August 27, 2025 • 53 mins
What if the most creative thing you could do today was… nothing? In this episode of The Artist Is In, Kat and Nina explore the power of rest—why stepping back gives your mind the space to breathe and allows inspiration to rise. They talk about how slowing down helps us notice beauty in the everyday, and why those small sparks of wonder are essential fuel for creativity. Whether you’re feeling stuck, burned out, or just caught in the rush of life, this conversation is a reminder that rest isn’t wasted time—it’s where the magic begins.
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EPISODE CREDITS
Produced and Hosted by Kat Collins and Nina Boodhansingh
Edited and Mixed by Kat Collins Studio
Artwork designed by Kat Collins Studio
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Podcast: https://www.artistisin.com
Website: https://www.katcollinsstudio.com/podcast
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Welcome to The Artist is In, where creativity
doesn't stay inside the lines.
We're your hosts, Kat Collinsand Nina Buthansing, two artists
sharing real, unfilteredconversations about the creative
life.
SPEAKER_02 (00:14):
Whether we're chatting with each other or
interviewing fellow artists,we're here to explore the heart
of making art and what it meansto keep showing up.
Let's dive in.
SPEAKER_00 (00:25):
Hey friends, welcome back to The Artist is Zen.
I'm Kat Collins here withco-host Nina Buddha-Hansing.
How are you guys doing today?
We've been thinking a lot abouthow easy it is to stay busy, to
push ourselves to always beproducing, always moving, but
sometimes the most creativething we can do is stop.
(00:47):
In this episode, we're talkingabout the power of rest, how
taking time off gives your mindthe headspace to dream, wander,
and spark new ideas.
And we'll explore what happenswhen we slow down enough to
notice the beauty that's alreadyaround us.
Because rest and beauty go handin hand, and they refill the
well we draw from as artists andhumans.
(01:10):
So let's pause together for alittle while and see what
unfolds.
So
SPEAKER_02 (01:14):
hey, Nina, how are you doing today?
Not too bad.
A little tired, if I'm beinghonest.
Otherwise, pretty good.
How are you?
SPEAKER_00 (01:25):
I'm good.
Yeah, the rest topic is verypertinent to you right now
because you're finishing upsetting up for your solo show.
SPEAKER_02 (01:33):
Yes, I can't wait to not do anything for a few weeks.
SPEAKER_00 (01:41):
Yes, I get that.
Yeah.
I know you understand.
Yes, I do.
I always get excited when I lookat my calendar for a Monday and
there's nothing on it.
And I'm like, oh, I can stayhome and do nothing.
Doesn't always happen that way,but you know.
SPEAKER_02 (01:57):
Yeah, it is nice.
SPEAKER_00 (01:59):
It is.
You were the one that mentionedbringing up this topic of rest.
And I thought it was superimportant, especially in today's
society.
You know, it's not only that welive in a culture of being busy
and glorifies being busy.
You know, when somebody alwaysasks how you're doing, your
answer is like, I'm doing great.
(02:19):
I'm busy.
You know, I get that a lot.
But it's like checking thingsoff the list, always moving
forward, always producing Butit's also, I find, very heavy
right now, too, with everythingthat's going on in the world,
with the stuff that's happeningwith Israel and Gaza and
Palestine and the stuff that'shappening here in the United
(02:42):
States that we're both dealingwith.
And I find, as creatives,that...
gets really heavy for us and itmakes it harder for us to create
as well.
So I think the topic of rest issomething we all need right now.
But I found that being creativedoesn't always do well under
(03:08):
constant pressure.
You know, we often find thatideas need space.
They need air.
They need quiet.
They need time to form.
And that's why I find rest is soimportant.
So what made you want to talkabout this?
SPEAKER_02 (03:25):
I think part of it, to your point, is there's so
much going on in the world andour country right now.
And then we have everythinggoing on in our day-to-day
lives, you know, family,friends, personal lives.
And as humans, I don't thinkwe're meant to take all of that
(03:51):
in constantly all of the time.
So it gets exhausting mentallyand physically.
And I really wanted to talkabout the rest because I haven't
been able to rest.
Even when I am resting and putair quotes around that, I'm
(04:17):
still thinking of everythinggoing on and everything that I
have to do.
Yeah.
I keep saying to myself, well,why did I plan two solo shows
among the other shows that I'mplanning throughout the year?
Because they're all kind ofback-to-back.
(04:41):
And I know that's the life ofthe artist.
I mean, I'm not complaining.
I feel like right now it seemslike if this was...
You know, several years ago,maybe I would have felt
differently.
But I feel personally that I'mcarrying a lot of weight right
(05:05):
now.
And then we're also carrying theweight of the world.
And we're not meant to carry theentire weight of the world.
SPEAKER_00 (05:17):
Yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, being an artist, we'realways...
If it's something you're doingprofessionally, it's always
hours at our easel.
It's honing our skills, alteringour work, and dealing with
self-criticism all the time, andburning the midnight oil, as we
(05:42):
often say.
Sometimes working on just coffeeand water.
Maybe a little wine thrown inthere too, you know.
I
SPEAKER_02 (05:53):
was at the store and I just got a bottle of red and I
was like, it might be a littletoo early to have a glass of
water.
SPEAKER_00 (06:06):
You know, it's five o'clock somewhere.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (06:13):
I'm having...
I'm having kombucha instead.
SPEAKER_00 (06:15):
Oh, well, there you go.
I'm still drinking coffee.
I don't know what that saysabout me at three o'clock in the
afternoon, but I
SPEAKER_02 (06:22):
cannot drink coffee after about noon.
I don't know.
It screws up the rest of my day.
SPEAKER_00 (06:30):
I'm sure it affects me.
I have insomnia anyway, so hey,whatever.
SPEAKER_02 (06:37):
Rest?
That's right.
SPEAKER_00 (06:42):
But I do.
A lot of people associate beingan artist with long hours,
sleepless nights, or the I thinkof Van Gogh a lot where people
think to be a real artist, youmust be driven mad,
SPEAKER_01 (06:54):
you
SPEAKER_00 (06:56):
know, or in other words, because you have to be
sad or depressed or somethinglike that to create great art,
which I think is silly, youknow.
But in reality, being wellrested actually makes your
creativity better.
Oh,
SPEAKER_02 (07:13):
it does for sure.
Because I, I might havementioned it.
I can't remember if I mentionedit in the first episode we did
together, but I was alreadystarting to feel burnout then.
SPEAKER_01 (07:27):
And
SPEAKER_02 (07:28):
now I'm just like, it's here.
It is here.
And I do feel like I've gonemad.
It's not that bad.
But Speaking of taking time torest and like the long hours,
(07:51):
I'm not one.
I feel like I definitely feelmore creative now.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
(08:25):
It's usually first thing in themorning or like after dinner.
Now, lately I've been in thestudio more throughout the day.
A lot of it because I have to.
SPEAKER_01 (08:36):
Yeah.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (08:37):
But yeah, I feel like my productivity definitely
is between, you know, before 11in the morning and after 6 in
the evening.
UNKNOWN (08:48):
Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_02 (08:48):
And I don't know, sometimes I wonder, I'm like,
well, is that because I justwoke up and I have the energy
and I had my coffee
SPEAKER_01 (08:55):
and
SPEAKER_02 (08:57):
I get the caffeine crash and I need to recharge
throughout the day?
I
SPEAKER_00 (09:02):
don't
SPEAKER_02 (09:04):
know.
SPEAKER_00 (09:04):
I don't know.
My most productive time isusually between like 11 and 4.
Sometimes three.
It all depends on when theystart.
But usually by the time five orsix o'clock rolls around, I'm
like, yeah, I'm done.
I don't want to work anymore.
It used to be I was a night owland would work at night.
And that really changed as I gotolder.
It was weird.
SPEAKER_02 (09:23):
Yeah, I remember I would be in the studio sometimes
till like two in the morning.
And yes, it definitely changedwhen I got older.
SPEAKER_00 (09:33):
Yeah.
Well, now I'm like 9 of 30, timeto head back to bed.
Which is really sad when I usedto stay up till 4 or 5 in the
morning all the time and then dostuff at like 8 o'clock or go to
work at 8.
Now I'm like, I can't do thisanymore.
But that probably says moreabout my age than anything.
(09:55):
But that's okay.
SPEAKER_02 (09:58):
We're young.
UNKNOWN (09:59):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (09:59):
We are.
As my wife likes to remind me,age is just the number in your
head.
SPEAKER_02 (10:04):
It is.
It really is.
SPEAKER_00 (10:07):
There you
SPEAKER_02 (10:08):
go.
I mean, my body feels older.
SPEAKER_00 (10:10):
Yes.
I would say that.
My body probably feels about 80.
Yeah.
You know, my brain is more like25.
Oh,
SPEAKER_02 (10:18):
yeah.
Sometimes my brain is 12.
SPEAKER_00 (10:21):
Yes.
Yeah.
So anyway, talking about rest, Ithink one of the biggest things
for me is when I rest, and we'llhave to talk about what we mean
by resting as well, but...
When I take that time to pause,it actually allows me to have
(10:44):
these aha moments of like,that's what I was looking for,
or that's what I was thinkingof, or if I try this on my
painting, this will make thiswork, because I'm not thinking
about it.
So it's kind of like thedistracting yourself and then
the ideas come.
It happens often when I'm in theshower and can't do anything
about it.
(11:04):
Yeah.
Yeah.
You know, or I've actually goneto sleep dreaming about my
painting.
and ideas.
And then in the morning, like Ipaint in my sleep, it's really
bizarre.
And then in the morning, I'mlike, oh, this is what I think
could work.
And then I can go and give thata try.
(11:26):
But I find that, and it alsogives us a chance to notice and
connect with the world aroundus, you know, and how doing all
of that feeds our creativity andwhat we do.
UNKNOWN (11:40):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (11:41):
I think it was just last week you and I were having
the conversation about...
I just felt this need to finishone more painting for my show.
And you helped remind me that,hey, there's plenty of work.
(12:01):
Don't force it.
Make sure you rest.
And after we had thatconversation, I...
I told myself, you know, like,you know, cat's right.
SPEAKER_01 (12:14):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_02 (12:17):
If it's meant to be, it will come to me.
And I actually took a few hoursone afternoon and I went to a
movement class.
And I've never been to amovement class before.
