Joy, Rest, & The Artist’s Way

 In this episode, Coach Kelly chats with artist Jacquie Van Klaveren about The Artist’s Way and what it really means to tap into your own creativity.

Creativity isn’t just about making art—it’s about how you live every day. Whether it’s finding inspiration in a flower shop from childhood, taking silly walks with friends, or just writing out your thoughts with morning pages.

This conversation is a part of a longer conversation that has been shared in my Skool community with a series of creativity prompts for Lent . To learn more, you can click on my Skool link below.

• Join Kelly's Group Coaching Program
• Join Kelly’s Free community on Skool
• Jacquie van Klaveren

 Let's connect.

I am cheering for you!

Transcript

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Hey friends. Today I'm sharing a bit of a conversation I had with Jackie Van Clarin. I'm gonna be talking about The Artist's Way over the season of Lent. She and I had a conversation about how impactful the book has been for us. If you enjoy this conversation and you'd like to hear more about how can help you grow in creativity, head over to my school program, which is linked both in this podcast and at KellyTibbitts.com and you can join for free. I've broken up the daily conversations into small bites and given us encouragement of an action step we can take to reconnect to creativity in this season. Welcome to the Live A Vibrant Life podcast. I'm life coach Kelly Tibbits, and each week I'll be here to encourage and equip you with the tools you need to grow in self-awareness so that you can invest your best energy in your dreams and your purpose. I believe self-awareness changes everything. Let's get started. Welcome to the Live A Vibrant Live podcast. Jackie, I'm so glad you're here today. Tell us a little bit about yourself. My name's Jackie Van Clarin. I've been an artist all my life. I've always been creative. My parents had a flower shop right next door to the house that we grew up in, and there was just dried flowers and wire and tape and foam and all kinds of weird and wonderful things.. All of that stuff is in my art. I've got metal and wood and paint and stone I was gonna be creative whether I wanted to or not. I think what I loved about artist way was this idea that perhaps everybody has some special creativity. We just haven't discovered it. And then that there's joy. Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, whether it's cooking or sewing or, uh, designing a living room or whatever it is, right? Yep. Um, what, what's the quote? Picasso says, everyone is an artist. You just have to remember that you are. Yeah, because we were born artists, I believe that. Because we were created by the master creator. What better way can you worship him than to be creative in some form, whatever that is. He brought tears to my eyes as you said that.'cause that was for me, the centerpiece of what I took from the artist way. Yes. That the creator makes me creative. Yes. And I just felt like that part of me had been squished down and it was like an allowing. I have another friend that I met in Cathy's world and she did a really great podcast this week on the creativity of opening a refrigerator as a mother. Finding three ingredients and making something from it. Oh, abs. Yeah. Like we have to expand and we have to honor also what you did. I love that you said Kathy's world. I, I like that. That's alright. I'll go through the questions and then what I really liked about how she put this book together is each of the chapters begins with the word recovering. Mm-hmm. And so it goes back to what you said with Picasso of remembering. Mm-hmm. So it is not something new. It's, it's that discovering. Yeah. And you discovered because you lived next to things and you were given permission and time and aloneness. Mm-hmm. And you could use it and make something. Yeah. And feel that feeling. Some of us may have had those moments as children, but then along the way lost it and others never got that moment. That's correct. Yep. Yep. So that's what we wanna encourage people is we both think there's something inside of everybody. I'm a retired art teacher as well, so I taught art and drama and dance so. I struggled in school as a learner. I struggled in school. I had some learning disabilities and so on. That's why I thought I made an excellent teacher because I could understand. So those kids that were getting C's and D's in all of the regular classes would come to me and they were like masterpieces, right? They were just because I allowed them to experiment. How can you do it wrong? You can't do it wrong, but without somebody saying that, there are all kinds of voices that tell you you are doing it wrong and then don't do it. Yeah. So I was that voice of confidence and um, up upholding them that. I never got as a kid in the school system. I was not gonna be that teacher. I love that to, I was a teacher too. I was a kindergarten teacher and so that, oh, bless your soul. And I would go back to that in Instant Love kindergarten. I loved when I read The Artist's Way and realized I had never met a kindergartner who didn't believe this. That's right. I taught grade one art as well, and they had nothing like