Unlocking Creative Potential: Mindset & Meditation Practice for Artists

Episode Transcript:

[00:00:00] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: you have to show up in the studio and put in hours of work days, weeks, months, and years in order to compound into progress and. We have so many examples in our society of this, like stroke of genius, the lone artist, the tortured artist, whatever it is, that are so backwards and unhelpful as things to aspire to.

[00:00:27] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: Welcome back to Art is a podcast for artists. This is your co-host, Lauren Hill from Created Splash. And I've been thinking a lot about last week's topic

[00:00:41] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: of our

[00:00:42] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: our internal dialogue

[00:00:44] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: And how it relates to the overlooked topic of wellness and art making. Many times I think we have had the idea that we need to be in pain to make art.

[00:00:59] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: I often wonder about the art making process and being a tortured artist versus showing up. As an empowered artist and what it looks like to experience therapy through your art making process versus showing up professionally, getting work done and making money doing it.

[00:01:28] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: I studied illustration in college,

[00:01:31] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: which

[00:01:32] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: is essentially doing a project for someone else and getting paid to do it the art direction, and I felt. Like after I graduated, that's not what I wanted to do. It stifled my creative process. And now in my life I really use art to process anxiety. I sometimes have, I want to relax at nighttime and sometimes I'll turn on the TV and I can't relax.

[00:02:05] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: I can't just sit there and watch tv. And so what I do is I'll get out my iPad and I'll start drawing on my iPad, and it is like time doesn't exist. It just is the best feeling to be fully present with my artwork and be doodling or coloring,

[00:02:27] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: it's such a powerful tool. To get me out of anxiety and worry and all the thoughts I've also used writing, journaling.

[00:02:43] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: I also write poetry. And poetry is such a healing source for me of allowing my subconscious to bring about the most weird, strange, confusing, dark. Light, beautiful topics to just allow them to come forward and be expressed in freedom. And it's such a therapeutic process for me. And these are things that I don't know why I'm making them.

[00:03:13] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: I'm not making them for any certain person or anything to sell. I'm just making them.

[00:03:20] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: So with this episode, we are digging into what that looks like for each of us. what it looks like for each of us to create artwork and the intention that we have with it.

[00:03:36] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: It's such an interesting topic. recognizing. That the artwork you make can fuel both a healing force inside your body and your mind, and also be a commercial practice that you don't have to be one thing or the other thing.

[00:03:57] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: Over the past year, I've really

[00:03:59] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: really been reflecting a lot on that, how I wanna show up as an artist, what kind of work I wanna be doing, and I found myself at times working on projects. whether that's, something I'm selling a commission project, something that I know is gonna leave my studio and falling into the trap of just being hyper-focused on staying on schedule and, optimizing for quote unquote productivity.

[00:04:26] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: But

[00:04:27] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: I've found that unless a project really starts. From a spark of pure joy and excitement, it's hard for that idea to have legs and to grow. And I've been really recognizing that instead of art for healing and art for professional development, being so separate in my world.

[00:04:54] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: They've become two sides of the same coin, and recognizing that they're both forces that are advancing my work and recognizing that both internal dialogue and external forces are gonna constantly be in my studio with me. so Lauren, could you

[00:05:17] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: perhaps

[00:05:18] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: demystify this really overused trope of the tortured artist and this idea of. pain and suffering that, we've seen, across art history, but also in, books and pop culture and movies as a constant trope that the artist has to be on the verge of burnout or breakdown

[00:05:45] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: to be

[00:05:45] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: making

[00:05:47] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: true genius work or something.

[00:05:51] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: and perhaps you could shed light on why this overused stereotype still has such a strong force in the creative community.

[00:06:02] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: Well, I think our society glamorizes a lot of the tortured souls. there's curiosity there too, you know.for myself, I have struggled with alcohol and drug addiction. I'm currently nine years sober and, drugs and alcohol were a way for me to cross into the creative. Spirit much more easily.

[00:06:32] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: So I thought, I would use them to tap into that spirituality. And I think that tortured soul, that emotion, a lot of people use the drama, the toxicity to tap into that creative spirit. And yes, you can do that. But as we talked about in the last episode, there are other healthier ways to tap into that creative spirit and be more regular with it.

[00:07:08] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: Because when you're using outside sources, such as a breakup or a. Traumatic experience to inspire your work while you're not really in control of when those things happen, and therefore you're making work inconsistently. And just taking it back to what you were talking about as far as merging the.

[00:07:42] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: the

[00:07:44] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: More wellness aspects of creating art and the professional aspects of it.

[00:07:51] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: what I've realized is for myself, I, when I was talking about the drawings that I do on my iPad and the poetry that I make, I also use that and share that on social media as a way to market my business. In the past, I've wondered, oh, there's all these different parts of me showing up doing creative work and like, do they make sense together?

