March 12, 2025 • 47 mins
282. Finding Joy Through Self-Expression with Beth Inglish
In this conversation, Mike Brennan and Beth Inglish explore the multifaceted nature of creativity, the journey of self-discovery as an artist, and the importance of embracing one's identity. Beth shares her experiences with self-doubt, the healing power of art, and the significance of intentional joy in life. They discuss how creativity can serve as a means of expression and resilience, ultimately leading to a more fulfilling and joyful existence. In this conversation, Beth Inglish shares her journey as an artist, emphasizing the importance of joy in her creative process and the strategic alignment of her offers with her audience. She discusses her pivot towards community engagement and speaking, highlighting the power of art in bringing people together. Beth also reflects on her future aspirations, including writing a book and expanding her impact through art and speaking engagements, all while advocating for healing through self-expression.
3 Key Takeaways:
🎨 Claim Your Artistic Identity - Embrace the title of "artist," regardless of your professional circumstances. Beth discusses the powerful step of self-acceptance and its impact on your creative journey.
🎨 Strategic Creativity - Beth emphasizes the importance of aligning your creative output with the right audience. She encourages artists to think strategically about offers and audience to create meaningful connections.
🎨 Joy as a Creative Fuel - Highlighting the healing power of creativity, Beth talks about how creating joy in daily life fosters resilience and personal growth, guiding you past trauma and into a life of purpose and community.
Episode Highlights:
-
[00:02:55] - Beth shares her early exposure to creativity through music and art.
-
[00:09:54] - Overcoming self-doubt and embracing the identity of an artist.
-
[00:25:54] - The importance of pivoting in business and aligning creative vision with the audience.
-
[00:38:44] - Beth talks about her current projects, including her book and the community events she hosts.
Links and Resources:
Â
Feeling inspired? Don’t forget to subscribe to Creative Chats and leave a review!
Your feedback helps us bring more amazing content to fuel your creative journey. And, if you’re looking to deepen your creative practice, visit dailycreativehabit.com for resources and join the community. Let your creativity thrive—because when you create, everyone wins!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:03):
Welcome to the Creative Chats podcast with Mike Brennan.
Well, welcome friends to another episode of Creative Chats. It's the
podcast for artist makers and content creators where we talk about creativity,
the creative process, and story. I'm your host, Mike
(00:24):
Brennan. You can check out some of my work over on
mikebrennan.me, and I'd love to connect with you there.
There's also some free resources there that I have created just for
you in mind because I wanna see you create. And I
believe that when you create, everyone wins. You win. The people
around you win. And so to create the
(00:45):
things that are happening inside your brain, to get them
out and get them bringing value to the people around you. That's
where it's at. I've created resources called Daily Creative Habit.
You can sign up for the email newsletter that goes out once a week.
It is free, and it is just jam packed with
prompts that give you some ideas if you're looking to get back in touch
(01:08):
with your creativity, but you're really not sure what that can look like. You need
some guidance. Also, I look to give you some inspiration,
some practical tips on just creating and marketing
and getting your stuff out and into the
world. And so I would love for you to go to
dailycreativehabit.com. That'll bring a direct page right
(01:31):
to some of those resources along with a daily creative habit
ninety day journal that I've created that will take you on an experience
where you can set intention and then take action and track and
measure your progress along the way. So you can know if you're actually showing up
and doing things as opposed to, did I create something recently?
I don't really know. It's a little too ethereal. This gives you some practical,
(01:54):
measurable steps to be able to employ. Now
today, I get to sit down with a local friend, Beth English. I am so
excited about this episode. I mean, I love all my episodes, of course. They're
all my children right now. But this episode,
really truly appreciate Beth's, time and ability
to convey her story, her experiences to share with you
(02:16):
today. She is someone who I have been continuing to get to know locally here
in the Nashville area. She has the amazing
ability to gather fellow creatives into a room
and get them connecting with each other and getting them connecting with her.
She's very transparent and shares her journey, her story, her
process, and looks to help people show up to
(02:39):
create as well. And so we have a lot of shared values and experiences. And,
we talk a lot about her art making, experiences. And, we talk
a lot about her art making, what that's looked like over the years,
her speaking because she's a speaker as well, very gifted and talented in
helping other people, again, step into their creativity. And
I just love her perspective on showing
(03:00):
up, creating some things, finding the right people,
pivoting, and also having strategy be at
work in the the creation process. Because so many times,
we get in our own way, and sometimes we don't think about who's
going to interact with what we're creating and how can we best show
up for them and where are they hanging out. And
(03:22):
so not just the creation, but also the marketing, if you
will, of what it is that we create, making sure that those things are aligned
and that they are working for us, not against us. So
many great nuggets of wisdom in this episode. Be sure to take
notes and enjoy connecting with Beth as
well. At the end of the episode, we, give some some ways
(03:45):
that you can connect with Beth, and I really truly encourage you to do
so. Even if you're not local to the Nashville area,
She will be a tremendous resource for you as well. So without further
ado, here is my creative chat with Beth
English.
Well, Beth, welcome to the Creative Chats podcast. Thanks so much for being here today.
(04:07):
I'm excited about this. Me too. Me too.
So I love that when I got here to Nashville,
you were the person who was like, hey. I am doing things with
creative people, and I was like, oh, this is my person. Like, she
gets me, and she's she's making events happen and helping me
get connected in a local community. So thank you.
(04:30):
Thank you. Thank you. I really truly appreciate that. And I'm also excited to
bring your story and just all the things that you do to
the people who aren't local here, who listen to this podcast, and expose
them to just what you do and how you do it and all the
things that make you Beth. So thank you.
I'll try. Yes. Let's go. I'm excited
(04:52):
too. Yeah. So you are multi
creative. You are someone who is passionate about
just engaging with your creativity in ways that that help other
people show up and help them be the best versions of themselves too. And
so, you know, we I I knew from the get go that we had
some similarities and things as far as interest and values and
(05:14):
experiences. I would love to know where did
creativity start for you? Like, what did that look like for you when you were
a kid, and how did you know that you were creative? Gosh. I
can't remember a time when I wasn't creating something.
I must have started noodling around on the piano since
I was could walk. You know, my dad was a
(05:36):
musician and a songwriter for as a
hobby, not as a career. And so we had a
room that was dedicated to music. So it was the piano room,
and it's where I would go and play piano and
learn. And eventually, I did get into piano lessons when I was eight
years old, so that really was a lot of fun. I
(05:58):
was always coloring. I would color on the
insides of the cabinet doors. So, like, oh, no one's gonna see
this. I can't do this. I was doing
fun projects at church and at home, just arts and
crafts, things like that, and I just loved it. I remember a time in
kindergarten, actually, we had to draw a picture based on a book we read,
(06:20):
and I think that it was a pretty good picture for a five year old.
And I was I impressed myself, and I think I impressed my
mom. It was just very evident early on
that I loved drawing. I loved color
and expression. You know, I was in dance class since I was
three years old, so I was always dancing. Music
(06:42):
was a huge part of our our life growing up and,
crafts, sewing. My grandma taught me how to sew when
I was five, and so there was always something to create with my
hands, and I never let that go. And I I still live that
way today. Yeah. Yeah. And so did that then
(07:02):
end up informing you as far as, like, a career path, education
path? What did that part look like? Not at all. It was
not really encouraged to go into the arts. It was
just something you did as I mean, looking at my dad, it was just a
hobby that he did, and no one around me was
doing that sort of thing. So I went to business school
(07:24):
because it seemed like a smart choice. I was good at
leading. In high school, I was always in a
club, president of a club, doing things for those
groups. And, yeah. So I thought, well, I
guess I'm good at this leadership thing, and I went
to business school. But it wasn't until business school that or until college
(07:46):
that I started taking more formal classes. I was actually
a costume designer in the theater school when I was
attending college because a friend of mine saw that
I had talent because I showed her some of the things I had made, that
I had sewn, and some of the costumes that I had created
because I danced for fifteen years. So I had a a big
(08:08):
show every year, which is why I love naturally being on
stage. Running out on a big empty stage seems very comfortable
for me. So I started drawing and the
theater school and those classes, and that kind of led me into
making art and thinking of myself as an artist.
But I did eventually just graduate with a undergrad in
(08:30):
in business. So it wasn't until later that I decided
that being an artist was something that I felt like I needed to go
after. And was that, like, a natural thing for you to be able
to accept the kind of title or or category
of artist? Because I know a lot of lot of people struggle with
that and think, well, I'm not, you know, a real artist. I mean, I even
(08:53):
had that in my own journey of, like, going, well, I could be a designer,
but I don't know, a real artist because we we tend to
have this picture in our head what we think that looks like when maybe
it's a real artist makes a full time living off of their
art or has certain accolades or has certain training or whatever
that is. Like, did you ever struggle with that piece or was it just now,
(09:14):
you know what? I know I'm an artist because of all these things I've done.