I had no idea what I was gettinginto.
It is more of.
(12:39):
It was more of like a holistictherapy type, but with movement.
And I'm like, well, am I goingto be tired after this?
Am I going to...
Like, is it going to be like aworkout?
It definitely...
The type of movement that wedid, we were pretty goofy with
(13:00):
it.
But we also had conversationsthroughout that class about...
just about life in general andhow we feel and what's weighing
on us.
Are we taking the time to restand recharge?
And parts of the class, I'mgoing to be honest, I thought it
(13:22):
was a little corny.
But I still enjoyed it.
And it made me open my eyes toother avenues of rest rather
than just, hey, I'm going totake a nap or I'm going to put
this painting to the side fornow.
Because it kept my brain going,but in a more meditative state,
(13:50):
if that makes sense.
SPEAKER_00 (13:53):
Absolutely, it does.
SPEAKER_02 (13:55):
A couple days after I took that class, I looked at
that painting that I wasstruggling with.
I'm like, I know what I'm goingto do.
And it's had almost turnedaround completely.
And I really feel like it wasbecause I just told myself to
(14:16):
stop thinking about it and stopworrying about it and give
myself a couple days to stepback and relaxed and take a
breather
SPEAKER_00 (14:27):
you know i think i look back at getting ready for
my solo show you know and itjust this happens no matter what
we're doing as artists not justwhen we're preparing for a solo
show it's just that happens totake a lot of energy and
creativity but i was also so mysolo show i got exhausted
(14:47):
because i painted 17 paintingsfor that show And it started
last August.
It is a lot.
You know, and I kept worrying,is this enough?
Is this enough?
Just like you did when youtexted me.
And I was like, you know, andthen eventually I wanted to stop
and say, enough is enough andwhat will be will be.
(15:09):
And stop myself from continuallydoing this because I felt guilty
for stopping.
You know, I think anytime wechoose to rest, we...
there's something in me thatsays you're being lazy.
Or you're not doing what you'resupposed to do.
(15:31):
It's this idea that stopping andresting is bad.
SPEAKER_02 (15:37):
Where does that come from?
So many people, whether they'rean artist or not, so many people
have those same thoughts that,If they take a moment to rest
that they're being lazy or theycould be more productive or they
(15:57):
could get more done or, oh, Ishould have finished this house
project.
The projects aren't goinganywhere.
The work's not going anywhere.
I
SPEAKER_00 (16:05):
think it's our hustle culture that we have,
which I'm very much againstanymore.
It's this idea that you alwayshave to be pushing.
You always have to be strivingfor something or doing something
to feel important.
But you also have the externalpressures too, like deadlines,
(16:28):
long hours.
If somebody has financialinsecurity, they could be
thinking they have to keepworking and have to keep working
to make the money.
Family commitments.
can make you feel that way.
And then we're often very highlycritical about ourselves.
Our own mind doesn't allow us totake a break.
(16:49):
But in our work-dominatedculture, for us here in the
U.S., being busy is equated withyour worth.
So we often think, oh, well,rest will be when I retire
because I'll have more time.
And that doesn't work.
SPEAKER_02 (17:08):
I'll jokingly say this now, but I think I was more
serious when I first startedsaying it.
I'd be like, oh, my mom wouldsay, you gotta rest, you gotta
make sure you're getting yoursleep.
I'd be like, oh, I'll sleep whenI'm dead.
Like, well, if you don't restnow, you're gonna die a lot
sooner.
SPEAKER_00 (17:27):
Yeah, because that's just not how we should function
at all.
Yeah.
Sarah Borg, she's a clinicalpsychologist at Green Room
Psychology.
It's from an article I read, andshe explains that every human
brain needs rest.
And then if we don't allowourselves to obtain adequate
restful states, then our brainjust can't keep doing what it
(17:51):
needs to do.
And then that's when people burnout.
They find themselves obsessing,catastrophizing, being
self-critical.
And for creative people, restallows us, allows our brain to
be in a default mode, which is astate where thinking is more
flexible, flexible and novel.
(18:12):
So that's when those light bulbmoments come for us.
And we think of that newassociation or we come up with a
solution that we hadn't thoughtof before.
So I think our work, you know,our culture here in the US
definitely drives us towardsthat.
Because even artists feel that.
I mean, we may not be working atraditional nine-to-five job,
(18:35):
but we're still pushingourselves about deadlines, about
having enough work.
Is our work good enough?
And then we're obsessing aboutour work.
We're being self-critical.
I know I do this a lot, and Itell myself, well, that sucks,
and this isn't good enough, andwhy am I being an artist?
And then I go to the worst.
I should just quit and dosomething else.
I've
SPEAKER_02 (18:56):
been saying that a lot lately.
I'll call my sister I'm like Idon't know why I'm still doing
this I don't know why I madethis decision and then you know
a few weeks go by I'm like ohthis is why I do this this is
why I chose this path
SPEAKER_00 (19:15):
yeah you know and there's nothing wrong with
working long hours when you feelinspired
SPEAKER_01 (19:21):
you
SPEAKER_00 (19:22):
know we get as artists we get into something
called flow and where our mindkind of lets go.
Our intuition and kind of thestate of just being takes over.
It's a wonderful feeling, butit's easy to get lost.
You forget to eat.
You forget to go to thebathroom.
You forget all these things.
(19:43):
And I, yeah, I think that's agreat moment, but I think still
hitting pause every so often is,Number one, it boosts our
wellness health-wise, because ifwe're forgetting all these
things.
And then it really ignites ourcreative streak.
It's all about self-care,really.
(20:03):
Oh,
SPEAKER_02 (20:04):
yeah.
I am one for...
I fully support self-care.
I don't do it enough.
SPEAKER_00 (20:11):
No.
No.
I think about my year last yearwas super busy with everything I
was doing.
And so when I was planning stufffor this year...
I deliberately scaled back alittle bit because my body took
a toll.
And both of us have talked aboutour chronic illnesses that we
deal with.
(20:31):
And I found...
myself getting more irritated,more impatient.
Talk about being tired.
It was much worse than normal.
And I found that I wasn'tstopping enough to take care of
myself.
And I always tell people, I tellother people, well, you have to
(20:51):
take care of yourself first inorder to be able to fill any cup
for anybody else or do anythingelse.
And I wasn't taking my ownadvice.
And I actually think thattriggered a lot of the flair I
had of my stuff early this yearand the struggles that I've been
having this year.
We
SPEAKER_02 (21:11):
do that.
I think too often.
I know it's too often because Ido the same thing where I give
people all this great advice andthen I don't take it.
It's like, well, hey, you shouldlisten to me, but I'm not going
to listen to me.
Yeah,
SPEAKER_00 (21:30):
yeah, that happens a lot.
SPEAKER_02 (21:32):
And then sometimes, you know, it's too late.
It's like you push yourself sofar and overextend yourself.
And then you're in bed for aweek or don't do anything for a
month.
And then the cycle continues andyou beat yourself up again.
(21:53):
We have to be more patient withourselves.
SPEAKER_00 (21:57):
Yes.
SPEAKER_02 (21:58):
And more forgiving.
SPEAKER_00 (21:59):
Yep.
You know, I tell people when Ipaint.
And this is also in the webdesign practice I've had.
I talk about white space a lot.
UNKNOWN (22:07):
And
SPEAKER_00 (22:09):
it kind of translates in this idea of it's
a place to rest.
So in a website design, you wantwhite space.
It doesn't have to be white.
It just means breathing room.
So it's this idea of notcramming everything together.
And so having white space inyour schedule is is like leaving
(22:34):
room on a canvas or slower,softer areas on a painting.
Because ideas, creativity,everything about ourselves needs
space to breathe and take thosemoments.
I often say when it comes to apainting that it's the quiet
moments.
(22:54):
Because if a painting is sochaotic to look at, It can be
too much and you have no placeto go to step back from it and
take something else in.
But then if you create evensmall little spaces that aren't
quite as in your face or aschaotic or bold, but are softer,
(23:16):
easier.
A lot of times we don't evenrealize that subconsciously we
kind of take a breath and relaxa little and then come back into
the rest of it feelingrefreshed.
And so it's kind of the sameidea in taking a rest as well.
SPEAKER_02 (23:33):
Are there certain things that you do in particular
to create that white space foryourself?
SPEAKER_00 (23:41):
I do for myself personally.
I like to journal a lot.
I unplug by reading.
I am a huge book nerd.
I read a lot, a lot.
And I probably start a new bookevery three or four days or
finish a new book every three orfour days.
And I'm not necessarily readingself-help books or how-to books
(24:04):
or any of that.
It's all worlds I can get lostin.
And so it takes me out of my ownself.
Now, they're all like black opsthrillers, assassin thrillers,
book thrillers.
Yes, yes.
(24:27):
And I think that's what matters.
The other thing I do is I'm innature.
I love nature.
It has a sacredness to it forme.
Now, mind you, this is not likecamping or being deep in a
forest kind of nature becausebugs and I don't get along.
So, especially spiders.
Went boating yesterday and therewas a gigantic spider and it ran
(24:52):
across my wife's chest and Ifreaked out.
It wasn't even on me.
SPEAKER_02 (24:57):
I Aside from the spider, did you have a nice time
at the lake?
SPEAKER_00 (25:01):
Oh, my God.
Yes.
Yes.
Those are the things I do.
Water is a big thing for me.
So I'll go to lakes.
I'll go to ponds, rivers,creeks.
There's a park locally that Ilove to sit at and I'll read
next to it.
And I get to watch the birds.
I get to watch, you know, thegeese coming in and the ducks
and everything.
Sometimes I've been able to spota bird that I don't typically
(25:24):
get to see.
Like there was a crane thatstopped by.
I was able to get a picture ofhim.
That was really cool.
And then I saw a kingfisherbird, which I don't typically
ever see unless you're by water.
But I also take long, hotshowers at night.
Part of that's for physicalreasons.
But it was also a chance just torelax.
I do crossword puzzles.
I will admit I don't do welljust sitting and doing nothing
(25:47):
because I get bored.
My brain gets bored.
SPEAKER_01 (25:49):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (25:51):
Not physically get bored, but yes.
Yeah.
It's like, I want something toat least engage me a little bit,
but I think it's, I lovelighting candles.
You know, that have scents thatmean a lot to me.
And so I'll do that as well.
