Creative Genius

The Holidays can be a beautiful and beautifully tough time. I wanted to create a little refuge for you from the storm. Reminders of how you are surrounded by love, and ideas for how you can stay connected to your own heart during this time, that kind of thing.  So I invited the ebullient and inspiring Ange Miller to join me talk about how we can begin to walk through difficult times with a bit more ease, and stay connected to our truest selves during this big time. This episode includes some concrete (and enjoyable) things you can do to begin to shift things that have not worked for you in the past over the holidays as well as loving holiday messages beaming right into your heart from some of our favourite past guests, Tracy Verdugo, Kimberly Grigg, Dr. Cheryl Arutt, Tracy Mazuer & Beth Suter.  You are loved.  Have a listen and be reminded of just how much. You can do this. 

Everyone has something of value to say in the massive conversation we call 'ART' that has been taking place since humans began. Sometimes though, our perceived flaws, prevent us from finding our voice to express what is inside us, stopping us from participating in this conversation. Being different/flawed is an asset. This is a powerful conversation about how to find our way to seeing our flaws for what they really are, our superpowers, so that we can bust out and be a part of this universal conversation.  We all have the right to call ourselves artists even without degrees - but with that comes a responsibility and Susan tells us what she feels those responsibilities are - this was one of the deepest and most significant explanations of this I have ever heard and I cant wait to hear how it landed for you.Please find the post about her episode on Instagram @kateshepherdcreative or @thecreativegeniuspodcast and leave a comment sharing what came up for you when she said this!Susan speaks directly to the listener who is yearning to take the next step into a life as a full time artist. Practical thoughtful mentoring type things, that are enormously helpful.There is some in depth homework including two weeks worth of FREE WORKSHEETS you can do at home to help you find out what "flaws" are holding you back and what your superpowers actually are so that you can begin to say what you came here to say in this life. Powerful stuff. ABOUT SUSAN LOGORECISusan Logoreci, a wildly successful commercial and public artist, has an eye condition (Strabismus) that almost prevented her from being able to make art at all. And paradoxically, as we'll hear, was the very thing that has led her to be the artist she has become. Her drawings have been seen in Art in America, the Los Angeles Times, Harper’s Magazine, as well as many other periodicals. She has drawings in several collections including the U.S. State Department, City National Bank, Creative Artist’s Agency, Marriott and Hilton Hotels, Los Angeles Metro, Los Angeles County Arts Commission and in several law and urban design firms. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally.She has also completed several public projects in hospitals, light rail stations and airports. She currently lives and works in Los Angeles.Her art comes down to this: she wants the viewer to feel the delight and wonder of places and at the same time be inspired to take care of them and always be making them better. WHAT WE TALK ABOUT -Where creative impulses come from-The conflict between realism and abstraction in art-Intentionally looking for new ways to see things-The eye condition she has (Strabismus) causes her to not see three dimensionally this “failure” to interpret every day life the way the rest of us do led her to not only see the world but also create art in a way that is completely unique to her. The things we think are our impediments, are pointing us to our superpowers-Accessing your ‘inner delinquent’ to unleash creativity-seeing differently as an artist is an asset - how can you use it-The way you are different is an asset - and how you can use it. -Accessible tips and suggestions for getting grants and finding your path to becoming a public artist - her absolutely brilliant idea for the person who wants to get into making public art-How she designed her largest public art project a staggering 10,000 square foot with 28 wall pieces in Phoenix airport!-The collective amnesia that happens to us between childhood and adulthood  around creativity. What she thinks are the causes of it, and the ways we can change it.Challenge to all listeners! If you felt a little something inside you perk up when Susan was talking about getting grants to do public art like on the utility boxes - challenge - go Find out how public art is governed in your area and apply! And join the creative genius family on facebook and share your experience, learnings and journey with it

