of ink and insight podcast

I’m trying something new on the podcast this week. Not a traditional interview, but more of a ‘fly on the wall’ recorded chat between creative friends.

I met Ann Hume Wilson back in 2009 when we worked together at a performing arts organization in Austin, Texas, and we’ve been good friends ever since. About a year ago, we started having regular coffee chats by Zoom most Saturday mornings, something I always look forward to.

We’ve often said we should record some of our talks and publish them as podcasts because we end up talking about some pretty deep things including how to lead an organization, navigating recovery, solving the problems of aging and caregiving, and plenty of laughs about the human condition.

So we’re giving it a go!

Ann is an accomplished leader and executive with wide-ranging experience at some of the country’s top cultural institutions like the Blanton Museum of Art and Walters Art Museum. She’s currently the President and General Manager of KMFA, a listener-supported public radio station offering the best of classical music to Central Texas and beyond.

In our talk, you’ll hear Ann refer to some of her family members, in particular, her father who was the music editor for The Washington Post from 1946 until 1982 in addition to many, many other esteemed roles and honors in music appreciation and education.

Here’s a recent press release about Ann’s impending retirement and more details about her amazing professional journey.

Suffice it to say, music, art and creativity have been a big part of Ann’s life and understandably how our conversation angled toward the meaning of creativity, what creative people seem to have in common and how each of us has navigated our own creative journeys.

You’ll see. Ann is kind, hilarious, insightful and one of my dearest creative friends. Enjoy and let us know if you’d like to listen in on more of our morning chats!

The reality of life as a human being is that it’s full of chaos and uncertainty. It’s stressful. Moments of complete peace and contentment are rare and an illusion, as all kind of upset is happening all around us in every moment. Peace and contentment are internal states occurring most likely when we are in total acceptance of everything conspiring to upset us.

So naturally, we learn to cope with stress. We have to or we wouldn’t get anything done.

Are your coping strategies helping or just creating more stress for you?

Listen to this episode as I tell you about some of my really BAD coping habits and the better tactics I’ve discovered after fifty years of trial and error.

What are your BEST and WORST coping mechanisms? Post them in the comments. xo

So often, we can think of ourselves as meditation flunkies because we haven’t yet figured out how to carve out time for long expanses of stillness in our rich, overflowing lives. There’s so much pressure to have a life of wellness, fitness and self-care that the care itself becomes another stressful addition on our to-do list.

A simple and brief Mindful Pause practice may be a more practical and accessible way to bring moments of stillness, awareness and focus to your day. I hope you’ll try it and if you’re more curious about this practice, check out the following resources:

The Mindful Way Through Depression: Freeing Yourself From Chronic Unhappiness by Mark Williams, PhD, John Teasdale, PhD, Zindel Segal, PhD, and Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD

Taking the Leap: Freeing Ourselves From Old Habits and Fears by Pema Chodron

A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook by Bob Stahl, PhD and Elisha Goldstein, PhD

Guided STOP method

I thought, this week, I’d share a little from the course Discover Insight Writing®. Enjoy a chapter about what happens when we experience a block – which I prefer to call unexpected stillness – or when we trigger powerful emotions in our writing practice.

If you’re interested in taking the course, head to https://ofinkandinsight.com/insight-writing to learn more. The course is free when you subscribe to my monthly museletter.

Questions:

Do you have a tendency to lean IN or AWAY from strong emotions when they occur?

In writing or in any situation, what do you do when you feel stuck or lost?

Please share in the comments. I want to learn more about how you deal with these challenges.

A little photography, a little poetry, a little inspiration to move your pen across the page, your brush over the canvas, a spark for your creative courage.

This is the MUSELETTER you’ll look forward to receiving.

SUBSCRIBE

I thought I’d do a little update about what’s happening (or not) in my creative life, and it includes a terrifying exciting announcement about convening my very first open studio show next Spring.

Find out what that means in terms of investment and preparation…..and expectation-setting.