SPEAKER_02 (26:04):
I do love a good hot shower and like a soft scented
candle.
SPEAKER_01 (26:12):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (26:13):
I actually just did that the other night because I
was so tense.
So I just turned the bathroomlight off, lit the candle, and I
just stood under the hot water.
I was like, it's fantastic.
SPEAKER_00 (26:27):
Very relaxing.
SPEAKER_02 (26:28):
Yeah.
And sometimes I'll put calmingmusic on too.
just to you know close my eyesnot think of anything for
however long I decide to stay inthere
SPEAKER_00 (26:39):
I mean I do mindfulness things with the
headspace app so I'll do a lotof those and meditations did
yoga for a long time I lovedoing yoga I have to get back
into it yeah but doing any kindof moderate exercise like
walking mine's more likestrolling because I'm looking at
everything around me you knoweven going for hikes biking
which I don't do anymore becauseI can't physically but but it's
(27:01):
anything that boosts your moodand helps you unwind while
you're away from, whether it'sthe easel, the camera, sketch
pad, whatever it is you areusing for art.
SPEAKER_02 (27:14):
I do love a good hike, but since I don't exercise
quite like very often, like Iwalk the dog every day, but
that's not, it doesn't do muchfor me.
But we were at the Carl StirnerArts Trail in Easton a few weeks
ago.
The week we had the first heatwave, wave this summer.
So it was back in June already.
And it was still hot.
(27:36):
But I kept, I was like, it's sobeautiful.
There's art everywhere.
There's birds, there's waterflowing, you know, and being
with the dog, that's relaxingfor me.
And as hot as it was, I juststopped dead in my tracks and I
stuck my arms out and I lookedup to the sky and I was like, I
(27:59):
love this.
And my husband's like sweatinghis butt off.
I mean, both of us were, but hewas just like, Well, I'm glad
you like it.
I feel like if it was maybeanother day, I would have been
like, okay, it's too hot forthis.
But I needed it so badly.
(28:20):
It just felt so good.
But it does feel good whenyou're out and you're
exercising.
It's just sometimes we get sooverwhelmed that we don't even
want to do it.
We'd rather, well, I shouldn'tsay we.
I don't want to speak foreveryone.
I don't want to speak for you.
But sometimes I would ratherjust take a nap.
SPEAKER_00 (28:42):
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_02 (28:43):
Which is also fine.
I'm a strong, I'm a big advocateof naps.
I would probably nap every dayif I could.
SPEAKER_00 (28:55):
When we were talking about bats, I was thinking of
two things.
When you were opening your armslike that in the heat and the
sun, it made me think of forestbathing.
You know, there's different waysyou can do bathing, which is
basically just submerging intosomething.
SPEAKER_02 (29:12):
I was going to say, I never heard the term forest
bathing.
SPEAKER_00 (29:16):
Yeah, it's very cool.
So that's basically that whereyou go into a forest pretty much
and allow yourself to absorb thesounds, what's going on around
you.
And it's engaging your sensesand connecting with the natural
environment.
And it's slowing down andimmersing yourself in the sights
(29:40):
and the sounds and the smells ofthe forest.
So it's engaging all yoursenses.
Amazing to do.
And it's actually based off aJapanese practice.
I'll do
SPEAKER_02 (29:50):
that.
I guess I've done that withoutrealizing it was That's what it
was called.
Because, I mean, I'll do that inthe yard sometimes.
You know, I'll just like sit orlay.
I love laying in the grass inthe yard.
Now I live more in the city.
(30:10):
So there's more noises than justthe birds
SPEAKER_01 (30:15):
and
SPEAKER_02 (30:16):
bugs.
But also, Lydia Panis, she doesgorgeous photography.
And all of the models that sheuses...
She goes out onto her property,and I've modeled for her a
couple times, and we drivebasically into the woods, the
(30:39):
wooded areas of her home, andI'll just lay in the grass or
under a tree, wherever she hasthe vision.
It's actually very therapeutic.
She'll be taking pictures, andshe'll be pulling bugs off my
face.
SPEAKER_01 (30:56):
but
SPEAKER_02 (30:59):
it's like like you said like i'm i'll be immersed
in the sounds of nature and fora person that grew up hating
bugs to now wanting to be out innature all the time and
exploring my gardens and othergardens just knowing that like
i'm laying there essentiallythat you know i'm laying there
(31:21):
in the forest and there therecould be a snake somewhere or
there's a spider crawling up myleg and I just I remain calm
because she's taking thesephotos and it almost I think
working with her over the yearshas also helped me appreciate
nature even more and I think I'myou know I'm just coming to the
(31:46):
realization maybe now well
SPEAKER_00 (31:49):
that's cool though yeah well good I love that and I
can't say I have that experiencecompletely in nature.
But for the most part, I do loveit.
I do.
(32:26):
And so he took us for a walk outinto the woods behind my great
aunt's house.
And we started walking and youcould see clear as day without
flashlights because the moon wasso bright.
But we could start seeing wheredeer had bedded down in the
forest and tracking thembasically.
(32:47):
And then we came upon a field.
There was a herd of deer thathad to have been between like 30
and 50 deer standing in thisfield.
eating just hanging out togetherbeing together there was a
couple bugs there along withdoes and it was such a magical
experience to be out in naturelike that I loved it now mind
(33:08):
you it was freezing cold and nobugs so I was good
SPEAKER_02 (33:10):
it really is beautiful and I don't think that
we always take the time to slowdown and appreciate the beauty
around us
SPEAKER_01 (33:23):
and
SPEAKER_02 (33:24):
I've been making at a point to really do that more
often.
One thing that I've noticed toois I'll get impatient sometimes
with the dog when I'm taking herfor a walk because she stops to
smell everything.
But that's what dogs do.
(33:44):
But then, you know, she'll stopand she'll start smelling the
flowers or she'll see a littleinsect and she'll, you And I
told her, yes, I talk to the dogall the time.
And I told her one day, I waslike, you know, like you, you
really helped me learn how toslow down and notice everything
(34:08):
around me.
We have to remind ourselves todo that.
SPEAKER_00 (34:13):
Well, I think it's important, you know, as we talk
about rest, it's rest, itdoesn't mean not doing nothing.
It's more about making space andtaking in what's around us.
Slowing down allows usperspective.
It's the antithesis of whatWestern society often says, you
(34:35):
know, and so a nap, meditation,or just pausing without a screen
in front of us, or headphones inour ears, stepping out Mm-hmm.
(35:00):
It allows us into new ways ofbeing and seeing the world.
So slowing down brings us that.
When you slow down, you seemore.
I often think about, this is agoal I try to achieve in what I
paint.
I do a lot of layering on a lotof hidden things that you won't
necessarily see unless you takethe time to stop.
(35:24):
And I actually look deeper anddeeper into the painting.
And that's always my goal isjust to make somebody pause.
And then feel something.
I don't care what the feelingis.
You can hate it for all.
That's fine.
It might break my heart a littlebit.
No, I'm just kidding.
It's the idea of slowing down.
And
SPEAKER_02 (35:44):
I think that's where you and I are similar with our
painting styles because I have,I too create so many layers.
I mean, the original piece, likethat first layer, or I should
say those first few layers ofpaint that I put on my canvas,
usually it's nowhere near whatthe end product is.
(36:07):
And the more you look at it,especially with your work, oh my
gosh, I mean, I could stand andstare at your work all day.
Oh, there's something else.
Oh, I didn't notice this before.
SPEAKER_00 (36:17):
Yeah, I always think of the story of the experience I
had at Westmoreland Art Museum.
It's out near Falling Water inPennsylvania.
And they have a room that'spainted white.
It's a small room.
And one painting hanging in itand a chair.
And I was like, what the heck isthis?
I walk in and they have adescription for you that
(36:38):
basically invites you to sit infront of this painting for 30
minutes and And it challengesyou to stay there and keep
looking for things.
And it gives you ideas of likequestions you could ask yourself
and things to look at.
And they change the painting allthe time.
So it's not the same.
And then they have a journalthere where you can write what
(37:00):
your experience was about.
So I put myself in there and I'mlike, all right, let's see if I
can really do this because Italk about this all the time and
tell people to slow down.
Instead of in a gallery, you'rejust scanning paintings as you
walk, stop and actually trulylook at something that catches
your attention.
Well, the painting in therewasn't one that would normally
(37:22):
catch my attention, but I foundmyself after five minutes
fidgeting.
And I was getting bored.
I'm like, I, you know, I don'twant to do this.
I don't like this painting,blah, blah, blah, blah.
And I was like, all right, I'mgoing to quit.
I can't do this.
Like, that's not good because Itell people to do this all the
time.
But then I decided, all right,why is this?
(37:43):
Am I not happy with thispainting?
And I actually went thatdirection with it, which was
interesting.
And then I started making, itwas a painting of men and boys
going to work somewhere, but itwas more about when they would
work in warehouses or mines orthings like that.
Then I started making up storiesabout the people I kept seeing.
(38:04):
And I was like, well, he looksat this age and what direction
is he coming from?
So it was interesting to dothis.
And it's not easy, right?
I even find it when I sit andwatch TV.
If a commercial comes on, I'mfidgeting on my phone.
SPEAKER_02 (38:19):
Oh,
SPEAKER_00 (38:20):
yeah.
It's like I can't just stop.
I
SPEAKER_02 (38:23):
need to throw my phone out the window, I think.
Sometimes.
It's such a distraction.
But I think thinking about whatyou just said with sitting with
the piece, I often will pull upa chair.
If I'm struggling with a piece,I'll pull up a chair and I just
(38:43):
sit with it.
But I often find myself asking,well, what do I like about it?
Not what don't I like.
And if I find something I don'tlike, I usually don't question,
well, why don't I like it?
I'm just like, no, this has togo.
I don't always take that pauseand really think about it.
(39:09):
And I'm wondering if I cancreate something even better if
I take that time with my pieces.
I
SPEAKER_00 (39:17):
think so.
I think we often rush throughour work sometimes just to get
somewhere else or...
But I think it's number one,asking yourself, what do you
think is beautiful?
And maybe we have misconceptionsabout that.
But also, when was the last timeyou stopped to appreciate
something beautiful or somethingdifferent in your life?
(39:39):
You know, I'm a dreamer and Ilove to just kind of daydream
and space out a bit.