It's just so close to me. I did struggle with that because I'm a normal
human being. You know? Yeah. We all have those self doubt insecurities
that creep in, and I think we can define the term a lot of
different ways, and people are gonna have different definitions for it all
across the board. But you have to understand what does it mean for you to
(09:35):
be an artist? Because, no, I don't think that you have to make a full
time living at art to be an artist. I think that we are all born
as creators, and it's something that we either
adopt, do in our lives, or maybe it's something that we don't
necessarily nurture. It's just like anything. When you nurture something
within yourself, you're gonna see it grow. And when you don't nurture it, you're not
(09:55):
gonna see it grow. And that doesn't mean that we're not all creative
beings born to create and make things with our hands. We
can use our creativity in lots of different ways. And one of the hardest parts
that I have learned is getting that mindset out of
people that they think they have to be like this bohemian
hippie painter to be an artist or to be creative. And
(10:18):
I I just I I try so hard to help
people see the creative side inside of themselves, like,
that this is all part of who we are. But I'm
telling you, the world does not wanna nurture artists. The
systems that are built around us as people are not
nurturing for those who are artists. It seems
(10:40):
very difficult. And one thing I have learned from leading thousands of artists in an
artist community is that our mindset stinks, like,
half the time or most of the time. Like, if you can get
past that crummy mindset of self doubt,
then the whole world is yours. Like, you can create, and you can
do anything, and you can build and collaborate.
(11:03):
But it's that mindset that I think holds down a lot of artists
that you see stop them from taking that next step forward. And
so calling yourself as as an artist is one of the most important
steps that you can take forward to claim that
for yourself, because it is a powerful thing to be an artist and to have
a voice and to be self expressed. But if you don't believe
(11:25):
in your voice, then no one else will. So you have to believe in
yourself first before you can expect anyone else. I mean,
there are those special souls in our life that see those gifts inside of us
that say, hey. I noticed this about you, and this is really cool, and you
should nurture that. Or, you know, we have to depend on sometimes those people to
pour that light into us so that we can claim it for ourselves. You
(11:47):
know? I don't see myself the same way everybody else sees me. I
see myself through my own lens of my entire
life. You know, it's a it's a slow process of adjusting how
we see ourselves, but it is a worthy journey because if we
can see ourselves with the the most hopeful, most optimistic,
most possibility, then I think we're truly living into our creativity.
(12:09):
It's not about just what we create. It's about how we create ourselves and we
see ourselves in our journey in this life. So it is
a declaration to say, I am an artist, and that
is really the first step. And once you get past that, I feel
like it's a lot easier. So for those of you listening or watching, if
you struggle with calling yourself an artist, just know that you
(12:32):
are, and just accept that and call yourself that,
and don't listen to anyone who says that you're not. Keep living into your own
truth. That's all we can do. Yeah. Yeah.
Good stuff. Good stuff.
There is so much in there even with the self work.
And and if certainly, that's not exclusive to creatives or or artists.
(12:56):
But I think so much of that, like you said, is dependent
on, like, what happens with what we make,
how we see ourselves, how we put ourselves out there. And if we're
not working on ourselves, if we're not self validating
and loving ourselves well, then we're not
gonna be able to show up to really tap into the the stuff that I
(13:19):
think we can make that is really our voice and the thing
that is close to who we are. We may dance around that for a really
long time. And the other thing is is not being able to
really have agency over yourself and your journey
because then it's always outward looking. It's always like, if I
get this opportunity, then that'll validate me enough, and then I'll feel good
(13:41):
about my work. Then I'll feel good about myself as a as a creative person.
Or if somebody buys something or if I have certain amount of sales each month
or if I have and all these external validators that,
can really throw us off track and cause us to really put
ourselves in a cage where we're not showing up the way that
we could and should be for ourselves and experiencing
(14:03):
the freedom, I think, that comes when you've really
decided to do the hard work inside. Right? I mean, has that been your experience
too? Have you does that resonate with you? Oh, yeah. %. I spent
years and years trying to validate myself as an
artist through sales or through my relationships or through
other you know, what people thought of my work. So I was inherently,
(14:25):
like, creating for a market instead of just
creating my own sort of expression. And And I kept seeing these
visions of things I should be making, like, because I see visions as how sort
of I'm led through my artistic life as I get visions or I
hear not audible voices, but, you know, my main intuition feels
strong, strongly directs me. And, yeah,
(14:47):
you know when you're not being authentic to your voice, and I didn't
like the way that felt. And, I mean, I sold art. That
was that was something that I did, but I
sold more art when I was staying true to my own
voice and vision. And that was the most surprising
because I was like, seriously, people are gonna
(15:09):
want to to buy this this art that I'm making
that feels unmarketable, but it is the
most authentically marketable art that I could make for myself. So that
was a surprise. It just showed me how valuable it is to
really follow your vision even though it may not be
clear where you're moving into. It's just do the next step, do the
(15:31):
next step, and it'll keep evolving over time. And it's a beautiful
thing to see yourself develop as an artist, and I think, you know, technical
skill is one thing, but artistic vision is another.
And so we have to be true to artistic vision
and keep honing in on those technical skills. I didn't know how
to paint when I decided I was gonna be a painter. So it's
(15:54):
like, oh, how do I do this? And I just practice and practice and
practice, and and I haven't actually painted in a long time because I've
been so focused on speaking. And so but then I'll pick up a paintbrush and
I'll be like, oh, yeah. I I know how to do this. It's pretty cool.
And I'll, like, work with my mom on a project, and I'll be like, remember,
I am a professional artist. And, you know, my family doesn't really know
(16:16):
me as a professional artist because they only know me as the kid
that I was from, you know, zero to 18. And so I have
to remind my mom when I'm, like, repainting some
furniture or helping around the house with something that I
actually am really good at this. Not to worry.
So, yeah, we all go through
(16:37):
those periods of self doubt and
disbelief and questioning ourselves. And I think, you
know, we could look at that two ways. One way that's gonna
limit us and block us or say or another way is,
I'm curious about this. What's why is this coming up? Where does
this where is the root of this, and why is it
(16:59):
deciding to, you know, try to take up space in my mind right
now? Maybe I need to express this through my art as a way
to release it. And so I really used art
making as a way to express the confusing
things happening inside my spirit as a way to
release those things and to gain perspective
(17:21):
because I will definitely step back from
a painting I'm working on and look at it and think, what is it trying
to tell me? What is it saying? And of course, my intuition
is always saying, it says this and it says that. And
I learn a lot just by being in the process of
creating art. Mhmm. Yeah. Then it becomes
(17:44):
a form of self care and meaning making.
And, you know, I think about I journal a lot,
and I've journaled since I was probably 18 years old when somebody
first introduced me to the idea of kind of giving me a method to do
it. And that process of getting things out
and getting it on a page and then making sense of some things as
(18:05):
opposed to it just kind of all floating inside of you and being this, like,
sea of chaos. Right? That is certainly one way of doing it with written word,
and it's it's a different experience when I approach something
with visual art and using colors, using brushstrokes,
or using symbols or different
elements. And yet it's still this sense of I'm
(18:27):
making meaning, I'm giving purpose to something, whether that's an
emotion, an experience, like you said, something that you see in
your mind where you're like, I see this vision of something I want to become
a reality, and it gives you the place to work that out. And to not
do that, I think that can certainly cause a
frustration. Right? I mean, when
(18:49):
you're not creating, there's this idea
of you're not really being who you are to be,
who you were created to be. I know for me when I walked away from
my creativity for ten years, that's exactly what happened to me. I just I started
to shrivel up and then suffered from depression. I underestimated
the power of creativity in my own life, not just as a career,
(19:12):
but as an agent of hope and understanding and
meaning making and self love and and care. Right? What have you
learned about creativity and self expression
and what happens when you don't engage with that?
Well, I'm my most joyful self when I
am creating, whether that's writing, whether
(19:34):
that's painting, writing music, performing
music, singing, dancing. I try to
live a creative life in all that I do.
It comes through in my cooking. It comes through in the way that
I live in my home, in my space every day.
It's always, I just try to live life as looking at, oh,
(19:58):
how can I make this more beautiful? How can I make this more meaningful? How
can I turn this experience into something that I'm gonna remember forever?
So it's so important that it's a part of like, I'm creating
intentional memories and meaningfulness every
day, whether however I'm creating or
whatever output is being expressed. Even if it's, like, a
(20:19):
conversation, feeling empowered to express exactly
what's on my heart and not shut down. So,
yeah, for me, creating was definitely healing and therapeutic. I am a
trauma survivor of childhood sexual abuse. I do create as a
way to express joy because I want
the energy of joy to be around me because I have found that the
(20:42):
only way I was ever gonna find joy is if I made joy familiar in
my neurology. And so if my neurology says, oh, you're no
good, or you're, you know, there's shame there. It's like, okay. That's what the
wiring is, but how do I rewire that? And the
only thing that helped was to make intentional actions
towards experiencing joy so that I am rewiring my brain for joy.
(21:05):
And that was amazing. Painting was a part of
that. Exploring out in the woods was a part of that. Just
feeling just like I could go and create joy, not just
for myself, but for the people
around me, which is why I love building community and hosting events because the more
that we engage in joyful activities, the more we are
(21:26):
telling our brain what we want to be familiar in our lives.
Regardless of the the fear or the
depression or the shame or all those things, yes, I understand,
those can coexist with joy, and it's a slow
transition into feeling more joy
(21:46):
when we are more intentional about it. So
that is why I create. That is why I do all the things
that I do because I want to live a great joyful
life. I want the last the latter part of my
life to look completely different than the beginning part of my
life where I was consumed with shame and
(22:08):
fear, and I don't want to live
that way anymore. So creating intentional acts of
joy every single day is how I stay
resilient and maintain regardless of the challenges I face.
