Ep. 3. Why Choose Creative Living? The 3 Surprising Benefits
I'm sooooo delighted to bring you a new episode of The Art of Creative Living Podcast today!
The wonderful response from listeners to the first two shows has truly been above and beyond what I even hoped.
So thank you, thank you, thank you for being here and for tuning in.
Now, I thought I’d mix this season up by weaving together interviews with my dearest friends and fellow heart-centred entrepreneurs exploring how they live and work, interspersed with some solo chats with me about the creative process.
Episode #3. Why Choose Creative Living? The 3 Surprising Benefits
Today’s episode draws together a handful of excerpts from the rough draft of my book, also called The Art of Creative Living, and I hope today’s show inspires you in your personal creative journey. We dive into three surprising benefits I’ve discovered as a professional artist and also as a creative mentor and teacher, that we experience when we choose to prioritise, nurture and express our creativity.
These benefits aren’t immediately obvious, but they can truly transform the way you experience the world and your day-to-day life, so I hope this short solo episode sparks some ideas and encourages you on this adventure.
Ok, so without further ado, let’s dive in!
Click play to listen {19mins}
Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS | SpotifyIn this episode, I share:
What might be calling you to live a more creative life
How we can cultivate tools and supportive mindsets to help us navigate the unknown
A reminder to be gentle with yourself
Why it's important to remember it's ok to be a beginner
Giving yourself a sense of safety, so you can bravely create what you long to create
And finally, we explore the three surprising benefits of Creative Living
Listen to The Art of Creative Living podcast on iTunes here.
Listen to The Art of Creative Living podcast on Spotify here.
Know someone who needs to hear this episode? Please be sure to pass it on!Sometimes I will be able to share a transcript from podcast episodes, and today's is one of those shows.
So, if you prefer to read, please pour yourself a cup of tea and settle in, and I hope you enjoy reading the transcript below.With love,Nicola xx
PS. And yes! You heard correctly -- Flourish: The Art of Creative Living, my year-long creativity school is now open for enrollment! If you would love to spend an entire year nurturing your creativity, come and check it out and see how it might support you. I'd love to get to paint and play with you this year.
Episode #3 Transcript: Why Choose Creative Living? The 3 Surprising Benefits
Living a creative life is about following your heart to embrace more things that light you up, from the inside. It’s about finding the courage to prioritise, nurture and express your creativity, play with your materials, and get to know what you love, intimately.
Flourishing with creative living often means going against the flow of our modern culture and putting more emphasis on creating than consuming, cultivating than criticising. It’s about knowing yourself, honouring your curiosities and being gentle with your fears.
When we allow ourselves to create, I’ve found it fills a hole in our lives that can only be filled by following the call of our hearts and stepping towards our creative dreams. Even, and sometimes especially, if they scare us.
You can cultivate supportive mindsets to support you on this journey. I’m delighted to share with you the mindsets, tools and practices I rely on to calm my nervous nature, reassure my creative self, and step forward into the unknown.
Whether it has been making an organic veggie patch from scratch, painting new artworks for exhibitions, selling up everything and moving aboard a sailboat, or making a business guided by my values and passions, I’ve found the same principles have helped me take action, follow my heart, trust the process, and have fun along the way.
I’d love to share these with you and be your guide on this creative journey, walking with you as you navigate your own creative life and creating whatever it is your heart deeply desires.
Why are you here?
Perhaps, as many of us do, you long to reconnect with how creative you felt as a child, free from your inner critic and the pressure to be perfect.
Maybe your heart is calling you to write a book and share a personal experience that shaped your life, with the hope it will help others along a similar journey.
Maybe you long to discover how to paint, sing, garden, dance, build websites, knit, photograph, write or even sail away.
Maybe you’re not sure exactly what you want, but a persistent longing keeps nudging you to find something that will nourish your soul so you can enjoy feeling more creative, inspired and alive. You are looking for that certain “joie de vivre”.
Creative Living is a journey, it's an approach to cultivating a fulfilling life, not a destination.
The beautiful thing I’ve discovered in living a creative life is my world is forever evolving, expanding, growing and shifting to support how I want to live, today, in this moment.
As I take steps towards creating a life shaped by my curiosities, values, inspirations, and desires, I get to practice the art of making decisions and trusting I will be supported. In doing so, I get to develop my intuition and learn to rely on listening to its subtle prompts to help me navigate through a world that would love to tell me how I should live my life, and instead choose to honour what is important to me and delights my soul.
Rather than blindly going along with the crowd, when we choose to live a creative life, we consciously choose our own path with a mixture of awareness, playfulness and a huge dollop of curiosity.
Thankfully, there are practical tools to help guide you along the way.
We can develop our personal inner compass, which helps us shape a life that is authentic to us. A life where we get to make things we are proud of and go to bed at night feeling a deep sense of satisfaction knowing we have prioritised our soul’s delight.
When we’re sitting on the sideline, not yet flexing our creative muscles, perhaps because we feel too afraid to begin or because we are waiting for the perfect time, we might find ourselves wishing we had a dedicated studio, a private writing nook, or a month-long creative retreat to spend our days uninterrupted, able to focus solely on our creative pursuits.
