How do you know creativity is the answer?

Lisa and Lauren chat with Jenny and Stephanie, co-founders of Creative Nector Studio about why creativity is the answer for them, why it might be the answer for you, and how you can let go of judgement and face your fear surrounding the act of making art or what making art might force you confront.

WATCH:

LISTEN:

READ:

Transcript for “How do you know creativity is the answer?”

Lisa (00:02):

Hello, welcome. This is Lisa from Artist Moving, and Lauren on the other side. We’re here today with Creative Nectar, Stephanie and Jenny, welcome so much. You guys. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Stephanie (00:15):

Hey well, I’m Stephanie Gray and I’m in the Kansas City, Missouri area, and have been, I’m a co-founder of Creative Nectar, a creative transformation guide and an artist, and I’m happy to be here.

Jenny (00:31):

And, hi everyone. I’m Jenny Hahn. I’m also in the Kansas City area Co-founder of Creative Nectar Studio. I’m an artist and author, workshop facilitator, mindfulness teacher. And I too am thrilled to be here with you both and with you all, all listening, <laugh>.

Lauren (00:48):

Awesome. Thanks so much for being here. So for our podcast, we tend to just jump off with a question that’s sort of inspired by the last conversation. And last time Lisa and I chatted, we were talking about the collaboration we’ve had going between us for 15 years. We’re in our 16th year, and we were like, why are we still doing this? And after listening to that conversation, I wanted to ask you guys how do you know that creativity is the answer? And then, and just kind of like, why do we, like, for me, it’s like, why do I keep coming back to creativity?

Stephanie (01:25):

Yeah. I mean, I, I I can go first. I, creativity is the answer for me. We’ll put it that way for sure. I, I’ve been doing something called process art. Oh my gosh, I think it’s gonna be close to 25 ish or more years now. And although I didn’t start out as an artist, the, the, the creative spark that I found while doing the process long story short, has saved me, you know? Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative> for many things. So for me, I feel like it is, it is the way for me, it is so much for me.

Jenny (02:09):

Yeah. And for me, as well as Steph and I both met about 24 years ago, I wanna say, right, Steph, because I started process painting in 2000 with our teacher Sarah Oblinger, who had a group called Paint or Die. Oh, wow. And I, at that time, I was just graduating from art school. I was struggling with an eating disorder with a lot of self-hate I, on the out you know, outwardly I was this, you know, young artist practicing doing illustration. But inwardly it was like I was empty. There was something broken. And when I saw the flyer for that class, something in me, every cell of my body just said, yes, yes, I have to do it. And it was actually at Stephanie’s house, <laugh> in your basement stuff where that class was happening, that eight week class. And that really changed everything for me, because facing the blank page and not being told what to paint, or not having an assignment or a desired outcome, but just to say, just start and see what shows up and <laugh> around the room you would see people with, everybody was painting something different, you know, and it, and huge pieces.

Jenny (03:28):

You know, you start with a single piece of paper, but, and temper paints, but it would grow and be just, and these magical worlds and really powerful images. And, and for me too, it ended up after eight weeks, it was like a nine panel allegory that it, it, it just changed everything. And I love that question, like, why, like why are you still doing it and why creativity? Like, you know, why is creativity the answer? Because I don’t know that it’s something that could be answered intellectually. And actually Steph and I, on our la on, we have a podcast as well, in our last, our current episode, it was all about the wisdom of the heart. And I think this is a question that can’t be answered so much with the intellect, but definitely with the heart wisdom and every cell of the body is like a yes. When, you know, when, when you’re in that flow, that creative flow. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative> yeah. It’s, it’s, it’s an absolute yes.