Because we will face challenges, Mhmm. But it's how do we remain
joyful and grounded in peace amidst all the chaos around
(22:30):
us? And that is challenging, but we do have a choice. And that's
kinda what my keynote is all about, is how do we look at the
choices we make and decide whether or not they're the right choices for
us? Are they ultimately guiding us into a direction that we
wanna be in? And really taking a look at that from a deeper
level. And this is why I share these stories and
(22:52):
why I share my own vulnerable experiences because I know that
they make a lasting impact on the audience to think
about their own joy, their own creativity, and
the future of their life and how they want to create that.
It feels good to just be self expressed. Yes.
(23:12):
Yes. That is so powerful. And I love
this picture of you having basically life as
your canvas and you being able to
dip into moments and have different experiences day
to day and to be the in this very kind of
fluid type of relationship with creativity where
(23:35):
it's not just like I'm doing this painting and if this painting doesn't,
you know, turn out well or doesn't match my vision, there then
I'm gonna be, like, kinda, like, really disappointed and and feel bad about myself,
feel bad about my skills or whatever. It's so much bigger than that. What you're
describing is really this creative life that touches
everything that you come in contact with.
(23:56):
And I love that you've identified that joy is like your paint.
It's the thing that you're you're applying to every
situation wherever you are and whoever you're talking with. That's
such a beautiful picture. So thank you for articulating that.
And I I I hope that that challenges others to really
dig deep to think, what is it that's underneath what I'm doing?
(24:18):
Like, what is the driving motivation? What's my why, if you will? That's a lot
of times we talk about it in those terms. But having identified that,
that's huge. Yeah. Well and as a marketer, I knew that it was important to
be able to communicate why I do what I do with my work so that
it would, you know, share a story and connect with the audience.
That is the whole motivation behind it.
(24:41):
And it was like, how do I express what it is I really wanna do?
And I know I've painted small paintings, medium sized paintings,
this and that, these kinds of styles, representational, non representational.
And I have learned, why am I doing any of this
work unless I'm really truly just in love with
it? So my favorite way of painting is a full
(25:02):
body experience. I like to be dancing. I like to be moving. I like to
be upright. I don't wanna be sitting down. I wanna have space,
and I want the canvas to be a reflection of that experience that I'm
having in my own body. And that's that's how I
wanna paint. And if that is a great fit for your office or
your home or whatever, then amazing. Let's do
(25:24):
it. I've partnered with lots of great people and,
commercial spaces and, private collectors to have
artwork just like this. And so it makes it fun for
me because who wants to do a project you don't love? You know?
You just start feeling bad about it the entire time you're working on it. Like,
I really wish I wouldn't have said yes to this. Say yes to the
(25:48):
things you wanna say yes to and create an offer that you're
so excited to get out there and sell. You know? And
that's the thing I realized was the biggest challenge for artists, not
seeing any forward movement or momentum in their work or
their business was that they're not creating enough offers connecting them
to the right audience. It's all about offers and
(26:11):
audience. And when I say that, it's like, are you selling to people
who like your kind of art? Where do they hang out? What do they do?
And then are you creating art that you love, that you would do
for free? And just make it fun, but be
strategic about it. And that's a that's a hard thing too for a lot of
artists. They're not thinking strategically or from, like, a business
(26:32):
perspective. I mean, a lot a lot do. There's there's plenty of successful artists
in this world. But for those of you who may be feeling challenged
by your momentum or your growth,
look at what you're offering and look at the audience you're offering it
to. And is it in alignment? And start to really
dig in deeper to that. Because it wasn't until I really built some
(26:54):
boundaries around how I produce and create that really
changed the way that I did business. And I made
a lot more money after I went through that exercise of aligning
who I am, what I do with the right people. And it
didn't happen all at once, but it was something
that I'm really proud of. I listened to my intuition and I did that.
(27:18):
Even if it meant being afraid of pivoting into
maybe a different way of approaching the work, of approaching
sales, because I got real sick and tired of
bringing art to this art show and that art show and this pop up and
that pop up. I mean, it is a lot of work, and I
just was like, I don't wanna do art shows anymore. I just wanna work on
(27:41):
projects, and that's what I did. And that's kinda what led me
here today because I haven't had an art show in a very long time. That
doesn't mean I wouldn't do a show in the future if it was the right
fit, but selling to the customer is really
tough. So pivoting my business to be more b two b,
that was what really helped me in the long run.
(28:02):
Yeah. And in that pivoting, is that where some more of the speaking
came to the foreground? Or, like, how did that develop? No.
Speaking came after that. So pivoting
was probably, like, happening
at the same time, but speaking was something that came
later because of the work that I was doing.
(28:26):
With the art, the messages that I was sharing
with joy, that became so much
more important than,
the paintings it's itself. Speaking
became my main focus because I wanted to be talking
about joy and art. And I had been to
(28:49):
the Americans for the Arts conference here in Nashville. I think it was in
February and, like, '13 or '14. And I saw
artists on stage talking about their art. And I was
like, well, that project was, like, years ago, and they're still talking about it. Is
that a thing? Is that okay? And I shifted my focus from individual
pieces of art to developing projects and then being able to tell
(29:12):
stories about those projects because I wanted to be like those artists at
the conference and talk about my art on stage, and that's what I do now.
So I just talk about the projects that I have done and
the impact they have made, not just on myself, but on community. Because
I learned that it was a lot easier to get press if you
had an event or a project that was relevant to the
(29:34):
community. And I became so hyper
focused on community because I wanted to
get in the newspapers and in the magazines, and I wanted
to be showing how I was adding value to the world around
me as an artist. And it just kind of took on a life of
its own because since I've started focusing on
(29:56):
communities, so many doors started opening and I was able to collaborate and
partner with so many more people. And that to me was such a fun part
of the process too. And I was painting murals and I
was impacting students and I was bringing
people together to put a paintbrush in their hand so that they could
experience the joy of creating without, you know,
(30:18):
like, how do I get started? It was like I was helping them get started.
And I mean, we painted a mural in Downtown Nashville with over
a hundred community volunteers, and I managed the whole thing.
And it was so much fun because it was just the
coolest thing. We were on a rooftop. We got to see the skyline.
People were in a space they normally wouldn't be in. We were
(30:41):
painting. We were listening to music, and it's still there.
So that was in February and so I feel kinda like a mural like
a OG muralist before this whole Instagram mural
boom that came into you know, came through. And I'm really proud of that
project and, all the ones that I've done after that. But
bringing people together for community for the purpose of telling story
(31:04):
and being able to amplify those stories using PR
was such a great fit because it's really about the
story that we're creating and the impact that we're trying to
to share with the rest of the community. And just for people to see
that art is happening all around them, and it's happening in their
neighborhoods, and it's something that's accessible to all. And so
(31:26):
that's why I got so big into murals because I wanted art to be accessible
for all, not just in a gallery or in a museum. I wanted
it to be something that the everyday person could see, appreciate,
and feel. Yeah. Beth, you know, I have to say, as I as I listen
to you relay these stories and experiences and as I get to know you better,
the thing that I'm I'm certainly impressed with is your ability
(31:50):
to take action and then go, okay. I'm going to assess
what's happening here. What's working? What's not working? And then
you pivoting into something that you need to tweak.
And all the while, it's it's doing
what you feel drawn towards and what lights you up, what brings
you joy, but then also being very conscious about the
(32:11):
people around you, whether that's whatever the industry or the the
right people or the right category of people like you said before or
community. Making it about other people, giving them access,
and creating something that is an invitation for people as
opposed to, I've made a thing. Come look at my thing. Do you
wanna buy my thing? You know, me me me me me me. And so,
(32:34):
I just wanna reflect that back to you that that's what I see and
hear as I listen to you tell your experiences and
stories, and I so appreciate that because there's also that word
strategy in there that you mentioned before, which I think is huge because
it's this self aware piece and willingness to
pivot and be open handed, and then yet also having strategy to
(32:56):
go, if I'm gonna do these things, let's make them the most impactful as
possible. So that's a long winded way of saying thank
you. Well, I don't know
any other way to do it. I mean, I think community
has always been a big part of my life since I was little.
I've been surrounded by great communities and church
(33:19):
and through my mom's service organization and
through school. So, you know, at
school, I had a very unique school experience, like,
public school upbringing, and there weren't, like, clicks or anything.
I don't it's not like your traditional things that you see on TV or
whatever. It was very, diverse. I was a minority in the
(33:41):
school that I attended, and there were so many
different types of people and different foods. Like, I remember in third
grade, we had, you know, parents bring food to school,
and it was the most beautiful spread of all these different things, like,
that I had never seen or heard of before. And I just love
what we can learn from each other. And I think I learned that
(34:03):
early on, the value of how when you bring people together,
how much better it is, for everyone
when we listen to one another and we collaborate with each
other because my experiences aren't their experiences. But when
we come together, we can share in those and then
decide how we wanna work together. And, yeah, I
(34:25):
love being part of groups. As you know, I have all kinds of
groups that I nurture, and I think that's just a a
testament to the belief I have that together,
we are better and to just keep thinking
about how to do that and how to
bring people together in a way that feels meaningful because
(34:48):
it has always been that way for me. And Yeah. I can't imagine my life
without it. You know? Plus, I don't have a husband or kids
or anything, so my community is my family. And Mhmm.
