Created Living with Quinton Reeves

Are you in a new season of life or ready to invigorate your life with something new?

This episode is for you.  In this episode, I interview my husband, Quinton, about his unexpected path into painting and creativity.

Be inspired to...

• Set down old rules, beliefs and ideas that keep you confined.
• Make a mess for the sake of something more.
• Tap into your own version of creativity to invigorate your life.
• And, more!

Enjoy!

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Website: https://www.differentlyco.com

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Thank you for listening!

Transcript

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SPEAKER_01 0:04

I'm Carla Reeves, and this is Differently. Whether you feel stuck in survival, navigating a change, or seeking more for your life, may this podcast be your weekly nudge to take a risk to build a life that is uniquely bold, authentic, and in alignment with your deepest values. After a decade of coaching individuals from corporate leaders to creative artists to multimillion dollar CEOs, I'm convinced we are far closer than we realize to what we deeply desire, and it's a willingness to do differently that can change everything. So I have Quentin back with us today, my husband, and welcome to differently.

SPEAKER_00 0:54

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 0:56

Your episodes are some of the most listened to episodes. Nice. I know. So I want to talk today about something that really has come into our life rather unexpectedly, and it's been your painting and your art. And why don't you tell the story of like how that has evolved?

SPEAKER_00 1:19

Uh well, I don't consider myself an artist at all. Like I uh just remember in the fourth grade, like taking art class and like making like the best painting I thought I had ever made, and took it up to the front and this project we were doing, and I got a D in my class. And it was kind of crushing. Like, how did I get a D? I just did everything. It was like the most beautiful painting I've ever made, or picture or drawing or something, you know. And um, you know, so at that point I just decided I guess I'm not creative really, or an artist, or and but I've always loved paintings. I love going to the museum and seeing paintings. I've always wanted to buy paintings, like original paintings, not just prints of paintings, but like there's something about like paint that's like out there. It's amazing, you know, that looks like a photograph, but it's really just paint.

SPEAKER_01 2:16

So and you always loved Bob Ross.

SPEAKER_00 2:19

Bob Ross, yeah. Love Bob Ross, the hippie painter.

SPEAKER_01 2:23

I think it's fascinating. You know, I probably people listening, you can go back to a story when you were a kid and somebody said something or something happened and it just crushed your spirit. And you thought, well, I I'm not good at that. And you made a decision in your own mind based on how somebody reacted or didn't react. Or, and I I find that working with clients often we're unpacking old stories like that that are still as adults like confining us. So, okay, so continue with the story.

SPEAKER_00 2:55

Well, I think just um this year kind of having a change, our kids are grown and uh leaving the nest, and we just have more time together, you and I, and breaking free of the normal work life. And you know, it was last summer we just kind of like, let's I think Shane was gone on vacation and let's get some paints and just paint, like be silly and do some weird things, and you bought a little paint and little canvases, and we just kind of had a weekend little craft type thing.

SPEAKER_01 3:32

I don't even know what we did, but I was creating a paint party because while I didn't ever see this coming, I know that you have talked about taking a paint class, or but I just did not I did not see this coming at all. But yeah, it was like we were gonna have a paint party while Shane was away.

SPEAKER_00 3:50

Yeah, and so it was really fun. And then, you know, I was watching some videos on YouTube of people making amazing paintings and art and drawings, and you know, I just clicked on one one day and the guy says, Today's the day you're gonna paint. And I thought, okay, I guess I am. And he said, This is what you need, and so we just went to the store and did it. And it was just fun. It started to be fun.

SPEAKER_01 4:16

And what was that type of painting that you started with?

SPEAKER_00 4:20

Like poor painting, like where you just pour the paint and just kind of see what happens, move it around and like just kind of makes kind of cool designs and you just kind of play with it, really.

SPEAKER_01 4:33

Yeah, yeah. I did it too. It was really relaxing.

SPEAKER_00 4:37

Kind of healing a little because you can't really like force it, you know, and you can't really do it wrong. I mean, you can, because it's sometimes it comes out and it's like, yeah, that doesn't look very good. But generally, there's like a freedom to it that at least I fell in love with because I'm kind of a perfectionist or uh have to do it right kind of a guy.

SPEAKER_01 5:02

So tell us about that, because I know that was a big deal for you, is like getting in there and like making a mess and like just being willing to make a mess, right? What was that like?