Willow Wolfe started off painting little wooden bowls with her grandmother and by 19 was teaching art in her own studio in Winnipeg, Canada. Today she is an award winning art teacher, the author of a library of internationally available books and the designer of best-selling brush lines for over twenty years. Her approachable style and step-by-step painting methods have taken her to events, seminars and engagements across the globe. She is widely recognized for challenging and modernizing today’s world of art supplies and education.  At one point in this episode Willows shares a sweet story about how a thoughtful gift from her college boyfriend changed the entire trajectory of her life - And in fact was the seed for what would become one of the most important lessons underpinning all of her teachings. Homework this week is about Awakening the Artist Within  -  an important part of the process of coming into contact with this wordless, wise creative part of ourselves involves loosening the grip that our conditioning and experiences have had on us. We all have developed protective beliefs which over time, become parts of ourselves that can seem very real - like they are the real us. These parts have kept us safe, helped us navigate difficulties, chaos and even trauma in our lives. But they are not our true essence, they are survival mechanisms based in fear and ultimately are holding us back. We can begin to unwind ourselves from being led by these fear parts by looking gently at the conditioning itself. I have created a handful of journal exercises for you that will help you start to put some distance between you and these beliefs  - to observe them better, and to begin to notice and identify more with your boundless, infinite creative self which is how you will set yourself free creatively. WHAT WE TALK ABOUT- How we live with and perpetuate our own programming of the idea “I can’t” -The importance of navigating the liminal space between “I can’t” and “I can”  changing our own stories of what is possible for ourselves. She gives us her insights as a creative teacher of over 20 years for how to navigate that liminal space between i can’t and i can.. As we work to change our own inner narrative-Resiliency and its role in our lives as artists-How choosing to be you is something only you can do, and how it is the only thing you came here to do-How art can connect us to the people we love-How even people who are supported from a very young age to pursue being an artist, we can STILL found ourselves paralyzed by limiting beliefs and the simple thing we must do to bust through this. -How a thoughtful gift from her college boyfriend changed the trajectory of her whole life-Learning a new thing often feels impossible, but if you look closely, it can often be broken down is a series of achievable steps. -Learning how to honour and get comfortable hearing no when it comes to your creative offerings, and how to see these moments as detours taking you somewhere even better -Learning the important messages no’s can carry into our lives and how to look for their hidden meanings

Kim Krans is a visionary artist, author, and creator of The New York Times Bestseller The Wild Unknown Tarot.  She joins us to discuss the magic of tarot, the collapse of 'The Artist' archetype in current culture and society, and the importance of showing up to support our own inner artists as the most important thing we can do to heal the world.There is an incredible guided mediation at the end (in the homework section) and Kim does a tarot reading in the interview for everyone listening. Don't miss this one!______SHOW NOTESHave you ever had a tarot reading and been bewildered by how the exact right cards for you in that moment showed up? Kim is an expert in tarot and gives us a beautiful history of the cards and a really cool explanation of why this happens, explaining the universal magic behind this phenomenon.Kim Krans is a visionary artist, author, and creator of the New York Times bestseller The Wild Unknown Tarot and she joins us to discuss the magic of tarot and the importance of showing up to support our own inner artists. Kim does a tarot reading for us - I had her pull a card for all of us (that means you) and her reading is absolutely poetry to listen to -  I can almost 100% guarantee that you will feel like she is speaking directly to you. It will send shivers up your spine. At one point she guides us through an amazing exercise with tangible instructions of how to contact the creative field and harmonize your being with that energy. I had never heard something so concrete to point to something so esoteric. It was amazing. There is some beautiful homework at the end of this episode, a great little practice that if you really give yourself to, can be powerfully transformative in bringing you even closer