The Creative Spirits Podcast

Lots of kids paint. But 12-year-old Aelita Andre is an established artist known for her abstract paintings inspired by everything from nature to music. Andre, who is from Melbourne, Australia, was just 2 years old when she had her first gallery exhibit. Since then, the painter’s work has been exhibited in cities around the world, including London, Hong Kong and New York City. She has sold paintings for as much as $30,000. Some people have called her a young Jackson Pollock. But Andre isn’t interested in being compared to other artists. She creating her own style. I will share with you what I learned from this wonderful young lady and how you too can go beyond your limiting beliefs and be the Creative Spirit you always wanted to be!

Are you ever too old to follow your dreams? Are you ever too old to paint again, or play an instrument or learn a new skill? In this podcast I share an inspiring story of Grandma Moses and how she started to paint again at the age of 78! Moses' work has been a subject of numerous museum exhibitions worldwide and has been extensively merchandised, such as on greeting cards. In 2006, her 1943 painting titled Sugaring Off was sold at Christie's New York for US$1.2 million, setting an auction record for the artist.

Get your coffee and paintbrush out for a fun conversation with my bestie of 32 years Christine Lane who is also the founder of Twice The Kindness and is a big Creative Spirit junkie just like me! In this episode we talk about how we navigated and fostered our kids creativity and dreams. Our tips and advice for all the mamas out there who want their kids to try new things and be more creative without force. You too can help heal someone heal through art by buying and donating a kit from Twice The Kindness through this link https://checkout.square.site/merchant/MLHF33ETCW5H5/checkout/WG7IGW5LDUULBU7I5XXID5Y3. https://twicethekindness.com/

Since 2020, there has been so much darkness, negativity and division due to Covid, presidents and wars. So what can you do to increase the light in the world? I share what I do on a daily basis, or try to at least. Please share this episode with anyone that may be interested and look me up on IG @sherylbenjy_art or www.sherylbenjy.com.

Art has healed me in more ways than one. In this episode I share how art can heal you as well by tapping into that inner creative child.

I was inspired by watching a reel on Instagram by architect and artist David Best and how he makes priceless art and doesn't sell any of his work. In fact he burns them after he is done at a festival called Burning Man. I always found the act of burning art very intriguing and love the spirituality and meaning behind it. Please listen for more details and inspiration.

In this episode I talk about an inspirational true story of Diana Nyad and 3 key lessons I learned from her. In 1978 Nyad first attempted a Cuba-to-Florida crossing, which was some 110 miles (180 km) across the Straits of Florida. She swam with the aid of a shark cage, but rough seas forced her to abandon the effort. After turning 30, she gave up swimming to focus on a career in broadcast journalism, but decades later she decided to take another shot at the goal that had eluded her. She failed twice in 2011, both times without a shark cage: in August she was forced to quit after some 29 hours because of an asthma attack, and in late September her swim was cut short after 40 hours when she sustained painful jellyfish stings. A lightning storm and other obstacles foiled her fourth attempt, in August 2012, after she had spent 60 hours in the water.

The following year, at the age of 64, Nyad made yet another attempt, aided by a 35-person support team that included Bonnie Stoll, her coach and former partner. After 52 hours 54 minutes 18.6 seconds, Nyad completed the epic swim on September 2. In the ensuing days, however, some critics faulted her for not following strict guidelines known as the English Channel rules, which forbid distance swimmers to ever make contact with another person or a support boat. While Nyad acknowledged being touched by members of her support team as she donned or removed specialized gear that protected her against dangerous jellyfish stings—gear that she deemed “a lifesaving necessity”—she insisted that such contact was incidental and that she never touched a boat during the swim.

Nyad was the author of several books, including the memoirs Other Shores (1978) and Find a Way (2015), the latter of which focuses on her historic swim. She was also the subject of the documentary The Other Shore (2013) and the biopic Nyad (2023), which starred Annette Bening in the title role and Jodie Foster as Bonnie Stoll. Nyad was inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 1978 and the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.

When you declutter your space, magic happens! You clear out the old energy to bring in the new, more vibrant energy🌟. Here are 3 tips to have a cleaner and more organized space. Don’t forget to leave a review, subscribe and like!

Check out Part 2 of the latest episode where I was interviewed by Jessica Schiller, the host of The ALIVE Podcast. These are her words: Your inner child longs to come alive in your creative spirit. Yet we live in a world that overemphasizes the power of form and technique over living in the play, or creating just for the sake of the person you become along the way.

In this episode, Sheryl Benjy shares how her art is more than just the tangible piece she creates, but more of a moving meditation and a process that invites play through creativity and emoting the experience.

In the emoting, Sheryl helps people heal through trauma and challenging life experiences in both the creative process + by immersing in the piece as a divine reminder that the spirit always remains.

I personally connected with Sheryl through a painting of one of the hostages following the events on October 7th and was so deeply moved by how she uses her art to express what cannot be put into words, and evokes this same feeling in both the families of the victims and the entire community at large who feels so helpless in such a tragic time.

She also speaks so beautifully to the dynamic of being both Iranian and Jewish, and how this interplay of ancestral experiences continues to influence her artistry in a way that moves others to become more resilient and feel peace amidst the chaos.

Check out Part 1 of the latest episode where this time I was interviewed by Jessica Schiller, the host of The ALIVE Podcast. These are her words: Your inner child longs to come alive in your creative spirit. Yet we live in a world that overemphasizes the power of form and technique over living in the play, or creating just for the sake of the person you become along the way.

In this episode, Sheryl Benjy shares how her art is more than just the tangible piece she creates, but more of a moving meditation and a process that invites play through creativity and emoting the experience.

In the emoting, Sheryl helps people heal through trauma and challenging life experiences in both the creative process + by immersing in the piece as a divine reminder that the spirit always remains.

I personally connected with Sheryl through a painting of one of the hostages following the events on October 7th and was so deeply moved by how she uses her art to express what cannot be put into words, and evokes this same feeling in both the families of the victims and the entire community at large who feels so helpless in such a tragic time.

She also speaks so beautifully to the dynamic of being both Iranian and Jewish, and how this interplay of ancestral experiences continues to influence her artistry in a way that moves others to become more resilient and feel peace amidst the chaos.