But everyone, including artists, authors, cooks, playwrights, film directors and web designers must navigate the seasons of the creative process and the practicalities of making a living, taking care of daily tasks, and staying inspired.
You are in the perfect place to begin living creatively, right where you are.
In upcoming podcast episodes, on my blog and in my upcoming book, you will find easy, practical and inspiring ideas to nurture your creativity and explore what your heart longs to create. There is no need to wait until you have more time, energy or skills. You can enjoy creative living right now, exactly as you are.
You will be guided, inspired and prompted to nurture your creativity with practical exercises, uplifting intentions and gentle reminders. The reassuring good news is you don’t have to change your entire world to flourish with the art of creative living. You can fit your creativity in around children, a business, a challenging health issue or full-time study. In fact, you might find, like I and many others have, that giving yourself permission to express your creativity will help carry you through other areas of your life with more gentleness and ease, as you invite more presence, motivation and joy into your daily rounds.
You are creative in so many ways
When I tell people I’m an artist, one of the most common responses I hear is “I’d love to be creative! But unfortunately, I don’t have a creative bone in my body.”I firmly believe this isn’t true. We are all creative!
Creativity is a muscle that can be strengthened with exercise. I’ve never heard of anyone being born with the skills to paint masterpieces like Leonardo da Vinci, sing like Pavarotti, or build a business like Richard Branson. We all come into the world with a blank canvas (mind the pun) when we begin our life. How we choose to spend our time determines the brush strokes we fill our canvas with and the different skills we develop. If we focus on one area, we become proficient at it. Over time we can add other hobbies, outlets and interests that call to our heart too, adding those skills and interests to our overall masterpiece of a life.
Just because we don’t want to make a living from our new pursuit, or we don’t compete in the state championships, or exhibit our portrait painting in the Archibald prize, doesn’t make it any less valuable or interesting or nourishing for our hearts. When we fill our lives with things we love to do, the better life is and the more joy we have to share with those around us.
And joy is a valuable asset to have.
Be gentle with yourself
When we are beginning a new creative pursuit, it is easy to fall into the trap of comparing our creations to those made by people who have been practising for years, when we may have only been trying our new skills for a matter of weeks, hours or even minutes.
During those times, I like to remind myself every professional was once a beginner and they had to go through the messy process of finding out what works for them, figuring out how to translate the hazy dream in their heart and make it a reality. I like to remember there are keys that have helped them create what they have created, and I can find those keys and relate them back to my own learnings too. Which is exactly what I am going to share with you in this book. You will discover the mindsets and processes I rely on to live creatively. I share them with the hope they will help you discover what works best for you.
The processes you are about to discover are gleaned from my own experience of working as a professional artist for close to two decades. I teach them in Flourish: The Art of Creative Living, my year-long online creativity school, and my fun-filled workshops and painting retreats. I am honoured to have the opportunity to share them with you here. You can trust they work, as I’ve guided entrepreneurs, coaches, artists, writers, army officers, town planners, mothers, and even farmers through the exact processes and mindsets I’m about to share with you in the following chapters.
I encourage you to not let your desire to nurture your creativity slip by for another year, week or even day. Take the first step to Flourish now and give yourself the time you need to dive with a notebook and pen to gather your inspiration and take action. You are here for a reason, and I’m so excited to get to play and create with you.
The Three Surprising Benefits of Creative Living
When we choose creative living, what we are really doing, is building a relationship with ourselves. And in doing so, we stumble across a whole range of benefits we may not have imagined would be gemstones along this path. Through the process of showing up for ourselves, again and again, and tuning into what lights us up, we find a whole world opening up to us we may never have experienced before.
Creative Living supports you to:
#1. Be True to Yourself (Rather than Others' Expectations)
Prioritising your creativity enables you to actively shape a life that is true to you.
Rather than being swept along by the world, creative living is about tuning within. Listening to your heart. Taking time to be with yourself and getting to know what you desire, what lights you up, and what supports you. What nourishes your heart and soul, not just your ego.
Funnily enough, the process of shaping a life that is true to you can be learned, practised and honed in your studio, in your kitchen, or between the covers of your journal every time you choose to prioritise, nurture, and express your creativity.
But how does painting, cooking, gardening, writing, photography, or any form of creative expression help you shape a life that is true to you?
Well, as you explore your creativity, you are making decisions the whole time. And decisions allow us to continue to move forward in our lives in an active, self-directed way. Our culture doesn’t really support us to make decisions, preferring we just go with the status quo, stick to the rules, and colour in between the lines. Go to work, even if it's doing something we don't enjoy. Scroll social media and compare ourselves with our peers. Flop on the couch and watch Netflix or TV to unwind. Rinse and repeat.
Consuming other people's creations in the form of television shows and movies, taking direction from our boss and passively watching our friends showcase their highlight reel.
On the other hand, the only way to make anything, a painting, a song, a meal, a garden, a sculpture, a business, a podcast or a piece of writing, is to make decisions all the way through the process. And as a result of making all those decisions, you have the opportunity to get to know yourself, intimately.