to your own ocean of creativity. A prolific creative influenced by range of mystical traditions, Kim has published three oracle decks and guidebooks, one memoir, an interactive journal, and five children’s books. Kim is also known for her work as a multi-media artist, filmmaker, and musician.At 15 years old, Kim left her small family farm in Michigan after receiving a scholarship to Interlochen Arts Academy where she double majored in Creative Writing and Visual Arts. She later moved to NYC and received a BFA in drawing at The Cooper Union and an MFA at Hunter College. Most recently she received an MA in depth psychology and the humanities from Pacifica Graduate institute, where she studied alchemy, archetypes, shamanism, and other esoteric modalities as they appear in the arts.Describing her approach to creativity, Kim stated, “I’m a shapeshifting, multidisciplinary artist who creates doorways to the imagination - to other realms. My job is to make the portals too beautiful to resist, so people slip through without realizing it. What I am truly interested in is the power of image, and the power of ritual, to transform the individual and the world.”Kim is perhaps best known for her drawings in The Wild Unknown Tarot, which was first self-published in 2012 and later rose to become a NYT bestselling title, now translated into ten languages. Her occult-turned-mainstream drawings can be spotted on tarot cards, handbags, books, snowboards, celebrity social feeds, and tattoos across the globe.Kim teaches events and workshops around the world that activate the forces of creativity and radical transformation through art, meditation, mysticism, and movement. She is currentlY working on her newest and final oracle deck and guidebook, which will be published with Chronicle Books in 2022. Kim is also adapting her graphic novel Blossoms and Bones—a story about addiction and recovery based on her personal experience—into a film script.Additionally, Kim has recently returned to making music after a 10-year hiatus from her musical project Family Band, where she was the lead singer and songwriter on two albums and creative director of multiple music videos.Kim currently lives in New York City."To be an artist is to be absolutely active in each passing moment of ones life, deciding,  ‘where am i going to put my attention and how can that further service my role in the world to give?"WHAT WE TALK ABOUT-What is at the core of all the problems we face today and how stepping into our creativity is the path out of the mess we’ve made of the world. -How cultivating & supporting the artist is so important right now because we need new solutions, we need beauty & hope. -How answering creativity’s call is the most important thing we can do - and it can feel so meaningless - it is easy to think, ‘Why would I journal about my own life with everything going on in the world?” -Kim shares her biggest learnings have been over the couse of 10 years bringing a big body of creative work into the world. -Why we might want to approach our entire lives as though they were a work of art… (including rest) and how to begin to do this-What is tarot, and why does it seem so magic? How its used and why it has been compelling and powerful for people over the centuries - and the true gift and magic of tarot -She does a tarot reading for us - that is absolutely poetry to listen to - I can almost 100% guarantee that you will feel like she is speaking directly to you. It will send shivers up your spine-Why we back away from the mega power place of creativity inside us - and how it is the most beautiful generative place to be-She guides us through an amazing exercise, tangible instructions of how to contact the creative field in such a way that you can give any of your concerns to it and let them go and truly have a sense of trust that everything is going to be taken care of. I had never heard something so concrete to point to something so esoteric. It was amazing-A wonderful little thing you can do on the days you are not sure,  to prove that you really really matter. Thank you to all my Patreon supporters Your support is so important. You are amazing humans. I love you so much! I made you a beautiful 30 minute guided meditation called’ Finding Stillness in the Midst of Chaos’ - it’s already in your patreon account!And if becoming a Patreon isn’t right for you at the moment, but you still want this meditation, but you can treat yourself to a copy of it hereREVIEWSBeautiful reviews have been steadily coming in (thank you to everyone who has left one) please leave one if you have not yet. CREATIVE GENIUS FAMILY - PRIVATE FACEBOOK GROUPJoin our private Facebook Group ‘The Creative Genius Family’ a safe space to share about your creative struggles and triumphs and connect in person with other listeners for support & inspiration.