That's very important to me because I like to feel like I'm
part of something bigger. And when you are in community with others,
you are, and you just have to put yourself out there. And so thank
(35:10):
you, Mike, for trusting me to come be a
part of what I'm doing. You could see yourself in it and and
find the value there because that takes courage as well.
I remember going and hearing about the the meetup
that was, like, last month or so and this large
group of people who gathered in this really creative space locally here. And
(35:34):
I'm thinking of myself. I'm like, I don't maybe I'll recognize a person, you know,
one person or two people, maybe. You know? Because I did know some people who
knew you. So I was like, there's that possibility. But by and large, I was
like, I'm in a room full of other creative people, and I don't know any
of them. And my I reverted back to the, like, when I was a kid,
really shy, like, wallflower, like, oh, boy. You know? Like, I'm
(35:54):
but it quickly dissipated because, as you said, when you get
people in the room and everyone starts talking and networking and kind
of sharing what they're working on, sharing who they are, there was
just this sense of true community. And I know that that can be a
buzzword these days, but this really this sense
of, like, tell me more about that. Like, I I really am
(36:17):
interested to know more about you and about the work that you do, not
simply a means to how can I get something
from you, but rather how can I have something for you?
And like you said, how can we do something together? That was
completely refreshing for me, especially coming from the
Northeast where I grew up and live most of my life, where it's this
(36:39):
sense of more competition over community and
people holding things very closely to themselves because it's all about
them. And if they share something and and you get an advantage, you might
pass them and you know and so to come into this
environment that was very much more open, very, very
giving, people sharing opportunities, people sharing
(37:01):
information, it has been so incredibly refreshing.
And even you doing the workshop that you did, the last one that I
attended with you, talking about live events and
giving ideas and talking about how
you having to go through this process of contextualizing
and learning a language of the industry to be sure that you're
(37:24):
speaking the right way to those people. That was tremendously valuable
information. And to get to sit in a room like that, that was incredible.
What is next for you in that? Like, what is what do you see
happening with that? Or is this just kind of like you're you're holding it loosely
and and kind of like it whatever happens organically? You mean
speaking? I mean, like, just even community aspect
(37:46):
and and certainly, like, the things that you wanna do creatively next.
Well, I'm writing a book now, and so
that is a huge undertaking. I know it's gonna take
time, probably a couple years, so I'm just gonna
be, committed to the process and just take
it one step at a time. And then so that's
(38:09):
happening. But, also, community, I mean, I host two live
events every month, in person. So that's quite a lot
on top of, you know, speaking engagements and
business and working, sitting at the computer and doing all those things.
Yes. And so I'm so glad that right now I'm available to be
present at those, but I hope eventually that I'm speaking
(38:31):
enough to where I'm making an impact on communities worldwide
and, you know, sharing my story and sharing the work that I
do with, with groups. So I would love to grow in that
direction with books. And then also would love to
see, you know, having art be a part of that transaction as
well. So if you see me speak on stage and you wanna purchase my
(38:53):
work, that there is an easy, quick way for you to go about
that. Right now, I don't have all the pieces of the engine
connecting because I stay hyper focused in one area until I feel
like it's running well enough to where I can then connect the
other area. And so I'm at that point now where I'm wanting to put all
the pieces together and have a have a smooth
(39:15):
system. And that means strategy. That means
SOPs. That means making sure that you're being efficient
with your time and energy. And, yeah, it's a lot of
work. It truly is, but I wouldn't do it if I
didn't absolutely love it or think that we needed it. And
as a trauma survivor, knowing that there's so many others out there who've
(39:37):
experienced some type of trauma in their life and knowing how healing
and self expression can be. It is my mission in
life, my passion, to help people see that there
is a light on the other side of all the fear and all the
shame, that if you are surrounded by
ruminating thoughts or negative thinking or low self worth or
(39:59):
things like that, that you can come out of that. It's
not an easy path, but there is a path and self expression is
a great way to get started on it. And I truly believe the
more we are actively expressing ourselves, that means we're not
abandoning ourselves. If we abandon ourselves, that means we're living in
lack. And of course, none of the things that we wanna see grow are gonna
(40:22):
thrive in an environment like that. So we have to create an environment around
our lives that's conducive to growing. And
that's all I wanna be able to do is show people that it's possible and
teach them how to do it and give them some tools and then help
them get started. And so I've done that through coaching. I've done that through
speaking. I've done that through workshops and classes. Like, this is
(40:44):
this is all I'm here to do. So that's what I'm gonna do. Now later
down the road, like, say, I work with a big corporate partner and they want
a mural in their space or they want some type of installation and then
we do a big talk, we have a whole to do. Like, I would love
that sort of thing as well. So the offers that I present
to the hospitality industry give them that opportunity to
(41:06):
see how they can use me in in multiple ways beyond
just a speaker on stage, but doing some on-site engagement or
doing artwork with artwork and their attendees, with workshops
where people are connecting. There's so many ways that I love to lead
groups and to show people, what's possible that
we're just gonna keep building on that. Yeah. And so it's a it's
(41:28):
a process of making art, creating new talks,
creating new experiences. I had a friend the other night was
like, I want you to paint on stage, and I wanna see you paint and
then speak. And what would that look like? And I don't know. Well, let's just
kinda see. And, of course, I I always default to what does my
spirit say? What is my guidance telling me?
(41:50):
Is this the next right thing to do? I know, like, we all want
everything to happen all at once, but that's never really
truly the path. It always happens a little bit at a time. And
so just being patient and grounding myself in that patience
that whatever is to come will come when it's ready. And
showing up, being present, keep doing the work, keep following the
(42:13):
guidance. I mean, I don't know what else I can do beyond that.
Yeah. Yeah. But and that's amazing. And I think you
being very transparent with your journey as you're
doing it is also extremely helpful and encouraging to
people. I know it's encouraged me because oftentimes, it's
easy for people to get the slice of life from somebody and think, oh,
(42:35):
well, they've got everything all figured out, and I'm so far from where they are.
And, look, you know, they don't have the same, you know, trials and
tribulations that I do and etcetera, etcetera. And so I think when you you
show up more transparent, it dispels all that stuff, and it
evens the playing ground and says, you know what? Yeah. Like, I'm living my journey,
and I'm I'm engaging with myself and trying to figure this out. And there are
(42:58):
things that you're gonna learn from it, but everybody has to do their
own journey. And there are gonna be context for someone else that may be right
for them, but it's wrong for you and vice versa. And I think it's just
showing up, engaging with that, and figuring out those next steps, like you said. That's
key because that keeps us going. And the beautiful thing about creativity
is that we never run out of it. Like, we never get to the bottom.
(43:19):
There's always something else that we can make and do, and that's a beautiful
life. Right? It truly is. And, you know, when
you're able to share your fears and your shame and help
people feel like they're not alone, that is a beautiful
interaction because what you're doing is you're setting people
free. You're letting them see that it's not just their
(43:42):
experience. That is something we all go through and that helps us
feel less alone. And when we feel connected and
like we are in a space where we belong or that we feel understood,
that is when we can start to heal.
So, yeah, share share all the yucky stuff.
(44:02):
I do. I don't like that. I don't live in
shame anymore. I refuse to.
Yeah. Of course. You know, God's always doing work on me with
humility, and, I'm grateful for that.
And so share share all the experiences
because nothing is per ever perfect. No one has it all
(44:24):
figured out. It's not an easy road for most, especially
those who are doing things that you wanna be doing. Like,
we gotta understand there's a lot of work behind all of the
I mean, this is eighteen years of my life.
I mean, that's a lot of years. I tell my men I tell my, intern.
I'm, like, her mentor. I'm like, I have twenty years
(44:47):
experience on you. So be gentle on
yourself for maybe not knowing everything at this point.
Right. And, you know, I try to teach her all the things that I have
learned as a way to empower her to continue to
grow in the direction that she wants to. And I love that
I can do that now. It's hard to believe that it's been
(45:09):
that long because it's gone by in a flash.
Yes. I hear you. Oh, goodness. Well, I I have to say, you know, your
your joy is evident in all the things you do. And even as you come
into a space and people yell out your name, they're smiling.
Everyone is always happy to see you. And so I think that is a testimony
to who you are and the work that you do. So thank you for that.
(45:30):
I look forward to more opportunities, you know, getting in the room with
you and the the communities that you host. So, personally, I'm just very
appreciative. And I'm also appreciative that that you are on the show
today sharing your experiences, encouraging others who are listening wherever they're
listening from today. As we kinda wrap things up, where can people go to find
you? How can they follow you? Like, lay some links or or some places on
(45:52):
us? Well, you all can just follow me online. I'm on all the
socials, and I'm at Beth English, b e t h
I n g l I s h. My last name is spelled with an
I, so that is confusing for a lot of people.