But I'm one who will get lost inlooking at the shape of a leaf
or the way the color in the skychanges, the way the texture of
a tree looks or the food I'meating.
(39:59):
You know, I get very just lostin something simple like that
SPEAKER_02 (40:04):
oh I am in the same way and you've been in my studio
before so for those that don'tknow my studio is actually the
front bedroom our second bedroomin my home so it's up on the
second floor and We sit a littlehigher than the other homes on
(40:24):
the street, so we can see kindof over the neighborhoods and
part of South Mountain.
So I get to see great sunrises,although I can't really see the
sun, the actual sun, becausethere's a giant pine tree in the
way.
But then at night, when the sunis setting the opposite
(40:47):
direction, the clouds look sobeautiful above.
the mountains.
And I'm always like, I'm justlike, I wish somebody can come
and watch this with me.
Or if my husband's downstairs,I'm like, hey, come up and come
upstairs and look at the clouds.
And yeah, just sitting and justlooking at like watching the
(41:09):
movement of everything.
And like you said, like theshape of a leaf.
I mean, it's really a beautifulthing to just take a moment,
take a look at what's right infront of you.
SPEAKER_00 (41:22):
We have bird feeders in our backyard.
I just put them in this yearintentionally to entertain my
three cats, but I actually findI'm very entertained by them.
But there's days I'll just siton my deck and just watch them
and just do nothing and justwatch how they interact with
each other.
I start seeing more colors onthe birds.
(41:45):
I realize I have a squirrelthat's getting very fat in my
neighborhood because he's eatingall my seat on the floor.
I
SPEAKER_02 (41:52):
have one that jumped.
I built a tray, like a hangingtray feeder.
SPEAKER_01 (41:58):
Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_02 (42:00):
And I tried to put it far enough away from the
fence that the squirrel couldn'tget into it.
But eventually, it realized thatit could just launch itself off
the fence into this tray feeder.
And they will.
They're
SPEAKER_01 (42:18):
crazy.
Yeah,
SPEAKER_02 (42:19):
they're insane.
I mean, it looks ridiculous.
And every now and then, I'll seethem out there.
And I say to the dog, I'm like,go out and get that squirrel.
Oh, they're so entertaining.
(42:42):
I mean...
It's fascinating.
I am a birder now.
Is
SPEAKER_00 (43:02):
that saying something about her age too?
I'm just kidding.
I mean, I think it's more aboutthe fact that we're, we slow
down.
So we appreciate what's aroundus more.
SPEAKER_02 (43:17):
Yeah.
Like I feel like when, whenwe're like, when you're a kid,
you know, you're again, you're,you have so much wonder, but
then you, you reach, eventuallyyou reach a point in your life
where a lot of people tend tolose that wonder and awe and
that curiosity.
And I don't, for me, personallyI don't think it ever left but I
(43:41):
definitely ignored it for awhile and then it wasn't until I
got in my 30s where I was likeoh I need to take a look around
again and there's just I don'tknow it brings me so much joy
everything
SPEAKER_00 (43:56):
I mean that slowing down and seeing things and
seeing beauty which doesn'tnecessarily always mean
beautiful but it often sparksfresh ideas or emotional shifts
and that feeds our creative workanything we do as part of this
resting is it just feeds us tomake us do better and be better
(44:17):
at what we are
SPEAKER_01 (44:18):
yeah
SPEAKER_00 (44:19):
so let's talk about some Because we talk about rest
a lot, but practical ways torest and notice.
Do you have any ideas?
SPEAKER_02 (44:27):
It is very hard for me to just relax.
So one thing, this is me givingother people advice that I don't
take.
Or I take my own advice, butvery rarely.
SPEAKER_01 (44:42):
There
SPEAKER_02 (44:44):
have been a few times recently where I've gone
on walks and I've left my phoneat home and I need to do that
more.
more because of like taking awalk is a very it's a meaningful
time for me I don't just go outI think about it I'm aware of my
surroundings I'm takingeverything in if I have my phone
(45:06):
with me you know I'm walking thedog checking Instagram or maybe
like I'll call somebody and I'mlike well this is my time this
is my time to relax so why am Ion my phone also I think I've
mentioned And maybe before justhaving like a little sketchbook,
(45:26):
you know, sketching what yousee.
I like to do that where I'll goin the garden, sketch a fun
looking leaf, call it a day.
It takes five minutes.
I know you love to read.
I like to read, but it takes meforever to finish a book.
But when I'm in the rightmindset, I'll go out, I'll sit
(45:51):
outside and I'll read a book.
I cannot read in bed or I'lljust fall asleep.
I
SPEAKER_00 (45:58):
agree.
I think it's important toremember though that restful
what feels restful is differentfrom person to person just as
you said you read to fall asleepI read and I never sleep because
I get so engaged with it but soit can be as simple as cuddling
with your pet you know my cats Iwell I try to cuddle with my
cats they don't always like thatbut uh yeah you know
SPEAKER_02 (46:22):
I just love me
SPEAKER_00 (46:25):
yeah right and they're like no but I you know
walking in the sun You know,like you've done some people, it
could be rock climbing.
Others is just turning off yournotifications on your phone,
putting boundaries on emailsthat you won't answer after five
o'clock kind of thing.
Spending time on a differenttype of creative pursuit.
(46:46):
You know, I paint.
So recently I have been doingcollages with paintings that I
don't want or need anymore.
There are little studies andcutting them up and
reconfiguring them, which I findincredibly revitalizing.
It's still being creative, butit's not what I typically do.
It could be playing with Legos.
(47:07):
If you like Legos, I have somefriends that are obsessed with
them and build them.
SPEAKER_02 (47:12):
I do like Legos.
SPEAKER_00 (47:13):
Some people is having a
SPEAKER_02 (47:14):
nap.
SPEAKER_00 (47:15):
I want to get
SPEAKER_02 (47:15):
one of their garden sets, their floral sets.
SPEAKER_00 (47:19):
That would be fun.
You know, so it's just differentfor everybody.
Playing, doing anything to play,just switching yourself off from
the outside world and being taskfocused and allowing ourselves
to be in a It's often found themost restorative forms of rest
(47:39):
are actually active rest, notpassive, where you're just doing
nothing.
I can't do just nothing becauseI get bored.
It's about finding a balancebetween resting, but not being
inundated or feeling you have todo something or whatever.
I love that.
If you need a break from sensorystuff because our phones go off
(48:01):
all day long, turn it off for alittle bit.
Even if you just silence itStick it in another room and
then go do something in adifferent room.
SPEAKER_02 (48:11):
So
SPEAKER_00 (48:11):
it's still there.
But even doing that can be hardsometimes when you know you need
it.
SPEAKER_02 (48:19):
I do that sometimes.
I'll put my phone in anotherroom and then I'll go work in
the studio so that I don't thinkabout checking notifications or
popping on social media becausethen I go down a rabbit hole.
SPEAKER_00 (48:35):
It's the whole idea of the slow undoing of some of
the ingredients assumptions wehave about work and rest and
resisting pressure to be in mystudio seven days a week because
I now pay for it or allowingmyself time to rest and say, I
(48:59):
can paint later or I can answeran email at 11 o'clock on a
Monday and set my hours and notdo it on the weekend.
But you need that time to restand let ideas percolate and come
out.
And then there's less emotionalstuff that you end up carrying
(49:19):
because your brain has had achance to let it go.
And we take a break.
SPEAKER_02 (49:24):
I'm going to take a break and rest tonight and watch
some Star Trek.
SPEAKER_00 (49:28):
There you go.
I will be doing it much latertonight because I have a meeting
later.
But sometimes rest for me iscooking and I'll make dinner
because I love to cook.
SPEAKER_02 (49:37):
I wish I loved to cook.
I'm sure my husband wishes thatI loved to cook.
And I wouldn't survive withouthis cooking.
SPEAKER_00 (49:48):
Yeah, my wife is cooking tonight since I'll be
home later.
So it's a nice treat for achange.
I've learned that while resting,creativity doesn't shut down.
You're not going to lose itbecause you're not doing it.
You know, they'll still come.
Inspiration will still happenanytime.
When I feel that inspiration,I'll write it down.
(50:09):
I'll make a note on my phone inthe notes app or, you know, I'll
write it quickly in a journal.
SPEAKER_02 (50:14):
Yeah, I keep a little notebook in my purse and
my nightstand.
And I've gotten some great ideasfrom that, having that little
SPEAKER_00 (50:25):
book.
All right.
So to recap our whole entireconversation in a nutshell,
which will be really hard to do,but rest is not a waste.
It's an investment in yourcreativity.
Beauty is everywhere, but youhave to slow down to see it.
And I highly recommend, youknow, give yourself permission
to rest and notice one beautifulthing each day.
(50:48):
You could take a picture of it,you know, or just think about it
or draw a quick sketch in asketchbook if you want to
remember it.
Whatever.
And that's a directive formyself too because I know I'm
bad at that.
SPEAKER_02 (51:01):
Yeah, I go out every morning and I look at the bees
and other insects in the gardenand I take a picture and I share
it in my Instagram storiesalmost every day.
And I'm like, well, you probablysaw the same bee ten times in a
month, but here it is again.
Enjoy it.
SPEAKER_00 (51:21):
Yes.
Yeah.
I'll do the same thing with thepark that I'm at.
I'm always taking pictures of itand posting it.
And so I bet it brings me suchjoy.
SPEAKER_02 (51:29):
And then it brings others joy too.
Everyone should share theirbeautiful moments on social
media with us.
SPEAKER_00 (51:37):
Absolutely.
Yeah.
You can tag us at the artist isin.
You want directly to tag us.
You can do at what is yourInstagram handle?
SPEAKER_02 (51:49):
Nina underscore Bood.
SPEAKER_00 (51:52):
B-O-O-D.
SPEAKER_02 (51:54):
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (51:55):
And mine is at Kat Collins Studio.
Kat with a K.
But I want to thank people forspending time with us today.
We hope this conversationreminded you that rest isn't
wasted time.
It's where creativity has spaceto breathe.
And when we slow down, we startto notice the little sparks of
beauty all around us.
(52:17):
This week, give yourselfpermission to pause, step back,
rest, and see what shows up,whether it's a creative idea, a
shift in perspective, or simplythe joy of noticing something
beautiful.
Remember, rest is not a luxury.