visit the website for full show notes on this episodesee the Reel that accompanies this episode and follow along @kateshepherdcreative on instagram

SHOW NOTESErin Oostra is a visual artist, graphic designer and the owner of Nuwavegallery in Ellensburg Washington. Her work is bold and beautifully striking and is most often inspired by the mountains and waters of the pacific northwest. We talk about how to begin to recognize how creativity wants to move through your system so that it van flow better, the importance of leaning into creative nudges, and importantly ‘mistakes’ in life and in the art studio. She shares her tips for how to conjure flow states and muses about how though many of us are put into boxes as children in terms of who we ‘are’ whether that’s athlete or artist - how we can question that at any time and begin to try the things we love. I want to share a beautiful review with you that came in last week, it’s from Connie WyattConnie writes,  I have found my tribe with Kate and her guests in a world where these people aren’t easy to find! I resonate with every single episode and get so much from this podcast. Thank you so much, Kate for sharing your heart with fellow artists. I can’t say enough good things about the Creative Genius podcast and I’m so thankful you felt the need to create this platform! Sending Love and hugs your way. Thank you Connie. I am so glad we have found our way to each other, and I sense that this is just the beginning of an incredible journey together. I am so glad you are here. Please leave a review if you have not yet!I’d like to invite you all to join our private Facebook group ‘The Creative Genius Family’ a safe space to share about your creative struggles and triumphs and connect in person with other listeners for support & inspiration. Erin calls herself an escape artist, which i love. She is an visual artist, graphic designer and the owner of Nu wavegallery in Ellensburg Washington.  Her work is bold and beautifully striking and is most often inspired by the mountains and waters of the pacific northwest. We have a terrific conversation that covers a lot of ground with everything from how to begin to recognize how creativity wants to move through your system so that you can flow through it better to the importance of leaning into creative nudges, and importantly ‘mistakes’ in life and in the art studio. She shares her tips for how to conjure flow states and muses about how though many of us are put into boxes as children in terms of who we ‘are’ whether that’s athlete or artist - how we can question that at any time and begin to try the things we love. I love that she asked me about what brings me JOY - it was lovely for me to see the answer that bubbled up for me. it ‘s a good question and one we might really benefit from asking ourselves more. Asking ourselves what kinds of feelings we want to feel and then noticing what kinds of feelings we most often feel can give us great clues about what we need to change in our lives. For example maybe as a trauma response to something earlier in our lives, we have become accustomed to feelings of overwhelm and stress, maybe we’ve become masterful at stress and overwhelm, maybe if we look really closely we’ll see that we are the ones setting ourselves up to be in and create situations where we will continue to get to feel those things because that has inadvertently become our comfort zone… but maybe if we had a choice we would want to fill our lives with other feelings. Guess what? There is always a choice. It all depends on what we are focusing on and giving our attention to - and we have control over that. And I loved erin’s Billboard - be sure to listen to the show to hear it, it comes towards the end. And there is some lovely homework in this episode that is designed to help you get in touch with and practice connecting with your inner knowing and intuition, which are how creativity speaks to us!Things Erin and I talk about-Breaking through the weight of fear doing new kinds of art-How you have to be the one to give yourself nudges -Aphantasia-What it feels like to have to dumb our creativity down to not upset people in our day to day lives who wish they were being more creative-How hard it can be to start saying out loud, I am an artist-How we get put in boxes in school. Artist, academic, sports person and recognizing the box you may have been put in as a child and seeing if you still want to be in it or if you want to get out and how to begin to let yourself out of the box-How to make time for your art even if you have another full time job-How to creates space and conjure flow states-How even ‘mistakes’ in the studio provide some of the best opportunities for creativity -Creative fuelling - how she feeds her creativity 