SPEAKER_00 5:16

Yeah, it was kind of hard because you do like you just have to like waste paint. Like part of me is like I can't waste food. I can't like I grew up kind of in a you just didn't waste food, you know. So uh you ate everything that you could eat because it wasn't like it was just abundant. So to in this where you just have to pour it on there and like let it drip off the sides and just go everywhere, and like you do kind of waste paint a little bit, but you have to be willing to have the excess in order to make the design you kind of want. And so it's I remember the first few times like I just didn't have enough paint, and then I couldn't even cover my canvas because I was too worried about you know, uh, once I was able to figure out, like you just gotta dump it all on there and just go. It was a big deaf, big deal.

SPEAKER_01 6:12

What's been the most um like challenging part of it and the most enlightening part of it for you?

SPEAKER_00 6:24

Well, the challenging part is just like letting go of like all your rules, all your um worries, you know. Is somebody gonna like it? Is it gonna turn out? And like once you can get past like it doesn't really matter, you actually can start to make things that like really look cool. And it's like kind of surprises you, you know, how good it looks. And um yeah, so then it's been fun like really tinkering with new techniques and new ideas and how you can move the paint so that it looks really different and cool and makes different uh shades or I don't even know what you'd call it, just depth.

SPEAKER_01 7:16

I think creativity is um just an interesting topic because, like you said, you decided you weren't creative. When I, gosh, years and years and years ago, I was in business with a friend, and she said, Well, you're the business one and I'm the creative one. And in that moment, I decided I'm not creative. And even when I had ideas, um, I would dismiss them because I had already labeled myself and kind of put myself in a box of the business one. And years later in my writing, I really discovered that I have such a creative brain, but it's not, it's not in the form of paint or art or sculpting or you know, traditional forms of creativity. And but everything I do, like it's creativity is kind of like the air I breathe. Like, I don't know how I ever denied it in me. And I think that everybody is creative in some way, but it might look entirely different. So what it what do you believe about creativity?

SPEAKER_00 8:27

No, I think that's I think that's right. Um, because your mind is always creating, you know what I mean? So we are creative beings, like we we create through our thoughts, really. And so, where are your thoughts like stopping you? Where are your thoughts like restricting you? Uh these crazy beliefs that you have that make you not take action. So, yeah, so the painting for me has just been like this huge outlet of like freedom, really, like letting go of a lot of old ways of thinking that for 50 years that have like had me kind of stuck in this old box.

SPEAKER_01 9:12

And I just want to give you guys a sense because once this like took hold that weekend when we were painting, he hasn't stopped painting. And that was like over six months ago. Our house is filled with paintings everywhere, they're starting to go all over on our walls. And I just I didn't see this coming. I didn't know I was married to an artist. Like I can look back now and see parts of you that were definitely creative. And I can tie things together now, but I I did not see this coming. It felt like it came out of left field, and it's been so beautiful to watch because um I've never seen you have something like this of your own, like an outlet that you could pour yourself into, literally. Um, and I've never seen you so happy. So speak to that for a minute.

SPEAKER_00 10:12

Yeah, I don't know why it makes me happy, but it's um it's just relaxing and gives me joy. And if I had a studio, I could probably paint all day, like and just throw paint everywhere, you know, and have fun.

SPEAKER_01 10:31

That's our dream. We're gonna have a studio someday, maybe in Costa Rica. He's gonna be able to paint all day, and I'll have a little office where I can do my own creativity and coaching calls and all the things. And people can come in and we can talk to people and they can buy your paintings. And I can't wait for that.

SPEAKER_00 10:51

Me too. Me too.

SPEAKER_01 10:53

So I wanted to have you on the podcast to talk about this because I think it's important for people kind of in the spirit of um the lifepreneurship principle innovation and really being an entrepreneur of your life and creating in every season of your life. Like we find ourselves in a new season, like you said, because our kids are grown and we have more space and time. We're together more. And if we look back over the course of the last 22 years of our marriage, we've been creating our life like every season and chapter. And I wanted to share this with you guys because there might be an opportunity in your life now. You might find yourself in a new season, and sometimes you can it can feel uncomfortable and uncertain, or maybe you feel a little resigned or stagnant, but you're never trapped. You're never trapped, and you can always tap into your own abilities, your thinking, your perception, the way you see the world. You know, like you talked about, Quentin, like challenging your thinking and your beliefs that have you boxed in to really start to loosen things up and create something different for this chapter of your life. I would love to hear you talk about that a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 12:08

Well, I think you have to be willing to like step outside of yourself and see yourself, see where you are trapping yourself. Like that's the hardest.

SPEAKER_01 12:20

How do you do that?

