The Joyful Creative

Let it go

I'm sure I'm not the only one having a tough time right now. Life get's hectic at this time of year, and when personal crises pop up simultaneously, it can be completely overwhelming. At times like these my advice is to show yourself some kindness and just let some things go! If those things are important (like your creative practice!) give yourself a grace period and simply pick it up again whenever you can. Let's say "no" to hustle culture and embrace peace and joy this Christmas season. In the spirit of all that, this will be my last episode for the year. But fear not, I'll be back in 2025 with more inspiration and encouragement to help you live your best creative life. * Subscribe to my mailing list [https://www.deborahotooleartist.com/subscribe] * Send me an email [https://www.deborahotooleartist.com/contact] * Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/DeborahOTooleArtist] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/deborahotoole_artist/] * Order my colouring Book - It Starts With A Heart [https://www.deborahotooleartist.com/] Transcript: Welcome to The Joyful Creative. I'm Deborah O'Toole. I'm a multi passionate creative and I believe regular creativity is essential for well being. Whether you love painting, writing, knitting, music, gardening, or any other creative pursuit, here you'll find the inspiration and support to make your creative practice a joyful priority in your busy life. So let's get creative.  Hello, my friends. Welcome back to another episode of the joyful creative. I hope that you're all going well at this late stage of the year. It is getting towards Christmas. I mean, we've still got three weeks before Christmas but I don't know, every year it just seems to ramp up earlier and earlier. And here we are in the first week of December and it already feels like it's been going on for a while and there's still a bit to go.So I hope that you're all coping well, not stressing too much and keeping calm and creative through this time. I have to admit I've had a bit of a tough week. My father passed away a few days ago.  And, he was, he was old. He was in hospice and he'd had a stroke a couple of months ago. We knew that the end was close and he had a very peaceful and comfortable end. He was very much at peace with his life and was ready to go. And I am grateful that he didn't suffer for too long or you know, be sort of hanging around in this limbo state of not really having much of a quality of life for too long. So it was  in some ways a relief. And I didn't expect that I would feel particularly emotional. I think there's a difference between when people are old and and they have had a wonderful life. And when they pass away, there's some sort of sense of contentment and peace about them passing, as opposed to a young person where that can be very tragic. I hope that isn't triggering to anybody. But nevertheless, even though I couldn't have wished for a nicer end for my Dad, my body is just telling me something. And it does seem really disproportionate to the emotions. I mean,  I have been on the verge of tears on and off for a few days, it's not like I'm howling and completely distraught and very emotional. I don't feel that way. I feel pretty emotionally stable. And yet my body is just fatigued and I'm having body aches and brain fog like I've never known it. It's just very difficult to think clearly at the moment. This is a kind of grief I was just not prepared for. And I'm sure that there are people out there who can relate, who have gone through the same experience.  And I feel for anyone who's going through this.  On top of my father passing, we are moving house next week and not just moving locally we're moving interstate. And we’re navigating the logistics of living out of a suitcase for a couple of months until our house is ready to move into. And we're heading down to my family for the funeral, obviously and then there's Christmas and new year's and all of that. So there's just a lot on. And I'm not saying this to whinge in any way. It's just to give some context about what I'm about to say, which is that some of you know, that I have had a daily creative streak for over 12 months. And on Sunday, the day after dad died, I broke the streak. I had plenty of opportunity to grab a sketchbook and do some doodling or sketching. And actually that probably would have been very good for me. But I just think in the whole brain fog, I just forgot about it. And it really made me think, well, maybe  the grieving brain knows what's actually a priority.  And really, I think the priority on Sunday was for me to nap a lot.  And just kind of lay on the bed, not having much energy to do anything. So, anyway, that's all to say that I broke my streak and I woke up at 4:00 AM the next morning and remembered.  And it was a bit devastating because I've made an effort to keep up the streak of doing something daily for all this time. But then I thought, look, what's the worst thing about this? The worst part about it is that I have an app on my phone it's called Streaks.  And when I look at the app, it tells me how many days I've done. And when I’m counting the hundreds of days,  It's pretty cool. And now I'm back to three again.  But anyway, that's just the ego being upset.  Really, the reason why I have the streak is to keep me accountable and keep me connected to my practice. Because if I didn't have the motivation to do something every day, then any type of disruption, like a death in the family or going on holidays or Christmas or working or traveling or anything like that would derail my whole practice.  And there might be weeks or months before I actually get back to it. So the fact that I do it, rain hail or shine, whatever is happening, whether I'm traveling or I'm at home, or whether I've had a big busy day or,  a relaxing day, I do something every day. And it just keeps me at it. It just keeps me remembering that I call myself an artist and that's what I do every day. And I love the creativity. But anyway, as it turns out, sometimes during extraordinary circumstances, like a death in the family, sometimes things do have to give. And it's not like I consciously thought to myself during the day, “I'm not going to do it today” In fact, I actually thought I will do it today, but then it just slipped my mind.  So the point of all of this is just to remind you that even though I'm always banging on about daily creativity being so important and it's good for you and it needs to be high on the priority list…In the end, when push comes to shove, there's no need to beat ourselves up about meeting any commitment if it's just going to wear us down.  Nothing's worth that.  And as I've been receiving messages of condolences from people which have been so lovely,  a lot of what they're saying is to be kind to myself.  And it just made me think, yes,  I need to be kind to myself and not beat myself up because I forgot to sketch that day or that I broke my streak. But in general, why aren't we kind to ourselves? Why do we have to be reminded to be kind to ourselves? When you think about it, it's actually a bit bizarre that we work so hard to be kind to everybody else, to be supportive, to be there. And if your best friend was going through something and they weren't able to meet all of their commitments, you would tell them, “just be kind to yourself”, as my friends have said to me,  And I just don't know why we can't say that to ourselves. We seem to say it to other people so readily, and yet to ourselves, we think that we have to push through and keep going and meet all the commitments.And sometimes you just need to let go, which I'm just realizing now. I never really thought of myself as somebody who really pushes myself. I feel like I am pretty in tune with what I'm capable of and what I'm not, but maybe I'm not. Maybe I do try to just do too much. And I always seem to be busy. I would like to change that in the new year.   Because maybe not being busy is the goal.  We have a real hustle culture at the moment, where people really pride themselves on how busy they are.  But when we're busy, it's often the important, meaningful things that go by the wayside.  Like relationships with the people that we love or.  