It is a necessity.
SPEAKER_02 (52:33):
If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend
who might need the samereminder.
And we'd love to hear from you.
What's one beautiful thing younoticed today?
Again, tag us on social media athashtag the artist is in or
email us at info atkatcollinstudio.com and again
(52:55):
that's kat with a k
SPEAKER_00 (52:57):
until next time keep creating keep noticing and take
care
Welcome to The Artist is In, where creativity
doesn't stay inside the lines.
We're your hosts, Kat Collinsand Nina Buthansing, two artists
sharing real, unfilteredconversations about the creative
life.
SPEAKER_02 (00:14):
Whether we're chatting with each other or
interviewing fellow artists,we're here to explore the heart
of making art and what it meansto keep showing up.
Let's dive in.
SPEAKER_00 (00:25):
Hey friends, welcome back to The Artist is Zen.
I'm Kat Collins here withco-host Nina Buddha-Hansing.
How are you guys doing today?
We've been thinking a lot abouthow easy it is to stay busy, to
push ourselves to always beproducing, always moving, but
sometimes the most creativething we can do is stop.
(00:47):
In this episode, we're talkingabout the power of rest, how
taking time off gives your mindthe headspace to dream, wander,
and spark new ideas.
And we'll explore what happenswhen we slow down enough to
notice the beauty that's alreadyaround us.
Because rest and beauty go handin hand, and they refill the
well we draw from as artists andhumans.
(01:10):
So let's pause together for alittle while and see what
unfolds.
So
SPEAKER_02 (01:14):
hey, Nina, how are you doing today?
Not too bad.
A little tired, if I'm beinghonest.
Otherwise, pretty good.
How are you?
SPEAKER_00 (01:25):
I'm good.
Yeah, the rest topic is verypertinent to you right now
because you're finishing upsetting up for your solo show.
SPEAKER_02 (01:33):
Yes, I can't wait to not do anything for a few weeks.
SPEAKER_00 (01:41):
Yes, I get that.
Yeah.
I know you understand.
Yes, I do.
I always get excited when I lookat my calendar for a Monday and
there's nothing on it.
And I'm like, oh, I can stayhome and do nothing.
Doesn't always happen that way,but you know.
SPEAKER_02 (01:57):
Yeah, it is nice.
SPEAKER_00 (01:59):
It is.
You were the one that mentionedbringing up this topic of rest.
And I thought it was superimportant, especially in today's
society.
You know, it's not only that welive in a culture of being busy
and glorifies being busy.
You know, when somebody alwaysasks how you're doing, your
answer is like, I'm doing great.
(02:19):
I'm busy.
You know, I get that a lot.
But it's like checking thingsoff the list, always moving
forward, always producing Butit's also, I find, very heavy
right now, too, with everythingthat's going on in the world,
with the stuff that's happeningwith Israel and Gaza and
Palestine and the stuff that'shappening here in the United
(02:42):
States that we're both dealingwith.
And I find, as creatives,that...
gets really heavy for us and itmakes it harder for us to create
as well.
So I think the topic of rest issomething we all need right now.
But I found that being creativedoesn't always do well under
(03:08):
constant pressure.
You know, we often find thatideas need space.
They need air.
They need quiet.
They need time to form.
And that's why I find rest is soimportant.
So what made you want to talkabout this?
SPEAKER_02 (03:25):
I think part of it, to your point, is there's so
much going on in the world andour country right now.
And then we have everythinggoing on in our day-to-day
lives, you know, family,friends, personal lives.
And as humans, I don't thinkwe're meant to take all of that
(03:51):
in constantly all of the time.
So it gets exhausting mentallyand physically.
And I really wanted to talkabout the rest because I haven't
been able to rest.
Even when I am resting and putair quotes around that, I'm
(04:17):
still thinking of everythinggoing on and everything that I
have to do.
Yeah.
I keep saying to myself, well,why did I plan two solo shows
among the other shows that I'mplanning throughout the year?
Because they're all kind ofback-to-back.
(04:41):
And I know that's the life ofthe artist.
I mean, I'm not complaining.
I feel like right now it seemslike if this was...
You know, several years ago,maybe I would have felt
differently.
But I feel personally that I'mcarrying a lot of weight right
(05:05):
now.
And then we're also carrying theweight of the world.
And we're not meant to carry theentire weight of the world.
SPEAKER_00 (05:17):
Yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, being an artist, we'realways...
If it's something you're doingprofessionally, it's always
hours at our easel.
It's honing our skills, alteringour work, and dealing with
self-criticism all the time, andburning the midnight oil, as we
(05:42):
often say.
Sometimes working on just coffeeand water.
Maybe a little wine thrown inthere too, you know.
I
SPEAKER_02 (05:53):
was at the store and I just got a bottle of red and I
was like, it might be a littletoo early to have a glass of
water.
SPEAKER_00 (06:06):
You know, it's five o'clock somewhere.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (06:13):
I'm having...
I'm having kombucha instead.
SPEAKER_00 (06:15):
Oh, well, there you go.
I'm still drinking coffee.
I don't know what that saysabout me at three o'clock in the
afternoon, but I
SPEAKER_02 (06:22):
cannot drink coffee after about noon.
I don't know.
It screws up the rest of my day.
SPEAKER_00 (06:30):
I'm sure it affects me.
I have insomnia anyway, so hey,whatever.
SPEAKER_02 (06:37):
Rest?
That's right.
SPEAKER_00 (06:42):
But I do.
A lot of people associate beingan artist with long hours,
sleepless nights, or the I thinkof Van Gogh a lot where people
think to be a real artist, youmust be driven mad,
SPEAKER_01 (06:54):
you
SPEAKER_00 (06:56):
know, or in other words, because you have to be
sad or depressed or somethinglike that to create great art,
which I think is silly, youknow.
But in reality, being wellrested actually makes your
creativity better.
Oh,
SPEAKER_02 (07:13):
it does for sure.
Because I, I might havementioned it.
I can't remember if I mentionedit in the first episode we did
together, but I was alreadystarting to feel burnout then.
SPEAKER_01 (07:27):
And
SPEAKER_02 (07:28):
now I'm just like, it's here.
It is here.
And I do feel like I've gonemad.
It's not that bad.
But Speaking of taking time torest and like the long hours,
(07:51):
I'm not one.
I feel like I definitely feelmore creative now.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
(08:25):
It's usually first thing in themorning or like after dinner.
Now, lately I've been in thestudio more throughout the day.
A lot of it because I have to.
SPEAKER_01 (08:36):
Yeah.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (08:37):
But yeah, I feel like my productivity definitely
is between, you know, before 11in the morning and after 6 in
the evening.
UNKNOWN (08:48):
Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_02 (08:48):
And I don't know, sometimes I wonder, I'm like,
well, is that because I justwoke up and I have the energy
and I had my coffee
SPEAKER_01 (08:55):
and
SPEAKER_02 (08:57):
I get the caffeine crash and I need to recharge
throughout the day?
I
SPEAKER_00 (09:02):
don't
SPEAKER_02 (09:04):
know.
SPEAKER_00 (09:04):
I don't know.
My most productive time isusually between like 11 and 4.
Sometimes three.
It all depends on when theystart.
But usually by the time five orsix o'clock rolls around, I'm
like, yeah, I'm done.
I don't want to work anymore.
It used to be I was a night owland would work at night.
And that really changed as I gotolder.
It was weird.
SPEAKER_02 (09:23):
Yeah, I remember I would be in the studio sometimes
till like two in the morning.
And yes, it definitely changedwhen I got older.
SPEAKER_00 (09:33):
Yeah.
Well, now I'm like 9 of 30, timeto head back to bed.
Which is really sad when I usedto stay up till 4 or 5 in the
morning all the time and then dostuff at like 8 o'clock or go to
work at 8.
Now I'm like, I can't do thisanymore.
But that probably says moreabout my age than anything.
(09:55):
But that's okay.
SPEAKER_02 (09:58):
We're young.
UNKNOWN (09:59):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (09:59):
We are.
As my wife likes to remind me,age is just the number in your
head.
SPEAKER_02 (10:04):
It is.
It really is.
SPEAKER_00 (10:07):
There you
SPEAKER_02 (10:08):
go.
I mean, my body feels older.
SPEAKER_00 (10:10):
Yes.
I would say that.
My body probably feels about 80.
Yeah.
You know, my brain is more like25.
Oh,
SPEAKER_02 (10:18):
yeah.
Sometimes my brain is 12.
SPEAKER_00 (10:21):
Yes.
Yeah.
So anyway, talking about rest, Ithink one of the biggest things
for me is when I rest, and we'llhave to talk about what we mean
by resting as well, but...
When I take that time to pause,it actually allows me to have
(10:44):
these aha moments of like,that's what I was looking for,
or that's what I was thinkingof, or if I try this on my
painting, this will make thiswork, because I'm not thinking
about it.
So it's kind of like thedistracting yourself and then
the ideas come.
It happens often when I'm in theshower and can't do anything
about it.
(11:04):
Yeah.
Yeah.
You know, or I've actually goneto sleep dreaming about my
painting.
and ideas.
And then in the morning, like Ipaint in my sleep, it's really
bizarre.
And then in the morning, I'mlike, oh, this is what I think
could work.
And then I can go and give thata try.
(11:26):
But I find that, and it alsogives us a chance to notice and
connect with the world aroundus, you know, and how doing all
of that feeds our creativity andwhat we do.
UNKNOWN (11:40):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (11:41):
I think it was just last week you and I were having
the conversation about...
I just felt this need to finishone more painting for my show.
And you helped remind me that,hey, there's plenty of work.
(12:01):
Don't force it.
Make sure you rest.
And after we had thatconversation, I...
I told myself, you know, like,you know, cat's right.
SPEAKER_01 (12:14):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_02 (12:17):
If it's meant to be, it will come to me.
And I actually took a few hoursone afternoon and I went to a
movement class.
And I've never been to amovement class before.
I had no idea what I was gettinginto.
It is more of.
(12:39):
It was more of like a holistictherapy type, but with movement.
And I'm like, well, am I goingto be tired after this?
Am I going to...
Like, is it going to be like aworkout?
It definitely...
The type of movement that wedid, we were pretty goofy with
(13:00):
it.
But we also had conversationsthroughout that class about...
just about life in general andhow we feel and what's weighing
on us.