Lisa (04:32):

<Laugh>, yes. I love this. So it’s so fascinating. I found you, I nectar came into my brain, and that sounds have what it, so I use my intuition, my heart, which is fascinating that we’re talking about this. And I looked up, create a nectar, and you guys popped up and I was like, whoa. There’s a, there’s a team, there’s a group of creative nectar people. So what I love, I mean, that was my intuition talking and I followed it. And as an artist, you know, I think we do follow our heart and our intuition. So my question to you is tell the, the, our audience, what is process art? How is it really related to the heart and the intuition? And how can, I mean, this is a tough question, but how can they do it like today? How can they process, start their own process art? If that makes sense. <Laugh>.

Stephanie (05:32):

Yeah. <Laugh>. Yeah. Yes. Well, I I’ll, I’ll go first and then Jenny, you can fill in the gaps. ’cause It’s a big, it’s an all encompassing thing. It is process art is creating for the process, process, you know, the inner process rather than the product. So you don’t have to have any artistic skills whatsoever. And it’s really about connecting to that authentic space in ourselves. And why I think it works, at least for me, and we talked about this in, in that podcast we were talking about, it drops us from the head space where there’s all that chatter and the self doubt and all of that more into the heart space. And then when that happens, then this wisdom can flow when we allow it, it’s really a practice, you know? And it, once that flow begins and you go into that creative flow, I, there’s just so much wisdom there.

Stephanie (06:32):

There’s so much wisdom there. And so, I mean, nobody tells you how to do it. You can use basic art materials. It’s, there is facilitation generally. Like in the bigger workshops, there will be a facilitator like Jenny or myself or Sarah or Stuart Cley. And I mean, it, it’s just presence, right? It is just presence in the paper and color and breathing. And then the other question, which is, how can you do it? How can you do it right now? I mean, we’ve got lots of tools and stuff on Nectar’s website. We have a community, there’s workshops. It’s, it’s fairly easy. And yet to get started with it. It’s, I I needed help. We’ll just put it that way. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>.

Jenny (07:31):

Yeah. And I’ll just add that you know, I, I’ve listened to, to the, your show, this podcast before, and I, you know, I feel like process art can also encompass just art making in general, any art making that is not focused on creating an end result, you know? So yes, there is the formal like process art, like you can find workshops and like, what, what Steph and I offer and what she was just describing. But also just engaging with the, your own creative spark for the sake of self connection, for the sake of exploration in whatever way, whatever, with whatever materials could be considered process art. Right. it’s really a healing, I consider it, we consider it a healing tool for reconnection to reconnection to oneself, one’s heart, but also reconnection to the world, to our experience. It is a form of meditation, like a moving meditation.

Jenny (08:38):

And it doesn’t necessarily have to, it can be very simple. Like one prompt that Steph often gives and that we give together as we’re starting a workshop is doing a scribble practice. You know, like tuning into the body, seeing what part of the body has the most energy in the moment, and then handing, symbolically, handing the, the pen or the paintbrush or whatever to that, you know, part of the body to just start moving. You know, anything that can get us out of the critical mind and the, the monkey mind, the comparison mind and into the body and start that can start us into the process where it’s not something that we control mentally but really surrender to that flow. And that’s where the magic starts to happen, is when we follow the thread of that and see where it leads. And it’s always, I mean, it’s always beyond our control and beyond our imagining. You know, we can never know where we’re going to end up. And that’s the beauty of it.

Lauren (09:44):

Yeah. So, I’m, I was, I was going to ask the why. And I feel like you just answered it. Like, I was gonna ask, like, why does process art sort of get you to a place that that other places may not get you to? And it sounds like for your experience, it’s that it, it almost helps you take a, take a break from your, from your mind on almost tap into a different part of your mind, right? It’s almost like you are, you’re saying, okay mind that organizes things and judges things and categorizes things. You can take a break now, I’m gonna go to another space and I’m gonna dig around there for a bit, and I’m gonna let go of those kinds of things. And that, like, why does, why does scribbling do that? Is it because it, is it because it’s not representational?

