130: Permission to Play! Creative Breaks

You can run a business, raise a family, keep the lights on, and still feel like something essential is missing. For us, that missing piece is often play: the kind that loosens the straitjacket, cracks the mind open, and lets your real self breathe. So we’re claiming it out loud: creativity isn’t a talent you’re born with or without. It’s your birthright, and it shows up everywhere once you know how to look.

We talk about what creativity actually is (making, bringing forth, growing), why “I’m not creative” is a story worth retiring, and how creative collaboration includes everything from gardening with nature to building communities and curating experiences that change people. We also share the unexpected places creativity lives, like taking a scooter ride with no plan, turning your home into a sanctuary, sending a song to a friend to spark connection, or making space for ideas to arrive instead of forcing them.

Then we get practical about creative breaks: why your brain needs room to wander, how consumption can crowd out creation, and how routines like artist dates from The Artist’s Way or simply leaving your instrument out of the case can make creativity inevitable. We also dig into the mental health side, including why creative activities can reduce stress and anxiety and help you feel more grounded and alive.

If you’re ready to stop waiting until you’re “good” and start making room for what lights you up, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs permission to play, and leave a review so more people find the creative reset they’ve been missing.

Follow Coach Polly @getbusythriving and Coach Sam @thesamanthapruitt 

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Transcript

Welcome Back And Why Creativity Now

Polly Mertens 0:27

Hey superstars, welcome back.

Samantha Pruitt 0:28

Polly here and Sam Pruitt. What's up? Look at us. Look at us taping a podcast this week. Well, how many weeks have been we've been taping this podcast? At some point, we probably need to count that. What episode are we on?

Polly Mertens 0:42

Well, I know. I was just well, we're in the one something. I was just thinking, I was like, have we been doing this for two years? No, three years. So like we're coming up on three years in October, dude. Isn't that fun?

Samantha Pruitt 0:53

We are legit. Look at us.

Polly Mertens 0:55

Fun. So fun. Yes.

Samantha Pruitt 0:57

And we're talking about creativity today. And I'll let you read the title again in a hot second, but just pointing out the reality of look at us in this creative project and the longevity of our creative collaboration. That's freaking amazing.

Polly Mertens 1:13

And I love that word collaboration in that. You know, because a lot of what I was thinking about and preparing, preparing for this is like, you know, just like up in my brain. Am I creative? How am I creative? But and then I love like a creative collaboration.

Samantha Pruitt 1:25

That's so Oh, that's the best. So glad you I believe that everything is a creative collaboration, but we'll get into that in a second. Why don't you tell us what the title is? Okay, another teaser. Sam's got teasers jump in left and right.

Polly Mertens 1:38

Okay. We're calling this permission to play, exploring the art of creative breaks. And just so you know, okay, so what's funny about this? I just want to talk, you know, we'll let a little bit of the backstory. So we were like two weeks ago, we're like, oh well, we've been doing a series on hormones. And so we did hormones, hormones, and we just were like blah, blah, blah, blah, rambling, you know, we were enjoying the heck out of that. And we had so much to say. And then there was this other group of hormones that we wanted to get into. We're like, oh, we need to like deep dive and like whatever. And like both times we were going to record and we both were like, we're not there yet. We're totally not prepared. And so yesterday we're like, okay, game on, switch gears, you know, pulled out the creativity hat, right?

Samantha Pruitt 2:16

We're like, exactly. Permission to be creative.

Polly Mertens 2:21

Exactly. I was like, hey, this is our podcast. Let's role models.

Samantha Pruitt 2:25

We'll talk about whatever damn hell we want.

Polly Mertens 2:28

That's exactly right.

Samantha Pruitt 2:29

And we're creating a piece of art that is a reflection of who we are in the world and our contribution to the world. And that should be a creative act.

Polly Mertens 2:38

Exactly. And it is. And it is. So we're giving ourselves permission. And you out there listening, all that like, I just want, like, as this is going into your ears for it to feel like sparkly magical prixy dust and giving you like reminders, like, I am an artist, like I'm childlike inside and curiosity, and then reawakening that side of you that is always there that maybe you do or don't tap into enough. I know I have been slight on this, and we'll go into that, you know, but how to reawaken and with creative breaks or whatever that looks like. So where are we starting off, Miss?

