Grief, Success, and Being the Artist of Your Life. Episode 9 of Off the Canvas with Jenn Van de Vooren.

Today's episode nearly didn't happen. I recorded this as a midweek bonus episode (a little "heart sprinkle") that was supposed to be an "extra" episode thanking everyone for their kindness after I lost my Mom. But then I got too scared to post it because of my emotion around remembering her and celebrating her quiet, love-filled life. I talk about how she defined success on her own terms and that she really was a true Artist of her life. 

Episode 8: Mindfulness and Miracles: The 5-Minute Miracle Art Practice to Rejuvenate and Fill Your Own Cup. Off the Canvas podcast with Jenn Van de Vooren.

In the last episode we dove into whether making art and being joyful are appropriate/helpful/respectful during times of struggle and suffering. There was a resounding, "YES! The world needs even more love, goodness and joy to help get through the tough times." But how do we actually do that? So many people are stretched so thin with life's demands and expectations that they're completely exhausted by the end of the day and have nothing left in the tank. Today I'm sharing an easy, low energy, no skill, art practice that I often use to help take a pause, get centred, check in, and rejuvenate in tiny increments. You can do this art practice intentionally during your day or when you find space and could use a little self care (think boring work meetings or waiting for an appointment...). All it takes is pen and a paper, or get as elaborate as you like with paints or other materials.

No matter what you create in that 5-minutes, I hope you commit the time and space for yourself as a non-negotiable self-care practice. You're worth it and deserve it, you beautiful soul!

Sending gratitude and joy,

Jenn

Jennifer Van de Vooren Artist & Creative Guide

jvandevooren.com Instagram: @jennvandevooren

Can Joy and Art Exist with Sadness and Turmoil? Episode 7. Off the Canvas with Jenn Van de Vooren

This episode has been tugging at my heart with the state of the world these days... so much polarity, sadness, grief, aggression, isolation, heaviness. I've been feeling like, "who am I to carry on with my happy life, making art, speaking freely, creating podcasts, sharing joy while so many are feeling oppressed, scared, sad, lonely, hopeless?"  Recording this episode and thinking of these polarities through the lens of art helped me reconcile if it's OK to make art and carry joy in my heart while also carrying sadness and grief. 

SPOILER ALERT: You probably guessed it but I landed on the conclusion that not only is it appropriate for us to share our joy, light, and art during hard times, but those things are needed more than ever. Creating light in the world does not add to the suffering, and oppositely, dimming our light and being mired in sadness and depression in solidarity with those who are suffering, does not help alleviate those situations. Leading with love is always the answer and our hearts are big enough to carry it all... empathy and inspired action for those who are suffering while we continue to share our gifts more than ever to flood the world with goodness. 

Onward beautiful soul. If you ever needed a reason to start creating art and shining your light, it's to help uplift the world. If not now, when?

Quotes that are resonating with me now:

"Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." - Howard Thurman

"Art has the power to render sorrow beautiful, make loneliness a shared experience, and transform despair into hope." - Brene Brown

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Art is a wound turned into light." - Georges Braque

"The arts empower. The arts give a voice to the voiceless." - Robert L. Lynch

"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." - Pablo Picasso

As always, I'm so grateful to share this space with you. Sending you light and love. Shine bright beautiful soul!

~ Jenn Van de Vooren

www.jvandevooren.com

@jennvandevooren

Episode 6 - February 21, 2022 - Guests on the Show and Guests in your Life.  Off the Canvas with Jenn Van de Vooren

Before I share the guest episodes and all the fabulous conversations I've been having behind the scenes, I want to give you some context about who they are, why I chose them, my inspirational hopes and some secret insights about how I find these magnificent individuals! I know they're going to blow your socks off and I want to set the stage for you.  Also, today's art prompt is an awesome combination of words and positivity. I hope you like it as much as I do. It's one I use often :)

As always, I'm grateful for your presence on earth and for listening to the show. Please go and create something and share your magnificence with others!

With gratitude & joy,

Jenn

Jennifer Van de Vooren

www.jvandevooren.com

Instagram: @jennvandevooren

Join the Off the Canvas party with the pod squad in our Facebook group

Episode 5 - February 14, 2022 - Your Art is a Mirror to your Soul

This episode connects art and spirituality. Our art is really a reflection of our higher self. It's a great way to pause, notice and build awareness of how we're feeling. Practice checking in with yourself and letting the answer come out on the canvas.

Onward beautiful soul! Remember you create your own reality - on and off the canvas.

xoxo Jenn

Jennifer Van de Vooren 

www.jvandevooren.com 

Instagram: @jennvandevooren 

Join the Off the Canvas party with the pod squad in our Facebook group

Episode 4 February 7, 2022 - Challenging Expectations, Defining Success and Letting Joy Lead (in art and life).

Today I'm taking things in a different direction! As a beginner podcaster I'm learning new technology and work flows as well as what I like and don't like about this process. I was finding that I love sharing the messages from my art experiences but I wasn't loving the editing and intros and outros and music overlays etc. I'm not a technical wizard and that part was just bringing me down. So, in this episode I decided to do things differently. I took a look at what success means for me and what contributes to that and what takes away from it. (This is relevant as we make art and in life in general! See how that works!). I want to share with you the journey I'm on and not give the impression I've got it all figured out and it's smooth sailing from start to finish in every way. Nope! Life (and art) don't work like that so I'm definitely not going to pretend that my workflow is like that either. 

I tried making one video recording with audio that I'm not editing. It's all real and was much easier than striving for the perfect radio show. Instead of using stock music I'm inviting aspiring musicians and singers who want to share their music to contact me and we'll see if it's a good fit for the show. I want to share the abundance that art provides and lift others as much as I can. No one is competition! We're all in it together and we're all connected. :)

So, the takeaways from this episode are:

Links mentioned:

Music for Young Children Program

Onward beautiful soul!

xoxo Jenn

Jennifer Van de Vooren

On this episode of Off the Canvas I dive into how we are all full of greatness and that beautiful life force energy can never be diminished. Our worth isn't measured by our list of accomplishments or shortcomings, and neither is our art. You and your art both have inherent value that go way beyond results on, and off, the canvas. Shine on, Beautiful Soul!

Thanks for joining me!

With joy and gratitude,

Jenn

Off the Canvas with Jenn Van de Vooren.

Episode 2: Trust the Joy.   

This episode showed me the power of art and how it really is our teacher. I thought the recording was going to be about relationships and how parts of art connect and work together. However, the universe stepped in and reminded me that my art doesn't come from my mind, it comes from my heart, and unless I express myself from that authentic place, it's not going to feel good! Trust the joy. Feel good. Live the life you imagined!

Today's art prompt is simple - just start following your joy and curiosity. If you have no idea what you like, a good way to start is to make a Pinterest board and pin images that just light you up and call to your soul. Call the board soul love and start pinning! Don't give yourself limits - if you love it, pin it! Go quick and don't overthink it. Come back to it when you have a bunch of pins - do you see any recurring themes? colours? Places? activities? styles? 

Thanks for joining me!

With joy and gratitude,

Jenn

Jennifer Van de Vooren, Artist & Creative Guide