Are we taking the time to restand recharge?
And parts of the class, I'mgoing to be honest, I thought it
(13:22):
was a little corny.
But I still enjoyed it.
And it made me open my eyes toother avenues of rest rather
than just, hey, I'm going totake a nap or I'm going to put
this painting to the side fornow.
Because it kept my brain going,but in a more meditative state,
(13:50):
if that makes sense.
SPEAKER_00 (13:53):
Absolutely, it does.
SPEAKER_02 (13:55):
A couple days after I took that class, I looked at
that painting that I wasstruggling with.
I'm like, I know what I'm goingto do.
And it's had almost turnedaround completely.
And I really feel like it wasbecause I just told myself to
(14:16):
stop thinking about it and stopworrying about it and give
myself a couple days to stepback and relaxed and take a
breather
SPEAKER_00 (14:27):
you know i think i look back at getting ready for
my solo show you know and itjust this happens no matter what
we're doing as artists not justwhen we're preparing for a solo
show it's just that happens totake a lot of energy and
creativity but i was also so mysolo show i got exhausted
(14:47):
because i painted 17 paintingsfor that show And it started
last August.
It is a lot.
You know, and I kept worrying,is this enough?
Is this enough?
Just like you did when youtexted me.
And I was like, you know, andthen eventually I wanted to stop
and say, enough is enough andwhat will be will be.
(15:09):
And stop myself from continuallydoing this because I felt guilty
for stopping.
You know, I think anytime wechoose to rest, we...
there's something in me thatsays you're being lazy.
Or you're not doing what you'resupposed to do.
(15:31):
It's this idea that stopping andresting is bad.
SPEAKER_02 (15:37):
Where does that come from?
So many people, whether they'rean artist or not, so many people
have those same thoughts that,If they take a moment to rest
that they're being lazy or theycould be more productive or they
(15:57):
could get more done or, oh, Ishould have finished this house
project.
The projects aren't goinganywhere.
The work's not going anywhere.
I
SPEAKER_00 (16:05):
think it's our hustle culture that we have,
which I'm very much againstanymore.
It's this idea that you alwayshave to be pushing.
You always have to be strivingfor something or doing something
to feel important.
But you also have the externalpressures too, like deadlines,
(16:28):
long hours.
If somebody has financialinsecurity, they could be
thinking they have to keepworking and have to keep working
to make the money.
Family commitments.
can make you feel that way.
And then we're often very highlycritical about ourselves.
Our own mind doesn't allow us totake a break.
(16:49):
But in our work-dominatedculture, for us here in the
U.S., being busy is equated withyour worth.
So we often think, oh, well,rest will be when I retire
because I'll have more time.
And that doesn't work.
SPEAKER_02 (17:08):
I'll jokingly say this now, but I think I was more
serious when I first startedsaying it.
I'd be like, oh, my mom wouldsay, you gotta rest, you gotta
make sure you're getting yoursleep.
I'd be like, oh, I'll sleep whenI'm dead.
Like, well, if you don't restnow, you're gonna die a lot
sooner.
SPEAKER_00 (17:27):
Yeah, because that's just not how we should function
at all.
Yeah.
Sarah Borg, she's a clinicalpsychologist at Green Room
Psychology.
It's from an article I read, andshe explains that every human
brain needs rest.
And then if we don't allowourselves to obtain adequate
restful states, then our brainjust can't keep doing what it
(17:51):
needs to do.
And then that's when people burnout.
They find themselves obsessing,catastrophizing, being
self-critical.
And for creative people, restallows us, allows our brain to
be in a default mode, which is astate where thinking is more
flexible, flexible and novel.
(18:12):
So that's when those light bulbmoments come for us.
And we think of that newassociation or we come up with a
solution that we hadn't thoughtof before.
So I think our work, you know,our culture here in the US
definitely drives us towardsthat.
Because even artists feel that.
I mean, we may not be working atraditional nine-to-five job,
(18:35):
but we're still pushingourselves about deadlines, about
having enough work.
Is our work good enough?
And then we're obsessing aboutour work.
We're being self-critical.
I know I do this a lot, and Itell myself, well, that sucks,
and this isn't good enough, andwhy am I being an artist?
And then I go to the worst.
I should just quit and dosomething else.
I've
SPEAKER_02 (18:56):
been saying that a lot lately.
I'll call my sister I'm like Idon't know why I'm still doing
this I don't know why I madethis decision and then you know
a few weeks go by I'm like ohthis is why I do this this is
why I chose this path
SPEAKER_00 (19:15):
yeah you know and there's nothing wrong with
working long hours when you feelinspired
SPEAKER_01 (19:21):
you
SPEAKER_00 (19:22):
know we get as artists we get into something
called flow and where our mindkind of lets go.
Our intuition and kind of thestate of just being takes over.
It's a wonderful feeling, butit's easy to get lost.
You forget to eat.
You forget to go to thebathroom.
You forget all these things.
(19:43):
And I, yeah, I think that's agreat moment, but I think still
hitting pause every so often is,Number one, it boosts our
wellness health-wise, because ifwe're forgetting all these
things.
And then it really ignites ourcreative streak.
It's all about self-care,really.
(20:03):
Oh,
SPEAKER_02 (20:04):
yeah.
I am one for...
I fully support self-care.
I don't do it enough.
SPEAKER_00 (20:11):
No.
No.
I think about my year last yearwas super busy with everything I
was doing.
And so when I was planning stufffor this year...
I deliberately scaled back alittle bit because my body took
a toll.
And both of us have talked aboutour chronic illnesses that we
deal with.
(20:31):
And I found...
myself getting more irritated,more impatient.
Talk about being tired.
It was much worse than normal.
And I found that I wasn'tstopping enough to take care of
myself.
And I always tell people, I tellother people, well, you have to
(20:51):
take care of yourself first inorder to be able to fill any cup
for anybody else or do anythingelse.
And I wasn't taking my ownadvice.
And I actually think thattriggered a lot of the flair I
had of my stuff early this yearand the struggles that I've been
having this year.
We
SPEAKER_02 (21:11):
do that.
I think too often.
I know it's too often because Ido the same thing where I give
people all this great advice andthen I don't take it.
It's like, well, hey, you shouldlisten to me, but I'm not going
to listen to me.
Yeah,
SPEAKER_00 (21:30):
yeah, that happens a lot.
SPEAKER_02 (21:32):
And then sometimes, you know, it's too late.
It's like you push yourself sofar and overextend yourself.
And then you're in bed for aweek or don't do anything for a
month.
And then the cycle continues andyou beat yourself up again.
(21:53):
We have to be more patient withourselves.
SPEAKER_00 (21:57):
Yes.
SPEAKER_02 (21:58):
And more forgiving.
SPEAKER_00 (21:59):
Yep.
You know, I tell people when Ipaint.
And this is also in the webdesign practice I've had.
I talk about white space a lot.
UNKNOWN (22:07):
And
SPEAKER_00 (22:09):
it kind of translates in this idea of it's
a place to rest.
So in a website design, you wantwhite space.
It doesn't have to be white.
It just means breathing room.
So it's this idea of notcramming everything together.
And so having white space inyour schedule is is like leaving
(22:34):
room on a canvas or slower,softer areas on a painting.
Because ideas, creativity,everything about ourselves needs
space to breathe and take thosemoments.
I often say when it comes to apainting that it's the quiet
moments.
(22:54):
Because if a painting is sochaotic to look at, It can be
too much and you have no placeto go to step back from it and
take something else in.
But then if you create evensmall little spaces that aren't
quite as in your face or aschaotic or bold, but are softer,
(23:16):
easier.
A lot of times we don't evenrealize that subconsciously we
kind of take a breath and relaxa little and then come back into
the rest of it feelingrefreshed.
And so it's kind of the sameidea in taking a rest as well.
SPEAKER_02 (23:33):
Are there certain things that you do in particular
to create that white space foryourself?
SPEAKER_00 (23:41):
I do for myself personally.
I like to journal a lot.
I unplug by reading.
I am a huge book nerd.
I read a lot, a lot.
And I probably start a new bookevery three or four days or
finish a new book every three orfour days.
And I'm not necessarily readingself-help books or how-to books
(24:04):
or any of that.
It's all worlds I can get lostin.
And so it takes me out of my ownself.
Now, they're all like black opsthrillers, assassin thrillers,
book thrillers.
Yes, yes.
(24:27):
And I think that's what matters.
The other thing I do is I'm innature.
I love nature.
It has a sacredness to it forme.
Now, mind you, this is not likecamping or being deep in a
forest kind of nature becausebugs and I don't get along.
So, especially spiders.
Went boating yesterday and therewas a gigantic spider and it ran
(24:52):
across my wife's chest and Ifreaked out.
It wasn't even on me.
SPEAKER_02 (24:57):
I Aside from the spider, did you have a nice time
at the lake?
SPEAKER_00 (25:01):
Oh, my God.
Yes.
Yes.
Those are the things I do.
Water is a big thing for me.
So I'll go to lakes.
I'll go to ponds, rivers,creeks.
There's a park locally that Ilove to sit at and I'll read
next to it.
And I get to watch the birds.
I get to watch, you know, thegeese coming in and the ducks
and everything.
Sometimes I've been able to spota bird that I don't typically
(25:24):
get to see.
Like there was a crane thatstopped by.
I was able to get a picture ofhim.
That was really cool.
And then I saw a kingfisherbird, which I don't typically
ever see unless you're by water.
But I also take long, hotshowers at night.
Part of that's for physicalreasons.
But it was also a chance just torelax.
I do crossword puzzles.
I will admit I don't do welljust sitting and doing nothing
(25:47):
because I get bored.
My brain gets bored.
SPEAKER_01 (25:49):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (25:51):
Not physically get bored, but yes.
Yeah.
It's like, I want something toat least engage me a little bit,
but I think it's, I lovelighting candles.
You know, that have scents thatmean a lot to me.
And so I'll do that as well.
SPEAKER_02 (26:04):
I do love a good hot shower and like a soft scented
candle.
SPEAKER_01 (26:12):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (26:13):
I actually just did that the other night because I
was so tense.
So I just turned the bathroomlight off, lit the candle, and I
just stood under the hot water.
I was like, it's fantastic.
SPEAKER_00 (26:27):
Very relaxing.