Samantha Pruitt 3:10

And we've got the word play in the title. Well, when we're talking about this, people tend to think of like creative outlets or creative projects, you know, the stereotypical kind of art, music, obviously, writing, movement, dance, film, you know, all the things that people think of. Somebody created art or, you know, it came out of them and it was created into a thing. But that's how people kind of associate creativity in general,

Creativity As A Birthright

Samantha Pruitt 3:39

I think. I would like to plant a different seed, and I know we're gonna ask each other questions, so this is gonna be really fun for us today, too, because this is something we don't normally do. First of all, we are all creative because we were all created, okay, people. You were created, whatever your belief system, but last time I checked, you're in the universe on this planet at this time, okay. So you were created, therefore you are creative by birthright. Because you don't have to be a quote-unquote artist to be creative or be a creator. So I just want to drop that right out of the gate. And for me, it's like a state of being, it is an act of the human being human, and in their birthright, you're always making and creating something, whether it's inside you and it's trapped and it hasn't been expressed yet, which I think is the most common experience most of us have. I know I got no shortage of things that have not come out into the world. Like, I don't even know where to start with that, right? But that's pretty common. And then we think of ourselves as separate all the time from other humans and from the universe and the earth, which is also not reality. But anyway, so therefore, we are like, well, that person's an artist, they have creative talent. I don't. I could maybe be taught to be creative, but innately I'm not. Well, it's bullshit. So let's just let's just go there out of the gate, shall we?

Polly Mertens 5:17

Well, just raise your hand because I'm raising my hand. Like until a couple years ago, I would have never said, I'm creative, I'm an artist, anything like that. Like, like literally, the my brain was like on lockdown. You're not an artist, you're not creative. Like, I knew I I wouldn't say I knew it, I told myself something and I believed it, right? And I looked at, you know, I have some fucking talented people in my life that you, I mean, you with your creativity and then like things that we would classically say artistically creative, like could draw something, and you'd be like, damn, or like could create some magical, like my one friend, she used to own a salon, and she'd create these window dressings that were like that would pale things in New York City. And I was like, winning award. I'm like, what the hell? So like I was like, bow down, holy, you know, she's the creator, she's creative, she's artistic. And my brain was just on lockdown. And though that friend and others in that circle helped me understand, oh hell no, we're all creative. And so I gave myself permission to kind of like lift that up and reframe that belief and just open up to like, oh, you know what? That's true, that's true. So so I'm I'm in the I've you know, the recovering non-creative, I'm in the recovering non-creative crowd, you know.

Samantha Pruitt 6:37

And I'll just point out something that I know about you and about myself, of course, too, is that we have created business, we have created communities, we have created lots of things. Here's the deal: they didn't exist before us. Okay, they didn't exist, and then we had thoughts, ideas, a vision, and then feelings and emotions, and then drive and initiative, and then ultimately discipline to create the thing.

Polly Mertens 7:10

Took action. So it wasn't so what reminds me of one of my favorite teachers is you know, Abraham Hicks, it's like turning thoughts to things, right? So it it we move it from, you know, ethereal form or energy into the physical form of the world, right? And I want I think this is a good time, if I may, throw in the word and like the root, you know, mean words and stuff like that. Can I throw? Okay, so create creativity, those words like that. So the word traces back to Latin. I may butcher this, but it's creer, C-R-E-A-R-E, to make, bring forth. I love that part, bring forth, produce, or cause. And even further, it goes into Sam. Uh, it could go into original meaning is to make grow, right? And Sanskrit, Sanskrit is car, which is to produce, generate, make. And this is an interesting little fact. You know, you don't you hear all kinds of these little things on our podcast because I love researching this stuff. So it's like the word creative as an adjective didn't even exist but 200 years ago.

Samantha Pruitt 8:10

That's insane.

Polly Mertens 8:12

Creative, like we just take it for granted, like, oh yeah, like creative, right? Like it didn't exist, meaning imaginative until 1816 in Wordsworth. Yeah. And then art, the word art comes from Latin artum, which is meaning work of art, which is a practical skill, a business or a craft, which is interesting. I didn't, I wouldn't have thought of it that way. And then the root of R, meaning to fit together. And then the Greek, it says, uh, let's see, the word creativity didn't exist. Artworks were considered imitation, not creative work. Like, what? And in the 18th century, during the Enlightenment era, the concept of creativity emerged as something humans actually possess. Like it was like medieval Christianity was like, nope, God creates y'all humans, you're just little dust, and God's little more now. Humans could make things, but not create them. I was like, wow, wow. Wow. Pretty cool.

Samantha Pruitt 9:12

I loved in that initial definition you were giving, how it included growing things.

Polly Mertens 9:18

Yeah, to make growing.

Samantha Pruitt 9:19

Of course, plants and flowers and gardening and generating

Where The Word Create Comes From

Samantha Pruitt 9:24

again, again, things that did not exist. Okay. And then there was a seed, and then I put the seed in the ground, and then I did all the things, creative act of in collaboration with Mother Nature.