Doing the things that are kind to ourselves, like taking a walk in nature or meditating or working out in the gym or patting a dog, whatever. When we're busy, those things tend to fall away. And then I think, well, what sort of life do we want? Do we want the life where we're just achieving a lot or the life where we're doing the things that we enjoy.  And bringing joy to our life. And I called this podcast, the joyful creative, because we can be creative, but we can also be very busy doing it. And I think it's important to remember that the reason why we explore or practice creativity is because it's meant to bring us joy. And if it gets to a point where it's not joyous, or you're stressing to fit it in  then we've missed the point.   So, what am I saying here? I'm kind of contradicting myself, I guess. I am saying that if creativity is important to your wellbeing, then do make it high on the priority list.  But in those times of crisis, it’s okay to drop it for a day and just go back to it.  One of the things I learned from reading Atomic Habits. And I can't remember the author.  One day, I am going to do a podcast about my favorite reads that help me to stay on track with my creativity and one of the books is Atomic Habits. And one of the things that really stuck with me about that was that if you do have a habit that you've incorporated into your life, because it enhances your life well, that's not the worst thing in the world if you miss a day.  But then if you miss the next day and the next day, then you've lost the habit.  So that's how I feel about my streak as well. Yes, I missed a day, but I'll go back to it the next day. And now I've continued. And so the effect of having a streak, which is like I said, to keep me accountable to my practice, that’s still exists. That's still upheld, even though I did miss a day. So, kindness. Let it go.  Be okay with not being busy. Be okay with letting something go for a day or two, but if it is important, then just go back to it. And it's really not hard.  And nothing to beat ourselves up about.  So with all that said, and in the spirit of letting things go, I have decided that this will be the last podcast for this year.   This is episode 19. It would have been great, wouldn’t it, if I had done 20. And I'd planned to do one next week, but we will be in the middle of moving and I'm just showing myself some kindness and being realistic about what I can manage.  But I will get back to it next year.  So I really thank you all for tuning in. I hope that you've enjoyed the 19 episodes so far, if you've listened to them all.  And if you have been enjoying it, and if you haven't already left a review, I'd really love if you did, because it gives me some idea of who's listening and get some feedback. And also when the podcast is reviewed, then it does help other people to find it. And that will be fantastic, I would really appreciate that. I hope that you all have a very calm and creative Christmas, and don't forget that I have a mindful colouring book, which would be a lovely gift for somebody  or a great idea to pursue yourself if you have a bit of time off over Christmas and new year.  So that's it for this year, friends Once again, yhank you so much for tuning in and supporting the podcast. And I look forward to coming back in 2025 with more episodes to help keep you motivated and empowered to make creativity a priority in your busy life.  So friends, keep creative and I'll see you next year. Bye. I hope you enjoyed this episode of The Joyful Creative.  If you did, be sure to subscribe so you catch them every week. And if you can, please take a moment to leave a review or share it with a friend so the podcast can reach more people who need support and inspiration. Thanks for listening and keep creative.

It's ok to pivot

Are you curious about trying a new medium? Is there a little voice inside urging you to break out of your usual creative routine and do a different thing? Well guess what? It's ok to pivot! Don't let the fact that you've invested time, energy and money into one medium, your lack of storage space for more materials or your identity as a particular type of creative prevent your expansion in new creative directions. It's all doable and it's part of your creative journey, so embrace the pivot. * Subscribe to my mailing list [https://www.deborahotooleartist.com/subscribe] * Shop the studio sale [https://www.deborahotooleartist.com/studio-sale] * Send me an email [https://www.deborahotooleartist.com/contact] * Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/DeborahOTooleArtist] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/deborahotoole_artist/] * Order my colouring Book - It Starts With A Heart [https://www.deborahotooleartist.com/] Transcript: Welcome to The Joyful Creative. I'm Deborah O'Toole. I'm a multi passionate creative and I believe regular creativity is essential for well being. Whether you love painting, writing, knitting, music, gardening, or any other creative pursuit, here you'll find the inspiration and support to make your creative practice a joyful priority in your busy life. So let's get creative.  Well, hi there. Welcome everybody back to another episode of the joyful creative. Before I get into this episode about pivoting, I would like to mention that my studio sale, which is currently live for my subscribers will be open to everybody else on Sunday this Sunday, the 1st of December. I will add the link to the show notes.  It's basically just go to my website and have a look at what's there. I have put lots of images and reels on my social media in the last couple of weeks. So if you're interested in what is available just have a look back at some of those posts. And you'll be able to have a good look at what they are.  They're a little pieces of mixed media on paper. Some of them are water colour, some of them are black ink and all of them have been embellished with the coloured pen, black pen, some glitter pens, metallic pens.  Some of them have some hand stitching on them as well. And they're all just process pieces that have been part of my exploration of this new media. And I've really had a good time doing them and I look back and I still really love them.  I would love to keep them all but I am moving house again, and it would be lovely to just clear them out so that, you know, they're not just stashed in a drawer in a box somewhere when I get to the other end, I would love them to fly off to new homes.  So yes, that will be open this Sunday and I will only have it open for a week or so because while I'm in transit, which will possibly be a couple of weeks, there's no way I'll be able to fulfill any orders after about mid December. So, if you are interested in grabbing a little piece for yourself or for a Christmas present, remember, it's so lovely to give handmade presence gifts for your family for Christmas and loved ones. And look, they're just little pieces on paper at the moment, so they can be mounted in a frame under glass, which really does elevate them and makes them look really special. Or if you just want to casually pop some bulldog clips he can hang it directly from a bulldog clip, or you could put two bulldog clips on each side of the page and add some ribbon or string and hang it up on a little hook. So they're just nice little things to have around, little bit of original art.  If you haven't already started a collection of original art this is a really great affordable way to do that. So go and have a look at what's available. Okay. So let's get into this episode about pivoting. And this is really been inspired… Is inspired the word? I thought about talking about this because as I am packing things up,  in my studio, everything's sort of everywhere at the moment and I need to really get things in order before the packers come in and put it all in boxes. What I've realized is that in the last two years, since I've lived here,  is that I have really explored quite a lot of different media from what I used to do.  So as well as all the fabrics and the beads and sequins and threads and sewing machines and things that I've always had as a textile artist.  