slow inside

Lanecia was born the daughter of a pastor. As a young adult, she chose to study divinity and become a pastor herself. But then, at 36 years-old. Lanecia found out she was pregnant. And, as many expecting moms do, she started to examine her life in preparation for parenthood. She began questioning things in the church she hadn’t questioned before, and she started to re-envision who she was and what...

In three short years, painter Amira Rahim went from painting alone in her room to selling art in galleries and online, having licensing agreements, and being recognized the world over for her talent . Amira's work has been featured in The Huffington Post, Time Out, The Chicago Tribune, Ebony and in galleries and personal collections around the world. Amira spends every day living out her mission:...

“Honey-drenched maker, sister keeper, and gentle spirit badass mother fucker,” Jennette Nielsen, creates from just about anything to make just about everything. From goddess mugs to witches salves, from bags and hats to rattles, and inks, Jennette makes to mend and turns rubbish into beauty. When Jennette was four years old her step-father began sexually abusing her. He stopped when she was ten. J...

Addye Nieves is a self-taught visual artist, writer, and mental health advocate. Her work focuses on trauma, healing, and how both shape who we are and who we become. She “empowers women to transform brokenness in their lives into power and beauty, and amplifies the voices and experiences of those marked as Other in society.” This is her story from broke to beautiful. In this conversation we talk...

Actor, advocate, singer, and author, Kimberly Beaman, was diagnosed with dyslexia when she was five. She was humiliated, threatened, and segregated in school. By middle school, her self-esteem had plummeted. By high school, Kimberly was officially depressed. Today she runs her own company: Accessible Books for Children. Her first children's book, My Little Cupcake, is a book for all young learners...

Muralist, Painter, and Performance Artist, Gregg Deal, makes art that is provocative and powerful. Work that explores themes of Indigenous identity, race relations, decolonization, and appropriation. As a marginalized artist in a Western art world, Gregg's work challenges our assumptions and beliefs about what it means to be Indian in America. In this conversation we talk about: Being bullied for...

Leah Tumerman makes paintings on canvas, murals on walls, and drawings on paper. Her work explores what it means to be a woman through the lens of sisterhood and community, identity and belonging. And sometimes, loneliness. In this conversation, some things we talk about are: The struggle between fitting in and standing out The decision to never quit The loneliest period of her adult life Healing...

Kesha decided she wanted to be an artist when she went to NYC at 15. She's making art ever since. In this conversation we talk about: What it’s like when no one understands your art and how to keep going in spite of it How Kesha survived being broke while attending fancy art school Losing her creative voice and what she did to find it again Being a full-time artist (while holding down a day job) a...

Jeweler and watercolor maker, Kim Wildthorne, is a mother, thinker, doer and creative problem solver whose “heart manifests in the world with humility, sensitivity, and gratitude.” Kim brings beauty, intention, and integrity into the world through sustainable made jewelry and eco-conscious watercolor paints. In this interview we talk about her struggles as she transitioned to life as a full-time a...

Karen Walrond is a bestselling author and the creator of the award-winning blog, Chookooloonks. She’s a TEDx Speaker, a certified Daring Way facilitator, and part of One.org, a grassroots organization that fights extreme poverty and preventable disease in developing countries. Her mission is to help you look for, and find, the light. This is Karen’s story from a 5-year-old told she had no aptitude...

In this very candid interview Alisa Burke, painter & mixed-media artist, talks about everything from miscarriage and how art pulled her through what was one of the hardest years of her life to the challenges of being a full-time artist, what happened when she got really brave and put herself out there, how to find your own creative voice amongst the millions of others, and what it took for Ali...

Andrea Pippins is a successful illustrator and author who didn't take any art classes until her senior year in high school. She applied three times to the Tyler School of Art at Temple University before being accepted. Today Andrea has clients around the world including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Lincoln Center and Free People. Her work has been featured in O: The...