Polly Mertens 9:35

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Samantha Pruitt 9:36

Yeah, dude.

Polly Mertens 9:37

Mother Nature is like doing her thing, but like we are a part of that collaboration.

Samantha Pruitt 9:41

Cause like nobody can deny, yeah, including you, Polly, that you are a creator and a creative. I'm reformed, I'm absolutely sold. Your gardening alone is like, what the hell is going on over there? And by the way, have you seen the bus that you drive around? I mean, you're so funny. Oh, I'm not well.

Polly Mertens 10:02

I didn't paint it, so I fear. Oh, but you know, one of the things your vision. I am. So that's the thing. I was thinking about, so I've recently rearranged my office and art and stuff like that. Just kept working on some things. And I was like, oh yeah, you're damn right. You know, and I remember when we flipped houses for years, man, the before and after transformation, like that was all in this girl's head. Go out and find all the damn things, like all kinds of like they setting up the Airbnbs we would set up because I'd theme them and then I'd find and curate and work with a designer sometimes and all this stuff. And it was like, poof, like you're right, like that whole experience of somebody walking in and having a felt experience that I, you know, like I didn't want it to just be vanilla. It wasn't like, oh, let's make it gray and clean and maybe that's one experience, right? That's but mine was like, this shit's gonna be like, oh, these people have some sass. You know. So no.

Samantha Pruitt 10:59

And it goes to show you how much we are impacted by creativity and creative ideas, concepts, and executions, whether they're maternal spaces, material spaces, or experiences. Like I created experiences for freaking thousands and thousands and thousands of people for 20 something years, right? Like that's an incredible creative act. Yeah. And you might look at the job description or the business model and that that's just not a creative thing. Oh, hell yeah.

Polly Mertens 11:31

Oh, yeah.

Samantha Pruitt 11:32

I someone's gonna come into this experience and leave a different human being. Hello, I don't so it's around us all the time, and we're all doing it, and we're all capable of doing it, which is really our message today. And I do want to get into our little Q ⁇ A, or else we'll never get it.

Polly Mertens 11:48

And I just want to say it's like the thing, it's like the fingerprint because I can remember going to another festival, uh not race that you weren't the founder of and organizing. You and I had flown, and we were, you know, we were helping set up another race. And that experience, like the the festival experience, the after experience was so different than your events, like your fingerprint when you put your fingerprint on something that's like y'all are gonna have a good time, like you know, like how you curate the space and the vendors and the music or whatever, right? Like it's like throwing a party. It's like y'all are coming to this amazing party. And by the way, there's a race going on, you know, and so and and I just came for act from Lightning in a Bottle, which is my annual, you know, just shoot, like talk this. I'll say one minute on it, and then we'll shift and we'll probably come up later. But this event is held once a year at a boring ass campground in Bakersfield, California. Okay, like before and after.

Samantha Pruitt 12:46

Pile of dirt, y'all. Okay. I mean in the middle of BFE.

Polly Mertens 12:50

Farmland, as far as you know, there's like nothing out there. Yep. It's just like, you know, Roman nothing. They come in and they throw down so much to transform the space with lights in the trees and artist painting and stages and and yoga studio, you know, yogas and installations. Like I don't even get me started on the art craft. Like, there's this one thing called a mixtape, and it's like you're all of a sudden transported. You walk in the door and you feel like you're in a 1980s house party. I mean, like how they like brought in all the things and the music, and there's like you know, VHS to players, and it's crazy, you know. And you're like, damn, we're at like a house party here. You're in the festival, and then you're in this little room, and then you're like, wow, we're in a house party, and it legit feels like it.

Samantha Pruitt 13:38

So anyway, and you go to that because yeah, well, because those are your people, yeah, yes, many.

Polly Mertens 13:45

I could probably have I probably have 10 whys, but my number one why is I just call them my family. Like, I'm just like, this is my family, these are my people, I just have to be around. It's like a reunion. It's like I gotta go be with you. Like, there's like 25,000 people. I don't meet them all, I don't know a tenth of them, one percent of them. But I still am like, if you're here, you're damn well my family. Because if you come to this and enjoy it, then we are of we are kin. We are kin.

Samantha Pruitt 14:14

Yeah, sharing the same vibration. So we're gonna get into some questions. I get to start.

Polly Mertens 14:21

Wait, no, I have one for you because oh how do you define creativity? So, how do you define creativity?

Samantha Pruitt 14:26

Because I gave you a- I think I kind of already said it, like it's an expression of myself. So my creativity is an expression of myself. My thoughts, my ideas, my emotions. It can come out in a myriad of ways, my visions, whatever. It's something internal inside of me that is generated from within and turned into whatever. Again, from nothing to something. That to me is how I define creativity. And again, that everybody was created, and therefore everybody is a creator and creative. That's how I feel about it. What about you?