And so I'm I'm pretty active on Facebook
and Instagram and LinkedIn. Yeah. So that's where you
(46:14):
can find me playing the most. Awesome. Okay. I'll be sure to put those in
the show notes so people can click and easily follow you and
get more of you in their life, some of that joy spilling over to them.
That's awesome. And, you know, I have over a hundred episodes,
about art on my YouTube. So you can go back and watch those.
I did those during the pandemic with a friend, Sergio Gomez,
(46:36):
who's an artist. He was in Chicago, but now he's in Miami. And
we have a lot of really practical videos
about that. So go check out my YouTube and my website's
bethenglish.com. There's links to all those places there.
And you can Google me and read all about things about
me. I mean, I'm I'm on I'm on the Internet for a reason. You know?
(46:58):
So if you can find me, it's hard. Awesome.
Well, thank you again so much for today, and I just wish you
all the best in all the things that you do and can't wait to hang
out with you in person again very shortly. Thank you. I look forward to that
too. Appreciate it.
(47:20):
Thanks for listening today. I'd appreciate if you would subscribe,
leave a rating and a review. It really helps this podcast be
seen and heard by others.
Welcome to the Creative Chats podcast with Mike Brennan.
Well, welcome friends to another episode of Creative Chats. It's the
podcast for artist makers and content creators where we talk about creativity,
the creative process, and story. I'm your host, Mike
(00:24):
Brennan. You can check out some of my work over on
mikebrennan.me, and I'd love to connect with you there.
There's also some free resources there that I have created just for
you in mind because I wanna see you create. And I
believe that when you create, everyone wins. You win. The people
around you win. And so to create the
(00:45):
things that are happening inside your brain, to get them
out and get them bringing value to the people around you. That's
where it's at. I've created resources called Daily Creative Habit.
You can sign up for the email newsletter that goes out once a week.
It is free, and it is just jam packed with
prompts that give you some ideas if you're looking to get back in touch
(01:08):
with your creativity, but you're really not sure what that can look like. You need
some guidance. Also, I look to give you some inspiration,
some practical tips on just creating and marketing
and getting your stuff out and into the
world. And so I would love for you to go to
dailycreativehabit.com. That'll bring a direct page right
(01:31):
to some of those resources along with a daily creative habit
ninety day journal that I've created that will take you on an experience
where you can set intention and then take action and track and
measure your progress along the way. So you can know if you're actually showing up
and doing things as opposed to, did I create something recently?
I don't really know. It's a little too ethereal. This gives you some practical,
(01:54):
measurable steps to be able to employ. Now
today, I get to sit down with a local friend, Beth English. I am so
excited about this episode. I mean, I love all my episodes, of course. They're
all my children right now. But this episode,
really truly appreciate Beth's, time and ability
to convey her story, her experiences to share with you
(02:16):
today. She is someone who I have been continuing to get to know locally here
in the Nashville area. She has the amazing
ability to gather fellow creatives into a room
and get them connecting with each other and getting them connecting with her.
She's very transparent and shares her journey, her story, her
process, and looks to help people show up to
(02:39):
create as well. And so we have a lot of shared values and experiences. And,
we talk a lot about her art making, experiences. And, we talk
a lot about her art making, what that's looked like over the years,
her speaking because she's a speaker as well, very gifted and talented in
helping other people, again, step into their creativity. And
I just love her perspective on showing
(03:00):
up, creating some things, finding the right people,
pivoting, and also having strategy be at
work in the the creation process. Because so many times,
we get in our own way, and sometimes we don't think about who's
going to interact with what we're creating and how can we best show
up for them and where are they hanging out. And
(03:22):
so not just the creation, but also the marketing, if you
will, of what it is that we create, making sure that those things are aligned
and that they are working for us, not against us. So
many great nuggets of wisdom in this episode. Be sure to take
notes and enjoy connecting with Beth as
well. At the end of the episode, we, give some some ways
(03:45):
that you can connect with Beth, and I really truly encourage you to do
so. Even if you're not local to the Nashville area,
She will be a tremendous resource for you as well. So without further
ado, here is my creative chat with Beth
English.
Well, Beth, welcome to the Creative Chats podcast. Thanks so much for being here today.
(04:07):
I'm excited about this. Me too. Me too.
So I love that when I got here to Nashville,
you were the person who was like, hey. I am doing things with
creative people, and I was like, oh, this is my person. Like, she
gets me, and she's she's making events happen and helping me
get connected in a local community. So thank you.
(04:30):
Thank you. Thank you. I really truly appreciate that. And I'm also excited to
bring your story and just all the things that you do to
the people who aren't local here, who listen to this podcast, and expose
them to just what you do and how you do it and all the
things that make you Beth. So thank you.
I'll try. Yes. Let's go. I'm excited
(04:52):
too. Yeah. So you are multi
creative. You are someone who is passionate about
just engaging with your creativity in ways that that help other
people show up and help them be the best versions of themselves too. And
so, you know, we I I knew from the get go that we had
some similarities and things as far as interest and values and
(05:14):
experiences. I would love to know where did
creativity start for you? Like, what did that look like for you when you were
a kid, and how did you know that you were creative? Gosh. I
can't remember a time when I wasn't creating something.
I must have started noodling around on the piano since
I was could walk. You know, my dad was a
(05:36):
musician and a songwriter for as a
hobby, not as a career. And so we had a
room that was dedicated to music. So it was the piano room,
and it's where I would go and play piano and
learn. And eventually, I did get into piano lessons when I was eight
years old, so that really was a lot of fun. I
(05:58):
was always coloring. I would color on the
insides of the cabinet doors. So, like, oh, no one's gonna see
this. I can't do this. I was doing
fun projects at church and at home, just arts and
crafts, things like that, and I just loved it. I remember a time in
kindergarten, actually, we had to draw a picture based on a book we read,
(06:20):
and I think that it was a pretty good picture for a five year old.
And I was I impressed myself, and I think I impressed my
mom. It was just very evident early on
that I loved drawing. I loved color
and expression. You know, I was in dance class since I was
three years old, so I was always dancing. Music
(06:42):
was a huge part of our our life growing up and,
crafts, sewing. My grandma taught me how to sew when
I was five, and so there was always something to create with my
hands, and I never let that go. And I I still live that
way today. Yeah. Yeah. And so did that then
(07:02):
end up informing you as far as, like, a career path, education
path? What did that part look like? Not at all. It was
not really encouraged to go into the arts. It was
just something you did as I mean, looking at my dad, it was just a
hobby that he did, and no one around me was
doing that sort of thing. So I went to business school
(07:24):
because it seemed like a smart choice. I was good at
leading. In high school, I was always in a
club, president of a club, doing things for those
groups. And, yeah. So I thought, well, I
guess I'm good at this leadership thing, and I went
to business school. But it wasn't until business school that or until college
(07:46):
that I started taking more formal classes. I was actually
a costume designer in the theater school when I was
attending college because a friend of mine saw that
I had talent because I showed her some of the things I had made, that
I had sewn, and some of the costumes that I had created
because I danced for fifteen years. So I had a a big
(08:08):
show every year, which is why I love naturally being on
stage. Running out on a big empty stage seems very comfortable
for me. So I started drawing and the
theater school and those classes, and that kind of led me into
making art and thinking of myself as an artist.
But I did eventually just graduate with a undergrad in
(08:30):
in business. So it wasn't until later that I decided
that being an artist was something that I felt like I needed to go
after. And was that, like, a natural thing for you to be able
to accept the kind of title or or category
of artist? Because I know a lot of lot of people struggle with
that and think, well, I'm not, you know, a real artist. I mean, I even
(08:53):
had that in my own journey of, like, going, well, I could be a designer,
but I don't know, a real artist because we we tend to
have this picture in our head what we think that looks like when maybe
it's a real artist makes a full time living off of their
art or has certain accolades or has certain training or whatever
that is. Like, did you ever struggle with that piece or was it just now,
(09:14):
you know what? I know I'm an artist because of all these things I've done.
It's just so close to me. I did struggle with that because I'm a normal
human being. You know? Yeah. We all have those self doubt insecurities
that creep in, and I think we can define the term a lot of
different ways, and people are gonna have different definitions for it all
across the board. But you have to understand what does it mean for you to
(09:35):
be an artist? Because, no, I don't think that you have to make a full
time living at art to be an artist. I think that we are all born
as creators, and it's something that we either
adopt, do in our lives, or maybe it's something that we don't
necessarily nurture. It's just like anything. When you nurture something
within yourself, you're gonna see it grow. And when you don't nurture it, you're not
(09:55):
gonna see it grow. And that doesn't mean that we're not all creative
beings born to create and make things with our hands. We
can use our creativity in lots of different ways. And one of the hardest parts
that I have learned is getting that mindset out of
people that they think they have to be like this bohemian
hippie painter to be an artist or to be creative. And
(10:18):
I I just I I try so hard to help
people see the creative side inside of themselves, like,
that this is all part of who we are. But I'm
telling you, the world does not wanna nurture artists. The
systems that are built around us as people are not
nurturing for those who are artists. It seems
(10:40):
very difficult. And one thing I have learned from leading thousands of artists in an
artist community is that our mindset stinks, like,
half the time or most of the time. Like, if you can get
past that crummy mindset of self doubt,
then the whole world is yours. Like, you can create, and you can
do anything, and you can build and collaborate.
