Creative Life

In this episode, Ollie Page Linden, nonbinary cartoonist and maker talks about how they use art to navigate the arghs and ahhhs of existing. Ollie shares about how mediums including diary comics help them with self expression, navigating queerness, and coping with our increasingly fascist country (US). We discuss the gendered history of fine arts vs craft, as well as ways people are using art as a tool to fight fascism.

Ollie also requested I share ⁠⁠The Sameer Project⁠⁠ with you, a donations-based initiative working to supply aid to families in Gaza. Please donate if you have the means, and spread the word if you don't.

We discussed ICE Out Comics (Started with K Woodman-Maynard @woodmanmaynard, @trungles Trung Le Nguyen, Nate Powell @seemybrotherdance, and Jason Walz @jasonwalz) a call for people to create comics to document their experiences with ICE as a way to communicate with each other and show solidarity.

You can learn more about Ollie and their art on instagram @evening_creatures or at olliepaigearts.com

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠embodiedlifecreation.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or email me at ⁠[email protected]⁠ for more info on coaching or being a guest on the podcast.

In this episode, Lou Gervais—artist, writer, and traveler—shares about how creativity has affected their life. Lou gives examples of how they use their creativity to spark joy in their community. They reflect on how they worked through perfectionism around art. They also share how they’ve used art as a tool to process grief and learn more about themself. The main takeaway? Make something! Art doesn’t belong to a select few—it belongs to everyone. You are creative!

You can learn more about Lou’s work at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/sparklyangstcomics/ 

If you’d like to talk one-on-one to see what coaching can do for you, click⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to schedule a free Creative Life Visioning Session. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠embodiedlifecreation.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or email me at ⁠[email protected]⁠ for more info on coaching or being a guest on the podcast.

Adelia C. Schleusz, founder of What If LAB, LLC, a next-gen creative consultancy, is a licensed and registered interior designer whose 25-year career spans commercial design, arts, research, behavioral psychology, and sensory design. Her work is rooted in curiosity—asking “what if?” as a way of shaping more intentional, inclusive, and regenerative spaces for people and planet.

Together, we explore how the environments we inhabit influence our emotions, behaviors, and sense of belonging. We talk about neuro-inclusive design, the power of choice in built environments, and why imagining the far future is essential for building spaces that support well-being long-term.

Adelia also offers Imagine Workshops—collaborative sessions that bring together different experts and community members to leverage future foresight. In these workshops, teams boldly stretch their imagination of the future they are designing for, and design with that in mind. 

You can learn more about Adelia’s work at https://whatif-lab.com and on linkedin.  

If you’d like to talk one-on-one to see what coaching can do for you, click⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to schedule a free Creative Life Visioning Session. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠embodiedlifecreation.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or email me at ⁠[email protected]⁠ for more info on coaching or being a guest on the podcast.

What if creativity isn’t about waiting for inspiration, but about learning to see the world in new ways? In this episode, I sit down with Keith Sawyer—psychologist, jazz pianist, and author of Learning to See: Inside the World’s Leading Art and Design Schools—to explore how improvisation, iteration, and play can transform not only our creative work but also our lives.

Together, we talk about why constraints can actually spark innovation, how people are taught in art and design school to shift their perspectives, and why improvisation is at the heart of being human. Keith shares insights from decades of research into the creative process, and we uncover ways we can all bring this creative process into our everyday lives.

Whether you’re an artist, entrepreneur, or simply curious about living more creatively, this conversation will inspire you to embrace discovery, experiment with new perspectives, and see your own life as a work of art in progress.

Other places to find Keith’s work:

www.keithsawyer.com

Substack: keithsawyer.substack.com

Podcast: The Science of Creativity

Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube: @creativityprofessor

LinkedIn: @drkeithsawyer

If you’d like to talk one-on-one to see what coaching can do for you, click⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to schedule a free Creative Life Visioning Session. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠embodiedlifecreation.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or email me at [email protected] for more info on coaching or being a guest on the podcast.

This episode of Creative Life explores the profound impact of dehumanizing language and its alarming potential to escalate from words to violence.