Lauren (10:45):

Is it because is it the mental practice of like, okay, I’m gonna do this now and I’m gonna, right. Because I’m, I’m trying to talk, like, I’m trying to figure out, ’cause there is a lot of fear around even this notion. There’s gonna be a lot of people that are like, I’m not gonna do that. Yeah. You know, how do you, how do you talk people through that, when you explain all this, which to the four of us is like, yeah, for sure <laugh>, because I’ve done it since I was like 14. You know, I’m in my forties. And so for me it’s like, well, yeah, sure, it’s the answer. How do you talk to someone who is still like, number one, that’s not gonna do anything for me? Or number two, that opens up really scary stuff for me. Mm-Hmm. Or I’m thinking that might, right. They’re still up here saying, I, I’m thinking that might open up a lot of scary stuff, and I can guarantee them it will. That’s what art does. Right. how do you, how do you guide someone through that part of it? Like, you know what I mean?

Stephanie (11:51):

Yeah. Well, first, firstly, the the scribbling is a way to sort of bypass what we’re talking about and getting into the body. And then inevitably as we scribble, things will start to come up, you know, an image, a word or two. And then just, it’s, it’s really a mindfulness practice too. So really just going one step at a time and taking it very, very delicately. You know, just, just being present as much as possible. And that’s, you know, and that’s what Jenny and I do too. We create a safe space for that to happen. And if people have questions or they feel stuck or they’re scared or whatever, we would encourage them to paint, paint the fear. What color is it? You know, how does it wanna move? Does it have a caricature? You know, or same with your inner critic or anything.

Stephanie (12:45):

And what I’ve found, ’cause I, I mean, I encountered some pretty gnarly stuff, and I still do sometimes. And I, what I’ve found is like I, my inter my inner self doesn’t ever give me more than I can handle Mm-Hmm. And ultimately, it’s always scarier on the other side that the brain, like making it into something. But when I actually just sort of hang out with it, confront it, ask it questions get creative with it, it becomes something entirely different. And I’m able to look at it encompass it more and into me have conversations. It’s really, it’s, it’s really amazing. Mm-Hmm, <affirmative>.

Jenny (13:30):

Yeah. And what you’re describing, Steph, I I think of that as almost turning that fear into more of a sense of play and curiosity about it. And when we do that, like you said, Steph, I mean, it, it’s almost like it transforms it. The monsters that we’re holding inside of us are trying to stuff down. Suddenly they become these big puffy characters or something, you know, like there, it’s, it’s almost, it, it can be fun and almost silly, and it’s like shifting the energy of it and, and really getting it, like you were saying, getting it out in front of us will shift. Because when we’re no longer in resistance, it’s like those big scary things are suddenly something to play with, something to explore. And, and I love that you said that stuff about that, you know, we never get more than we can handle, you know, when we’re creating, there’s also a sense of, of agency, there’s a sense of of, of being able to choose, being able to say yes or no.

Jenny (14:32):

And if something feels too big, you know, you don’t have to go there. Or you can seek help in other ways. You know, it’s, it’s not like I, I mean, I often say if somebody you know, is going through something really heavy or big, you know, yes, you can make art around it, but also like you know, talk to your therapist. I mean, like, there, there’s, you know, it’s so, so there’s, I think there’s also that, that agency around being able to allow in or not, and having the freedom and empowerment to do that. But, but certainly art making yeah, it is a, a space, a safe space. I mean, hopefully it’s a safe space. We, that’s what we seek to create. The mind isn’t always a safe space, but that’s why doing this in community can be so helpful, because then we have a shared, agreed upon safe container where we’re all saying, yes, we’re holding space for one another.

Jenny (15:31):

We’re not going to speak out loud judgments or praise, you know, we’re gonna keep it a neutral space. And, and just really holding whatever is coming up. And that’s where having facilitators or teachers or guides, you know, can be really helpful is just to, you know, we, when we lead, we don’t have the answers for the individual. We serve as sort of a mirror to reflect back whatever is showing up, and just to hold space, just to be present with. And yeah, there’s an alchemy that, that can happen when we show up to our fears in this way. And I really do want to acknowledge the, the fear around it, because especially for somebody who’s not been creative or, or, or was told when they were in first grade, you know, oh, you really shouldn’t do this. I mean, there’s some trauma, there’s some trauma around it. And so, you know, it is, we really do acknowledge that the courage that it can take, even just to pick up a freaking paintbrush and make marks on paper. And so, so not to downplay it in any way, but to say that, yes, this is possible, and there is support with it. And once you get into get to the other side of that fear, it’s like, oh, feels so good. The bliss of it. Oh my gosh, why have I been, what, why have I been saying no to this my whole life, <laugh>.