(11:03):
But it's that mindset that I think holds down a lot of artists
that you see stop them from taking that next step forward. And
so calling yourself as as an artist is one of the most important
steps that you can take forward to claim that
for yourself, because it is a powerful thing to be an artist and to have
a voice and to be self expressed. But if you don't believe
(11:25):
in your voice, then no one else will. So you have to believe in
yourself first before you can expect anyone else. I mean,
there are those special souls in our life that see those gifts inside of us
that say, hey. I noticed this about you, and this is really cool, and you
should nurture that. Or, you know, we have to depend on sometimes those people to
pour that light into us so that we can claim it for ourselves. You
(11:47):
know? I don't see myself the same way everybody else sees me. I
see myself through my own lens of my entire
life. You know, it's a it's a slow process of adjusting how
we see ourselves, but it is a worthy journey because if we
can see ourselves with the the most hopeful, most optimistic,
most possibility, then I think we're truly living into our creativity.
(12:09):
It's not about just what we create. It's about how we create ourselves and we
see ourselves in our journey in this life. So it is
a declaration to say, I am an artist, and that
is really the first step. And once you get past that, I feel
like it's a lot easier. So for those of you listening or watching, if
you struggle with calling yourself an artist, just know that you
(12:32):
are, and just accept that and call yourself that,
and don't listen to anyone who says that you're not. Keep living into your own
truth. That's all we can do. Yeah. Yeah.
Good stuff. Good stuff.
There is so much in there even with the self work.
And and if certainly, that's not exclusive to creatives or or artists.
(12:56):
But I think so much of that, like you said, is dependent
on, like, what happens with what we make,
how we see ourselves, how we put ourselves out there. And if we're
not working on ourselves, if we're not self validating
and loving ourselves well, then we're not
gonna be able to show up to really tap into the the stuff that I
(13:19):
think we can make that is really our voice and the thing
that is close to who we are. We may dance around that for a really
long time. And the other thing is is not being able to
really have agency over yourself and your journey
because then it's always outward looking. It's always like, if I
get this opportunity, then that'll validate me enough, and then I'll feel good
(13:41):
about my work. Then I'll feel good about myself as a as a creative person.
Or if somebody buys something or if I have certain amount of sales each month
or if I have and all these external validators that,
can really throw us off track and cause us to really put
ourselves in a cage where we're not showing up the way that
we could and should be for ourselves and experiencing
(14:03):
the freedom, I think, that comes when you've really
decided to do the hard work inside. Right? I mean, has that been your experience
too? Have you does that resonate with you? Oh, yeah. %. I spent
years and years trying to validate myself as an
artist through sales or through my relationships or through
other you know, what people thought of my work. So I was inherently,
(14:25):
like, creating for a market instead of just
creating my own sort of expression. And And I kept seeing these
visions of things I should be making, like, because I see visions as how sort
of I'm led through my artistic life as I get visions or I
hear not audible voices, but, you know, my main intuition feels
strong, strongly directs me. And, yeah,
(14:47):
you know when you're not being authentic to your voice, and I didn't
like the way that felt. And, I mean, I sold art. That
was that was something that I did, but I
sold more art when I was staying true to my own
voice and vision. And that was the most surprising
because I was like, seriously, people are gonna
(15:09):
want to to buy this this art that I'm making
that feels unmarketable, but it is the
most authentically marketable art that I could make for myself. So that
was a surprise. It just showed me how valuable it is to
really follow your vision even though it may not be
clear where you're moving into. It's just do the next step, do the
(15:31):
next step, and it'll keep evolving over time. And it's a beautiful
thing to see yourself develop as an artist, and I think, you know, technical
skill is one thing, but artistic vision is another.
And so we have to be true to artistic vision
and keep honing in on those technical skills. I didn't know how
to paint when I decided I was gonna be a painter. So it's
(15:54):
like, oh, how do I do this? And I just practice and practice and
practice, and and I haven't actually painted in a long time because I've
been so focused on speaking. And so but then I'll pick up a paintbrush and
I'll be like, oh, yeah. I I know how to do this. It's pretty cool.
And I'll, like, work with my mom on a project, and I'll be like, remember,
I am a professional artist. And, you know, my family doesn't really know
(16:16):
me as a professional artist because they only know me as the kid
that I was from, you know, zero to 18. And so I have
to remind my mom when I'm, like, repainting some
furniture or helping around the house with something that I
actually am really good at this. Not to worry.
So, yeah, we all go through
(16:37):
those periods of self doubt and
disbelief and questioning ourselves. And I think, you
know, we could look at that two ways. One way that's gonna
limit us and block us or say or another way is,
I'm curious about this. What's why is this coming up? Where does
this where is the root of this, and why is it
(16:59):
deciding to, you know, try to take up space in my mind right
now? Maybe I need to express this through my art as a way
to release it. And so I really used art
making as a way to express the confusing
things happening inside my spirit as a way to
release those things and to gain perspective
(17:21):
because I will definitely step back from
a painting I'm working on and look at it and think, what is it trying
to tell me? What is it saying? And of course, my intuition
is always saying, it says this and it says that. And
I learn a lot just by being in the process of
creating art. Mhmm. Yeah. Then it becomes
(17:44):
a form of self care and meaning making.
And, you know, I think about I journal a lot,
and I've journaled since I was probably 18 years old when somebody
first introduced me to the idea of kind of giving me a method to do
it. And that process of getting things out
and getting it on a page and then making sense of some things as
(18:05):
opposed to it just kind of all floating inside of you and being this, like,
sea of chaos. Right? That is certainly one way of doing it with written word,
and it's it's a different experience when I approach something
with visual art and using colors, using brushstrokes,
or using symbols or different
elements. And yet it's still this sense of I'm
(18:27):
making meaning, I'm giving purpose to something, whether that's an
emotion, an experience, like you said, something that you see in
your mind where you're like, I see this vision of something I want to become
a reality, and it gives you the place to work that out. And to not
do that, I think that can certainly cause a
frustration. Right? I mean, when
(18:49):
you're not creating, there's this idea
of you're not really being who you are to be,
who you were created to be. I know for me when I walked away from
my creativity for ten years, that's exactly what happened to me. I just I started
to shrivel up and then suffered from depression. I underestimated
the power of creativity in my own life, not just as a career,
(19:12):
but as an agent of hope and understanding and
meaning making and self love and and care. Right? What have you
learned about creativity and self expression
and what happens when you don't engage with that?
Well, I'm my most joyful self when I
am creating, whether that's writing, whether
(19:34):
that's painting, writing music, performing
music, singing, dancing. I try to
live a creative life in all that I do.
It comes through in my cooking. It comes through in the way that
I live in my home, in my space every day.
It's always, I just try to live life as looking at, oh,
(19:58):
how can I make this more beautiful? How can I make this more meaningful? How
can I turn this experience into something that I'm gonna remember forever?
So it's so important that it's a part of like, I'm creating
intentional memories and meaningfulness every
day, whether however I'm creating or
whatever output is being expressed. Even if it's, like, a
(20:19):
conversation, feeling empowered to express exactly
what's on my heart and not shut down. So,
yeah, for me, creating was definitely healing and therapeutic. I am a
trauma survivor of childhood sexual abuse. I do create as a
way to express joy because I want
the energy of joy to be around me because I have found that the
(20:42):
only way I was ever gonna find joy is if I made joy familiar in
my neurology. And so if my neurology says, oh, you're no
good, or you're, you know, there's shame there. It's like, okay. That's what the
wiring is, but how do I rewire that? And the
only thing that helped was to make intentional actions
towards experiencing joy so that I am rewiring my brain for joy.
(21:05):
And that was amazing. Painting was a part of
that. Exploring out in the woods was a part of that. Just
feeling just like I could go and create joy, not just
for myself, but for the people
around me, which is why I love building community and hosting events because the more
that we engage in joyful activities, the more we are
(21:26):
telling our brain what we want to be familiar in our lives.
Regardless of the the fear or the
depression or the shame or all those things, yes, I understand,
those can coexist with joy, and it's a slow
transition into feeling more joy
(21:46):
when we are more intentional about it. So
that is why I create. That is why I do all the things
that I do because I want to live a great joyful
life. I want the last the latter part of my
life to look completely different than the beginning part of my
life where I was consumed with shame and
(22:08):
fear, and I don't want to live
that way anymore. So creating intentional acts of
joy every single day is how I stay
resilient and maintain regardless of the challenges I face.
Because we will face challenges, Mhmm. But it's how do we remain
joyful and grounded in peace amidst all the chaos around
(22:30):
us? And that is challenging, but we do have a choice. And that's
kinda what my keynote is all about, is how do we look at the
choices we make and decide whether or not they're the right choices for
us? Are they ultimately guiding us into a direction that we
wanna be in? And really taking a look at that from a deeper
level. And this is why I share these stories and
(22:52):
why I share my own vulnerable experiences because I know that
they make a lasting impact on the audience to think
about their own joy, their own creativity, and
the future of their life and how they want to create that.
It feels good to just be self expressed. Yes.