You can form a strong connection with what lights you up, what brings you alive, what supports your life and what fulfils you. You can begin to turn away from the flashing lights of popular culture and gently explore your inner world. You become the expert on your personal needs, tastes, desires, curiosities and ways to practice self-care.
When you choose creative living, you find the freedom to be yourself instead of following the crowd. You get to express your feelings and nurture a relationship with yourself that is compassionate, honest and evolving as you grow through different seasons of your life.
Creative living allows you to discover, prioritise, and nurture what brings you joy, even amidst challenges and periods of growth. With intentionality and mindfulness, creative living also helps you savour times of celebration and blessing instead of allowing those moments to slip past unnoticed.
Essentially, creative living helps us cherish the life we have now, instead of postponing our joy and fulfilment until later.
#2. Follow Your Heart (Rather than Your Fears)
Once you know what your heart wants, following it almost always involves stepping into the unknown.
Which is why it takes courage and bravery to choose creative living.
However, when we spend time with ourselves, develop our creative skills, learn new creative practices and embrace what we need to flourish, we can be amazed by what we can create, experience and produce.
Creative Living is about knowing how to nurture yourself and develop your sense of curiosity and devotion. It's about understanding how to take care of your nervous system and actively give yourself a sense of safety. Because when we approach life with an eagerness to be our own best friend and to take care of ourselves, we discover we are able to gently sidestep or work through so many more fears than we ever imagined.
There are processes we can rely on deal with our fears. And those processes are practised so safely in the creative process. Unlike with sailing a boat, where your physical safety is literally at risk, with creativity, we can find ways to give ourselves the emotional safety we crave to try something new, step into the unknown, and be delighted by what we can create.
We can foster an approach in the studio based in playfulness, experimentation and curiosity, which will lead us so much further than we ever dreamed of -- much further than being harsh or dogmatic with ourselves ever will.
Having the skills to be able to deal with fear, allows us to do what we love. It opens our world up to new possibilities and expands our capacity to experience greater joy, fulfilment and meaning.
#3. Make Beauty Out of a Mess (Transform Pain, Disappointment or Regrets)
So many of my students tell me how much they love this underlying benefit of Creative Living. They say things like, "You know, I'm more willing to try new projects at work, because I know if it doesn't work out, I can just try something else and do it again. It's not the end of the world!"
As creatives, we get to choose, choose and choose again.
Don't like how a corner of your oil painting looks? Wipe it off. Don't like the last layer of acrylic paint you applied? Paint over it. Disappointed your herb plant died? Pull it out and try planting another one in a new location.
When we step into the unknown, begin a fresh canvas, write the first chapter, or make a large life decision, not everything goes to plan. In fact, there are no guarantees things will turn out as we envision or hope.
Making beauty out of a mess means we know how to continue experimenting, letting go, tweaking, scrapping and starting over until we discover what we long to experience or create.
By focusing on gratitude, curiosity and self-compassion when things don’t work out, we liberate ourselves from living inside a box. Because, while we like to think we are safe when we live within the lines and follow all the rules, the concept of having control over our life is a myth. We can still suffer loss and disappointment when we choose the supposedly safe, acceptable or conventional path.
And so, what we are really doing, every time we show up for our creative practice is reassuring ourselves that this isn't the end. This doesn't have to be what we get stuck with for the rest of our life.
We can choose, choose again.
Making beauty out of a mess is liberating.
You have the capability, through mindfulness, awareness, intentional living and developing your practical skills, to turn a scribble into a masterful painting, kitchen scraps into rich compost, or a rough draft into a polished piece of writing.
With this approach, even so-called ‘mistakes’ are learning experiences to draw more information from. Each rough draft helps you uncover what truly lights you up. You know, in your bones, this is merely a part of the process and only one section of your journey.
When you actively create something, you are cultivating your ability to seek beauty, joy and good amidst the unexpected.
In Closing
While it can feel frivolous, unimportant or even (at worst) self-indulgent, Creative Living is a path to finding more wholeness, empathy, compassion, joy and meaning in our lives. It is a worthwhile pursuit and much needed in the world. Your decision to prioritise, nurture and express your creativity will pay dividends for years to come, by helping build your muscles to live a self-directed, compassionate, and purposeful life.
Choosing creative living will help you be true to yourself, rather than other's expectations, follow your heart, rather than your fears, and make beauty out of a mess, by transforming pain, disappointment or regrets.
If you haven't already, you can subscribe to The Art of Creative Living Podcast via iTunes or follow the podcast on Spotify. It would mean so much to me if you left a rating or a review if you enjoyed this episode (thank you!) as it will help the show reach even more heart-centred creatives and entrepreneurs along the way.
Thanks for being here and until next time, be gentle with yourself, nurture your creativity and follow your heart and I hope you have an awesome day ahead!
With love,
Nicola
PS. Flourish: The Art of Creative Living is now open!
If you would like to experience my personal support, step-by-step guidance and fun-filled creative workshops -- all in the privacy of your own home -- I invite you to learn more. It would be my pleasure to get to paint and play with you for a full year in 2019 in my much loved online painting and creative living program.