Fear researcher, author, and productivity expert, Roanne Van Voorst used to be an overworked academic scared of dogs, flying, public speaking, risk-taking, and heights. Then Roanne started putting her research into action. Now she works four hour days producing more than she ever has. She’s written six books in the last six years, including Fear! Extreme athletes on how to reach your highest goals...

Catherine Rains is a collage artist and painter. She began making art at 33-years old to help relieve the stress of her full-time job. Over the last two decades, Catherine has built a strong following and an extensive portfolio. Her work has been shown in galleries, art shows, and is in private collections around the country. Here is the story of Catherine’s journey: from making art while working,...

Grace Chin makes art that is both political and pretty, useful and ornamental. She makes beautiful wreaths that surround strong personal and political statements like “smash the patriarchy, hope fiercely, nevertheless she persisted, I believe you," and "take care." Grace graduated with a BFA in printmaking from the University of Kansas in 2012. Before starting her career as a full-t...

Alisha Sommer is a freelance writer and photographer who is, at heart, a storyteller. She is a mama of three, a lover of wine, words, and light. She began her own business at home, as a young mom, wanting to know if writing could become a job and money could be made from stories. Now, nearly ten years later, she earns a living from her creativity. But it’s been a slow build that’s required patienc...

Michael Gebbens is a videographer, motivational speaker, and business coach. Here Michael shares about the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, the truth about money and business (and his own story of near bankruptcy), and how to do what you love even when what you love isn’t what you’ve been taught to do. Some things we talk about: • how to know what’s good advice, what isn’t, and the exact questi...

Alena Hennessy is an intuitive painter, teacher, writer, and workshop leader. She’s been doing the art thing for twelve years and making enough money to keep doing art for the last four years. Alena’s learned a lot on this path. She’s learned about what it takes to build a successful art business, how to trust in herself and her creative voice, what to do when the pain is big and where to turn to...

Mixed media artist, Nikki Cade, left her full-time job as a special education teacher in June of this year to pursue art full-time. Because she’d spent the last several years building an online following and customer base, she could quit her job when her art became more important than the teaching. It’s been six months since then and she loves it. Here Nikki talks about what it took to leave the f...

Christa david left a six-figure earning career in public health for a full-time gig as an artist. She makes collages, paintings, and photographs that she sells online, through galleries, and in-person. Here Christa talks about what she learned as a mom at 14-years-old and how that’s informed her art business today, the ups and downs of being your own boss, and what it means to make art as a black...

Director, photographer and filmmaker, Jethro Waters, is best known for a more avant-garde, magical realist approach to filmmaking. His work has been published in The Guardian, Rolling Stone, Pitchfor, NPR, Spin, and Billboard. Here Jethro shares about the ebbs and flows of creativity, how he got started making films and his launch into the world of documentaries, what it’s like to film your real-l...

L'Erin is a healer. And by healer I mean warrior. She's been to rock bottom and, like a phoenix, risen from the ashes. Now L'Erin makes her living as a "soul guide, shadow diver, and spiritual teacher." In this conversation we talk about: • making your way back from the depths of despair • the key to liberation (seriously) • how to start, and then restart, your business brick-by-virtual...

L'Erin is a healer. And by healer I mean warrior. She's been to rock bottom and, like a phoenix, risen from the ashes. Now L'Erin makes her living as a "soul guide, shadow diver, and spiritual teacher." In this conversation we talk about: • making your way back from the depths of despair • the key to liberation (seriously) • how to start, and then restart, your business brick-by-virtual...

Artist and Illustrator, Lisa Congdon, spends her life making art and teaching others about art. She speaks openly and honestly about things most people never talk about like how to navigate the murky waters of success, social media anxiety, burnout, aging, and money. Some things we talk about: the role of art in activism knowing what, and how, to share (and when it's best not to) the value of goin...

We talk about the affect her mom’s cancer diagnosis had on her life, how she made her first film with just a go pro and a mediocre mic, what it’s like to face physical danger in one’s work, and how to go for your dreams no matter how big they are or how little you know.