Artists for Joy

This week Merideth discusses the harmful "tortured artist" stereotype that plagues artists everywhere. Must we be sad, depressive, melancholy individuals in order to make great art? Spoiler alert—nope :) Submit mail: https://bit.ly/38bKMSF Compose your Career: https://bit.ly/3ldBIlB Mental Health Resources for Artists: https://bit.ly/2LR45YW Support the Show: https://bit.ly/3vdDjeN  

What better way to begin Season 2 than with stories of artists starting over! Merideth shares the most important question to consider during a restart and offers some thoughts on coping in uncertain times. If you're standing at the beginning of a new season, this one's for you. Support the show: https://bit.ly/3vdDjeN Compose Your Career Course: https://bit.ly/3ldBIlB Submit a Creative Conundrum:...

In the Season Finale, Merideth explores how the creative process can transform us from the inside out, if we just ask the right questions. She'll answer a special lightning round of listener q's and offer you something to consider this week before signing off for the summer. Watercolors and Mindfulness: https://bit.ly/3dJZtzy The Artist's Way: https://bit.ly/32pPZE8 Support the show: https://bit.l...

How do you answer that pesky, well-meaning question strangers ask: "What do you do?" This week a debunking of a lie creatives tell--"My work is my worth." If you aren't performing well in any given moment, does it affect your self-worth? Merideth explores ways to replace that belief with truth that can help you separate your value from your performance. Sookkyung Cho's Schubert album: https://spot...

How does unstructured alone time affect our creativity? Where is the line between healthy solitude, which can promote important reflection and growth— and social isolation, which may cause loneliness? Merideth shares a little of what science has to say about the difference and explores the importance of restorative solitude for artists and creatives. Study on the healthy aspects of social withdraw...

After the popularity of the anxiety episode, a follow up—this time anxiety's legitimate, responsible, older cousin: worry. How are worry and anxiety different? What does the science say about worrying? Can it be helpful/useful? Merideth will share the results of a recent social media poll about artists' worries, plus some things that are helping her cope with it lately. Frederick Buechner's book C...

This week on the podcast, the first in a series of new bonus episodes entitled "Meet an Artist Who," where we invite artists to share their stories in their own voice. This week Merideth chats with painter Jaye Schlesinger about her show "Possessed," a collection of 380 oil paintings depicting every item she owned after a two-year decluttering process.  Jaye's website: http://bit.ly/38WJbQP Purcha...

How does what we own affect our creative life? Why is it so hard to let physical things go? This week Merideth offers three mantras she's using to spark joy during the packing/moving process, thoughts on how clutter can slow us down, keep us scared, and even show us all that we have. Jaye Schlesinger's "Possessed": http://bit.ly/3eFtPUL Anna Steinhoff, cello and viola da gamba: http://bit.ly/2OI0a...

This week on the podcast: Mindset. How does the spirit with which we approach things change our experience? How can we learn to cultivate a mindset of growth and gentleness in our creative work, especially as we are trying new things? Merideth shares the story of how she learned the answer to these questions from a certain toddler this week. She also shares insights of Psychologist Carol S. Dweck,...

What stops us from cultivating deep friendships, especially with other artists? This week on the show, Merideth explores how friendship can be a powerful tool in the creative process, offering us not only companionship, but also self-knowledge, inspiration, perspective and healing. https://artistsforjoy.org/connect Transactive Memory Systems, The Atlantic: http://bit.ly/3klRdr2  

On this week's show, Merideth explores why we are so reluctant to take that initial step towards a creative goal and how we might follow Nike's call to "just do it." She'll share a story from her marathoning days and offer a deep insight she learned from a successful entrepreneur recently about the relationship between things that are scary and/or dangerous.  Coach with Merideth: https://bit.ly/2R...

In this episode, Merideth takes on the ever-important topic for artists--naming and claiming your "why." What benefit is there in this singularity of purpose, of making meaning in work and life? She'll share three concrete practices/questions/ways of thinking to help you name yours, plus offer insights from two major thought leaders on the subject.  Simon Sinek's Ted Talk http://bit.ly/3pSM4sl Joi...

