Word of the Year Update #3 - In this episode, I share about a few powerful conversations that cracked me open and helped me tap into parts of my creative identity that I had long forgotten.

Also, check out the beginning of the episode for some updates about the podcast moving forward and my availabilty for coaching!

Interested in checking out coaching, schedule a free discovery call at https://artandself.com/discovery 

There is so little in the world that we can control. All we really have power over is our own actions, reactions, and the thoughts inside our head. That doesn't seem like much in a world moving at the speed of scrolling screens with opinions and expectations at every turn.

But it's everything we need and more.

The covid pandemic changed all of us. Some in big ways. Some in small ways. For Michelle Gordon, life before 2020 looks very different to life now. She left a career in medicine and discovered who she was beneath society's shoulds and shouldn'ts.

In this episode, we discussed the power of perspective through the artwork When We Return You Won't Recognize Us by Glen Brown. 

How do you get your voice back? How do you get rid of shame? How do you learn to love yourself?

What changes when you realize everything you need is already inside of you?

Get links and more in the show notes.

We all want to belong, but what happens when the world doesn't accept who you are?

All of us wear (often uncomfortable, ill-fitting masks), but the masks society tells autistic people to wear degrades their authenticity and ability to recognize and be themselves.

Chris Bonnello is an author, activist, and autism advocate. Together, we discussed neurodivergency through the artwork Mask the Decay by Mitch Christian.

Chris talks about how autistic masking feels for him, radical acceptance, his writing journey, and what the world is missing out on by asking autistic people to deny their full selves.

See the artworks and get all the links mentioned in the show notes.

Thoughts on being an artist this week after a few tortured days. Having compassion for the creative process. Showing up for my practice even when it is hard. Giving myself the support to work through it.

Though music has been a part of theatrical arts since ancient times, modern Western musical theatre was born in America. Josh Kreitzman, my guest today, argues that musicals are the best art form, and I'm inclined to agree with him. How often do you get to witness art as it is happening and be a part of its creation with a room of people?

Musicals are fully body sensory experience and the stories they tell have always been a reflection of the triumphs and heartbreaks of life. Music is a language beyond borders—how better to capture the heart and soul of our times?

In this episode, we discuss Prayer from Come From Away by Irene Sankoff and David Hein. The musical tells the real life story of the Newfoundland town of Gander during the week following the September 11th attacks when 7,000 passengers were ordered to land unexpectedly at Gander International Airport.

We discuss the power of musicals, the lasting effects of grief and trauma (even when we get up to go to work the next morning), the difference between being in an audience and being a viewer, and how tragedy can bring good.

See the links to the videos of the songs we discuss at the shownotes. 

They say that those who can't do teach. Unsurprisingly, teachers hate that phrase. It isn't true. And yet, for so much of my life, I believed it.

I could be an art teacher, but I would never be an artist.

I resisted the label mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally. My version of being an artist wasn't worthy.

But something has shifted. I'm finally learning what it means to be an artist and to live my life as an artist. It's playful, risky, experimental. It's not about being good. It's about the process.

Through the magic of attention, daily practice, and community, I've opened myself up to what the world has to teach me.

And that is why my 2023 Word of the Year is ARTIST. Join me on this year-long journey of connection and creativity as I share my insights on what it means to live life as an artist.

If you'd like to experience the magic of making art in community, join me in The Creativity Cocoon.

See the show notes at this link.

Does truth exist? If it does, is it possible to know the truth? That's what me and Dr. Amy Winebarger talked about as we discussed Action Painting II by Mark Tansey.

Science and art are often seen as opposites—one concerned with numbers and facts, the other dipping into emotion and feelings. But both science and art are a way of exploring and explaining the world, the universe, and our experience of it all.

Humans are curious. We've been seeking knowledge and attempting to share our own truths for as long as we've existed. No matter how we view the world, what matters most is the space between us and the connections we make there.

Amy R. Winebarger is an astrophysicist in the Heliophysics and Planetary Science Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. She specializes in the analysis of observations of the solar corona. In our conversation, she shared the thrilling nature of her work, the magic of finding the career that's right for you, and talked about where she finds God in the universe.

See all the artworks and get the links in the show notes.

Creating a work of art is a process—a process that can change who you are. Too often, we judge or rush our creative pursuits, ignoring the messages included in every brushstroke or written word. We end up saying too much or not enough.

But when we approach the creative process with patience and compassion, we make connections with ourselves and with all who resonate with our work. And the impact? It's infinite.

Heather Doyle Fraser is a publisher, writer, and coach who believes in the power of voice and works with writers to bring their words to the world. In fact, she's helping me write my book! Together we discussed the deep work and tangled process of creation through the artwork Alison the Lacemaker by Swoon.

See the artworks and get the links from this episode in the show notes.

Do you believe in ghosts? Have you ever had a paranormal experience? Are you drawn to ghost stories in art?

Jane Mesa's first encounter with a ghost happened in her childhood bedroom. Now she investigates the paranormal. Jane joined me to discuss her experiences, both frightful and delightful, as we discuss Haunted House by Morris Kantor.

Get all the links and see the artworks Jane chose from in the show notes.

What is your relationship to your body? Our society does not make it easy to have a healthy, loving connection to your body. Krystal and I discuss how motherhood changed our bodies, how being fat affected how we move through the world, and how our thirties brought healing and wholeness.

Get all the links mentioned in this episode and see the artworks Krystal chose from in the show notes.

This episode contains conversation about an eating disorder.