I still got those. I don't think I'm getting rid of any of that anytime soon, because I dunno, there's just something lovely about having beads and sequins around me. I just love that environment. So they're staying for the moment. But since then I did a lot of work on an iPad on procreate. So that was good in a way, because it didn't actually create any more stuff. All I've got is the iPad. And I could do lots of works and, you know, they're just files on the iPad that don't actually create  any physical stuff. So that was good, but you know, I think most of you, creative people will understand that sometimes working with a physical material in your hands is really the ultimate thing. So I did go back to that. And then I got into some watercolour and ink on paper and I've been using different types of papers, watercolour paper, mixed media papers. So I've got a lot of that hanging around. At different sizes and I've cut bits up and I just don't know what I'm going to do with it all, but looking at all of this stuff, it really does make it clear to me that I have done a lot of pivoting. And by pivoting I mean that I was doing one thing and now I'm changing it up to something else. And part of me feels like… “Can I really take myself seriously as an artist, if I just keep changing things up?”   And I think maybe in the past, I might've been a little bit judgmental of anyone who was just doing a bit of this and a bit of that as if it's not valid or not real.  But I've been in a bit of a, a life transition, actually. I've transitioned from full-time work to part-time, I'm starting a new business. There's a lot going on that's changing for me. And as an artist or as a creative, I’ve really just allowed myself to just explore and play. And really, if I think about it, that's what this whole podcast is about, is about. Giving yourself permission to play. And to explore different things and just to listen to the calling.  You know, there was a little calling in me that really wanted to just sort of see what happens when you drip ink on a page and see it swirl around and then see how you can embellish that.  So I've just really gone where my heart has called me. And I think I've really benefited from that practice as a creative.  So I just really wanted to talk about pivoting  because maybe some of you out there are stuck on one particular thing that you do. It might be scrapbooking. Or knitting, quilting or painting or writing, whatever it is.  But maybe there's a little tiny voice in you that is saying “What if I got some different, medium and explored that?”  And my advice is just to go for it. I realize firsthand. I realize that when you go from one medium to another, then you do mount up a lot of stuff. And maybe just physical space is an issue. Maybe you don't have a craft room or a garage or anywhere really to store things.  So the more projects you have on the go, just the more space it takes up and physical space is an issue for some of us, depending on where you live and what sort of storage you have on hand or how many people are living in your house and how much of a luxury you have of a dedicated space. I'm pretty lucky because we're living in quite a big house at the moment and there's only the two of us. But gosh, we do tend to spread out and there is there's stuff in every room. So I've been very lucky. And while I do have the space, I do tend to keep accumulating.  But we are sort of considering maybe we might want to downsize to something smaller.  And with all those thoughts in mind, I do think, ah, do I really still need this sewing machine? Do I really still need this mannequin, like big things that do take up space.  And even materials, actually fabrics and some of the beads and things and threads that aren't as special as other pieces. I do think maybe I should just get rid of them. But as I said before, I'm sorta just not quite ready. In my gut, I feel a little bit attached to them. So I'm just honouring that at the moment. So, yes, space is an issue if you go from one thing to another.  And my advice there is a if you have some decent storage like a cabinet or chest of drawers or some boxes or shelving or anything like that that's handy for you, maybe the solution is to once it's filled up and there's no more space, then you've got to get rid of something if you want to get anything else.  It's a good rule for your wardrobe as well. If you have no space to buy anything else, then get rid of something.  So it could be the same with your craft and art supplies. Failing that, get rid of things that you just know that you're never going to go back to.  And I think that sometimes takes a bit of honesty.  And really a bit of soul searching. Sort of think “I really did this thing for so long am I really going to do it anymore again? Or am I going to go back to it?” And like with my gut feeling about my fabrics and sequins and things, I’m not quite ready, and that feeling kind of tells me that maybe there's another project in the future. So I'm honouring my intuition where it comes to that. But, you know, I have looked at other things and for some reason I'm just really to release them. So my gut feels good about that.  So that's maybe a nice process to go through. Really sit with things and have a bit of a soul search about what craft art materials you're really attached to and what you're ready to let go of.  And there is a thing called the sunk cost fallacy. And you might know about it. Basically it's where you've spent a lot of time, energy or money on something and that something could be a profession or a relationship or a project or a medium of art craft that you've been working on.  And you might've been spending all that energy that time, that money on that thing and then when you get that little voice in the head that says, “maybe I want to do something different because maybe this isn’t serving me now.”  There is that other part of your brain that says, “no, I have to persist with this because of the money, time, energy that I've spent on it.” But if you continue to spend that time, energy money on something that isn't serving you and you're really have a calling to do something else, then…That’s why it's a fallacy, because it's not serving you. And the more time energy money you spend on it is actually wasted. And this is whether you are considering the volume of stuff, materials and whether you've got storage or whether it's not that, I mean, some of you are probably doing writing or music. And other things that don't actually require a lot of storage space.  It's still that idea of, “well, I spent so much time learning guitar but now I think I want to learn the flute.’ Or something.  If that's the case, that's fine. That's fine.  I think that a lot of creative things are actually complimentary.  And if you do have skills in one area, for example, if you've learned guitar and now you want to learn a different instrument. Then there will be a lot of basic skills musicianship and just the idea of a dedicated practice and how it feels to move through being a beginner onto intermediate and onto advanced stages.  There's a lot of learnt skills that you already have that's going to feed into this new project that you have And that goes for anything as well. Anything artistic, anything creative. The time and energy that you've spent doing something creative for however long it's been informs the next creative project that you do. And I think it's exciting to try something new.  And even if you try it for a couple of months and you go, “ah, I'm not into this anymore.” Then all well and good. That's your creative process. So I encourage you to listen to the callings, listen to the little voice that is curious about something else. And don't allow the fact that you’ve worked at something for a long time and maybe you even have an identity with it. Maybe your identity is “I'm a quilter.” So now if you're going to become a painter is that the same identity?  That's an interesting thing to consider as well.  But identity is really about how you perceive yourself and how you think other people perceive you. So it doesn't mean you're no longer a quilter. It just means that for now you’re just exploring something else Creative.  And like I said, the medium that you've worked in all those years can very much inform the work that you do in another medium.  I'm actually amazed to see that the aesthetics of the work that I do with water colour or ink on paper has a lot of similarities to the work that I did in textiles. It's all very organic with this graduation in colour. I love to add sparkles, sparkles are just my thing. And I think I will always use sparkles no matter what, whether it's in textiles with beads and sequins or whether it's on paper with glitter pens or, glittery paint.  