What happens when a singing teacher and student reconvene after fifteen years of virtually no contact? A passion project with the fundamentally human mission of igniting creativity in each and every one of us.
This is exactly what Rene Urbanovich and former singing student Crystal Hoshaw have come together to do, starting with their podcast, The Creativity Talks.
Starting in 2005, a 15-year-old Crystal attended weekly singing lessons at Rene’s Santa Clarita home studio. The pair discovered a mutual love for what they see as the mystical, sacred, and universal nature of creativity.
As a teen, Crystal often accompanied Rene in putting on local Creativity seminars, bringing the tangible aspects of creativity to a wider audience than those Rene encountered in the music room.
Of course, the pair have more than just singing in common. They both pursued unique, self-led inquiry in their respective academic fields—Crystal in philosophy, and Rene in the uncharted territory of creativity.
“There was no school that offered a degree in creativity,” says Rene. “I had to self-design my major and become one of the first to ever earn an official bachelor’s in the emerging field of creativity.”
Crystal followed suit in designing her own degree in Western and Eastern philosophy, mentored by historian of ideas and Zen Buddhist priest Bob “Dharman,” Rice, PhD.
Rene went on to complete a Master’s degree in the humanities with a focus on creativity that culminated in her book, “The Creativity Connection Conundrum: What happens in society when individual Creativity has run amok?.”
It was after the publication of this work, the fruit of Rene’s dedication to the field of creativity, that the teacher-student pair first got back in touch in a meaningful way.
“We had always stayed connected at least briefly. I visited when I was in town. Rene came to meet my son when he was a toddler,” says Crystal. “Even though we weren’t in the same part of the world anymore, we knew that our connection and shared purpose ran deeper than that.”
It was during the pandemic that the two reconnected yet again, Crystal now in her early thirties and Rene nearing 60, each representing distinct generations linked by their mutual passion. This time, the two dove into a long conversation about their love of creativity that sparked a renewed interest in sharing the topic with others.
Thus The Creativity Talks podcast was born.
“All of the research that I put together about creativity built a worldview about connectivity,” says Rene. “When people realize how creative they really are and the existence of this force that unifies us, it brings meaning to their everyday lives.”
This is the essential message and contribution of The Creativity Talks, which according to the website is “a podcast about the creative spark in all of us.”
Crystal and Rene hope to ignite that spark in everyone—from the housewife to the engineer to the artist and beyond—with their lively, inspired dialogue about creativity theory, the latest research, and guests who personify creativity in their own lives.
At the end of each episode, Crystal weaves her experience as a student of Eastern philosophy and certified yoga teacher into a guided meditation that brings the theory home and grounds the listener in an embodied experience of the creative drive within themselves.
Offering something for everyone, from the intellectual to the casual listener, Crystal and Rene shift seamlessly from theory to practice, exploring every facet of the mysterious yet universal nature of creativity itself.
Tune in to be inspired, moved, and connect to the creative impulse in you—whether it’s active, dormant, or long-forgotten. The Creativity Talks offers something for everyone to get in touch with this innate force that unites us all.
Listen on Anchor, Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast feed, or learn more at The Creativity Talks website.