they were just. They could have been in the Guggenheims. Yeah. The things they created was just amazing because they weren't tainted yet from this world. Right. They and, and no one made a comment that they took too harshly and, okay. Part of what I do on my podcast is help people grow in self-awareness. So do you know anything about yourself? For me, it's about community, so I just don't do that alone. I do it with a group of other people. Or you go on a walk. We call'em walk. Okay. Sherry, I need to walk and talk. Yeah, she's there. We'll go through the forest. So for me, the self, reflection I know about myself through community. Things like morning pages can help you become reflective. Yes, absolutely. Going through these walks and then doing these practices. How did you discover The Artist's Way? Actually, we lived in the country at the time and a new neighbor moved in and she just happened to be an artist. Okay. And actually her kids went to my school, so I ended up teaching her kids in grade seven and eight as well. We are best friends to this day. She doesn't, we no longer live beside each other, but that's, she had this book, she said, I wanna talk to you about this book. I'd really like you to do it with me. So we did it together. Again, a community, right? Yeah. What we found out about each other. What did you do on your artist date? Some of the artist date, we would do together. Nice. Like, screw it, we're gonna the beach, let's go. Right, right. The guys have the kids, let's go. But see how much happier could women be if they realize the date doesn't only have to be with the husband? Yes. It could be by yourself. It could be with your bestie. Yeah. But the beach is important to you and they don't really wanna get there. I always thought, you know, gonna get to the studio to work. I gotta get, it was all about getting done, getting done. Uh, but this was a total opposite of that. Like, no, not getting anything done. Mm-hmm. Just fill yourself up first. Yeah. Allow yourself to breathe. Allow yourself to be silly. Allow yourself to stop at the side of the road because for some reason there is a couch in a. 12 foot tree and you have to take pictures of it. The most bizarre things Judy and I found together was just, yeah. Yeah. It was crazy. Yeah. And I've gone on a couple of those artist dates with a friend and the same thing, like to bring my camera and look for things like, yeah. This, birdhouse with a heart in it or whatever. Yeah. Julie Cameron says, there are these practices we can do on repeat that connect us back to ourselves. In community I think what happens when you're in that same vibration, it just makes conversation easier. She says specifically, there's morning pages, there are artist dates, and then after the artist way, when she wrote some additional books, she included walking as one of these practices that we could do. Of the three, is there one that is more non-negotiable for you? Like you need to make sure this happens? The morning pages have developed for me into. That's my time. Even my husband, he says, I'm, I won't bug you because you know, you'll get pissy with me. Like, yeah. Yes. Yeah. So my morning, I have this routine of, I get up, I grab a coffee, I go to the Bible app, I do my daily reading. And with Terry Cobble, by the way, she's lovely. I do the daily reading and then into the, um, um, a guided prayer and then. That one or two minute meditation that sets the tone for the morning. Yeah. So I can reflect. So when I'm, being torn away by something, it's like, no, no, no. This is the word, this is the word this, this is the word of the day or whatever. So for me, those morning pages. I love that we connected, because what you're speaking about is the passion I have for this series. During a time of lent of instead of having to keep ourselves from things. Yes. Instead to say, could we make a small practice for these days that fills our soul? That connects us to the creator. And so both scriptures and then using some of these ideas from The Artist's Way, and so I'll be taking this conversation and putting snippets in along the way. There's 12 weeks of work. I think you and I would both agree. You could do each week. Over a year. Oh, absolutely. Oh, deep. We're just gonna be highlighting high level talking about the idea, but each of these weeks begins with the idea that she says we're recovering something. It's already part of who we are. Some people need to set aside 30 minutes after lunch with a cup of tea. Yep. To recover a sense of safety by protecting the artist's child within. And that was so powerful for me to begin to connect to that inner child and show her, you know, look, we have a house full of books. But I knew nothing would've made my inner child more excited than the artist things I have in my home. I have watercolor and paper and I loved all that, just like you were describing. So, um. What keeps us from feeling safe are all of these negative beliefs. Things like, I am not good enough. This will upset my parents. Um, if I do this bad work, I'm gonna look like a fool. I'll never make any money. These thoughts that we don't notice mm-hmm. Are very powerful. Mm-hmm. So as you recovered your sense of safety, your, you know, some of the thoughts