It's just a thing that I love and I think I will always use that. So yeah, it is really interesting to see how one thing has informed the other. And it's not like I've just started completely from scratch as a creative. I'm just starting from scratch in this particular medium.  So remembering that we've developed skills and artistic ideas and a personal aesthetic that is our work. And even if you do pivot to another medium or art form there's still part of you in there. There's still probably a bit of a part of the other medium in the new thing.  So.  Yes. Any of you who are out there maybe thinking about the new year and whether you might be interested in taking a class or doing something new just to change up what you're doing could possibly be the thing that brings a fresh energy to your creative practice. There are lots of things starting in the new year. And now's probably a good time to start thinking about it and booking in so that you can get in and start your new year creatively and with purpose. So, yes, if you have any inkling to pivot and you're resisting because of whatever reason, lack of space, sunk cost fallacy identity, all of that. Then maybe just sit with it and realize that it's all part of the creative process and it's okay. So I'm giving you permission now to pivot and see where it takes you because that's a creative life.  And it just sounds like fun to me. It sounds very expansive.  So I can't wait to see what we're all doing next year.  I've only got a couple more episodes I can do at the moment for this podcast, because like I said before, I will be in transit.  I could always just record into my laptop like I did a couple of episodes ago. I'll see how I go. But my beautiful microphone is going to be packed away so I'll see how I go, but yeah, a couple more episodes before Christmas, and I just hope that you're all able to continue your creative practice during this busy time.  Like I said, last episode, it's so important to do what you need to do to keep your equilibrium maintained, on track.  Keep your nervous system calm while there is anxiety and stress and busy-ness. Just 10 minutes a day, just sitting down doing something really gentle and mindful like knitting or painting a few strokes or doodling. Or playing your guitar, whatever it is that brings you into that beautiful creative flow is so good for you.  It's so good for your mental health and your wellbeing. And I will just keep shouting from the rooftops about this. So I know it feels like this is the time when you have no time to do anything like that, but this is the time when it's most important. So my friends on that note,  Think about pivoting, think about something new in the new year.  All right. I'll see you in the next episode.  Bye.  I hope you enjoyed this episode of The Joyful Creative.  If you did, be sure to subscribe so you catch them every week. And if you can, please take a moment to leave a review or share it with a friend so the podcast can reach more people who need support and inspiration. Thanks for listening and keep creative.

Creativity for destressing

I'm sure I'm not the only one suffering some overwhelm at this stage of the year! But I think we can all safely say that this is no different from any other Christmas lead up and maybe if we remember how we managed to get through it every year before, we might just feel empowered rather than on the verge of break down! A little mindful creativity (hello mindful colouring book!) even a few minutes a day can also do wonders in keeping us on an even keel during the silly season. * Subscribe to my mailing list [https://www.deborahotooleartist.com/subscribe] * Send me an email [https://www.deborahotooleartist.com/contact] * Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/DeborahOTooleArtist] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/deborahotoole_artist/] * Order my colouring Book - It Starts With A Heart [https://www.deborahotooleartist.com/] TRANSCRIPT: Well, hello everyone and welcome back to another episode. Thank you so much, everybody for listening in. Gee, we're really getting so close to the end of the year and I think I'm not the only one that just starts to feel this incredible overwhelm at this time of the year. I mean, it happens every year. Doesn't it? And I just don't know why it always has to be like this. Every year I approach, you know, get into sort of October seeing what's on in November and December. And I try so hard to really just make it easy, but for some reason there is just so much that we always want to do before the end of the year. I don't know why the end of the year is the important time to do all the catching up and all the things, the parties. We should just be having parties all year round. I don't know why we have to catch up with people before Christmas. Because there's a lot going on before Christmas. You know, kids are finishing school and they've got their graduations and their last, this, and their last to that. And you know, work things of course and end of year, this and that. And I get it. It's always the same. I would love it to be different. I'm not sure what I can do to make it different in my own life, even though I, I think ahead for it. But here I am again feeling completely overwhelmed with things to get done by the end of the year. And on top of everything, we are moving house, not just moving house, but relocating to another state. We're in Brisbane at the moment and we're heading down, back to Canberra in Australia. We're in defence and we have packers come to pack up our house, which I really appreciate because it takes a few guys a whole day to do it. But there are certain things that just need to be organized beforehand. I always have a compulsion to really tidy up and clear things out before they arrive, because what I don't want is to unpack at the other end with just a whole lot of things that I feel a bit resentful about. Why do I even have these things? Or why didn't I just chuck that away before we, we moved? So that's always a bit of a project. There is one good thing about moving fairly often and we have actually moved. I just realized it's like four times, this is the fourth move in four years. So because we have moved fairly frequently I can say that we don't have a lot of major decluttering to do. We've sort of done that pretty regularly. And in the last few years, or in the last two years, since we've been here, we haven't accumulated too much. But even saying that there were still things that I have now that I just, I just know I don't need anymore. And that's just a thing I've decided in the last two years. So will I get rid of them? I'm not sure. It's big things like a sewing machine and mannequins and things that I used to use when I was doing textiles. But... Anyway, this is a bit of a sidetrack. Just all to say that yeah, I am with you all in feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes going for days on the verge of tears, just because of the things that there are to do. How could we change this? Well, I think there is something to be said for just calming the hell down and realizing that we do get through this every year. Every single year, it's busy. And every year things get done when they need to get done and if they don't get done, then maybe they didn't need to get done. And just have that Faith in our own ability to manage everything that needs to be managed. And not to stress about it because yeah, maybe the stress, the mounting to-do list causes us stress. That maybe it doesn't need to cause us stress. Maybe we just need to feel more empowered that we are very capable of managing high tempo periods, like the lead up to Christmas, and we always do it and we always manage it and we always succeed. So just sort of having that knowledge of what's happened in the past will happen again. So with that, I do want to talk about what we can do to help us in those times of complete overwhelm where your heart starts racing and you feel a little bit short of breath and you feel that tightness in your chest. I mean, that's all stress that is anxiety for sure. And of course stress is a good thing in some situations These other bodily functions that kick in for us when we are actually in immediate danger. Physical danger. But unfortunately our