Creative Nectar: Talks & Tools for Heart-Centered Living in a Changing World

Let’s change things up before our hiatus! In this different format episode, your hosts Stephanie Gray and Jenny Hahn chew over some of your great listener-submitted questions: What’s the connection between process art and art you sell? How do you price your art? What’s the difference between art journaling and process art for healing and self-connection? What do you do with completed process art t...

We are living in unprecedented times, and often in times of chaos things can feel uncertain without having “the known” to rely on as a touchstone for what comes next. The good news is we are creative beings with a vast array of tools within waiting to be unlocked. These tools can help us navigate change while feeling a sense of security, from the inside out. In this episode, Stephanie Gray and Jen...

There's a lot of talk about creative flow and "flow state" in general, but what exactly is it? How do you know when you’re in the flow? What are the benefits? Do you have to be a professional artist or athlete to experience it? Join hosts Jenny Hahn and Stephanie Gray as they discuss why creative flow is so important not only for personal bliss and fulfillment, but also for the well...

We hear this question, or a version of it, in almost every workshop we facilitate. As humans we have the need and desire to create... Also as humans, we want to “get it right” and be good at whatever we decide to do. But what would happen if you didn’t have to get it right or paint like a pro the first time you tried something new creatively? What if playing and getting curious like a first grader...

Being creative requires a willingness to step out of our comfort zones and into the unknown – where outcomes are not certain. We are asked to let go of the status quo in order to play in the realm of possibility, and that can feel vulnerable. In fact, sometimes it changes everything! In today’s episode, hosts Jenny Hahn and Stephanie Gray discuss the types of fear that creative expression can brin...

Have you ever been creatively shut down or shamed, especially by an authority figure? And if so, is that something that still blocks you today? Join hosts Jenny Hahn and Stephanie Gray as they share stories around their own “art scars” as well as tools to heal reclaim your creative power on this season 3 opener of the podcast. Resources: Brené Brown and creativity scars Jenny's book: Creative...

Striving for perfection and constant people-pleasing not only keeps us stuck seeking external validation, it also leaves us disconnected from our creativity, our needs and desires. Deep down below layers of the “nice person” is a wild and free creator who isn’t afraid to make mistakes or get messy. In this episode we explore deconstructing the programs and scripts that keep us stuck and offer tool...

Making art or engaging in any creative endeavor requires a certain amount of vulnerability. So does just being ourselves in the world in an open and authentic way, especially when things feel risky or uncertain. In this episode, we address the challenges of “showing up naked” and being seen for who we are in life and how creative expression supports the practice of vulnerability by getting honest...

What happens when we engage the creative process to reimagine the past or greet a difficult feeling in the moment with movement and color while creatively giving it what it needs? Transformation can occur when we show up for ourselves willing to co-regulate the tough stuff with the paintbrush or the pen. Join hosts Jenny Hahn and Stephanie Gray as they share thoughts and experiences of their own o...

Heart wisdom is a deep intuitive knowing that goes beyond the limits of the rational mind and intellect. But how do we access the wisdom of the heart? How is creative expression a portal for moving into the heart space? And why is this so important right now? Join hosts Stephanie Gray and Jenny Hahn as they delve into a heartfelt conversation and offer tools and practices for tapping this inner wi...

When you receive creative guidance, ideas or inspiration, where exactly does it come from? Is the creative flow or spark something that is generated within or is it received from outside ourselves? How is the creative act related to channeling? Join Stephanie and Jenny as they share thoughts, stories, and dive deeply into this intriguing and thought-provoking topic. Resources: Book Creative Flow:...

Stepping into the unknown can be scary, but what if there was a way to make it easier? Can we use the creative process to help us trust what we don’t know or understand? Join Jenny and Stephanie as they discuss this possibility and share experiences where their studio experiences have spilled over into their daily lives, bringing magic and mystery to both the journey of creating and to life itself...