(23:12):
Yes. That is so powerful. And I love
this picture of you having basically life as
your canvas and you being able to
dip into moments and have different experiences day
to day and to be the in this very kind of
fluid type of relationship with creativity where
(23:35):
it's not just like I'm doing this painting and if this painting doesn't,
you know, turn out well or doesn't match my vision, there then
I'm gonna be, like, kinda, like, really disappointed and and feel bad about myself,
feel bad about my skills or whatever. It's so much bigger than that. What you're
describing is really this creative life that touches
everything that you come in contact with.
(23:56):
And I love that you've identified that joy is like your paint.
It's the thing that you're you're applying to every
situation wherever you are and whoever you're talking with. That's
such a beautiful picture. So thank you for articulating that.
And I I I hope that that challenges others to really
dig deep to think, what is it that's underneath what I'm doing?
(24:18):
Like, what is the driving motivation? What's my why, if you will? That's a lot
of times we talk about it in those terms. But having identified that,
that's huge. Yeah. Well and as a marketer, I knew that it was important to
be able to communicate why I do what I do with my work so that
it would, you know, share a story and connect with the audience.
That is the whole motivation behind it.
(24:41):
And it was like, how do I express what it is I really wanna do?
And I know I've painted small paintings, medium sized paintings,
this and that, these kinds of styles, representational, non representational.
And I have learned, why am I doing any of this
work unless I'm really truly just in love with
it? So my favorite way of painting is a full
(25:02):
body experience. I like to be dancing. I like to be moving. I like to
be upright. I don't wanna be sitting down. I wanna have space,
and I want the canvas to be a reflection of that experience that I'm
having in my own body. And that's that's how I
wanna paint. And if that is a great fit for your office or
your home or whatever, then amazing. Let's do
(25:24):
it. I've partnered with lots of great people and,
commercial spaces and, private collectors to have
artwork just like this. And so it makes it fun for
me because who wants to do a project you don't love? You know?
You just start feeling bad about it the entire time you're working on it. Like,
I really wish I wouldn't have said yes to this. Say yes to the
(25:48):
things you wanna say yes to and create an offer that you're
so excited to get out there and sell. You know? And
that's the thing I realized was the biggest challenge for artists, not
seeing any forward movement or momentum in their work or
their business was that they're not creating enough offers connecting them
to the right audience. It's all about offers and
(26:11):
audience. And when I say that, it's like, are you selling to people
who like your kind of art? Where do they hang out? What do they do?
And then are you creating art that you love, that you would do
for free? And just make it fun, but be
strategic about it. And that's a that's a hard thing too for a lot of
artists. They're not thinking strategically or from, like, a business
(26:32):
perspective. I mean, a lot a lot do. There's there's plenty of successful artists
in this world. But for those of you who may be feeling challenged
by your momentum or your growth,
look at what you're offering and look at the audience you're offering it
to. And is it in alignment? And start to really
dig in deeper to that. Because it wasn't until I really built some
(26:54):
boundaries around how I produce and create that really
changed the way that I did business. And I made
a lot more money after I went through that exercise of aligning
who I am, what I do with the right people. And it
didn't happen all at once, but it was something
that I'm really proud of. I listened to my intuition and I did that.
(27:18):
Even if it meant being afraid of pivoting into
maybe a different way of approaching the work, of approaching
sales, because I got real sick and tired of
bringing art to this art show and that art show and this pop up and
that pop up. I mean, it is a lot of work, and I
just was like, I don't wanna do art shows anymore. I just wanna work on
(27:41):
projects, and that's what I did. And that's kinda what led me
here today because I haven't had an art show in a very long time. That
doesn't mean I wouldn't do a show in the future if it was the right
fit, but selling to the customer is really
tough. So pivoting my business to be more b two b,
that was what really helped me in the long run.
(28:02):
Yeah. And in that pivoting, is that where some more of the speaking
came to the foreground? Or, like, how did that develop? No.
Speaking came after that. So pivoting
was probably, like, happening
at the same time, but speaking was something that came
later because of the work that I was doing.
(28:26):
With the art, the messages that I was sharing
with joy, that became so much
more important than,
the paintings it's itself. Speaking
became my main focus because I wanted to be talking
about joy and art. And I had been to
(28:49):
the Americans for the Arts conference here in Nashville. I think it was in
February and, like, '13 or '14. And I saw
artists on stage talking about their art. And I was
like, well, that project was, like, years ago, and they're still talking about it. Is
that a thing? Is that okay? And I shifted my focus from individual
pieces of art to developing projects and then being able to tell
(29:12):
stories about those projects because I wanted to be like those artists at
the conference and talk about my art on stage, and that's what I do now.
So I just talk about the projects that I have done and
the impact they have made, not just on myself, but on community. Because
I learned that it was a lot easier to get press if you
had an event or a project that was relevant to the
(29:34):
community. And I became so hyper
focused on community because I wanted to
get in the newspapers and in the magazines, and I wanted
to be showing how I was adding value to the world around
me as an artist. And it just kind of took on a life of
its own because since I've started focusing on
(29:56):
communities, so many doors started opening and I was able to collaborate and
partner with so many more people. And that to me was such a fun part
of the process too. And I was painting murals and I
was impacting students and I was bringing
people together to put a paintbrush in their hand so that they could
experience the joy of creating without, you know,
(30:18):
like, how do I get started? It was like I was helping them get started.
And I mean, we painted a mural in Downtown Nashville with over
a hundred community volunteers, and I managed the whole thing.
And it was so much fun because it was just the
coolest thing. We were on a rooftop. We got to see the skyline.
People were in a space they normally wouldn't be in. We were
(30:41):
painting. We were listening to music, and it's still there.
So that was in February and so I feel kinda like a mural like
a OG muralist before this whole Instagram mural
boom that came into you know, came through. And I'm really proud of that
project and, all the ones that I've done after that. But
bringing people together for community for the purpose of telling story
(31:04):
and being able to amplify those stories using PR
was such a great fit because it's really about the
story that we're creating and the impact that we're trying to
to share with the rest of the community. And just for people to see
that art is happening all around them, and it's happening in their
neighborhoods, and it's something that's accessible to all. And so
(31:26):
that's why I got so big into murals because I wanted art to be accessible
for all, not just in a gallery or in a museum. I wanted
it to be something that the everyday person could see, appreciate,
and feel. Yeah. Beth, you know, I have to say, as I as I listen
to you relay these stories and experiences and as I get to know you better,
the thing that I'm I'm certainly impressed with is your ability
(31:50):
to take action and then go, okay. I'm going to assess
what's happening here. What's working? What's not working? And then
you pivoting into something that you need to tweak.
And all the while, it's it's doing
what you feel drawn towards and what lights you up, what brings
you joy, but then also being very conscious about the
(32:11):
people around you, whether that's whatever the industry or the the
right people or the right category of people like you said before or
community. Making it about other people, giving them access,
and creating something that is an invitation for people as
opposed to, I've made a thing. Come look at my thing. Do you
wanna buy my thing? You know, me me me me me me. And so,
(32:34):
I just wanna reflect that back to you that that's what I see and
hear as I listen to you tell your experiences and
stories, and I so appreciate that because there's also that word
strategy in there that you mentioned before, which I think is huge because
it's this self aware piece and willingness to
pivot and be open handed, and then yet also having strategy to
(32:56):
go, if I'm gonna do these things, let's make them the most impactful as
possible. So that's a long winded way of saying thank
you. Well, I don't know
any other way to do it. I mean, I think community
has always been a big part of my life since I was little.
I've been surrounded by great communities and church
(33:19):
and through my mom's service organization and
through school. So, you know, at
school, I had a very unique school experience, like,
public school upbringing, and there weren't, like, clicks or anything.
I don't it's not like your traditional things that you see on TV or
whatever. It was very, diverse. I was a minority in the
(33:41):
school that I attended, and there were so many
different types of people and different foods. Like, I remember in third
grade, we had, you know, parents bring food to school,
and it was the most beautiful spread of all these different things, like,
that I had never seen or heard of before. And I just love
what we can learn from each other. And I think I learned that
(34:03):
early on, the value of how when you bring people together,
how much better it is, for everyone
when we listen to one another and we collaborate with each
other because my experiences aren't their experiences. But when
we come together, we can share in those and then
decide how we wanna work together. And, yeah, I
(34:25):
love being part of groups. As you know, I have all kinds of
groups that I nurture, and I think that's just a a
testament to the belief I have that together,
we are better and to just keep thinking
about how to do that and how to
bring people together in a way that feels meaningful because
(34:48):
it has always been that way for me. And Yeah. I can't imagine my life
without it. You know? Plus, I don't have a husband or kids
or anything, so my community is my family. And Mhmm.
That's very important to me because I like to feel like I'm
part of something bigger. And when you are in community with others,
you are, and you just have to put yourself out there. And so thank
(35:10):
you, Mike, for trusting me to come be a
part of what I'm doing. You could see yourself in it and and
find the value there because that takes courage as well.