brains can't distinguish the difference between physical danger, like running from a burning building or swerving to avoid a collision in the traffic. It can't distinguish between that and how you feel about your mounting to do list. Or the difficult conversation, you know, you can have with a family member at Christmas time. Or the anxiety that you feel about your child going into their exams and how are they going to go? And will they get into their uni course? Will they have the success that you wish for them. All of those things. Our brain doesn't know the difference between running from the burning building and the things that are not imaginary, but not an actual threat to well immediate physical safety. So it does help to have some strategies to manage in those actual real life moments when you just feel panicky about what you need to do and what's happening and what you're worried about. Meditation is a very good tool. I meditate most days and the days that I don't meditate, I really feel very out of sorts so I make that a priority in the morning sometimes not first thing in the morning, but usually, and that really does set me up for the day. There are plenty of online tools and apps to help you with that. Or of course, face-to-face classes. Well, even just taking three long slow, deep breaths will really help in those moments. But I understand not everybody is open to meditation and this is where creativity comes in because you can get into a beautifully, mindful, relaxed state, which is almost meditative by just sitting down and getting into creative flow. And if you do have a creative practice, then you'll know this, and this is why I'm always encouraging people to go back to their creative practice. Not because it's just a fun hobby or you like creating paintings or knitting jumpers or scarves, not just because it's a fun thing to do, but because it's essential for your wellbeing, it really is, If that's the thing that gets you into the creative flow. If you're not locked onto a particular creative practice, or you just don't feel like knitting, or you don't have your paints out or your sewing machine or whatever it is. Then there are just really easy ways to get into creative flow and one of them is mindful colouring. And I have mentioned a couple of times on this podcast that I have published a mindful colouring book, which I'm really proud of. I still look at the pages and think how beautiful those designs are. There is a range of levels of difficulties. So there are a couple of pages that are really chockers of little fields to colour in If you really want to get into something that's going to really challenge you for a few good hours. And there are also other ones that are a lot more sparse that you can just probably get done in about 10 minutes. If you're colouring quickly. And colouring is a really great thing to just have on hand. All you need is a couple of pencils or textas or anything that you're using to color. And have the book if you can have it in your handbag. It's a much more socially acceptable thing than maybe closing your eyes in meditation, if you're with other people. For example, if you're sitting with your kids doing homework or at your lunch table at work. It's not a bad thing to just bring out the colouring book and colour in a few bits and pieces, just to get you sort of in a calmer state of mind. And of course I'll link my colouring book in the show notes for you, if you want to purchase one. And of course it makes a wonderful Christmas present for anybody who needs a little bit of Mindful colouring, through Christmas and the new year. Great for kids as well. So I'll link that in the show notes. Another thing that's just a very easy thing to do. As soon as you feel a little bit of anxiety, stress, heart racing...Mind about to explode, just grab a piece of paper and a pen. It doesn't matter what it is, what quality or anything, and just start making repetitive marks on that paper. It doesn't matter what it is. It could be dashes. It could be crosses. It could be circles, just any mark that you can put down repetitively. And just fill the page with it. You can always start doodling with this and make something really beautiful. That's how doodles start. I always doodle. I've got them happening all the time. I bring a sketchbook wherever I am. So if I'm waiting at an airport or I've got time at work, downtime at work, I know that I'm going to have a few hours because some of you might know I'm a vocalist. And quite often we go to a gig and we've got a sound check and then we've got hours before the actual performance. So I love to have a sketchbook in my green room so I can pass the time. And it's so much better than scrolling through the phone because that action of your eyes tracking the scrolling is actually a bit anxiety inducing as well. So instead of that, of course, we're all going to look at Instagram in our time off. I get that, but maybe not all the time. Maybe you give yourself a limit of a few minutes and then grab your sketchbook and just do some repetitive lines or some doodling. It really does calm you down. I can guarantee this. So I just encourage you all to just do what you can to take it easy during this lead up to Christmas and have faith that everything that needs to be done will get done. Because you always did it before. And when you are really in those crazy moments of just on the verge of tears because of overwhelm, just grab a colouring book and a couple of colours. And just sit and relax for 10 minutes will make the world of difference. Or a piece of paper and a pen, if you don't have that colouring book on hand. And yeah. It's just give yourself that grace give yourself 10 minutes to just reset. And if you do this every day or a few times every day, I really do guarantee that you will get through this thing, this Christmas thing, just so much less scathed and frazzled because you've put your wellbeing on the top of your to-do list. So I hope that you find that advice useful. And before I go, I do want to remind you that I have my studio sale going live this Sunday, the 24th of November at 7:00 PM Brisbane time. So that's an hour earlier than the rest of Australia. And I've got about 26 pieces actually, one of them's already been snapped up by a friend who just um before they've even gone live. She said that one I want it. There's probably all now about 25 pieces. They're just beautiful little experiments and process pieces that I've done during the year. They're mixed media pieces on paper. Most of them around A5 some of them are around A4. Some of them are smaller, so they'd fit into a beautiful little frame. Or you could hang them up with a bulldog clip and some string or a nice piece of ribbon and just hang them on any little hook or something. But yeah, I really am looking forward to sending these pieces off to good homes. They have been done with so much love. And they've definitely been part of my mindful experience throughout the year. It's the first time I've really worked with watercolour and ink, and I'm really loving it. And I'm looking forward to. Continuing this practice in the future. What I really want to do is once I get my next studio set up, I'm looking forward to maybe trying some ink or watercolour on canvas. Because apparently that's a cool thing to do too. So all of these experiments and samples that are in my studio sale are just a whole culmination of the workings and the process that's going to lead me to what I'm going to do next year. So, if you would like to be part of that, I really invite you to sign up to my mailing list because I'm sending the link out through my newsletter. And that will come out on Sunday night. And yeah, it will be a private link and you'll have first access to all the pieces and I'll send them out. They're all $35, which is really an affordable way to get into some original art or add to your original art collection. And, postage is free as well, anywhere in the world. I'm just going to wear that, because I just want these pieces to go fly around the world and around Australia. So Yeah. I'm looking forward to Sunday night. So yes, of course, sign up. The link to sign up is in my show notes. And my friends just have faith, keep calm and we'll all get through this with a bit of mindfulness. Until next time. I'll see you in the next episode and keep creative. Bye.