2 time Juno Award Winning Canadian Singer/Songwriter Dan Mangan joins me to talk about the roles of vulnerability, honesty, determination and grit in bringing our art into the world. We talk about how he ‘made it’ as a musician in a landscape that is oversaturated with incredible talent no matter which way you look, the importance of creating a vehicle to carry your work into the world and he reflects on the approach he took to building his career - which ultimately allowed him to to work with the record label of his dreams (Arts & Crafts Feist, Broken Social Scene) and build a deeply connected relationship with his ever growing fanbase. Dan is a deeply grounded and all-round garden variety good dude. He has some incredible insights about what it takes to bravely express our art as it comes through us without adding all the pretense. He muses about how he feels that as artists it is our responsibility to put our armour down first, to inspire and free each other in the process. Dan’s music comes from that deep, soulful grounded place of magic - where all truly great music and art comes from. In it we find painfully, gorgeously said truths about the hopeful joys, the earnest, longing, reaching of youth and the impossible agonies, and incredulous bittersweet defeat of a life fully lived. Lyrics that will make you close your eyes to savour the delicious weight of their truth, all sung to you by his commanding yet gentle voice that is all at once approachable, gritty, knowing, uncertain, soothing, yearning & familiar. He's able to access this kind of magic for making his songs for a lot of reasons which will become obvious to you as you hear him talk. But I will say this; I feel like we can all learn a lot from Dan. He has figured out how to, as he puts it, ‘put his armour down first’ he fully shares his gifts without pretense, which has the beautiful side effect of inviting listeners and fans even closer to their own hearts.   Dan realized the importance of being himself on stage early on in his career. Reflecting on what kind of person he wanted to be he realized he didn't want to be a ‘rockstar’ on stage he wanted to be an approachable dude -  he wanted to be himself and present to the magic he created with the audience. That decision to remain the truest version of himself may have ironically set him on a path of actually becoming the rockstar that he is today. Dan Mangan is the most humble non rock-star rock-star you may ever meet and I think you are going to get a lot out of this interview. SOME THINGS DAN AND I TALK ABOUT -How when he was first starting out he didn't think he was ‘very good’ (that was crazy for me to hear, especially because i was there… and he was great)-Imposter Syndrome being at the root of humanity glitching-Why live concerts have the power to unite us in such profound ways. -The magical thing he intentionally brings to his live shows. -How it is the artist's job to put down their armour and go first. And how that can inspire all kinds of magic in people's lives -How (and why) great music or art can make you laugh and cry in the same minute and leave you feeling as light as air which reminds you that the pros of existence do outweigh the cons-How truly feeling the lows not just the highs in life helps him stay in gratitude mode not to take anything for granted -The very important thing he realized early on in his career that helped him orient himself to choices and actions that would help him to build a sustainable career with lasting success -Not waiting for his big moment or to be discovered, and what to do instead-How it can be easy to fall into the trap of ‘waiting until you make’ it to share your best work with the world and how that is the very thing that can prevent ‘making it’-The importance of discovering your gifts and really building on them. How he felt he had shortcomings as a musician and perhaps because of those was able to realize what he was extremely good at - connecting with large groups of people and lean into that. -What it feels like to start to get famous/have your dreams come true (It’s not what you might think)-The importance of internally clocking our self worth rather than seeking external validation. Please share the show with a friend and if you are moved to make a financial contribution to the production of this podcast, THANK YOU here is the link for our PatreonAbout Dan Mangan:Dan Mangan is a two-time JUNO award winning & two-time Polaris Music Prize listed musician and songwriter. He has toured extensively in North America, Europe & Australia. He has played Glastonbury & Jimmy Kimmel Live, sold out Massey Hall and scored acclaimed soundtracks for television (Netflix, AMC) and feature film. Dan is a co-founder of Side Door. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia with his wife and two sons. His 6th LP "Being Somewhere" is out Oct 28th.Resources discussed in this episode:Dan’s new albumSidedoorMother MotherMark BerubeColumbia House cd orders! Remember those?Sarah MclachlanTragically HipAerosmith Get A Grip - how cool would it be for stephen tyler to know know that this was dan mangans first album?The BeatlesMalcolm Gladwell-Cafe deux soleils-Thom YorkeArts & Crafts record labelThe OrpheumThe JunosThe Polaris Music PrizeFeistBroken Social SceneSelect All Delete John K SamsonThe Tourist RadioheadLeonard Cohen ‘Ring the bells that still can ring there's cracks in everything, that’s how the light gets in’https://kateshepherdcreative.com/www.lovemorningmoon.comListen to The Creative Genius Podcast with Kate Shepherdwww.instagram.com/kateshepherdcreativewww.instagram.com/thecreativegeniuspodcastwww.instagram.com/lovemorningmoon