Dehumanizing language, often dismissed as harmless, serves as a precursor to conflict and division, laying the groundwork for systemic harm. Historical examples and current events highlight how seemingly simple words can devalue human life and justify acts of violence.

This discussion raises awareness about the power of language and the importance of choosing words with care in a world increasingly divided by fear and rhetoric.

If you’d like to talk one-on-one to see what coaching can do for you, click⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to schedule a free Creative Life Visioning Session. Or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠embodiedlifecreation.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more info.Note: Death tolls in times of war are approximations. I compared multiple sources to find the most accurate numbers.  

Sources:

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2023/10/9/israel-hamas-war-in-maps-and-charts-live-tracker

https://www.palestineadvocacyproject.org/quotes/ 

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gaza-death-toll-how-many-palestinians-has-israels-campaign-killed-2024-07-25/ 

https://time.com/6909636/gaza-death-toll/ 

https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/views/news/dehumanising-palestinians-israels-rhetoric-genocide-3457346 

Braving the Wilderness: the Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brené Brown

This episode is all about the healing power of nature, the lessons we can learn from it, and many ways both big and small that we can bring more nature into our lives.

***Edit: The EPA study showed the air is 2-5 times more polluted inside than outside (for the pollutants they tested for), not 2-3.***

Click⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get a customized meditation.

If you’d like to talk one-on-one to see what coaching can do for you, click⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to schedule a free Creative Life Visioning Session. Or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠embodiedlifecreation.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more info.

And here is that article I mentioned about the history and culture of houses.

In this episode, poet and psychologist Fred Gerhard shares how poetry has positively affected his life, from helping him process emotions to building community and more.

Check out fredgerhard.com to get his book and read about his upcoming events such as his book launch events for Drifting to "Hello" including the following:

• June 8th, 2024, 2:30pm at Booklover's Gourmet, 72 E. Main Street, Webster, MA.

• June 15, 2024, 11:00 a.m., at Toadstool Bookstore 12 Depot Square, Peterborough, NH

If you'd like to share your story of how creativity has affected your life, email me at embodiedlifecreation.com

If you’d like to talk one-on-one to see what coaching can do for you, click⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to schedule a free Creative Life Visioning Session. Or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠embodiedlifecreation.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more info.

This episode is all about the transformative power of art, specifically in relation to perfectionism. All art is simultaneously perfect and imperfect. Exploring feelings around allowing your art to be imperfect is a kind of exposure therapy. The more you lean into the discomfort of it, the easier it becomes to allow things to be as they are.

***Exposure therapy can be done on your own, but if it's highly triggering to you, seek a therapist to work with you on it. Jumping in too deep too fast can be traumatizing to some people. I am a certified coach, not a licensed mental health professional. Nothing I say is intended as medical advice.***

Click⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get a customized meditation.

If you’d like to talk one-on-one to see what coaching can do for you, click⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to schedule a free Creative Life Visioning Session. Or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠embodiedlifecreation.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more info.

Listen to this episode on Lionel Cole's moving philosophy about healing the world through music and much more!

Check out Lionel at lionelandtheswingersclub.com and his new record Small Town Volume 1 that just dropped May 1st at lionelcolemusic.com.

You can see him live at 54 Below in NYC on May 14th and The Velvet Note in Atlanta May 20th and 21st, 2024.

Find the transcript and pictures relating to this episode here.

If you'd like to share your story of how creativity has affected your life, email me at embodiedlifecreation.com

This episode is all about the transformative power of singing for both physical and mental well-being. Activities like singing activate the vagus nerve, a nerve that regulates our stress and relaxation responses. From enhancing mood regulation to strengthening heart and lung function (and much more), singing emerges as a potent tool for self-expression, healing, and connection. 

Stay ‘til the end to participate in a vocal toning exercise

And check out these articles on Long Covid and the Vagus Nerve and a metaanalysis on the effects of music on the nervous system.  

Click ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get a customized meditation.

If you’d like to talk one-on-one to see what coaching can do for you, click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to schedule a free Creative Life Visioning Session. Or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠embodiedlifecreation.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more info.