Lisa (16:53):

But I, but I love, I love, I mean, I, yes, I know the fear factor, and I know we’ve seen the fear come out with people and art here, but what I’m, what I’m kind of tapping into is, wow, the power that art reflects within us. Do you know what I mean? Like, how powerful you are that you can do. I mean, this is just what I’m hearing. I’m like, it’s like it’s, it’s reflecting. And some people are so afraid of their power, you know, it’s almost like that mirror is like, oh my God, it’s not a monster. It’s me. I’m this warrior or whatever goddess. And I’m so powerful. And people are afraid of that. I mean, so I don’t know why I brought that up, but like, maybe let’s talk about like, why are people so afraid of their true power? Because that’s what you’re talking about through process art. You, you pull back the onion, you pull back the bales, and you, there you are. And who are you? And I mean, what I’m hearing is you’re a powerful being. Anyways. Let’s ride with that. <Laugh>.

Jenny (17:55):

Yes, yes. Steffi, were you gonna say something? <Laugh>,

Stephanie (17:59):

This is what lights me up the most. I think maybe not. Initially I had no idea what I was going into, you know initially, but through the years, the transformation that I’ve seen in myself and others, there is that power. And we speak to it a lot on our website and Jenny’s book and all of that, like this, it is, I feel like it’s necessary for this time, you know? And I think, I feel like, at least for me, I was conditioned out of my power early on, you know, by parents, teachers just authority figures in general, you know, fill in the blank, like, whatever. And I don’t need to know the reason why. I mean, it wasn’t necessarily done on purpose, but there was a, like, it was trained out of me. And so, like, this is the art of reclaiming that power, that self, and who, I mean, I’m getting goosebumps just talking about it. I feel, I, we feel it is very necessary right now.

Jenny (19:06):

Absolutely. We’re, we’re all unique individual beings that have something important to, to share just through our very being, not through, not through being doing machines, but through being and connecting with one another. And we talk a lot about, and I, and I also talk about it in the book Creative Flow, but that, that we are all receiving this. We, we all have access to this inherent universal life force energy that is moving through us, that’s animating it through us, that’s expressing through us every day. And it’s our uniqueness. It’s our own personalities, our own histories, our own perspectives, all of that, that color and flavor and give, like, form to, and, and, and give beauty to that energy, to that inherent spark. And so it’s like, so the more we step into our uniqueness, the more we claim our power, as you said Lisa, you know, it’s like, it is, it is.

Jenny (20:19):

I, I mean, I can’t even find words for it right now, <laugh>, you know, like if you can imagine a world where everybody has claimed that for themselves, and not only that, but they are allowing it and expressing it and following their intuition and seeing where it’s needed and, and what connections they wish to make and what they wish to create. I mean, you can imagine what the world could be like when we all break free, break free from our conditioning and our, our fears our own internal prisons, you know, and just really step into that vibrance and, and bloom into whatever it is we’re here to do in the world. I mean, that’s, that’s

Lauren (20:58):

The

Jenny (20:59):

Power of creativity right there, <laugh>.

Lauren (21:00):

Yeah. I know. I’m imagining, like right now in my head, like a community in creative flow with one another. I mean, there’s like some, it’s like a strange musical in my head right now of like flow and dancing and singing just because that’s just how my brain works. But I heard Stephanie say it you said the words, it’s so important right now, and I want you to speak to that a little bit more. Give me a little bit more details from your perspective.

