Ep.15. Flourish in Your Creative Life with Beth Cregan
I’m delighted to bring you today’s conversation with someone whose energy, creativity, wisdom and experience inspires me in so many ways. Beth Cregan is a heart-led creative entrepreneur, writer and teacher who I could spend hours talking with about the joys, intricacies and practicalities that come with embracing creative living.
Beth’s teaching experience spans over 30 years. In 2010, she founded Write Away With Me, an organisation dedicated to inspiring the next generation of writers. She has presented writing workshops across Australia and internationally for primary students to teenagers and adults. When it comes to teaching writing, Beth has a keen sense of fun and a passion for words and language. She believes we are all storytellers and writers at heart and her workshops inspire writers to connect with their creativity and unlock new and exciting ways to tell their story.
Beth has been a member in Flourish: The Art of Creative Living for many years now. I’m delighted that this year in 2021 she will also be a guest teacher, sharing a new workshop on writing poetry. In this workshop, she will guide members through playing with poetry and using poetic structures to give form and shape to your ideas. This is such a powerful way to bypass the inner critic and unlock your creative power. She will also play with journalling techniques that reach into your being and shine a light on your hidden thoughts and desires, as well as show you how to use words and images as anchors to help you chase your dreams.
In this podcast episode, Beth and I and talk about her personal creative living story; how she wove creativity into her days alongside her daughters when they were little as a busy mother; the value of embracing partial solutions to help circumvent perfectionism; following your heart instead of measuring yourself in comparison with others - and much, much more.
I think you’ll feel like you’re eavesdropping on a conversation between friends listening to this episode - because that’s exactly what this is! I’m very excited to have Beth on the show. Let's dive in!
Click play to listen in.
Click play to listen {1 hr 26 mins}
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In this episode you’ll hear Beth share:
How pragmatism informed her parent’s creativity who were children growing up during the depression
How she has shaped a Creative Legacy at home with her daughters
Tips for weaving parenting in with creative living and creative work
Reflecting on the value of doing housework imperfectly and prioritising thinking, writing and gardening
A creative practice she would do alongside her children when they were young and how she would weave that time into her days as a busy mother
Letting her children know it was important for their Mum to have time for her own creative pursuits
Partial solutions and how they free us from perfectionism
Embracing the middle ground and living wholeheartedly in the present
Holding space for yourself without resenting what you can’t have
How starting new creative projects with the thought, “This could be good…” helps to take away the fear of failure or worrying about impressing others.
"I’m falling in love with my imperfections" - poem by Elizabeth Carlson
Defining ourselves in comparison with what other people are doing and not worrying so much about impressing others
How being in lock-down felt scary and lead to being creativity blocked for a time
How we can live in seasons in our own lives and be more self-compassionate as a result
Honouring your instincts for creativity
The importance of carving out time to listen to and connect with ourselves, and ideas of how to do so
The importance of keeping good company and surrounding ourselves with a supportive creative community
Books and poets Beth loves to refill her well of inspiration
Connect with Beth Cregan
Know someone who needs to hear this episode? Please be sure to pass it on!
You are invited to join us in our global, year-long creativity school Flourish: The Art of Creative Living here. And if you want to enjoy a taste of working with me, register for my free 7 Day Introductory Art of Creative Living course here.
Until next time, be gentle with yourself, nurture your creativity and follow your heart and I hope you have a lovely day ahead.
With my warmest wishes,
Nicola xx
PS. I’d love to know what you thought about this episode….please leave a comment below if anything stood out for you. And of course, you can always comment below to let me know about any other topics you’d like me to explore in the Art of Creative Living Podcast.