Creative friends

I've found myself some creative friends and it's been surprisingly lovely for this lone-ranger! I highly recommend connecting with a person or a group who can be your support, your cheerleader and keep you accountable to your creative practice. * Subscribe to my mailing list [https://www.deborahotooleartist.com/subscribe] * Send me an email [https://www.deborahotooleartist.com/contact] * Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/DeborahOTooleArtist] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/deborahotoole_artist/] * Order my colouring Book - It Starts With A Heart [https://www.deborahotooleartist.com/] TRANSCRIPT: Well, hello everyone. Welcome back to another episode of the joyful creative. And I hope that you're all feeling like you're enjoying some joyful creativity at this late stage of the year where it's starting to get a little busy, a bit frantic. Creativity is so important for our mental health and just to keep us centred and grounded. And I know that when we're busy, sometimes the creative pursuit is the thing that gets dropped off the to-do list first. But I'm here to advocate for creativity becoming or remaining at the top of the list so it's a regular thing that you do for your wellbeing and your mental health and your self care every day, or at least many times a week, just to keep you on that equilibrium, because it just might be the thing that gets you through this silly season. Today I wanted to talk about creative friends, but before we get into that, I wanted to remind you that I have a studio sale coming up, it's going live on the 24th of November 2024. At 7:00 PM Brisbane time Australia, which is 8:00 PM Daylight savings for the rest of Australia. And, God knows what time it will be around the world. I'm sure you could figure that out if you're not in Australia. And you might be wondering what a studio sale even is. Well, a studio sale is a where an artist or creative will sell the experiments samples, exploratory works that they'd been working on within a medium. They're not fine art, finished works that they would normally put on their website or sell in a gallery So what I'm doing is selling... I've got about 26, small works on paper. And this has been the exploration that I've been doing with watercolor ink, Pen glitter pen, a bit of stitching and they're all works on paper. Most of them are around about A5 size, but some of them are A4. But I'm selling them all for $35 Australian each. And that includes free shipping. And the reason I'm doing this really is because I do need to clear out my studio because I'm about to move house again. Moving from Brisbane to Canberra. And I look around and you know, I've got this pile of, of works and I just love them all actually, I would love to have them all up in my studio. I might keep a couple. But there they're just so pretty. I just can't bear for them to just be in a pile or in a drawer somewhere just as a memento of what I did this year. I've certainly gained a lot of insight, a lot of wisdom, a lot of skills about how to use watercolor and pen glitter pens in the way that I like to express myself creativity, which is more abstract I guess. A lot of people go to watercolor classes because they want to recreate something that's a bit more realistic, but that's certainly not my experience. I am really an organic artist. Organic artist, is that really even a thing? My way of working is really, I love to let the materials dictate the direction of the work. And then I can apply my creativity to solve the design problems, to make it cohesive. And I find that a really lovely challenge And I'm going to say that usually the solution to any problem is to add sparkles. It's always been the case when I was doing textile artwork, if ever I was in doubt, add sequins was always the answer. And here, when I'm working on paper, It seems that the answer well, for me anyway, is to add sparkles. And that's usually in the form of glitter or metallic pens, or even some metallic stitching. So these are the artworks that I'm selling in my studio sale. So you will have to be on my mailing list to receive the link to the sale when it goes live on the 24th of November. So sign up to the mailing list through my website, I will add that link to the show notes. So hop onto my website, scroll down to the bottom and there's a form. I promise you that my newsletters that I send out weekly, I will be taking a break over Christmas. And yeah, I think that they're informative and definitely not spammy in any way. I believe. So yeah, I would love for all of my listeners to be able to receive a little piece of my workings for 2024. So, yeah, look out for that on my socials. I'm putting up lots of videos and pictures of what's coming up in my stories and on the grid. So check that all out. All right. So getting into this episode about creative friends, I wasn't planning this episode, but it often happens, something pops up for me during the week. And I just, feel like it's something to share. And that is that it's important to have somebody around you, at least one person, if not a group, that is supporting you, advocating for you, cheerleading for you in your creative pursuit. And I've really discovered this through my own experience because, recently when I went to Italy and honestly, I feel like such a wanker when I say I went to Italy, because everybody that I say that to rolls their eyes, Because it is a little bit, bougie saying, uh, when I was in Italy. But honestly, I had so many great experiences when I was in Italy that I really can't help sharing them. One of the most amazing things that came out of that trip... I mean, not only was it absolutely divine and so full of memorable experiences and visions. But the reason I went to Italy was to join a group tour type thing it was. Can you call it an artist retreat? It's very hard to describe what this thing was, but we all met in Naples. It was 12 of us. 12 women. And we went over to the island of Ischia. Which is absolutely divine. And we were working with an artist, Camilla Perkins with oil pastels and acrylic paints. So that was the setting for it. And of course, you put 12 women together with creativity in a gorgeous place with food, wine, beautiful experiences. And of course, you know, we bonded pretty quickly. And I bonded particularly quickly with a couple of sisters that were on the trip. And they're both amazing women. I mean, everybody on this trip was very interesting and it was wonderful to meet them all. But these two sisters in particular, They are absolutely dynamite in their own right. They are women in their fifties. They've got a teenage or adult children. So they're busy with that. They have amazing careers, very knowledgeable and so open to the creative process and I just really clicked with these gals and that was such a fun part of the trip. But since then we've kept in contact and with one of them in particular. I didn't realize this while we were away, but she has resumed writing poetry and she's actually sent me some poetry. And some of the pieces are