[00:08:22] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: can I use this part of me to share what I do as a coach? And I've just embraced it

[00:08:31] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: and.

[00:08:32] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: wanting to share all aspects of who I am and merge them so that I can inspire other people to embrace all aspects of what they desire as well.

[00:08:46] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: Something I think that's really relevant here is this idea of performativity as well that comes in. when are you using scenarios as a performance to project certain. Attitudes or emotions to the world, versus what's actually going on for you. So Lauren, how do you feel about this constant performance

[00:09:08] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: of

[00:09:09] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: pain that's

[00:09:11] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: commodified by our culture and used as

[00:09:15] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: a

[00:09:15] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: excuse to. Sell objects or sell music or whatever it may be. I often find myself to be numb to certain situations because of

[00:09:29] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: an overexposure to that kind of performativeness and falseness. Yeah, I think that some artists struggle with what they should be doing versus what they want to do, we see fame and we see success and we think, oh, maybe I should be doing what they're doing.

[00:09:52] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: So personally, I went into illustration as a way to figure out how to make money with my artwork, and I thought by going into that line of work, I would then be able to sustain my art practice and my lifestyle and what I said earlier about it, killing my creativity. I always felt like, oh, maybe I need someone else to tell me what to make.

[00:10:29] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: And

[00:10:29] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: And

[00:10:31] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: that

[00:10:32] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: didn't allow me to show up and create it stifled my creativity. And I think a lot of other artists struggle with this idea of like, well, I should be making this, or this will make me popular, or this will make me famous. When really it's not listening to that inner desire of what you actually wanna create.

[00:10:59] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: And lately for me, I've been very interested in. Drawing and painting toys and I don't know why. And I sometimes feel like,

[00:11:14] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: what is this going to say about me or my coaching business? But I've been embracing it lately. And if you go to my website, you'll see there's all these gifts of car bears and Barbie and my little ponies. Because I'm just so drawn to that and I love it, and it makes me feel so wonderful and lights me up, What I've realized is it's drawing to me the people who are aligned with that kind of spirit as well, and it's authentic to me. And with that, it just magnifies your own authenticity. Which essentially creates abundance.

[00:12:04] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: so just to

[00:12:04] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: return to our earlier thought around the cliche of the artist in pain or the tortured artist, it's been really interesting to hear from different artist interviews that I've listened to on podcast.

[00:12:25] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: It's like be on the

[00:12:26] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: studio

[00:12:27] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: or a brush with, from the art newspaper, how important it is to create habits of consistency and that these emotional roller coasters of breakdown or breakups or,

[00:12:45] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: or,

[00:12:45] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: painful

[00:12:46] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: moments

[00:12:47] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: perhaps are a trigger to creative action but are not.

[00:12:54] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: The but

[00:12:55] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: will not create consistent action.

[00:12:57] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: And that in order to pursue a professional practice,

[00:13:04] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: whether

[00:13:05] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: it's

[00:13:06] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: rain or shine, good or bad day,

[00:13:09] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: you have to show up in the studio and put in hours of work days, weeks, months, and years in order to compound into progress and. We have so many examples in our society of this, like stroke of genius, the lone artist, the tortured artist, whatever it is, that are so backwards and unhelpful as things to aspire to.

[00:13:37] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: and that

[00:13:38] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: that

[00:13:38] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: the true

[00:13:39] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: importance is creating habits in your practice of consistency. and something that thanks to,

[00:13:53] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: and something

[00:13:53] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: that I've been working, with Lauren on is developing a practice of journaling

[00:14:02] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: and reflection

[00:14:04] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: of journaling and reflection and also visualization. Debbie Millman. One of the most incredible talented designers and the host of the longtime running award-winning podcast Design Matters, had this incredible exercise early on in her podcast journey that she shared, around visualizing the future that you want and creating these incredibly.

[00:14:37] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: Specific visions in your mind of where you're at, what you're doing, who you're with, what your day looks like, or

[00:14:47] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: going

[00:14:47] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: really into the detail of that. And it's been so interesting working with Lauren and getting now to share some of those insights here with you on this podcast around. Mindfulness and wellness and the importance of integrating these habits into your daily practice, into your creative work, so that you can always safeguard whatever comes your way and recognizing that you know how to handle any situation that arises.

[00:15:26] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: Yeah. And as we go into a more aware and awake state, As a civilization, which is where I feel like we are evolving too. You know the, I don't know if you've ever heard of the 27 Club, but there's a lot of artists who died around the age of 27, Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, Amy Winehouse, Basquiat, and. Even Marilyn Monroe was really young when she died, and thinking about those artists and how we can create a different experience as

[00:16:16] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: professional

[00:16:17] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: artists, as creatives, and not have to live that tortured lifestyle as wellness becomes more of a trendy topic.