Stephanie (21:32):

From my perspective. Okay. So I, I believe, and I, and I think Nectar Jenny does as well, but for me, I personally believe that we’re sort of on the cusp, like the very beginning stages of a transformation, a global transformation. And humanity is shifting. And you can feel it, you can see little dots here and there of it little, you know, little clues. And I feel it, I feel it inside of me. And I, I, I believe that we’re being asked to shift more from the heart and move more from the heart space. And that involves creativity in all of its forms, not just painting or, you know, art making. Because that creator being that’s inside of us can move mountains, right. And when we’re doing it together in our own unique form, blank Jitting was saying, I mean, I, I just feel like that’s what is being asked of, of as many people that can do it as possible right now.

Jenny (22:35):

Yeah. And I’ll just add that, you know, we are also on this cusp of you know, we’ve got the, the, the development of AI and technologies to do more of our thinking for us and more of our, you know, these more sort of analytical tasks for us. And it’s like, if you, if you fast forward into the future, it’s like, imagine, you know, when we have when we have like, yeah, what will the world look like when we have, imagine having spaciousness to, to create your reality, to co-create our world, to co-create a world that is actually working and sustainable for everyone. Like that, that’s <laugh>. I, again, it’s, it’s hard to put into words, but it just seems like, I, I hear people say this like, the future is creative. Mm-Hmm.

Lauren (23:27):

<Affirmative>

Jenny (23:28):

The future is creative. And I believe that

Lisa (23:32):

This is amazing. So, my question to you guys, because Lauren was talking about a symphony and it seems like is kind a, you know, a musical, you know, what is the what does that feel like, the buzz in a room full of people doing process art and just kind of like, you know, to give people a taste of that nectar. What is, what’s the, and and what’s the why for you guys?

Jenny (24:01):

Oh, <laugh>, do you wanna go first, <laugh>? Sure. I’ll try to describe, I’ll try to put it into words. Gosh, what a great question, Lisa. <Laugh>

Lisa (24:14):

<Laugh>,

Jenny (24:16):

Because there is, there is a visceral shift Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative> in the room, and you can feel it when people have dropped into that space. And I, I can only describe it as this, there’s a presence, but it’s a, it’s a, it’s a calm, it’s a grounded presence, but it is so interconnected, and all I can say is flow. I mean, I don’t, but it’s like when you feel that for yourself, but then it’s like amplified by every person around you. There’s, yeah, I’m sure there’s something scientific going on there, but really I’m just, I’m speaking to the magic of it that there’s some kind of coherence that happens in a group that is magnified. Like I can feel that when I’m in my own studio painting when I get into that flow. But it is magnified when it’s in a room. Steph, do you <laugh>

Stephanie (25:22):

It? Well, it definitely, I wanna

Jenny (25:24):

Add to that.

Stephanie (25:25):

Well, and I, I do wonder, I would love, like HeartMath to come to one of our workshops and like actually do all the science behind it and figure it out, because there is something that happens. It’s like an empowered heart space that is, that you can feel, and it feels so grounded and good and, and, and authentic. I think that’s the biggest thing. It’s like getting to know people authentically is the best thing ever. Ands. It’s like what I crave. And that is what community, that’s the community that’s created, whether it’s in person or we’re finding even online in our community. It, it, there’s no, there’s no real reason it should happen, like, technically, but it does <laugh>. Like there’s still that feeling and that, that, yeah, it’s try it out. I mean, that’s like, the only way I can describe it is like, just come play with us for a while. I don’t know. It’s, yeah.