actually about our trip to Ischia and it was just so beautiful to read her poetic take on our trip. I was really chuffed to see that she's actually put a few of my Australian phrases into her poetry, which. I should give you the background there. Both of these sisters are from LA. very American, but with a Mexican heritage. So Yeah. Some of my Australian-isms were quite foreign and bemusing to them. And this. This gal that's written poetry has actually put some of my expressions in there. So that was really lovely to read. But we've had a little bit of back and forth messaging about what we're doing creatively and how we're fitting it into our days now that we're back from Italy and back into our normal lives. And I just really can't describe how surprisingly lovely it is to have that connection and have somebody caring about whether I'm being creative or not. I have to admit that I tend to be a bit of a lone range where it comes to my creativity and even in a business sense. I don't know what it is. I'm quite a sociable person. I really do love people, but maybe there's a part of me that's a bit shy to reach out, to be part of groups. I really don't know why that's the case, because actually when I am in a group I'm quite confident, but maybe just sort of breaking into it or reaching out to people. Maybe there's a part of me that feels a bit like I would be imposing or that they don't have the time, or I just don't know. But these gals, I'm calling them gals. I feel like I don't really want to mention their proper names in case they're not happy with that. These American ladies, they have a Mexican background and they are very much more family focused maybe than I am. I mean, I love my family. There's no problems with my family, but. Maybe it's an American thing. Maybe it's a Mexican thing as opposed to the Australian thing, but they are just very much involved in each other's lives, much more than I am with my sisters. And there's a real sense of community there with them. And I was really chuffed to be kind of adopted as an honorary sister into their family while we were away. And to have that ongoing connection with them has really just given me a little boost of confidence with my own creativity. And it's a boost of confidence that I never thought I needed. But maybe we all need somebody in our life that is that cheerleader. Somebody that understands that acknowledges that being creative on a regular basis is important to us. And that it's not just a fun hobby or a nice thing to have when we have time. Somebody who is keeping you accountable to your creative project. And that could be one person or it could be a group. I'm also studying to be a holistic integrated creative arts practitioner. It's quite a mouthful. But yes, I'm in a group of about 12 like-minded women who are all creative in very different ways have come to this cause for different reasons and have different outcomes in mind. But I've even connected, particularly with some of those women who are very encouraging and interested in what I'm doing. And It's lovely to have that reciprocal friendship in a creative way. There's a difference between having a friend that you go out and have coffee with and you might catch up with, and you're talking about family and work and what's going on in your life. But somebody who's particularly your friend in a creative sense. Is a whole new thing for me. And I'm finding it to be quite different from any of my other friendships. So I guess what I'm saying here is that if you're somebody who particularly tends to put off your creativity or put it on the back burner or feel that it's a less than the most important thing in your life, maybe you need somebody who reminds you that it's important. Somebody with whom your relationship is purely based on your mutual love for creativity. And somebody who, when you interact with them, the first question is what are you doing? How's your project going? Did you finish that project? What are you up to now? Because that's a relationship that will help you to elevate your creative practice to the importance that you want to give it. Just having somebody else in your life, who is that person... because I understand maybe it's not your partner. Maybe it's not your family. And. It's certainly, probably not your children. Although I have to say my daughter is, my daughter's an adult and she's got into knitting in the last year or so. And it's been a really lovely interaction that I can now have with her. She's knitting, and also then she's moved into sewing and she's sewing dresses and all sorts of things she's actually wearing. And having creativity as a conversation I can have with my daughter is sort of a new and fun and refreshing subject that we now have in common. Then maybe if you've got teenagers or little kids, perhaps they're not going to be your biggest support in creativity, even though they might be curious about what you're doing and if you can share creativity with your kids then that is a beautiful thing as well. But in terms of having somebody who is your support person, your advocate, your cheerleader, I highly recommend finding somebody and. Yep. That person might come from an art class or a creative group, or do what I did and go on an art retreat and meet somebody. Or maybe even in the online space. Obviously you want to be careful that that person's a real person and not a bot. But I would suggest that there are people out there who are probably also looking for somebody like you, who can be the support for them. And wouldn't it be lovely if as creatives, we could start some sort of community, even if it's just a community of two people Even if it's just one-on-one. So, yes, as I mentioned at the start of the episode, I realize it's coming up to a very busy time for people with Christmas looming, if you're listening to this as it's being recorded. But maybe it's something you want to think about pursuing in the new year. Maybe have a look at what sort of classes or groups are starting in your area. Or have a bit of a look online to see what might be something that you could join. And even if you're like me and you're all a little bit shy and a bit introverted when it comes to big groups, like I said, the one-on-one thing is, or even one on three thing would be a fun thing to do. And certainly within the realms of keeping your central nervous system from going into overload with a big group. But yeah, maybe now's the time to think ahead to the future to 2025. And what you might be able to do in the creative friendship space to help you going forward in the new year, to pursue your creative practice on a regular basis, which is so important for you. So I hope that you found this helpful in some way. If you did, maybe you want to send this episode to your creative friend or somebody that you know. Also, if you are enjoying these episodes, I would really love it if you could leave a nice review so that more people can find the podcast and benefit from the information. So. My friends. Go forth, be creative and I'll see you in the next episode.

Do it messy!