[00:16:30] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: It's for a reason. It is helpful and, utilizing all of the tools that are out there within wellness, whether it be meditation, breath work, dance, ecstatic dance,

[00:16:53] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: eating healthy, staying hydrated. Like I, as a sober human being, I feel so good every single day. I wake up in the morning feeling so clearheaded

[00:17:14] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: and

[00:17:17] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: so into in tune with my spirit and emotions. It's better than any high. That I've ever experienced, honestly and more regular, I can create things on my own and that some of the experiences that I've had in breath work or meditation or sound baths, like they are truly spiritual experiences that I have had downloads and vis visuals that have inspired.

[00:17:52] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: You know where I'm going on my path and the artwork that I create and the thought work that I create in the world.

[00:18:01] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: And because of that, I'd love to take you on a journey, a meditative journey. Right now it'll be a five to seven minute journey, and if you're driving, don't participate, just press pause. But if you can go ahead and just close your eyes and tuning into your body for a moment. Getting comfortable in your space, and we're just going to begin to breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth,

[00:18:40] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: Slowing down your breath,

[00:18:43] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: breathing

[00:18:44] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: in through the nose

[00:18:49] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: and out through the mouth.

[00:18:54] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: Maybe rolling your shoulders back a little bit,

[00:19:00] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: moving your neck around. We tend to hold a lot of tension and stress in our neck and shoulders,

[00:19:13] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: and just allowing it to melt like honey into the surface beneath you,

[00:19:27] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: tuning in to any lingering noises you might be hearing.

[00:19:36] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: Maybe the temperature of the day on your skin.

[00:19:43] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: Just really bringing yourself into this present moment,

[00:19:50] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: giving gratitude for everything it has to offer you.

[00:20:07] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: Now bring your awareness back to the breath. We're going to breathe down into the base of our spine. I'm imagining a grounding cord, like a root system coming from the base of your spine and going down into the ground.

[00:20:29] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: This grounding cord may have a certain color to it, the color of your energy right now,

[00:20:40] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: just imagining it going down into the soil, twisting and turning, going deeper and deeper down. As you continue to breathe, it goes deep and deeper down.

[00:20:57] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: Soaking up all the minerals and the vitamins in the soil

[00:21:03] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: going

[00:21:03] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: deeper and deeper down.

[00:21:09] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: As it goes deeper and deeper down, you get more and more relaxed

[00:21:17] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: and plugging into the core of the earth. This fiery, molten core,

[00:21:31] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: this is the origin of creativity. Mama Gaia,

[00:21:40] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: allowing yourself

[00:21:41] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: to plug into this powerful force, soaking it up into every cell of your body.

[00:21:58] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: And now on the count of three, we're gonna breathe that energy up through our heart. So take a deep breath in on the count of three. 1, 2, 3,

[00:22:13] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: and release.

[00:22:19] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: two,

[00:22:20] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: I'm just tuning into the breath again,

[00:22:27] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: maybe noticing any negative feelings that you might be feeling, whether it's anxiety,

[00:22:38] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: fear,

[00:22:41] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: frustration, sadness.

[00:22:46] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: Overwhelm, anger,

[00:22:53] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: just anything that might be lingering or coming up for you right now

[00:23:01] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: and noticing where in the body you're feeling it.

[00:23:11] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: You can even. Put a color to it,

[00:23:18] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: maybe giving it a texture

[00:23:25] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: and just letting it be.

[00:23:32] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: A lot of times we pick up negative energies from other people, places, or things. But the great thing is that we don't have to hold onto them and we can let them go.

[00:23:51] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: So tuning into this energy,

[00:23:57] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: allowing it to be there and maybe utilizing the breath to process it out. So taking a deep breath into it and on the exhale, letting it go,

[00:24:16] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: and sometimes I like to imagine it going back down to the core of the earth and disintegrating into that fire. So taking a deep breath into it and letting it go.

[00:24:42] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: So can, you can use this process to be with your emotions, the emotions that come up to slow down, to process them out, and then taking a moment to set an intention. Maybe it's a intention for your creative practice. Maybe it's an intention for your day,

[00:25:18] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: just allowing yourself to set an intention quietly. Maybe it's one word or a sentence, or a statement. Go ahead and set that intention now.

[00:25:40] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: I'm taking one more deep breath in and release,

[00:25:50] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: and when you're ready, go ahead and start to blink your eyes back open.

[00:25:59] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: Maybe moving your fingers

[00:26:00] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: bugs,

[00:26:01] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: and your toes coming back into the space

[00:26:11] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: and knowing that you can take this practice with you wherever you go,

[00:26:14] Isotta Mic - USB Mics: go.

[00:26:17] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: whenever you're feeling overwhelmed.

[00:26:23] Lauryn Mic - USB Mics: Just slowing down and tuning into the feelings that you might be feeling, grounding yourself, processing them out, and setting an intention for how you wanna show up differently. Okay.