Lauren (26:26):

Yeah. We so like and I’m sure you can relate to this, it’s a, it’s a, it’s a, it’s a mountain to climb sometimes to get people to involved in community art. You do, you, you hit lots of hurdles along the way. That’s one of the reasons Lisa and I are constantly asking ourselves, why are we still doing this

Jenny (26:45):

<Laugh>? It’s a valid question. Yeah. It’s, it’s

Lauren (26:49):

Because you, you encounter a lot of nos and a lot of like, et cetera, et cetera. But then we, we do our annual event called our Break Day on the first part of every September. We’ve done that since 2011. And exactly what you were describing, the thing there is no word for, and the thing that happens in like five minutes of two strangers sitting down together to make art. And it is something you cannot explain. It is something that someone has to see, but I also think you, and this is the hard part, you have to be open to see it. You know, but, but every single year I am exhausted by the time our break day happens, and every day after our break day, I’m like, I can’t wait to do it again. And it’s a strange cycle. Yes. But it’s that knowing, right?

Lauren (27:41):

Because it’s that knowing that it, that it has to happen. It’s almost like I have to do it no matter what, you know? Because of that, even those two people that, like this year in September, I had four people sitting at a table for three hours, and none of them knew each other, and they had the deepest conversation, <laugh>, right. Of truly knowing someone, and they’ll probably never talk to each other again. But that’s magic, right? That’s the reminder that we all, we all are literally connected. It’s not just a, it’s not a figurative thing. We are literally connected, you know? Yeah,

Jenny (28:22):

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. That’s, that’s beautiful. That, yes. And I’m laughing because we can so relate to that. I mean, we have times where we’re like, you know, corralling people, you know, kind of, hello, is there anybody out there? <Laugh>? But then, but then it’s like, when, but then when it happens, and when you have that room full of people and then you, and then it’s like, oh, yeah. I mean, yeah. You described it so beautifully, Lauren, like that every time. I mean, there’s no question as to whether or not we wanna do this. I mean, it’s like we can’t not do it. Yeah. I guess I’ll speak for myself here. I mean, I’m speaking for you too, Steph <laugh>. Oh, it’s true. For me, it’s, it’s, there’s like not a, yeah. It, it’s something with, as with anything creative, it’s like, you know, because you can’t not do it.

Lauren (29:09):

Yeah. It’s the can’t not, right. There’s the distinction between that and, and Yeah. It’s just like, it’s, yeah. What, it’s not that you have to do it, it’s, you can’t not do it. Exactly.

Jenny (29:22):

But

Lauren (29:22):

What, what is that? Like, I don’t have the, obviously I’m asking a lot of questions. I do not have the answer.

Jenny (29:30):

Yeah. I mean, I define it as kind of like, you could see it as like a sole purpose almost. Yeah. Or dharma a reason for being here, you know? I mean, I, for the first gosh, for the first 12 or so years of my career, I also worked a desk job. At the same time I was doing my art. And I think I talked about this in our last episode, didn’t I? Steph? But yeah, it’s like when, when you get a nudge, like that inner nudge that doesn’t let you go, and you know, you know that you’re meant to do something else, you know that you’re here for something, or you feel that confirmation when you do it, even though, no matter how hard it was like you were describing Lauren, it’s like, there’s just times where you just know you Yeah.

Jenny (30:19):

You don’t know why, but you know that, you know. Yeah. And <laugh>, and, and it’s, and it’s a, and it’s a bodily knowing too. It’s a somatic knowing. It’s a you know, I, and I was describing how when I was wanting to leave my day job for two years, I carried a letter of resignation in my backpack. Wow. And I was in battle with my mind. My mind was saying, but this is a steady thing, but this is security. This is the, you know, and it’s like, so sometimes there’s a battle there, but ultimately it’s like, my heart knew what I was wanting to do next. And it doesn’t, sometimes these nudgings just don’t let go, or it’ll keep whispering in your ear. And it doesn’t matter how long it takes, it doesn’t matter how old we are, it’s never too late to say yes to whatever that, that nudging wants. And I don’t know. I don’t have the answers either. I, I describe it as like a soul thing, I guess. I mean, it’s all language anyway, but Yeah. What is that? I mean, it’s just, yeah. Steph, do you have anything to add? <Laugh>?