From Hollywood Exec to Farmers Market Artisan - Walking away from a life that isn’t workingHave you ever found yourself looking around at your life and thinking, on paper you have everything you ever wanted and worked hard for but something still doesn’t feel quite right? Tracy Mazuer’s life is a powerful example of this - AND how we can begin to find our way back to our true calling - even in the midst of chaos and unhappiness. This is one of those episodes that has the power to change the trajectory of your whole life if you happen to be ready for what it is trying to tell you. If you suspect that there is a different, more fulfilling life whispering to you and you are ready to do some reflection, pay close attention to the end of this episode because, i have some homework that will help you begin to tease all this apart and start down your own path of returning to your truest self. After wanting to be a successful Hollywood producer as long as she could remember and fighting her way up the dysfunctional ranks of Hollywood, Tracy spent 25 years tearing her hair out in Hollywood as a television executive producer, writer, and director. From Bachelors and Bachelorettes to Deals and No Deals, from the Littlest of People to Biggest of Losers, from Millionaire Matchmakers to Long Lost Families, from A-list celebs to D-list and beyond, Tracy did it all. One day while immersed in the stress of producing one of her shows, Tracy realized that instead of tearing out what remained of her hair, she was going to try breathing and doodling on her desk calendar. And what it led to changed her life completely, forever. The trees that emerged in her doodles reflected exactly what she was feeling — chaos, frustration, with bits of light and joy. There were so many feelings packed into these doodled trees! And with the gusto familiar to any newly minted artist, Tracy tore it off of that desk calendar, brought it home, and stuck it on the fridge. Her husband immediately declared her a “Toddler Savant” and Tracy's foray into the forest took root. She's now officially left “the biz” and combines her storytelling skills with her illustrations to bring her art Trees Have Feelings - to life. Tracy is a vivacious, fierce, powerhouse of a human. A gentle giant. She shares with us how she came to know it was time to leave behind everything she worked so hard to build in Hollywood so that she could follow the quiet whisper of her trees. Trigger warning; Tracy references some sexual trauma that she has endured, it is brief and not graphic but all the same I wanted you to have a heads up on that. Perhaps my biggest takeaway from this episode is how art and creativity don’t stop pursuing us as long as it has gifts for us - and it always does. For most of Tracys life she felt she was not a ‘good’ artist  - she told us herself all through school she couldn't draw the way she wanted to draw or sculpt the way she wanted to sculpt. Doodling found her in the midst of the trauma she was going through as a young child and stayed with her for many years. And it came back to her in the midst of the chaos, stress and turmoil in a job she hated but had worked so hard to earn. In fact from where i sit, it certainly seems that doodling saved her life. It turned up in her office that day and helped walk her out of a life that may have been slowly killing her and into a life of healing, joy and fulfillment with her trees. Tracy’s story of ‘making it’ as a producer in Hollywood and then realizing she hated it is one that perhaps many of us can relate to. It can feel almost impossible to look at everything you have invested into your career or relationship or even a community and friendships and realize that while they are exactly what you thought you wanted, in reality, they just aren’t quite right for you. So many of us would rather (and often do) ignore these pangs - which is totally understandable - dismantling our lives is counter intuitive. We may be dealing with inner narratives like ‘I should be grateful for everything I have’ or ‘this is just how my life is meant to be’ or what about all that time/money/effort I spent to get here. And then there are the fears about what will happen when we tear it all down - will we have enough money? Will we be alone forever? Will your family and friends think we’re crazy? It can feel like we are going crazy. But the truth is the crazy thing is staying in a life that does not fit, bring you joy, bring out the best in you or most importantly help you bring the gifts you were born to bring out into the world. How is it that we set ourselves down certain life paths if they are not what we truly want? Recognizing how we have done this in the past helps us recognize when we are doing it again and helps us to avoid venturing too far down a path that is not ours. The journey into these new unknown places can be a scary one, often filled with uncertainty - and vulnerability - but more and more i am seeing that those who choose to listen to that small quiet voice inside, nudging us, softly nagging at us and follow it where it is guiding them, seem to consistently be rewarded with a calm, serene fulfillment that i think we are all ultimately looking for. Things Tracy and I talk about Why we sometimes make life choices that do not reflect what our hearts truly wantThe traits she had to develop to survive the toxic hollywood environmentThe deep healing art has provided her even though her whole life she felt she couldn’t draw things she wanted to draw or sculpt things she wanted to sculpt. The darkness that came out of her in her dark art brought her so much joy because she knew it was finally coming up and out of herHow collage (which had found her in school and came looking for her again when she went into therapy)  finding her in her 40s