I wrote to replace those negative ones were like. I am creative. Um, there is no bad offer. Um, the creator made me creative. I'm a match for abundance. Mm-hmm. I can't define new power thoughts to replace some of those thoughts I wasn't even paying attention to. I didn't know if anything came to mind of a thought you'd like to remember as we do this work this season. Anything that's powerful right now in your life. Um. The word light. I'm part of a group and we all choose a word every year. Yeah. And my word happened to be light. Mm. And for me, it has become missional. I'm light because that is my identity, my identity as you know, child of God, uh, to show my light, whatever that happens to be. And I look at my work and I don't necessarily think, oh, faith or, but. People do and they, and then they engage me in conversation about it. I'm like, oh, okay. I am doing what I think God wants me to do. Like just shut up and listen. But isn't it so easy to forget that and make it something else? Yes. Without pausing, without community, without connecting, it's so easy to not notice what. As soon as you paused was so obvious. Yes, I am doing it. Absolutely. Same for me. Yes. And I love that I go back and I'm like, this is what I thought in 2021. This is what I thought in 2022. Mm-hmm. And one of the notes that I have from that chapter is that the subconscious is 90% more than 90% up to 96% running on repeat. Mm-hmm. We're not noticing it. Yep. The same thing. You don't even believe it. Yep. But we're not taking these moments. And so I think that's why she suggests morning pages, whatever time of day it is. Mm-hmm. Put it on the paper. Mm-hmm. I think light is actually happening through my life right now. I can see it here. I wanna remember it. And taking the three seconds to write somebody a note. I see the light in you. Right. The light in me. Mm-hmm. Seeing it, honoring that light in you. And so what I wrote to remember. Was, I'm bringing life and hope to people who forgot that they're loved, full of purpose, a hundred percent valuable, not along, not alone. I wanna remember, that's why I'm doing this. Mm-hmm. I wanna be another voice in people's lives. And God has given me the power to accomplish my dreams. That's why I wanted to over Lent combine these two. Mm-hmm. Find that verse about light, about love, about hope. Send the note. Be creative. Um, so anything else about just recovering a sense of safety? Because it's not easy. It's so hard to share things because you are being vulnerable. Absolutely. I was born and raised by capitalist. I'm married to a guy was born and raised on a farm, so the work ethic is extremely strong in both of us. So the idea of rest is. I finally, um, I was diagnosed with a particular disease, so that forced me mm-hmm. To rest. Yeah. Uh, and now that my husband is quasi retired, but he started a new job, he's really like, yeah, I just need to rest. I'm like. Thank you. Yeah. It's only taken us 37 years to figure that out, but Okay. Because again, no one was, and this might be the word of all of this Lent in creativity series for somebody is it's okay to rest. One of the foundational components of my coaching company is the idea that you rest first until you have the energy for joy. And for me to notice someone gave me a Barnes and Noble gift card, and I don't have the energy to go to Barnes and Noble. I'm tired and I need to rest. So you rest and then you do your whatever brings you joy, and then you do your purpose-filled work. And all three are important, but it has to go in that order. You rest, you fill yourself with joy because then your work's gonna be aligned. You're not going to be doing your work from that exhausted, overwhelmed, frustrated, aggravated energy that doesn't serve anybody, right. Go past your limits and then you drop your keys and you're not paying attention. And now it's 45 minutes while you look for your keys, where you should just take in the 10 minute nap or put on love new music. I love that. Rest until you have the energy for joy. And then you do your purpose-filled life. Yeah. And in that order. And I think, again, what I love about scripture is we see God command it. Take your day of rest. Fill yourself with joy. Have fun, be silly. Whether you come up with this masterpiece or not is besides the point. It's all about the experience, that is such a great way to end. It is all about the experience. It's not meant, absolutely. Meant to be read and just, it's the journey. Yes. And to be kind to yourself. But it is a great guide for anybody who's looking for that guide. Joy is the, joy is the roadmap, not the end point.'cause last year joy was my word. And when the joy leaves, okay, no big deal. I'm gonna go rest until I'm not tired. Yeah. And then I'll go do some things that bring the joy back and then I'll start working again. If we could all follow that, it'd be quite a different world worries. Thank you so much for being here today. Well, thank you, Kelly for having me. Appreciate it. Thank you for joining the Live A Vibrant Life podcast. I hope our time together encourages and equips you to move forward in your vibrant life. To learn more, you can follow me on Instagram and Facebook. Or visit my website, kelly titz.com. See you.