SPEAKER_02 (26:28):
Yeah.
And sometimes I'll put calmingmusic on too.
just to you know close my eyesnot think of anything for
however long I decide to stay inthere
SPEAKER_00 (26:39):
I mean I do mindfulness things with the
headspace app so I'll do a lotof those and meditations did
yoga for a long time I lovedoing yoga I have to get back
into it yeah but doing any kindof moderate exercise like
walking mine's more likestrolling because I'm looking at
everything around me you knoweven going for hikes biking
which I don't do anymore becauseI can't physically but but it's
(27:01):
anything that boosts your moodand helps you unwind while
you're away from, whether it'sthe easel, the camera, sketch
pad, whatever it is you areusing for art.
SPEAKER_02 (27:14):
I do love a good hike, but since I don't exercise
quite like very often, like Iwalk the dog every day, but
that's not, it doesn't do muchfor me.
But we were at the Carl StirnerArts Trail in Easton a few weeks
ago.
The week we had the first heatwave, wave this summer.
So it was back in June already.
And it was still hot.
(27:36):
But I kept, I was like, it's sobeautiful.
There's art everywhere.
There's birds, there's waterflowing, you know, and being
with the dog, that's relaxingfor me.
And as hot as it was, I juststopped dead in my tracks and I
stuck my arms out and I lookedup to the sky and I was like, I
(27:59):
love this.
And my husband's like sweatinghis butt off.
I mean, both of us were, but hewas just like, Well, I'm glad
you like it.
I feel like if it was maybeanother day, I would have been
like, okay, it's too hot forthis.
But I needed it so badly.
(28:20):
It just felt so good.
But it does feel good whenyou're out and you're
exercising.
It's just sometimes we get sooverwhelmed that we don't even
want to do it.
We'd rather, well, I shouldn'tsay we.
I don't want to speak foreveryone.
I don't want to speak for you.
But sometimes I would ratherjust take a nap.
SPEAKER_00 (28:42):
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_02 (28:43):
Which is also fine.
I'm a strong, I'm a big advocateof naps.
I would probably nap every dayif I could.
SPEAKER_00 (28:55):
When we were talking about bats, I was thinking of
two things.
When you were opening your armslike that in the heat and the
sun, it made me think of forestbathing.
You know, there's different waysyou can do bathing, which is
basically just submerging intosomething.
SPEAKER_02 (29:12):
I was going to say, I never heard the term forest
bathing.
SPEAKER_00 (29:16):
Yeah, it's very cool.
So that's basically that whereyou go into a forest pretty much
and allow yourself to absorb thesounds, what's going on around
you.
And it's engaging your sensesand connecting with the natural
environment.
And it's slowing down andimmersing yourself in the sights
(29:40):
and the sounds and the smells ofthe forest.
So it's engaging all yoursenses.
Amazing to do.
And it's actually based off aJapanese practice.
I'll do
SPEAKER_02 (29:50):
that.
I guess I've done that withoutrealizing it was That's what it
was called.
Because, I mean, I'll do that inthe yard sometimes.
You know, I'll just like sit orlay.
I love laying in the grass inthe yard.
Now I live more in the city.
(30:10):
So there's more noises than justthe birds
SPEAKER_01 (30:15):
and
SPEAKER_02 (30:16):
bugs.
But also, Lydia Panis, she doesgorgeous photography.
And all of the models that sheuses...
She goes out onto her property,and I've modeled for her a
couple times, and we drivebasically into the woods, the
(30:39):
wooded areas of her home, andI'll just lay in the grass or
under a tree, wherever she hasthe vision.
It's actually very therapeutic.
She'll be taking pictures, andshe'll be pulling bugs off my
face.
SPEAKER_01 (30:56):
but
SPEAKER_02 (30:59):
it's like like you said like i'm i'll be immersed
in the sounds of nature and fora person that grew up hating
bugs to now wanting to be out innature all the time and
exploring my gardens and othergardens just knowing that like
i'm laying there essentiallythat you know i'm laying there
(31:21):
in the forest and there therecould be a snake somewhere or
there's a spider crawling up myleg and I just I remain calm
because she's taking thesephotos and it almost I think
working with her over the yearshas also helped me appreciate
nature even more and I think I'myou know I'm just coming to the
(31:46):
realization maybe now well
SPEAKER_00 (31:49):
that's cool though yeah well good I love that and I
can't say I have that experiencecompletely in nature.
But for the most part, I do loveit.
I do.
(32:26):
And so he took us for a walk outinto the woods behind my great
aunt's house.
And we started walking and youcould see clear as day without
flashlights because the moon wasso bright.
But we could start seeing wheredeer had bedded down in the
forest and tracking thembasically.
(32:47):
And then we came upon a field.
There was a herd of deer thathad to have been between like 30
and 50 deer standing in thisfield.
eating just hanging out togetherbeing together there was a
couple bugs there along withdoes and it was such a magical
experience to be out in naturelike that I loved it now mind
(33:08):
you it was freezing cold and nobugs so I was good
SPEAKER_02 (33:10):
it really is beautiful and I don't think that
we always take the time to slowdown and appreciate the beauty
around us
SPEAKER_01 (33:23):
and
SPEAKER_02 (33:24):
I've been making at a point to really do that more
often.
One thing that I've noticed toois I'll get impatient sometimes
with the dog when I'm taking herfor a walk because she stops to
smell everything.
But that's what dogs do.
(33:44):
But then, you know, she'll stopand she'll start smelling the
flowers or she'll see a littleinsect and she'll, you And I
told her, yes, I talk to the dogall the time.
And I told her one day, I waslike, you know, like you, you
really helped me learn how toslow down and notice everything
(34:08):
around me.
We have to remind ourselves todo that.
SPEAKER_00 (34:13):
Well, I think it's important, you know, as we talk
about rest, it's rest, itdoesn't mean not doing nothing.
It's more about making space andtaking in what's around us.
Slowing down allows usperspective.
It's the antithesis of whatWestern society often says, you
(34:35):
know, and so a nap, meditation,or just pausing without a screen
in front of us, or headphones inour ears, stepping out Mm-hmm.
(35:00):
It allows us into new ways ofbeing and seeing the world.
So slowing down brings us that.
When you slow down, you seemore.
I often think about, this is agoal I try to achieve in what I
paint.
I do a lot of layering on a lotof hidden things that you won't
necessarily see unless you takethe time to stop.
(35:24):
And I actually look deeper anddeeper into the painting.
And that's always my goal isjust to make somebody pause.
And then feel something.
I don't care what the feelingis.
You can hate it for all.
That's fine.
It might break my heart a littlebit.
No, I'm just kidding.
It's the idea of slowing down.
And
SPEAKER_02 (35:44):
I think that's where you and I are similar with our
painting styles because I have,I too create so many layers.
I mean, the original piece, likethat first layer, or I should
say those first few layers ofpaint that I put on my canvas,
usually it's nowhere near whatthe end product is.
(36:07):
And the more you look at it,especially with your work, oh my
gosh, I mean, I could stand andstare at your work all day.
Oh, there's something else.
Oh, I didn't notice this before.
SPEAKER_00 (36:17):
Yeah, I always think of the story of the experience I
had at Westmoreland Art Museum.
It's out near Falling Water inPennsylvania.
And they have a room that'spainted white.
It's a small room.
And one painting hanging in itand a chair.
And I was like, what the heck isthis?
I walk in and they have adescription for you that
(36:38):
basically invites you to sit infront of this painting for 30
minutes and And it challengesyou to stay there and keep
looking for things.
And it gives you ideas of likequestions you could ask yourself
and things to look at.
And they change the painting allthe time.
So it's not the same.
And then they have a journalthere where you can write what
(37:00):
your experience was about.
So I put myself in there and I'mlike, all right, let's see if I
can really do this because Italk about this all the time and
tell people to slow down.
Instead of in a gallery, you'rejust scanning paintings as you
walk, stop and actually trulylook at something that catches
your attention.
Well, the painting in therewasn't one that would normally
(37:22):
catch my attention, but I foundmyself after five minutes
fidgeting.
And I was getting bored.
I'm like, I, you know, I don'twant to do this.
I don't like this painting,blah, blah, blah, blah.
And I was like, all right, I'mgoing to quit.
I can't do this.
Like, that's not good because Itell people to do this all the
time.
But then I decided, all right,why is this?
(37:43):
Am I not happy with thispainting?
And I actually went thatdirection with it, which was
interesting.
And then I started making, itwas a painting of men and boys
going to work somewhere, but itwas more about when they would
work in warehouses or mines orthings like that.
Then I started making up storiesabout the people I kept seeing.
(38:04):
And I was like, well, he looksat this age and what direction
is he coming from?
So it was interesting to dothis.
And it's not easy, right?
I even find it when I sit andwatch TV.
If a commercial comes on, I'mfidgeting on my phone.
SPEAKER_02 (38:19):
Oh,
SPEAKER_00 (38:20):
yeah.
It's like I can't just stop.
I
SPEAKER_02 (38:23):
need to throw my phone out the window, I think.
Sometimes.
It's such a distraction.
But I think thinking about whatyou just said with sitting with
the piece, I often will pull upa chair.
If I'm struggling with a piece,I'll pull up a chair and I just
(38:43):
sit with it.
But I often find myself asking,well, what do I like about it?
Not what don't I like.
And if I find something I don'tlike, I usually don't question,
well, why don't I like it?
I'm just like, no, this has togo.
I don't always take that pauseand really think about it.
(39:09):
And I'm wondering if I cancreate something even better if
I take that time with my pieces.
I
SPEAKER_00 (39:17):
think so.
I think we often rush throughour work sometimes just to get
somewhere else or...
But I think it's number one,asking yourself, what do you
think is beautiful?
And maybe we have misconceptionsabout that.
But also, when was the last timeyou stopped to appreciate
something beautiful or somethingdifferent in your life?
(39:39):
You know, I'm a dreamer and Ilove to just kind of daydream
and space out a bit.
But I'm one who will get lost inlooking at the shape of a leaf
or the way the color in the skychanges, the way the texture of
a tree looks or the food I'meating.
(39:59):
You know, I get very just lostin something simple like that
SPEAKER_02 (40:04):
oh I am in the same way and you've been in my studio
before so for those that don'tknow my studio is actually the
front bedroom our second bedroomin my home so it's up on the
second floor and We sit a littlehigher than the other homes on
(40:24):
the street, so we can see kindof over the neighborhoods and
part of South Mountain.
