102: Share what you love with visual artist Ana Paz

Episode 102. "I realized that when you do something with your hands or you are creative, you create something, you feel more satisfied, you feel more fulfilled." ~Ana Paz, visual artist, teacher & retreat facilitator Want to stave off shelter-in-place boredom and re-energize your spirit? Ana Paz, a Romanian artist living in Bodensee, Switzerland, says creating art during COVID-19 is the ultimate act of self-care.  This episode isn’t a study in productivity or even fine art. Instead, it’s an invitation to return to something you once loved or engage in a new project. The medium isn’t important. Nor are the results. It’s all about the process, says Ana, a lesson she shared with students via multi-day artists’ retreats across Europe prior to COVID-19. Now, the pandemic has severely limited her ability to host offline, especially in nearby Germany and Northern Italy, so she’s taken her inspiring creativity virtual, teaching free workshops and posting replays on YouTube. That’s not to say Ana hasn’t felt the pull of a long bath or lazy afternoon of Netflix. She’s given in to fluctuations in her mood and output, a direct result of pandemic fatigue. She’s allowed herself the space to set aside goals in favor of recharging both physically and mentally.  Eventually, though, Ana points out that everyone reaches their Netflix or social media consumption limit. That’s when the urge to create strikes. When it does, she recommends that we ignore perfectionism in favor of connection to that driving force. Consuming other people’s work is easy. Creating can feel difficult at first. Be kind to your art, follow your curiosity, and enjoy yourself. Get the full show notes and connect with Ana http://www.thecreativeimpostor.com/102.   P.S. Ana's Italy retreat has been rescheduled for September 2020! https://www.anapazartist.com/italy And she's added a Switzerland retreat as well: https://www.anapazartist.com/switzerland *** Practice Yoga & Mantra with me Sundays at Noon CST. Register at http://www.satnamyogachicago.com Promo Code for first class free: BHAKTIDEVOTIONALHEART Learn how to podcast with me! Two classes + online office hours are available NOW inside The Creative Impostor Studios Craft & Culture group via Patreon. Join now: http://www.thecreativeimpostor.com/craftandculture Join us twice a week for Community Zoom: Goods, Gripes & Goals It's the Zoom you actually won't dread! If you are feeling isolated, overwhelmed, and missing some human connection, I am currently hosting twice weekly complimentary online meetups. They last about 40min on Tuesdays and Fridays and they are just a way for us to see and hear each other, check in, set ONE priority for the day and feel part of a collective. Get the details on Facebook by joining The Creative Impostor Group: http://www.thecreativeimpostor.com/fb Connect with me  Email or Voice  [email protected] Facebook Group The Creative Impostor Facebook Page @andreaklunder.creative Instagram: @andreaklunder Oh HEY! I’m on LinkedIn… dropping pro podcasting tips, insights, and stories. Connect with me there and let me know you’re a Creative Impostor listener.