Stephanie (31:28):

Only that it feels like a mission, and that’s sort of the same thing. Mission. Mission. Like it’s my personal mission for, and I just won’t, it won’t let go of me. So

Jenny (31:38):

I, and it’s,

Lisa (31:40):

I’m sorry. Oh, sorry, Sue. Oh, I

Jenny (31:42):

Was just gonna say really quick, and it’s not like, again, like we’re being coerced into this. It’s like a, it won’t let you go in a good way. Yes. You know what I mean? <Laugh>,

Lisa (31:50):

Right, right, right. It’s

Jenny (31:50):

Like, no, you will do this. <Laugh>.

Lisa (31:53):

I wanna allude to that because Lauren and I have this conversation all the time. I mean, it’s a nudge that we have to do this because we, because yes, art saved my life, right? And I want it to save other people’s lives. But why, just curious. Why do we, this four of us have this nudge to nudge people. And then, you know, why do we feel like, come on you guys, we know the solution. We know that art is about reclamation. You know, how come, what is that desire? Or what is that? And then there is that challenge because you do get a lot of notes. You know, you get a lot of like, w like, I mean, you know, so let’s, let’s talk about that, and maybe we can end with it. Like, why are we nudging people to reclaim art as their

Lauren (32:38):

Superpower, I should say?

Stephanie (32:40):

Love that. I’ll, if you don’t mind, I will just go ahead, jump right in. I, I think art or creativity in general, and that could be, you know, dance or writing or, you know, even how you set the table or make a batch of cookies from scratch, that that creative spark inside of us is our authent authentic self, in my opinion. And just sort of like what I referred to before. Like, I, I believe that more and more people are going to want that for themselves. And that’s part of this transformation that we talked about. And so, for me, I feel like, I feel like all four of us will probably see evidence of that very, very soon. And I, I, I already do to a degree. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>. And I mean, I just feel like it’s the flow. It’s what’s next, because we’re gonna need it. ’cause It’s us. Yeah.

Lauren (33:39):

Right. Yeah.

Jenny (33:41):

Yeah. And, and just to add on that, like we were saying earlier about how we’re all interconnected, and we really feel that and know it as, as you were saying earlier about the, it’s sitting around the table, you know, we’re all interconnected. We don’t always know it until we drop into that other space. And so if we’re all interconnected and we know this for ourselves, that this has saved our lives, why wouldn’t we want to share it with others, you know, to save our, I mean, not sa I mean, it sounds like evangelical, but I really don’t mean it that way. <Laugh>, you know, we’ve got the answer. <Laugh> no, <laugh>. Yeah.

Stephanie (34:20):

We, you have the answer. Yeah.

Jenny (34:22):

Yes. We’re telling people you have the answer within you, and here’s the tool, here’s the tool for accessing it.

Lauren (34:30):

Yeah. You know? Yeah. I think, I think it’s, it’s really interesting because like I, it’s, it, it’s, I’m finding this like almost comedic, but like, it’s so, it’s so vital to say, but like, I do it, part of me is like I have a very much like, I’m gonna do what I, what I do with my life, and you do what, what you wanna do with your life, because you should be yourself. But here I am being like, <laugh>, you should take an art break. And so I, I think I have a little bit of a weird relationship with that because I’m like, wait a minute, I’m, I’m telling people they should do what we’re, you know, they should be themselves. They should do what they wanna do. But like, I think the way to explain that is, the reason I want you to take an art break is because it will help you figure out how to be you.

Lauren (35:23):

I’m not, I’m not trying to tell you who to be, I’m trying to help you really find yourself. And so that’s like, you know, because the <laugh> the preaching thing, I was just like, <laugh>, I, we do, I mean, we do, we definitely are. Like we do sometimes we’re like, Hey, we’re preaching to the choir today. But, but we are, we’re like, we’re getting out our bullhorns and we’re like, Hey, there’s this thing that you’re not doing and we’re not, we’re not, and I’m not trying to be like, you’re living your life incorrectly, and this is da da da. Or I’m trying to save you from something. It’s more like, by golly, if you just did this, you would know the no, that I know <laugh> that I cannot describe to you right now. Right. Yeah.