This week we talk competition, how comparing ourselves to others can drain us and lead to creative drought. Merideth will offer a metaphor for scarcity mindset that will probably make you hungry. Plus she'll share some tips for choosing abundance and gratitude over jealousy and fear in your creative practice. Artist's Way Creative Cluster: https://bit.ly/32pPZE8  

This week on the podcast, Merideth explores a topic she and so many artists struggle with: anxiety. She'll share info from two studies on how anxiety affects our brain health and offer some insights into managing the stress that she found in the most unexpected place.  Study "Positive attitudes reduce dementia risk": http://bit.ly/35Znyy0 Study: "PTSD doubles dementia risk": http://bit.ly/3ce99Sz...

This week on the podcast Merideth explores the strength of being a deep feeler, how artists can use their sensitivity to nurture empathy in others. She'll also discuss the important distinction between being an empath and suffering from clinical depression; how we all might see our potential for deep empathy as a strength, while setting healthy boundaries around our mental health.  Mental Health R...

This week on the podcast Merideth examines the popular mantra: talent + hard work= success. How much do our unique and innate gifts contribute to our success as an artist? Are those two parts of the equation all there is to a satisfactory life as a creative person? Merideth shares a story of how a complete stranger once called out an unexpected talent that would became a calling. She'll explore a...

What *is* joy, how is it different from regular old happiness, why is choosing joy an important practice to cultivate as an artist, anyway? This week, Merideth shares some ideas on what to do in between joyful memories on stage, plus more on what is behind the podcast's name. Learn more about indictus here: http://bit.ly/2J4qAsu

Should artists be people pleasers? Is it possible (or wise) to stop caring what people think? This week Merideth shares a personal story about a big decision that helped her stop her people pleasing habit, plus she'll explore how the work of sociologist and writer Martha Beck impacted her perception of her "generalized other" and led to a more joyful life as a musician. Enneagram Workshop Registra...

This week we are talking faith...faith in the creative process, faith in ourselves and each other, and the very light and non-controversial topic of how our concept of a higher power can harm or expand our creative lives.  Read the Margaret Mead article here: https://bit.ly/37xzOpf Register for the Enneagram Workshop here: https://bit.ly/2WSPdvI  

Meditation is proven to relieve stress and improve overall health. Join Merideth for a bonus episode featuring a special guided mindfulness meditation. It features music of marimba player/composer Chris Leich. The Artists for Joy theme song is by Angela Sheik. 

This week, join Merideth as she explores mindfulness: why she was so resistant to a mindfulness practice at first, how and why she eventually came around, and what our work in the arts can teach us about living in the now. Submit a creative conundrum: https://bit.ly/3kFNMLf Lumina Duo: https://spoti.fi/2IxrGfz    

Change—even when it's for the best—is hard. Merideth shares a time when she was surprisingly resistant to change and offers one way of viewing our creative work as an offering and invitation into hope. She'll answer a listener's creative conundrum about creative blocks, plus share a special announcement. Submit your creative conundrum here: https://bit.ly/3kFNMLf  

This week on the podcast Merideth explores the purpose we may find in play-- how making space for unstructured, unproductive, purely playful activities can lead us all to deeper creative joy and may even help us uncover our next step or truer purpose.  Submit a Creative Conundrum here: https://bit.ly/3kFNMLf Listen to pianist Anna Kislitsyna here: https://bit.ly/2Ia9yrS  

This week, Merideth explores the the art of letting go. Is it beautiful or just plain painful?  She'll share her thoughts on how it can be an expected part of the creative process and even a road to healing. Learn more about artist Emie Hughes: https://bit.ly/3kFUkcx Blue Jar Studio Instagram: https://bit.ly/3jOqGkp Blue Jar LLC on Etsy: https://etsy.me/3e7fzBy Pyxis Piano Quartet: https://bit.ly/...

This week Merideth takes on the tough topic of failure. She'll offer 3 tips for processing, bouncing back, and cultivating a healthy sense of self outside of our art form or roles in life. Hear the complete Beethoven Mandolin Sonatina here: https://bit.ly/2TkPoOe