lead to some a profound healing of deep emotional woundsI got the chills when she told me about how the trees came out of her sketches in her miserable Hollywood office. Full of colour and light in the midst of anger and chaos and toxicity How she believed for her whole life, that when something really good happened that meant the bottom would soon fall out -  and how the trees helped her heal that belief. How she thought that if she really let herself explore the part of herself that was making and enjoying her art so much, that it would suddenly stop. Afraid of that pain. Resources discussed in this episode:Electric Light OrchestraThe People ShowUniversity of Kansas JournalismThe Home Show- ABCGood morning America - ABCPlaying it straight  - Fox TVBrene BrownGlennon doyleElizabeth GilbertEpisodes (tv show) ABOUTTracy Mazuer spent 25 years of her life tearing her hair out in Hollyweird as a television executive producer, writer, and director. From Bachelors and Bachelorettes to Deals and No Deals, from the Littlest of People to Biggest of Losers, from Millionaire Matchmakers to Long Lost Families, from A-list celebs to D-list and beyond, Tracy’s run the gamut. One recent and fateful day, while producing yet another unwieldy show, Tracy realized that instead of tearing out what remained of her hair, she would take breaks, breathe, and doodle on her desk calendar. Tracy holds a Bachelors degree in Journalism and a Masters in Education where she studied the effects of autobiographical writing with urban youth.She's been married for 34-years to her college sweetheart — that guy who called her the Toddler Savant. They live with their two rescue-mutts, LizzieBelly and Hazelnut, in Bellingham, Washington. They have a son who is an artist in Seattle. Tracy Mazuer website | facebook | instagramKate Shepherd: art | website | instagramMorning Moon Nature Jewelry | website |  instagramCreative Genius Podcast | website | instagramPlease share the show with a friend and if you are moved to make a financial contribution to the production of this podcast, THANK YOU here is the link for our Patreon

Have you been wondering how to find your own artistic style? Whether you are an established artist with a good sense of your own artistic voice ready to take the next step in licensing your work, or you’re just getting into creating art, this episode has so many wonderful things in store for you -  not least of which is the FREE art class today’s guest Este Macleod has given all the listeners of The Creative Genius Podcast. Este is a generous soul and inspired teacher. Her paintings ethereal and happy and her approach to art is a wonderful mix of thoughtful observation and working intuitively (which we talk about) Este has worked with some large brands licensing her artwork and she tells us about the ups and downs of that so if that's something you're considering you're going to want to listen to this episode. Things Este and I talk about The ups and downs of working with large partnerships like Crate & Barrel with her artworkWhy it is OH SO important to invest in good materials at the startSome provocative questions to prompt the voice of your inner artistThe number one thing artists starting out should remind themselves every day (especially on days when they think they are not good enough, or think they will never sell anything) What to do if you feel really stuck, can’t find your creative voice and don’t know what to do. Why she thinks it can be ok to copy other artists work, but the number one absolute no-no when doing soWhat to do when you run out of inspiration How to be inspired by other artists or themes and trends and adjust your work so it becomes yours/How she found her own voice as an artist the ups and downs of that journeyThe life changing dream that woke her up on a flight Creativity’s critical role in innovation and problem solving. Her recent project with Sketchbook RevivalAll the reasons she feels our lives depend on creativityResources discussed in this episode:Sketchbook Revival Creative Question Mark Challenge Her courses 1-2-3 Let's paint catsGift to all creative genius listeners free 123 lets paint course!Free Class ABOUTEste MacLeod is a visual artist, designer and creator of online art and creativity coursesHer paintings are informed by the real and the imaginary. A background in textile and ceramic design is evident in the stylised, abundant and colourful forms used in still life, landscape and floral paintings. She is a colourist painter, she uses a variety of painting and mark making techniques to layer colour and shapes, resulting in ethereal paintings. She draws inspiration from travel, nature, dreams, seasons, sentiments and thoughts as well as everyday surroundings. Observation and drawing are important parts of the creative process. Working intuitively, she allows paintings to develop over time. Her artworks are presented to convey intrinsic beauty, a feeling or memory of a place or impression.Born in South Africa, Este has lived in England since 1999, and been based in Berkshire since 2005Este MacLeod website | facebook | instagramKate Shepherd: art | website | instagramMorning Moon Nature Jewelry | website |  instagramCreative Genius Podcast | website | instagramPlease share the show with a friend and if you are moved to make a financial contribution to the production of this podcast, THANK YOU here is the link for our Patreon