Jenny (36:11):

I think, I think, I mean, the, the phrase that comes to my mind is, is, is show don’t tell. And, and I have to remind myself of this, it’s like just, you know, sharing our presence and sharing our own art and sharing how it’s changed us. Sometimes that’s how people end up coming to a workshop. One, you know, one of our workshops. It’s like when they see somebody else’s process art or they see how we’ve changed or whatever, you know? So it’s like, it’s so funny, isn’t it? How it’s like if I tell people, well, here’s what it can do, you know, but it’s like, no, but they have, you know, they kind of have to see it and then be Yeah. You know, see it to believe it. I guess. I don’t, I don’t know. Yeah.

Lauren (36:54):

It’s,

Jenny (36:54):

Its a funny dichotomy though, <laugh>.

Lauren (36:56):

It’s, yeah, it’s a, it’s a constant, like, and that’s probably like, ’cause it’s in my brain, right? It’s your brain trying to wrap around this thing that it, that doesn’t have to do necessarily with your, with that front front part of your brain. It has to do with your being. And so, yeah. And it is, it’s like it’s the experience that helps people understand it, but also they’re, they’re not necessarily gonna do it <laugh> unless you give them reasons to do it. So it’s, it is, it’s a battle. Yeah. It’s interesting.

Jenny (37:29):

Right, right.

Stephanie (37:31):

Yeah. It’s like, it’s, it’s, I, I’ve used this analogy a lot, the, like, the internal excavation of that authentic self. And we’re basically just handing people the pick acts, right. And the, the little brush to uncover everything. And it’s just like, and, but it, I get it. Like, it there, I mean, when you feel what we feel or what we have felt that authentic sense of self through creativity in all its aspects. I mean, yeah.

Lisa (38:04):

I love it. It feels like traveling on some sense. That’s what I’m, I’m, you know what I mean? It’s like, it’s an inner travel, you know, we, we go to other places to travel, but I think it’s a beautiful thing. And it could be, it doesn’t really cost much. It doesn’t cost

Jenny (38:20):

Anything

Lisa (38:20):

To travel into this, you know, this final frontier that we all have.

Lauren (38:25):

Ooh, I like that. I like that.

Jenny (38:28):

I love it. Yeah. I, I call it the inward journey. Yeah. Art making. Yeah. I love, I mean that is, that is what it feels like. Yeah.

Lisa (38:37):

I know. If we were to just tell people it costs nothing. Just yourself. You need to go nowhere. <Laugh>

Jenny (38:46):

And yet everywhere. <Laugh>.

Lisa (38:49):

Yeah. Everywhere. Wow. Thank you so much that this was such a fun conversation. Thank you for having it with us today. And then still, you talked about your workshops. How can people join your workshops, get ahold of you and you know, you have a podcast, tell them all that information.

Stephanie (39:09):

Absolutely. everything can really be found on creative nectar studio.com. We have, Jenny has a book, like we mentioned the podcast. I, I offer one-on-one sessions, and then our community, which we’re so excited about the online community. So yeah, it should be, it’s just all there, all there

Jenny (39:28):

For you. Yeah. The community soul Nectar is the name of that. We have, it’s kind of like a monthly subscription model, but we have a monthly live workshop on Zoom. We have a face private Facebook group. We have a bunch of resources kind of attached with that, that and it’s really, yeah, like Steph was saying earlier, this is kind of new to kinda shift the community from in person to online in that way. We still do both, but it’s amazing how the energy is still there, even with online. And it’s, yeah, we’re really excited about that. And that’s awesome. Yeah. And then the, the podcast. Yeah. And the book Creative Flow. It’s all, like Steph said, it’s all on the website and yeah. We’d love to see you all there.

Lisa (40:14):

Sounds great. Yeah. Alright. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you

Jenny (40:19):

So much for having us on. It is a blessing and a pleasure to connect with you both. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>.

Lisa (40:24):

Yeah. Eva. Be Art <laugh>.