I almost didn't record an episode this week because I'm away from home and don't have my microphone with me and I was concerned about the sound quality. But then I remembered my new motto "Done is better than perfect" (not mine originally but I'm embracing it!) and realised I should just get resourceful and do it anyway, even if the results are a little messy. The same goes for creativity. We could all use the excuse of having lack of time or other resources or the lack of faith our own ability to stop ourselves from doing cool creative things. But that would just be dull and lead to regrets. I say do it messy and do it anyway! * Subscribe to my mailing list [https://www.deborahotooleartist.com/subscribe] * Send me an email [https://www.deborahotooleartist.com/contact] * Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/DeborahOTooleArtist] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/deborahotoole_artist/] * Order my colouring Book - It Starts With A Heart [https://www.deborahotooleartist.com/] TRANSCRIPT: Well, hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of the Joyful Creative. Today, I'm recording this episode directly into my laptop rather than through a microphone because I'm currently away from home again, and I don't have my full set up with me. I'm currently staying in what used to be student accommodation in Canberra. And it's quite an older buildings so when people come in and out of their rooms and use the shared bathrooms, the doors tend to bang quite loudly and also, while the location is great for getting around and going out for coffees and restaurants and things there is a constant street noise. There are sirens and horns happening all the time. And so I just hope that it doesn't affect your enjoyment over listening to this episode. I normally pride myself on a high level of professionalism. It might be the performer in me, I really want my audience to have a great experience. So when I knew I was going to be away and I wouldn't be able to bring my microphone and headphones with me, I almost thought that I'd have to miss a week of recording this podcast. But this year, I've really turned a corner where perfectionism is concerned. And where before I would stop myself from doing something, if it wasn't going to be perfect or I would procrastinate and overthink it, or just take a really long time completing it, now my new motto is "Done is better than perfect" I didn't come up with that myself. You might've heard it before. For me, it's taken some pushing out of my comfort zone to embrace this. And to be honest, I still don't really like it. I still don't like feeling like I'm doing things half-assed or not quite to the best of my ability. But also I recognize that it's not that I'm lazy or I don't care, or that I'm happy with what I deem to be a sloppy outcome. But the fact is sometimes I have less than optimal resources available to me. Like right now, not having my microphone. Usually the lacking resource is time. And of course, if I had a microphone with me now, I would use it. If I had unlimited time, I would spend more of it on perfecting everything I do, but I don't. And so the alternative is that I either do things imperfectly or I don't do them at all. And I've come to the conclusion this year in particular that in my short time on this earth, I would rather just get things done and achieve things and have the experiences with the time and resources I have rather than not do them at all. And I really just have to let go of the unrealistic expectations of myself and give myself credit for what I do manage to achieve. It's interesting isn't it? That if we were talking to a child or a friend, we would be nothing but encouraging of them for having an idea and going for it. We wouldn't judge their outcome, We would admire their efforts and willingness to have a crack. You know, we'd never say "Look, if you can't do it perfectly, you just really shouldn't even try" So why do we say this to ourselves? I mean, not only is it really unkind, but it's stifling and it can lead to regrets when we look back on things we wanted to do or make happen, but we stopped ourselves. So when it comes to creativity or just in life, are you stopping yourself from making something starting a new project, picking up a new medium or exploring something new because a) you lack faith in your ability to do it perfectly or b) you lack the resources to do it perfectly? If you answered yes to either of those, first of all, to a) you like faith in your ability to do it perfectly... I'm going to give you some tough love here and remind you that no one does anything perfectly when they first begin. Absolutely no successful artist sat down on day one and could draw paint knit, write, sew, dance or sing the way they could when they became renowned for it. They went through the process, just like everyone else. So you actually have to start if you have any chance of getting close. And it's an ongoing process of course. That's why they call it practice. You need to start off scrappy and keep chipping away at it until you have refined your skills. And look, if you have a go at something and find that you're just not digging it after you've given it a red hot crack, then just drop it and pick up something else. But please don't not do something because you think you won't be good at it. And the perfection piece extends to showing your work as well. Look, I believe everyone's creative practice is individual to them and if you love creating simply for the joy of the process and you love to keep it all private, then that's completely your call. However, if you are keen to post your work on social media put it on a website, have a public exhibition or a performance or are simply interested in feedback from a fellow creative mentor or friend, don't wait until you think your work is perfect or good enough to show. Yes, I know it's scary to put yourself out there when there is a chance, the response could be negative. But I think you'll find that people are more supportive than you anticipate. I mean, most people will admire the fact that you put yourself and your work out there. And it might even encourage them to do the same. It's also good to be open to constructive feedback from people you trust. It's a great way to improve and gain an insight to how your work is perceived by others and how it affects them. And in the case of someone being mean enough to give nasty feedback. Just try to shake it off . In the words of Taytay haters gonna hate. And remember that the tone of it says more about them and how they feel about themselves than it is about you. And to point b) That you lack resources to do it perfectly... Well, here's where you can really exercise your creativity by getting resource- ful. Right now, luckily I don't have to get too resourceful in getting this podcast recorded because I can just use the laptop mic and be okay with a slightly lower sound quality. But, yeah, I'm glad that I didn't not do it because I think it's going to be perfectly fine anyway. But when it comes to lack of time, As I've said in previous episodes. if you don't have huge chunks of time, and let's face it, who does. Then be okay, with just a few minutes at a time or whatever you can manage. If it's lack of appropriate space, like a creative space, maybe look into hiring borrowing sharing a space or use whatever space you have available at home and adapt your practice accordingly. Just until you do have the ideal space. At the moment, I am really itching to do some painting on canvases. But the creative space that I have at home, it's a good size, but it has carpet on the floor. So it's not really ideal for painting and getting really messy. So at the moment I'm sticking to watercolour and pens and just things that I can do on a desktop and there's no real risk of the carpet getting stained. So I'm just adapting what I'm doing but I'm managing to still be creative and that's the whole point. If it's tools and materials you lack, or it's probably more than money to buy tools because they are available to buy online if not locally.... Put feelers out to your communities or networks and ask if anyone has gear that they're looking to offload because they are done with it. Or Facebook marketplace Gumtree or second-hand sites are full of musical instruments, materials, tools, and art supplies for almost any discipline and some are free to good homes. So get resourceful and get what you need and get started. Because otherwise the alternative is to not do anything at all. And that just sounds dull and defeatist rather than inventive and expensive. And by the way, I'm just going to talk about the word perfection. Because perfection is so subjective isn't it? Especially in creativity. And there never really is a moment when you reach perfection, it's an ongoing quest. And chances are, even if you have worked at your craft for the ideal amount of time, with the ideal materials in the ideal space, under the ideal conditions, you may never feel it's perfect. There'll always be something more to learn and really for me, anyway, perfection is not even the point of creativity. The benefits my practice has on my wellbeing are worth the time I put into it, no matter what the outcome. And I really hope that you feel the same about your practice and just do it messy rather than not at all. It's so important for you and I'd hate to think that you are stopping yourself because any of those conditions are imperfect. So until next time my friends keep creative and I'll be back with another episode next week. See you then. Bye.