework to produce meaningful work that stands out in a crowded digital landscape. Whether you have ten minutes a day or ten hours, this episode is a call to reclaim your creative gift and share it with the world. Sharing this conversation could be the very thing that helps a friend move from "paralysis" to "purpose." Topics covered How to overcome artist block, mindset for artists, Tony Concep, commercial art careers, breaking scarcity mindset, fine art vs commercial design, how to get hired as an artist, creative grit and determination, balancing intuition and structure, art as a career, overcoming fear of failure in art, professional artist networking Find Tony here: Website: https://www.tonycncp.com/ Watch this episode here: https://youtu.be/P7IXXF-BjBU 🙏🏼 Thank you for investing your valuable time with us today. If this message spoke to your soul, you are now a messenger. Choose to be the light today and help someone to change their life, too. 🌅 Share the Light: leave a comment, hit subscribe and share this episode right now with one friend who needs an actionable solution. ✍🏼 Leave your legacy: write a quick rating and review on iTunes to help others find true wellness. ❤️ Thank you for being the reason this message reaches the world. God bless you!

Have you ever felt that a diagnosis—for yourself or your child—was a definitive label of limitation? In the US and beyond, an ADHD diagnosis often arrives with a heavy cloud of fear: fear of academic failure, social struggle, and a lifetime of being "difficult." We fall into the autopilot habit of asking, "What is wrong with this person?" when the real question should be, "What is getting in the way?" The solution isn't found in a label, but in understanding how the brain processes information. This is the life's work of Dr. Connie McReynolds. With over 35 years of clinical expertise, Dr. Connie has seen the "impossible" happen—like the student written off as a "problem kid" and expelled, who, once his specific visual and auditory processing needs were met, became a top-tier mathematics student. In this episode, the best-selling author of Solving the ADHD Riddle explains why an ADHD diagnosis is a new chapter, not the end of the story. Dr. Connie breaks down her "Clarity Essentials®" framework, showing how precise, classroom-ready strategies and neurofeedback can help anyone from age five to ninety move from chronic overwhelm to consistent, confident performance. If you know a parent, teacher, or professional struggling to manage the stress of attention difficulties, please share this conversation. It is a potentially life-changing shift that proves when support matches the person, trajectories change dramatically. In this episode, you will learn: Why ADHD is often a mismatch between teaching and a person's visual or auditory processing style. How to move from "classroom disruption" to sustained engagement by identifying overlooked barriers. The science of retraining the brain's regulatory systems for lasting change. Why two people with the same diagnosis need vastly different strategies to succeed. How ADHD shows up differently in girls. Topics covered ADHD strategies for parents, Dr. Connie McReynolds, neurofeedback for ADHD, visual processing disorders, auditory processing difficulties, Solving the ADHD Riddle, ADHD in the classroom, how to improve focus, Clarity Essentials framework, ADHD adult symptoms and solutions, retraining the brain, special education advocacy, overcoming learning disabilities, pediatric psychology tips, neurodiversity in the workplace. For more information go to https://www.conniemcreynolds.com/ and https://www.clarityessential.com/ FREE self check: https://www.clarityessential.com/free-self-check Affiliate link to buy her amazing book: https://amzn.to/4dRRhwj 🙏🏼 Thank you for investing your valuable time with us today. If this message spoke to your soul, you are now a messenger. Choose to be the light today and help someone to change their life, too. 🌅 Share the Light: leave a comment, hit subscribe and share this episode right now with one friend who needs an actionable solution. ✍🏼 Leave your legacy: write a quick rating and review on iTunes to help others find true wellness. ❤️ Thank you for being the reason this message reaches the world. God bless you! Disclaimer: The information shared in this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast. We are not responsible for any actions taken based on the information provided.