So I get to see great sunrises,although I can't really see the
sun, the actual sun, becausethere's a giant pine tree in the
way.
But then at night, when the sunis setting the opposite
(40:47):
direction, the clouds look sobeautiful above.
the mountains.
And I'm always like, I'm justlike, I wish somebody can come
and watch this with me.
Or if my husband's downstairs,I'm like, hey, come up and come
upstairs and look at the clouds.
And yeah, just sitting and justlooking at like watching the
(41:09):
movement of everything.
And like you said, like theshape of a leaf.
I mean, it's really a beautifulthing to just take a moment,
take a look at what's right infront of you.
SPEAKER_00 (41:22):
We have bird feeders in our backyard.
I just put them in this yearintentionally to entertain my
three cats, but I actually findI'm very entertained by them.
But there's days I'll just siton my deck and just watch them
and just do nothing and justwatch how they interact with
each other.
I start seeing more colors onthe birds.
(41:45):
I realize I have a squirrelthat's getting very fat in my
neighborhood because he's eatingall my seat on the floor.
I
SPEAKER_02 (41:52):
have one that jumped.
I built a tray, like a hangingtray feeder.
SPEAKER_01 (41:58):
Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_02 (42:00):
And I tried to put it far enough away from the
fence that the squirrel couldn'tget into it.
But eventually, it realized thatit could just launch itself off
the fence into this tray feeder.
And they will.
They're
SPEAKER_01 (42:18):
crazy.
Yeah,
SPEAKER_02 (42:19):
they're insane.
I mean, it looks ridiculous.
And every now and then, I'll seethem out there.
And I say to the dog, I'm like,go out and get that squirrel.
Oh, they're so entertaining.
(42:42):
I mean...
It's fascinating.
I am a birder now.
Is
SPEAKER_00 (43:02):
that saying something about her age too?
I'm just kidding.
I mean, I think it's more aboutthe fact that we're, we slow
down.
So we appreciate what's aroundus more.
SPEAKER_02 (43:17):
Yeah.
Like I feel like when, whenwe're like, when you're a kid,
you know, you're again, you're,you have so much wonder, but
then you, you reach, eventuallyyou reach a point in your life
where a lot of people tend tolose that wonder and awe and
that curiosity.
And I don't, for me, personallyI don't think it ever left but I
(43:41):
definitely ignored it for awhile and then it wasn't until I
got in my 30s where I was likeoh I need to take a look around
again and there's just I don'tknow it brings me so much joy
everything
SPEAKER_00 (43:56):
I mean that slowing down and seeing things and
seeing beauty which doesn'tnecessarily always mean
beautiful but it often sparksfresh ideas or emotional shifts
and that feeds our creative workanything we do as part of this
resting is it just feeds us tomake us do better and be better
(44:17):
at what we are
SPEAKER_01 (44:18):
yeah
SPEAKER_00 (44:19):
so let's talk about some Because we talk about rest
a lot, but practical ways torest and notice.
Do you have any ideas?
SPEAKER_02 (44:27):
It is very hard for me to just relax.
So one thing, this is me givingother people advice that I don't
take.
Or I take my own advice, butvery rarely.
SPEAKER_01 (44:42):
There
SPEAKER_02 (44:44):
have been a few times recently where I've gone
on walks and I've left my phoneat home and I need to do that
more.
more because of like taking awalk is a very it's a meaningful
time for me I don't just go outI think about it I'm aware of my
surroundings I'm takingeverything in if I have my phone
(45:06):
with me you know I'm walking thedog checking Instagram or maybe
like I'll call somebody and I'mlike well this is my time this
is my time to relax so why am Ion my phone also I think I've
mentioned And maybe before justhaving like a little sketchbook,
(45:26):
you know, sketching what yousee.
I like to do that where I'll goin the garden, sketch a fun
looking leaf, call it a day.
It takes five minutes.
I know you love to read.
I like to read, but it takes meforever to finish a book.
But when I'm in the rightmindset, I'll go out, I'll sit
(45:51):
outside and I'll read a book.
I cannot read in bed or I'lljust fall asleep.
I
SPEAKER_00 (45:58):
agree.
I think it's important toremember though that restful
what feels restful is differentfrom person to person just as
you said you read to fall asleepI read and I never sleep because
I get so engaged with it but soit can be as simple as cuddling
with your pet you know my cats Iwell I try to cuddle with my
cats they don't always like thatbut uh yeah you know
SPEAKER_02 (46:22):
I just love me
SPEAKER_00 (46:25):
yeah right and they're like no but I you know
walking in the sun You know,like you've done some people, it
could be rock climbing.
Others is just turning off yournotifications on your phone,
putting boundaries on emailsthat you won't answer after five
o'clock kind of thing.
Spending time on a differenttype of creative pursuit.
(46:46):
You know, I paint.
So recently I have been doingcollages with paintings that I
don't want or need anymore.
There are little studies andcutting them up and
reconfiguring them, which I findincredibly revitalizing.
It's still being creative, butit's not what I typically do.
It could be playing with Legos.
(47:07):
If you like Legos, I have somefriends that are obsessed with
them and build them.
SPEAKER_02 (47:12):
I do like Legos.
SPEAKER_00 (47:13):
Some people is having a
SPEAKER_02 (47:14):
nap.
SPEAKER_00 (47:15):
I want to get
SPEAKER_02 (47:15):
one of their garden sets, their floral sets.
SPEAKER_00 (47:19):
That would be fun.
You know, so it's just differentfor everybody.
Playing, doing anything to play,just switching yourself off from
the outside world and being taskfocused and allowing ourselves
to be in a It's often found themost restorative forms of rest
(47:39):
are actually active rest, notpassive, where you're just doing
nothing.
I can't do just nothing becauseI get bored.
It's about finding a balancebetween resting, but not being
inundated or feeling you have todo something or whatever.
I love that.
If you need a break from sensorystuff because our phones go off
(48:01):
all day long, turn it off for alittle bit.
Even if you just silence itStick it in another room and
then go do something in adifferent room.
SPEAKER_02 (48:11):
So
SPEAKER_00 (48:11):
it's still there.
But even doing that can be hardsometimes when you know you need
it.
SPEAKER_02 (48:19):
I do that sometimes.
I'll put my phone in anotherroom and then I'll go work in
the studio so that I don't thinkabout checking notifications or
popping on social media becausethen I go down a rabbit hole.
SPEAKER_00 (48:35):
It's the whole idea of the slow undoing of some of
the ingredients assumptions wehave about work and rest and
resisting pressure to be in mystudio seven days a week because
I now pay for it or allowingmyself time to rest and say, I
(48:59):
can paint later or I can answeran email at 11 o'clock on a
Monday and set my hours and notdo it on the weekend.
But you need that time to restand let ideas percolate and come
out.
And then there's less emotionalstuff that you end up carrying
(49:19):
because your brain has had achance to let it go.
And we take a break.
SPEAKER_02 (49:24):
I'm going to take a break and rest tonight and watch
some Star Trek.
SPEAKER_00 (49:28):
There you go.
I will be doing it much latertonight because I have a meeting
later.
But sometimes rest for me iscooking and I'll make dinner
because I love to cook.
SPEAKER_02 (49:37):
I wish I loved to cook.
I'm sure my husband wishes thatI loved to cook.
And I wouldn't survive withouthis cooking.
SPEAKER_00 (49:48):
Yeah, my wife is cooking tonight since I'll be
home later.
So it's a nice treat for achange.
I've learned that while resting,creativity doesn't shut down.
You're not going to lose itbecause you're not doing it.
You know, they'll still come.
Inspiration will still happenanytime.
When I feel that inspiration,I'll write it down.
(50:09):
I'll make a note on my phone inthe notes app or, you know, I'll
write it quickly in a journal.
SPEAKER_02 (50:14):
Yeah, I keep a little notebook in my purse and
my nightstand.
And I've gotten some great ideasfrom that, having that little
SPEAKER_00 (50:25):
book.
All right.
So to recap our whole entireconversation in a nutshell,
which will be really hard to do,but rest is not a waste.
It's an investment in yourcreativity.
Beauty is everywhere, but youhave to slow down to see it.
And I highly recommend, youknow, give yourself permission
to rest and notice one beautifulthing each day.
(50:48):
You could take a picture of it,you know, or just think about it
or draw a quick sketch in asketchbook if you want to
remember it.
Whatever.
And that's a directive formyself too because I know I'm
bad at that.
SPEAKER_02 (51:01):
Yeah, I go out every morning and I look at the bees
and other insects in the gardenand I take a picture and I share
it in my Instagram storiesalmost every day.
And I'm like, well, you probablysaw the same bee ten times in a
month, but here it is again.
Enjoy it.
SPEAKER_00 (51:21):
Yes.
Yeah.
I'll do the same thing with thepark that I'm at.
I'm always taking pictures of itand posting it.
And so I bet it brings me suchjoy.
SPEAKER_02 (51:29):
And then it brings others joy too.
Everyone should share theirbeautiful moments on social
media with us.
SPEAKER_00 (51:37):
Absolutely.
Yeah.
You can tag us at the artist isin.
You want directly to tag us.
You can do at what is yourInstagram handle?
SPEAKER_02 (51:49):
Nina underscore Bood.
SPEAKER_00 (51:52):
B-O-O-D.
SPEAKER_02 (51:54):
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (51:55):
And mine is at Kat Collins Studio.
Kat with a K.
But I want to thank people forspending time with us today.
We hope this conversationreminded you that rest isn't
wasted time.
It's where creativity has spaceto breathe.
And when we slow down, we startto notice the little sparks of
beauty all around us.
(52:17):
This week, give yourselfpermission to pause, step back,
rest, and see what shows up,whether it's a creative idea, a
shift in perspective, or simplythe joy of noticing something
beautiful.
Remember, rest is not a luxury.
It is a necessity.
SPEAKER_02 (52:33):
If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend
who might need the samereminder.
And we'd love to hear from you.
What's one beautiful thing younoticed today?
Again, tag us on social media athashtag the artist is in or
email us at info atkatcollinstudio.com and again
(52:55):
that's kat with a k
SPEAKER_00 (52:57):
until next time keep creating keep noticing and take
care
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