Creative Overflow with Jenny Kiehn

This podcast is about giving up the good for the great. It's about learning to say no to things in order to make space for the thing that you really, really want. I have done this many times over the course of my life, and I've noticed that it's an exercise that will absolutely take you to the next level in whatever you want to do.  In the podcast, I tell you about all the different ti...

Shiny Object Syndrome is a tendency to want to get attracted to new, exciting ideas that take you away from your purpose.  Usually it happens because you know what you really need to do and don’t want to do it, so then you go looking for attractive alternatives. I have spent SO MUCH TIME being distracted by shiny objects!  They are very expensive in time and money.  It is humbling to realize how m...

In the past week or so I’ve been diving much more deeply into the Law of Attraction.  The basic tenet of The Law of Attraction is “that which is liken to itself is drawn”, meaning that like attracts like.  This means that whatever you think about, you get, whether it’s what you want or not.  So if you think about negative things, you will draw more negative things toward you.  If you think about p...

Have you got leaks in your business?  Maybe you have trouble keeping track of sales leads and don’t follow up enough?  Or maybe you have a pretty good following but don’t have many people on your email list?  Or maybe you meet people who appreciate your art regularly but don’t capture their contact details?  Or maybe you put off putting your artwork on your website? These are all leaks that are co...

This podcast is about a sneaky fear that a lot of artists have and which can cause definite blocks to your success. The fear of outshining others is the fear that your talent, humor, beauty etc will somehow have a negative effect on someone else.  For instance, it could make a younger sibling feel bad about themselves, or your parents might have gotten grumpy and uncomfortable because they didn’t...

Just this week, something has finally clicked for me with Manifesting.  I had thought I was pretty good at it, but now things are really starting to fall into place for me.  I am manifesting things thick and fast right now. Here’s the key:  You’ve got to daydream (or visualize) as freely and outrageously as possible.  Just enjoy it and whatever you do, don’t “be realistic”.  Just enjoy the beautif...

Authenticity is essential for an art practice and art business.  In this episode I talk about all different stages of it and share some of my personal stories and experience.  Here are the stages that I’ve experienced: Accept who you are (especially if you’re different than the people around you!) Show up authentically in your creative practice.  Put in the time to create the artwork to eventually...

As creators, we have a treasure trove of life skills that can be used to make a beautiful life.  Through making art, we’ve learned to follow a feeling or vision, create safe space for it, stay in Beginner’s Mind, suspend judgement, and see it through to the end.  Then, we we learn from the experience, hopefully laughing about it along the way!  We understand that every artwork is a stepping stone...

In order to create art at all, you’ve got to create safe space for yourself.  It’s one of the most important ingredients for building a creative practice, especially when you’re trying to bridge from making art in a classroom environment to making art out in the world. But what most artists might not realize is that by making safe space for you to create, you transmit that safety into your art.  Y...

This episode is ironically about consistency because I’m posting it a week late!  The truth is I was so inspired after having created a whole year worth of podcasts that I attempted to apply that same consistency to lots of areas of my life at once!  I fell into the trap and then got a little behind on most things, lol! There is no doubt that consistency is a super power.  It creates certainty, tr...

This is my 52nd episode which means this podcast is a year old!!  Happy Birthday, Creative Overflow!   Today I want to talk about the power of conversation.  Conversations about anything - you could be getting to know each other, selling them a painting, sorting out complications in a commission, or finding out how their experience was.  All of them are a tool for deeper connection, which is the n...

In this episode I tell you the story of my journey to find a community of likeminded artists - it was not easy, but now I have a community that really helps me thrive and it’s a game changer. Community is powerful -  it can greatly impede or greatly propel you to where you want to go.  When I was in art school, some of the community was very toxic and I had to shield myself from them.  However, ou...

This episode follows on from my last episode called “Giving In” because once you’ve decided to give in and start doing your dream, it really helps to have some practical guidance!  This are my best tips born from long experience. Just trust this structure and keep showing up and you'll soon be creating fluidly. You need several things: A place to create Supplies that are organized, easy to get...

When there is something you really want to do, just give in and do it. You can kid yourself that some other option is going to be safer, but usually that isn't really true. The thing you really want to do is probably a much safer bet. It's probably the most economic option too. Lately, I've been wanting to just paint clouds. I don't want to paint lots of water or trees. I just want...

This episode gives you a crash course on human design and my personal journey with it.  This is making a HUGE difference in how I operate in my business and how I approach decision making. I have found it hugely validating and freeing.  Human design is a structure that combines the ancient wisdom of astrology, the E-Ching, the kaballa, and the Chakra system to give you a huge amount of information...

Transitions are difficult to navigate at the best of times, but I think they can be particularly challenging for creative people. Creative practice is full of transitions such as from one project to the next, transitioning from form of creative work to another, and transitioning back to the studio after an exhibition. Here are some of my best tips for navigating transitions: 1. Be gentle with your...

What's the difference between the artists who "make it" in business and the ones who don't? They keep showing up. That's it. They keep showing up day after day for their art and their business. They keep trying, they keep iterating, and they don't give up. This wisdom was first said to me by Court McCracken , a friend of mine and the author of Art Nurture: The Simple Guid...

As an artist, it can be easy to have a million ideas and end up bouncing around like a pinball working on different things. While starting new projects is exciting, you can end up feeling behind and stressed with so many things to do! Here is what I've done to combat this: First, I've instituted a time blocking system recommended by Ali Alquaraghuli in his ADHD productivity course . I have...

This is the recording for the Creative Abundance Masterclass I taught on Friday January 16th.  In it I told my story of how I went from being a stay at home mother of four with no following to an artist who literally can’t paint fast enough to meet demand.  Behind this growth were some key Mindset shifts that I want everyone to know about.  This covers yourself, your business, and your general out...

In this episode, I'll be talking about the most important information you need to obtain for marketing your art. Unfortunately, I think this is what most artists miss. You must ask the people who love your art and buy it what they like about it. What inspired them to buy it? What about your art resonates with them? This is important because it might be different than you think. When I first st...

In this episode, I talk about the powerful action of saying "no" and how much it liberates you. Even more important is becoming okay with saying "no" and letting go of any responsibility for the feelings of others. They get to feel however they want - they are free. Your job is to take care of yourself and draw the boundary. In addition, you get to flip it and say "yes&quo...

This episode is on how to create a healthy work/life balance as an artist. It's completely essential because your health and level of rest directly affect the quality of art you make. I often find that my best work was preceded by my deepest rest. It's a really tough one because so many artists are caught in the belief that if they work harder they'll make more money. Spoiler alert: It...

This week I've had Tim Shurr on the podcast which was such a delight! He has been in the field of personal growth for 35 years, has worked extensively with Fortune 500 companies, is a keynote speaker, and is the Dr. Joe Vitale's hypnotist. Tim has created his One Belief Away Method which is about identifying a belief that is holding you back, pulling it out at the root and replacing it wit...

This episode is a real and raw episode for me. Today I found out about the death of an artist I once knew who led a tragic life and was literally starving due to anorexia. He once told me "It's more important that you have a good life than that your art is successful. Having a good life is what creates a foundation for the art" Unfortunately he wasn't able to follow his own advic...

This episode is about following inspiration fast, a pro tip because as Dr. Joe Vitale says "The Universe loves speed." When inspiration strikes, just go with it! Take the first steps as quickly as you can. Make a sketch, journal about it, brainstorm, book a session to talk to a relevant person about it, get a super rough draft written. The faster you get the process moving, the more insp...