What stories do you tell yourself about your creativity? Do you believe we are ALL creative? Join Stephanie and Jenny as they weigh in on this question and explore the way creativity is defined in western culture, how we often limit creativity and keep it in a box, and how fear, worry, and doubt can get in the way of creating the future we most want to see - even though engaging creativity is prov...

Sharing our truth and perspective while bumping up against another’s can feel uncomfortable and even a bit scary sometimes. The need for a change in how we communicate is necessary if we are to move forward into a life of diversity, harmony and inclusion. Is this even possible? Could the creative process retrain us to move from the heart even in the midst of difficult conversations? Join your host...

The experience of anger or even rage can be uncomfortable, but when we don’t have an outlet it can project outward as violence or inward as self-destruction, helplessness and dis-ease. Sacred rage is a natural protective and expressive impulse that arises when we become aware of an injustice and feel compelled to take action - and creative expression can be a healthy outlet for meeting sacred rage...

Is your nervous system overwhelmed? Chances are you’re familiar with some of the signs of a taxed nervous system - in fact, this may quickly be considered the “new normal”. So how do we counterbalance the effects of stressors in our lives using creativity? Jenny Hahn and Stephanie Gray dive into this topic and share their own stories of what it’s like to recalibrate their nervous systems with art...

Shadow work is a topic gaining more awareness in pop culture, but it's a process that can bring with it lots of fear and resistance. The shadow refers to the aspects of ourselves that are buried, forgotten, or still completely unconscious ~ and often get projected onto others. However, shadow work doesn't have to be scary! In this latest episode (released on Halloween day) we delve into...

How do you follow your own inner guidance when making decisions? Are you easily swayed by unexamined thoughts and assumptions – that might even belong to someone else? What does your “inner yes” look and feel like, and how do you receive input from the body as well as the mind? In this episode, Stephanie Gray and Jenny Hahn dig into the topic of cultivating your inner yes and how to follow your en...

Is it possible to use creativity to help in the process of forgiving ourselves? Self-forgiveness is a BIG and important topic that we meet head-on in this episode! Join hosts Stephanie Gray and Jenny Hahn as they share from the heart about their own self-forgiveness journeys and offer potent creative tools to help you navigate your own. Join our Creative Nectar Online Community! Our private Facebo...

Our world is changing rapidly and, as with any change, we can experience grief. How can we engage the creative process to help us feel and lean into our grief? And can that process also bring us into a place of hope and curiosity for building the new?  Join hosts, Jenny Hahn and Stephanie Gray as they share their own experiences on this topic as well as some creative ways to meet the changing worl...

It’s perfectly natural to compare - our brains are wired for it. However, when we insert  value judgments into the mix, things can get messy. Comparing ourselves to another or others (creatively or otherwise) and believing we are somehow less than can dampen our creative spark  both inside and outside the studio. Join Jenny and Steph as they dive deeper into this topic and share stories and practi...

To live authentically means to live in alignment with your deepest truth and to express from that place of inner connection and belonging. It goes beyond your social roles, obligations, and the masks we all wear to get by in the day-to-day world. Join Jenny and Stephanie as they share stories, prompts, and creative tools for discovering your truest self and creating space for new identities that a...

What is joy and how can we bring more of it into our lives? How can creativity actually support us in cultivating more happiness and positive experiences, despite our evolutionary tendency to focus on the negative and what could go wrong? Join Steph and Jenny for reflections, personal stories and creative expression practices you can do to cultivate more joy in your own life.  Join our Creative Ne...

Grief can show up at unexpected times and take many forms, from the enduring sadness after a loss or death, to the emptiness of change and endings, to the pain of never having had something in life. Grief is natural, and it’s important to offer it a safe space when it arises. Join Steph and Jenny as they share stories of meeting grief and offer tools for working with it creatively. Additional Reso...

How are you relating to the feeling of anger? What are your beliefs about anger in general, and how are you meeting it in your life? Join Steph and Jenny for a deep dive into anger, creativity and how creativity can not only help us process the feelings in a healthier way, but also how anger can fuel our creative process. Additional resources: How Anger Can Enhance Creativity Steph’s Article Join...