I’m not sure what I’m getting myself into. So follow along as I try to figure it all out! Give me your best advice in the comments because I will need all the help I can get. xoxo

Mentioned:

Art-a-Whirl - https://nemaa.org/art-a-whirl/

Best Arts Districts - https://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-arts-district-2022/

I make art to connect with the creative, intuitive energy that often waits long stretches of time while I do all the responsible grownup things. So when the opportunity to play arrives, I tend to let her roam wherever she likes.

My art practice is a genuine ‘freedom practice’ that surfaced in 2020 at a time when I needed it most. I hope it inspires you to create a few messes of your own and discover the healing medicine of intuitive, creative play.

You can see some of my recent artwork on my website at https://ofinkandinsight.com/artwork. But the best view of my ongoing work appears on Instagram at https://instagram.com/ofinkandinsight. I’d love to see you there!

of ink + insight is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

In this episode, I tell the story of how I got the idea for TellMe Insight Cards™ and how it’s evolved into two volumes of decks - and now a weekly feature here on Substack for the OI+I community.

Find the weekly #tellmetuesday posts at https://ofinkandinsight.substack.com/s/tellme and occasionally here on the podcast too.

Enjoy this week’s card prompt: If I had time…

I give you some of my own writing from this prompt that promises to shine a light on possibilities for spending our time differently. Share your TellMe writing in the comments with us and help fan the flames of our collective writing practice.

You can check out TellMe Insight Cards™ at https://ofinkandinsight.com/tellme.

There are two volumes to choose from, each containing 120 cards. No more wondering what to write about! You can use them as writing prompts, conversation starters or a fun game between friends. They are also unique therapeutic tools for educators, coaches and counselors.

Follow TellMe Insight Cards™ on Instagram at https://instagram.com/tellmeinsightcards.

Let a card lead you into the realest, truest stories you have ever told.

of ink + insight is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

In Insight Writing® workshops, we sometimes start with a short meditation. We rest our eyes, settle into stillness, focus on breath and visualize openness, kindness and freedom.

This helps us release tension that accompanies anxiety about being a ‘good’ writer or having anything ‘interesting’ to write about.

A short, easy meditation can be a great way to start anything you hold tension about starting - a conversation, a chore, an artwork, even your next meal.

If this feels weird or difficult, just know that it does get much easier every time you practice. It can be challenging to shift gears if most of your day is full of action, stress or tension.

Just remember, you deserve to slow down, relax and make space for mindfulness and creative expression. That may seem indulgent or optional to some. Yet, in reality, science tells us what many of us intuitively know - a creative practice is impressively superb for developing resilience and wellbeing.

Questions:

What do you find typically gets in your way of feeling present and focused?

Do you sometimes feel guilty for taking time for mindful or creative moments?

If yes, who can you rely on to help you feel more permitted to take this time?

Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for listening. While all the content you find here is self-funded and freely available, you can help support me and this podcast by subscribing at the level that feels right for you.

Just one more thing. I want to hear from you. What questions can I answer? What creative challenges can I help you overcome? Is there a guest you’d like me to meet and interview? Leave a comment or email me at [email protected]

This is Of Ink + Insight.

And I’m Cyn, an intuitive creator, mindfulness seeker and expressive arts coach coming to you from ‘the snug’ my tiny studio in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Whether you think of yourself as ‘creative’ or not, my aim is to clear the way for deep self-inquiry, to help quiet the critical voice and offer you the freedom to grow into an intuitive creative practice that truly nourishes you.

I won’t tell you all the ‘right’ ways to write or make your art, but you can always count on me to provide plenty of prompts for experimentation, discovery and sharing.

My own messy writing, contemplative photography and artwork is proof that courage, freedom and beauty can be found in the smallest, most ordinary moments.

Are you ready for more creative freedom? Then, let’s begin!

Thanks for listening. While all the content you find here is self-funded and freely available, you can help support me and this podcast by subscribing at the level that feels right for you.

Just one more thing. I want to hear from you. What questions can I answer? What creative challenges can I help you overcome? Is there a guest you’d like me to meet and interview? Leave a comment or email me at [email protected]