SPEAKER_00 12:23

Well, for me, it's by bringing awareness to my thoughts. So it's almost like viewing my mind from an outside place, as if my uh I separate two minds, actually. And I so I have one that's like five feet away observing me and my mind. I mean, that sounds kind of weird, but uh it's how I can see them happening and I can see how they are holding me back, even though sometimes I'm attached, like just trying to paint. Sometimes I can get so caught up in the way it's I want it to look, or if I have out of thought of the way I want it to look, and the stress and anxiety of all these thoughts that are causing me to usually when I have those, like it does turn out like crap. And so if I just stop with it, not give up my idea of the way I want it to look, but allow it to just like whatever it is, it is, uh, it usually turns out way smoother and better rather than fighting it or forcing it.

SPEAKER_01 13:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:32

So it's like a real awareness of um your restrictive thoughts, beings.

SPEAKER_01 13:39

And then from your perspective, how how do we create in these different chapters of our life? If somebody's wanting, listening and wanting to do that, how would you guide somebody through taking a creative role to free up your life or invite something new into your life?

SPEAKER_00 13:59

That's a tough one. It it depends on if you're trying to be creative for yourself or if you're trying to create with another person. But um you and I always we just talk all the time. Um, we're constantly asking each other, what do you think about this? What do you think about that? I kind of like this. Do you like that? Do you like this? I don't like that hat. I do like that hat.

SPEAKER_01 14:23

Um, you know, that was a Dr. Seuss reference, I think.

SPEAKER_00 14:28

Yeah. Um you know, so being willing to have those conversations, you're almost having that same conversation with yourself. Um but yeah, just being ready and willing.

SPEAKER_01 14:44

Well, and I think a question you can ask yourself is like, what do you want to feel in this season of your life? What do you want to feel more of? Is it more adventure? Is it more love? Is it more um, is it more joy? And then if you if you know what you want to feel, then you can ask yourself, well, how can we rearrange things or how can we do things a little bit differently to bring more of that into our life? And then that that starts leading you. You know, I I a while ago, there's a resort close to us that we've always done staycations at called the Wigwam. And every time we go away there, it's like it just has this own feeling to it. And as our boys have grown and become young men, we like this last year or so. I think we were like, we want to create wigwam every day. Like, how can we bring more of that feeling home into our life every day? So we don't have to actually go away to the wigwam. We could just create more of that here. And we've just declared that and we talk about it all the time. We'll just say wigwam every day, and it allows us to bring those elements into our life, and it it really works.

SPEAKER_00 15:54

It really did. Yeah, it felt like we were on vacation like every day.

SPEAKER_01 15:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:00

At home.

SPEAKER_01 16:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:02

So good. And that's how I feel with the painting.

SPEAKER_01 16:04

What do you mean?

SPEAKER_00 16:06

Just um the more I paint, the more free I feel. It's like a habit or a uh muscle.

SPEAKER_01 16:15

Well, I think that's such a great point is the practice part of it and the willingness to just show up and and paint for no other reason but to paint. So we hope that this inspires something in the season you find yourself in, whether it's a new creative endeavor or inviting something new into your everyday life. Um, where can people find out about your painting and follow you?

SPEAKER_00 16:44

So I'm on you can just tell them. No. I'm on Instagram created live, created underscore living.

SPEAKER_01 16:52

Yeah, and you can see all his paintings there and kind of the evolution of this journey. And it's been so inspiring for me to watch you. You know, it's, you know, we're you're 50, right? We're in our 50s, and it's never too late. It's never too late to take up something that you wanted to do when you were in fourth grade. Yeah. Um, it's never too late. Challenge your own rules. We get to create and invent this life. We may not always be able to control the things that are happening in our life, but there's so much that we have the ability to um innovate and um change the way in which we, I guess, relate to our circumstances to bring more goodness into our life. So it's been inspiring for me to watch you. Um, I've learned so much watching you and just, you know, letting go and not being attached to the outcome and just getting in there and making a mess.

SPEAKER_00 17:52

Making a mess. So good.

SPEAKER_01 17:54

Thanks for being here.

SPEAKER_00 17:56

Love you.

SPEAKER_01 17:56

Love you too. Have a great day, everybody. I hope you enjoyed this conversation. Hey, thanks for tuning into this episode of Differently. I hope it stirred your thinking, and I invite you to take one inspired action from something that stood out to you. If you want to hear more conversations like this, be sure to hit follow on your favorite podcast app. And if this episode could impact someone you know, please help us spread the word and pass it along. Remember, new episodes drop weekly. See you next week.