I remember going and hearing about the the meetup
that was, like, last month or so and this large
group of people who gathered in this really creative space locally here. And
(35:34):
I'm thinking of myself. I'm like, I don't maybe I'll recognize a person, you know,
one person or two people, maybe. You know? Because I did know some people who
knew you. So I was like, there's that possibility. But by and large, I was
like, I'm in a room full of other creative people, and I don't know any
of them. And my I reverted back to the, like, when I was a kid,
really shy, like, wallflower, like, oh, boy. You know? Like, I'm
(35:54):
but it quickly dissipated because, as you said, when you get
people in the room and everyone starts talking and networking and kind
of sharing what they're working on, sharing who they are, there was
just this sense of true community. And I know that that can be a
buzzword these days, but this really this sense
of, like, tell me more about that. Like, I I really am
(36:17):
interested to know more about you and about the work that you do, not
simply a means to how can I get something
from you, but rather how can I have something for you?
And like you said, how can we do something together? That was
completely refreshing for me, especially coming from the
Northeast where I grew up and live most of my life, where it's this
(36:39):
sense of more competition over community and
people holding things very closely to themselves because it's all about
them. And if they share something and and you get an advantage, you might
pass them and you know and so to come into this
environment that was very much more open, very, very
giving, people sharing opportunities, people sharing
(37:01):
information, it has been so incredibly refreshing.
And even you doing the workshop that you did, the last one that I
attended with you, talking about live events and
giving ideas and talking about how
you having to go through this process of contextualizing
and learning a language of the industry to be sure that you're
(37:24):
speaking the right way to those people. That was tremendously valuable
information. And to get to sit in a room like that, that was incredible.
What is next for you in that? Like, what is what do you see
happening with that? Or is this just kind of like you're you're holding it loosely
and and kind of like it whatever happens organically? You mean
speaking? I mean, like, just even community aspect
(37:46):
and and certainly, like, the things that you wanna do creatively next.
Well, I'm writing a book now, and so
that is a huge undertaking. I know it's gonna take
time, probably a couple years, so I'm just gonna
be, committed to the process and just take
it one step at a time. And then so that's
(38:09):
happening. But, also, community, I mean, I host two live
events every month, in person. So that's quite a lot
on top of, you know, speaking engagements and
business and working, sitting at the computer and doing all those things.
Yes. And so I'm so glad that right now I'm available to be
present at those, but I hope eventually that I'm speaking
(38:31):
enough to where I'm making an impact on communities worldwide
and, you know, sharing my story and sharing the work that I
do with, with groups. So I would love to grow in that
direction with books. And then also would love to
see, you know, having art be a part of that transaction as
well. So if you see me speak on stage and you wanna purchase my
(38:53):
work, that there is an easy, quick way for you to go about
that. Right now, I don't have all the pieces of the engine
connecting because I stay hyper focused in one area until I feel
like it's running well enough to where I can then connect the
other area. And so I'm at that point now where I'm wanting to put all
the pieces together and have a have a smooth
(39:15):
system. And that means strategy. That means
SOPs. That means making sure that you're being efficient
with your time and energy. And, yeah, it's a lot of
work. It truly is, but I wouldn't do it if I
didn't absolutely love it or think that we needed it. And
as a trauma survivor, knowing that there's so many others out there who've
(39:37):
experienced some type of trauma in their life and knowing how healing
and self expression can be. It is my mission in
life, my passion, to help people see that there
is a light on the other side of all the fear and all the
shame, that if you are surrounded by
ruminating thoughts or negative thinking or low self worth or
(39:59):
things like that, that you can come out of that. It's
not an easy path, but there is a path and self expression is
a great way to get started on it. And I truly believe the
more we are actively expressing ourselves, that means we're not
abandoning ourselves. If we abandon ourselves, that means we're living in
lack. And of course, none of the things that we wanna see grow are gonna
(40:22):
thrive in an environment like that. So we have to create an environment around
our lives that's conducive to growing. And
that's all I wanna be able to do is show people that it's possible and
teach them how to do it and give them some tools and then help
them get started. And so I've done that through coaching. I've done that through
speaking. I've done that through workshops and classes. Like, this is
(40:44):
this is all I'm here to do. So that's what I'm gonna do. Now later
down the road, like, say, I work with a big corporate partner and they want
a mural in their space or they want some type of installation and then
we do a big talk, we have a whole to do. Like, I would love
that sort of thing as well. So the offers that I present
to the hospitality industry give them that opportunity to
(41:06):
see how they can use me in in multiple ways beyond
just a speaker on stage, but doing some on-site engagement or
doing artwork with artwork and their attendees, with workshops
where people are connecting. There's so many ways that I love to lead
groups and to show people, what's possible that
we're just gonna keep building on that. Yeah. And so it's a it's
(41:28):
a process of making art, creating new talks,
creating new experiences. I had a friend the other night was
like, I want you to paint on stage, and I wanna see you paint and
then speak. And what would that look like? And I don't know. Well, let's just
kinda see. And, of course, I I always default to what does my
spirit say? What is my guidance telling me?
(41:50):
Is this the next right thing to do? I know, like, we all want
everything to happen all at once, but that's never really
truly the path. It always happens a little bit at a time. And
so just being patient and grounding myself in that patience
that whatever is to come will come when it's ready. And
showing up, being present, keep doing the work, keep following the
(42:13):
guidance. I mean, I don't know what else I can do beyond that.
Yeah. Yeah. But and that's amazing. And I think you
being very transparent with your journey as you're
doing it is also extremely helpful and encouraging to
people. I know it's encouraged me because oftentimes, it's
easy for people to get the slice of life from somebody and think, oh,
(42:35):
well, they've got everything all figured out, and I'm so far from where they are.
And, look, you know, they don't have the same, you know, trials and
tribulations that I do and etcetera, etcetera. And so I think when you you
show up more transparent, it dispels all that stuff, and it
evens the playing ground and says, you know what? Yeah. Like, I'm living my journey,
and I'm I'm engaging with myself and trying to figure this out. And there are
(42:58):
things that you're gonna learn from it, but everybody has to do their
own journey. And there are gonna be context for someone else that may be right
for them, but it's wrong for you and vice versa. And I think it's just
showing up, engaging with that, and figuring out those next steps, like you said. That's
key because that keeps us going. And the beautiful thing about creativity
is that we never run out of it. Like, we never get to the bottom.
(43:19):
There's always something else that we can make and do, and that's a beautiful
life. Right? It truly is. And, you know, when
you're able to share your fears and your shame and help
people feel like they're not alone, that is a beautiful
interaction because what you're doing is you're setting people
free. You're letting them see that it's not just their
(43:42):
experience. That is something we all go through and that helps us
feel less alone. And when we feel connected and
like we are in a space where we belong or that we feel understood,
that is when we can start to heal.
So, yeah, share share all the yucky stuff.
(44:02):
I do. I don't like that. I don't live in
shame anymore. I refuse to.
Yeah. Of course. You know, God's always doing work on me with
humility, and, I'm grateful for that.
And so share share all the experiences
because nothing is per ever perfect. No one has it all
(44:24):
figured out. It's not an easy road for most, especially
those who are doing things that you wanna be doing. Like,
we gotta understand there's a lot of work behind all of the
I mean, this is eighteen years of my life.
I mean, that's a lot of years. I tell my men I tell my, intern.
I'm, like, her mentor. I'm like, I have twenty years
(44:47):
experience on you. So be gentle on
yourself for maybe not knowing everything at this point.
Right. And, you know, I try to teach her all the things that I have
learned as a way to empower her to continue to
grow in the direction that she wants to. And I love that
I can do that now. It's hard to believe that it's been
(45:09):
that long because it's gone by in a flash.
Yes. I hear you. Oh, goodness. Well, I I have to say, you know, your
your joy is evident in all the things you do. And even as you come
into a space and people yell out your name, they're smiling.
Everyone is always happy to see you. And so I think that is a testimony
to who you are and the work that you do. So thank you for that.
(45:30):
I look forward to more opportunities, you know, getting in the room with
you and the the communities that you host. So, personally, I'm just very
appreciative. And I'm also appreciative that that you are on the show
today sharing your experiences, encouraging others who are listening wherever they're
listening from today. As we kinda wrap things up, where can people go to find
you? How can they follow you? Like, lay some links or or some places on
(45:52):
us? Well, you all can just follow me online. I'm on all the
socials, and I'm at Beth English, b e t h
I n g l I s h. My last name is spelled with an
I, so that is confusing for a lot of people.
And so I'm I'm pretty active on Facebook
and Instagram and LinkedIn. Yeah. So that's where you
(46:14):
can find me playing the most. Awesome. Okay. I'll be sure to put those in
the show notes so people can click and easily follow you and
get more of you in their life, some of that joy spilling over to them.
That's awesome. And, you know, I have over a hundred episodes,
about art on my YouTube. So you can go back and watch those.
I did those during the pandemic with a friend, Sergio Gomez,
(46:36):
who's an artist. He was in Chicago, but now he's in Miami. And
we have a lot of really practical videos
about that. So go check out my YouTube and my website's
bethenglish.com. There's links to all those places there.
And you can Google me and read all about things about
me. I mean, I'm I'm on I'm on the Internet for a reason. You know?
(46:58):
So if you can find me, it's hard. Awesome.
Well, thank you again so much for today, and I just wish you
all the best in all the things that you do and can't wait to hang
out with you in person again very shortly. Thank you. I look forward to that
too. Appreciate it.
(47:20):
Thanks for listening today. I'd appreciate if you would subscribe,
leave a rating and a review. It really helps this podcast be
seen and heard by others.
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.