Art Creativity & Wellbeing

Sometimes the universe gives me the opportunity to share a favorite teacher of mine with you. That's what's happening today, as I am joined by Karen Margulis! Karen is the creator and leader of a huge wonderful pastel community, where I have been a member since late 2021. We talk about how she began her art career back when she was at a crossroads: do I continue with my current work, or do I try t...

Several interesting ideas are colliding for me today, creating doorways to a good present, and a good future, as well. If you'd like to play along with the Days of Creation 2026 game, here is the post with the Game book and rules. It's free with no strings attached, so please check it out if you would like to play along. Merch :) I’ve made two sets of notecards from my paintings: Happy Poinsettia...

John Briggs is a CPA and entrepreneur, who's built beautiful things by taking breaks. John’s formative years were split, first in California in a big city environment where he felt like safety was being invisible, becoming invisible. Then he moved to Missouri, to a city of 2000 and a graduating class in his high school of 70. There were lessons in both of those places, and a big one was about trus...

Today we explore the difference between feeling that something is happening TO us, or feeling that something is happening FOR us. I am glad to be back! Thanks for all the support and love as I have been regaining my spirits and energy, and thanks also for spending this time with me today. If you’d like to play along with the Days of Creation 2026 game, here is the post with the Game book and rules...

I meant this to go up a couple days ago, but the universe had other plans. It gives me the chance to say, how much I am appreciating my own body, especially when I give it the opportunity to really rest. This last week there’s been lots of movement, creation of art for art’s sake, baths, giving myself lots of love and grace, and sleep. So much sleep. I’ve not slept this hard since I was doing my c...

Thank you so much for all the love and care you have been sending my way after I shared of the discovery of a lump in my breast. I'll see the doctor soon, and I'll have more to share with you after that. Between that and some quite a few other health concerns, I have realized that I've not been giving myself the rest that is a vital part of my own self-care. So I am taking August off, and I'll see...

What a great conversation I get to bring you today. Connect with Laurie in the Subtack app , at her website , and you can find her beautiful book, Flow Habit , here. I have received lots of messages of support after sharing about the lump I discovered in my breast… It's helping. Thank you so much. I'll let you know, when I know something. I shared last week that getting outside has been really hel...

Yup. Getting outside has meant like EVERYTHING to me as I sit with the potential outcomes, as well as navigate the healthcare system to receive the care that will help. It’s funny how there are no coincidences – I am offering a workshop this coming Monday, in zoom, 6 PM Eastern time on 27 July – called “Let’s Go Outside.” If you, like me, can use a little outside time, plus being in shared company...

Today I’m speaking with Kristy Halvorsen , an explorer of life, a coddiwompler, and author of Perfect Unfolding . Where is Kristy right now? Kristy is living inside ‘Coddi’, her Airstream parked near Bradford, New Hampshire; her summer home. Coddi comes from coddiwomple, a word that ‘found her’, which means to travel with no destination in mind. Over time she has redefined it as travelling purpose...

Today we discuss mechanisms for choosing our mindset, especially during challenging times. In this episode I introduce a question that’s been really helpful for me: “What would help me return to center after witnessing all of this?” This question helps me recognize when I’m trying to control circumstances beyond what I can actually control, and bring my focus instead to centering practices, like d...

Today I am here with Kathryn Nicolai , creator of the wonderful sleep podcast Nothing Much Happens , the amazing mindfulness podcast First This , and the lively and delightful podcast Stories from the Village of Nothing Much . Kathryn'new book, On the Street Where You Live , comes out next month, in July 2026. Here is her Instagram , a great place to see what’s going on with Kathryn and her creati...

A reflective one today. I am getting to be a facilitator at the Rebels for Peace Summer Internship Program , and in this episode I give you a little bit of what I'll be bringing to them. Questions for reflection: 1. What do I like, what do I enjoy doing? 2. What's an example of a time that I showed courage, even just a tiny amount? 3. How is this thing that sucks, a gift? I'd love to hear – drop m...