If you have listened to a few episodes of Create with Franz, you probably noticed how many times we mentioned that we often act in automatic mode, without much thinking, and we repeat the same mistakes over and over. You also learned that while habits are hard to break, change is possible for everyone. This is particularly important when it comes to those youth who, for various reasons, are embracing gang life, criminal behaviour, drugs, drinking, smoking and many other dangerous lifestyles that eventually lead into serious issues. What if the solution is to retrain their mind, so they don't easily fall into the same autopilot behaviors? Could this be cheaper and more efficient than sending them to prison, a revolving door from which many come and go as the learning has not occurred? The answer is yes and these are the premises that have informed Stuart Lane to cofound Virtual Decisions, a Birmingham-based organization that aims to empower youth to make well-thought decisions through the help of a blend of AI, Virtual Reality and acting. For over 30 years, Stuart has been on the front lines of youth issues—from homelessness to knife crime—using theatre and technology to help young people navigate life's most dangerous crossroads. Stuart casts young people in the same programs that are meant to protect them, ensuring that every accent, every bit of body language, and every 'perfectly imperfect' moment feels like the real world. Just as a pilot learns to react efficiently to any incident by repeating the correct actions over and over, they learn by practicing and repetition how to react in a safe way that will stop a cascade of wrong decisions and nasty consequences. If you have a friend of loved one who is struggling to stay 'clean' and to manage the stress of today's life but keeps falling into the same trap, please contact Stuart to find out more. This is a potentially life-saving program that I can see implemented world-wide to empower our youth to develop confidence in their capabilities despite a challenging environment. Sharing this episode can help someone get a much better life, using AI as a tool and keeping the human connection intact. Topics covered: stop youth offending, mindset change, from criminal to good citizen, use VR for good reasons, how to rewire the brain, change bad habits, avoid crime with mindset. Stuart Lane. Watch the interview here: https://youtu.be/xZD55akohe8 Feel free to find out more by checking these links: www.virtualdecisions.co.uk Trailers: https://youtu.be/Bindq0dQuNQ?si=n1jVaz-Rm5iwji1Y https://youtu.be/DjXieclEs_I?si=026sTnMCpzk87N5q 🙏🏼 Thank you for investing your valuable time with us today. If this message spoke to your soul, you are now a messenger. Choose to be the light today and help someone to change their life, too. 🌅 Share the Light: leave a comment, hit subscribe and share this episode right now with one friend who needs an actionable solution. ✍🏼 Leave your legacy: write a quick rating and review on iTunes to help others find true wellness. ❤️ Thank you for being the reason this message reaches the world. God bless you!

Have you noticed how easily we fall into "panic mode" when we see technology evolving faster than we can keep up? Many artists and creators are currently operating on a high-stress autopilot, fearing that AI is coming for their livelihoods. We've been conditioned to think that if we just work faster or lower our prices, we might survive the digital shift. But what if the "race to the bottom" is a habit we can break? What if the real threat isn't the technology itself, but a lack of structure and a failure in how we position our mastery? The solution lies in shifting from being a "content producer" to a creator of transformational experiences. This is the perspective Sylvia Barrero has championed throughout her 25-year career. From her early days as an artist to building a global art platform, Sylvia realized that the gap between a struggling creative and an international success isn't talent—it's access, narrative, and positioning. In this episode, Sylvia shares how she built a "Value Ladder" that allows art to be seen and truly valued without losing its soul. She explains how to move beyond the fear of AI by making your unique story, vision and process visible, building a high-trust brand that machines simply cannot replicate. If you are an artist feeling lost in the digital noise, or if you know a creative soul who is struggling to find their worth in a crowded market, this conversation is for you. Sharing this episode could be the catalyst that helps an artist stop producing "cheap content" and start building a sustainable, international legacy. In this episode, you will learn: Why visibility without structure fails and how to connect your work to global and local audiences. How to move from accessible entry points to high-value, intentional work. How to use technology to document your mastery and build long-term cultural relevance. Three practical steps to grow sustainably while keeping your artistic integrity intact. Topics covered: Art positioning, mindset for artists, Sylvia Barrero, creative economy, AI vs Artists, value ladder for creators, art business strategy, global art market, sustainable creativity, personal branding for artists, how to sell art online, make money as an artist, artist business plan, how to price my art, AI for artists, art marketing strategy, monetize your creativity, building an art brand, starving artist mindset, art career coaching, how to find art collectors, sustainable art business. Watch the interview here: https://youtu.be/PB_FqZeZZMc Sylvia Barrero is anIndustrial Designer, a visual artist, and the Managing Partner and Co-founder of Elisium Art. Her purpose is to transform the art market "One Brushstroke at a Time", expanding access, empowering artists, and building meaningful bridges between creativity, innovation, and global audiences. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sylvia-barrero/ 🙏🏼 Thank you for investing your valuable time with us today. If this message spoke to your soul, you are now a messenger. Choose to be the light today and help someone to change their life, too. 🌅 Share the Light: leave a comment, hit subscribe and share this episode right now with one friend who needs an actionable solution. ✍🏼 Leave your legacy: write a quick rating and review on iTunes to help others find true wellness. ❤️ Thank you for being the reason this message reaches the world. God bless you!