I'm excited to bring you today's deep, beautiful, very warm and loving conversation. Today's guest, Mheena Bhasin , is a violist, mother of two and Pleasure Activist living in Noe Valley, San Francisco. Her work centers the arts as a vital part of civic life and community wellbeing. Mheena feels deep gratitude for her life, her family and her community. She has co-created a concert series with her...

I’ve been on retreat, and I learned lots.. sharing with you today. Here’s what the Zoom Summary had to say about today’s episode, I think it’s pretty spot-on. Kay shared her experience taking a week-long digital detox, disconnecting from the internet entirely to immerse herself in a retreat-like experience reminiscent of 1987. During this time, she discovered how frequently she relied on the inter...

May has been a wild ride! I take you into it today. Also, THERE ARE SOME SWEARS.. fyi :) Nuts and Bolts * Read about – and play along at – the Days of Creation 2026 game (that this episode is about) by clicking here . * Here is June’s workshop signup link , and you can find out more about it here * I’m offering online workshops throughout 2026, and an in-person retreat here in Maine in September -...

I am soooo excited to bring you this conversation, a Roundtable with the Rebels for Peace leaders! Here’s how Zoom summarized the conversation… In this Roundtable, Rebels for Peace Prince Jimmar , Logan Griggs-Mitchell , Devlin Chestang and Melina Navarette explored the concept of peace and its impact on their personal and professional lives, sharing their experiences before and after joining the...

Today I’m speaking with Melina Navarrete , Lead Facilitator, Lead Bilingual Facilitator, and Lead Trainer for Rebels for Peace . I am SO excited to share this one with you! Here is how Zoom summarized our conversation, I think it did a pretty good job.. Melina shared her personal mental health journey, including struggles with depression and anxiety during high school, hospitalizations, and how sh...

Get ready for a quickie meditation today! I take you to your very own beautiful deserted island, and we spend the majority of this episode exploring there. If you'd like to explore some more, you are cordially invited to this Monday's workshop, That Time You Found Yourself on a Deserted Island : In a lovely spot on the island you’re hanging out on, you find a letter that the Universe wrote to you....

As we go through this magical series of conversations with the leaders of the Rebels for Peace, I just keep feeling more and more inspired… Hope you enjoy this one! Here’s the Zoom summary… In this heartfelt conversation, Kay interviewed Devlin Chestang , the Lead Youth Facilitator at Rebels for Peace , about his personal journey and his work with young people in Chicago. Devlin shared his challen...

Hello lovely, I challenged myself to a short and sweet episode that shares what feels true for me in this moment. I hope it finds you well

WHAT a conversation we get to experience today! Rebels for Peace Co-Founder and Executive Director Prince Jimmar joins me to share deeply about his own journey, and how connected his journey is with the beautiful organization he now leads. Growing up, Prince felt cast into roles that were the opposite of how he knew himself to be. Hearing him share about breaking free of those roles, it becomes cl...

I'm so excited to bring you this conversation with Logan Griggs-Mitchell , Lead Facilitator and Program Coordinator of Rebels for Peace, a youth-led nonprofit on Chicago's South Side. The Rebels for Peace support kids to "let their environment be a product of them,” rather than feeling like they're stuck being a product of their environment. Over the coming weeks we'll get to spend time with sever...

Once I began reflecting on the verbs that got me into trouble as a kid, I got curious about two things: First, how might these verbs show me myself as I am now? And second, what are your verbs? Zoom Summary: In this episode of Art, Creativity, and Wellbeing, Kay Lock Kolp discussed the concept of identifying and examining "verbs" as a way to understand behavior, curiosity, and interests. Drawing f...

What an interesting podcasting experiment, to return to the same subject matter once each month and see what shows up. March was a wild ride, in the way that whitewater rafting is. See below for links that come up today, and the invitations I'm offering now. Also, click here - my homepage in Substack - for the portrait I painted of Jesse, at the Butterhorn Bakery in Frisco, Colorado, last week. Yo...

3 A’s Framework for Aliveness Kay discussed the final portion of a series on aliveness, focusing on the “3 A’s” framework which includes awareness, acceptance, and agency. She explained how agency represents growth that continues beyond these stages, creating a spiral of ongoing development and self-understanding. Kay mentioned that the podcast, which has over 470 episodes, is approaching its 11th...