Polly Mertens 15:02

Well, what I love about that is like you know what, every day, every moment of your life, then you're a creator. Yeah, there isn't a moment you're not. Like, it's not, oh, I'm gonna go over here and create. Oh, I'm gonna do that on Saturday because I'm going to a painting class. You're saying, like, you're just a walking creation. I love it. I love it. You're right. You're right.

Samantha Pruitt 15:20

By the way, when you wake up in the morning, you get to decide what you're about to create. So there's an incredible sense of ownership and responsibility with that way of being.

Polly Mertens 15:32

Well, and don't get me started because language, you know, last year I studied a year of communication courses, and one thing that was definitely drilled into my head in a good way is we have the power to create through language. And we're doing it, whether we're conscious of it or unconscious of what we're creating, but we create through language in the listening of others and our own listening. It's amazing like nothing gets created unless it's spoken, you know, the spoken word, if you will. Because you've got to A, you've got to engage people. I mean, you can go off and do your thing, but like you're likely doing it with words. So, okay, and for me, God, what is the definition of creativity? Man, I want to, I just like my brain sees pictures, you know. I'm just seeing like colorful stuff. Like you talk about my bus, it's all colorful, and I I move my art, so I'm looking over the camera right now, and in my room, I've rearranged my art. So, like some of my favorite paint, like I just got like art all over my room. I'm like, damn, I I I have a huge appreciation

Seeing Creativity In Work And Community

Polly Mertens 16:29

of art, even though if I can't afford expensive and lots of it, I got as much of it as I can fit on my walls, you know. So yeah. Yeah, I I like what you said though. Like creativity is I think it's like being present to wanting to create to create something, a transformation, generate something to grow something, and applying yourself. Like I'm doing that. So all right, yeah.

Samantha Pruitt 16:54

Well, so then let me secondarily ask what are your favorite forms? Two or three of your favorite forms of creativity.

Polly Mertens 17:02

Yeah, I was thinking, I was thinking about this. I think my favorite form of creativity is I have a very visual sense, like that's my strongest sense. And I think my creations are through exploration, you know, cure being curious, and travel is a big one for me. Even I was telling you the story before we started recording that like I love getting on my scooter and I just go in all sorts of like just yesterday or two days ago. This will be a funny story. Two days ago, I got on my scooter and I was like, doo-doo doo, gonna go like into a different neighborhood, and oh, what about over here? And then I just went, I was like, Oh, I haven't been up this street before. Girlfriend, how how long have I been in San Luis Bow coming on 25 years? I found a trail access to this mountain that I have probably been on thousands of times that I'd never seen before. And I was like, You have so my it's just this young cre curiosity and exploring. That's one of my favorite creations. It doesn't, it's not like something exists after I do that, other than my heart.

Samantha Pruitt 18:10

Well, your experience.

Polly Mertens 18:12

Yeah, yes, like the surprise and the delight. Mm-hmm. And they're just like little city tour. I call them my little city scooter tours. I'm like, I'm just cholin around. I'm like the summer, I'm like, I am gonna get to know every little after I did that. I was like, where else don't I know that I need to know? What the hell? This was like magical.

Samantha Pruitt 18:34

So and what else is out there? Well, okay, so then how does that feed you? What about that experience feeds you?

Polly Mertens 18:43

Yeah. So I have a high need for variety. I just know that. Like we're either some people have a high need for certainty, and I do have that at times. I tend to go on the I have a high need for variety. So my need for variety, and we all have that on a spectrum, is quenched with new like this. Is why I love to put post passport stamps, right? It's like, oh my god, I've tasted new food. Oh my god, I've seen new horizons, oh my god, I've seen a new culture, oh my god, I've met some people that I never knew before. Like the novelty, the variety of humans, sights, smells, tastes, all of that. It just lights me up. It just pushes that variety button really well. So how about you? What what what what are your favorite forms of creativity creating?

Samantha Pruitt 19:26

I love to write and I love music. I don't write music and I don't write anything that's like published or whatever, all not that I won't eventually, but I'd like to do those things. I like to listen to music. I find it incredibly like it just unlocks a lot of emotions, thoughts, processing, trapped energy, all of that kind of stuff. So I'm totally obsessed with music right now and all different types of music. So not one thing, it's just however I feel and what I'm listening to. And I do like writing, and then I like moving my body. I mean, to me, moving my body is my biggest form of creativity as I evolve my body and my life and again my curate my own experience through space, through time, through nature, through whatever. To me, that feels very creative and very nurturing and liberating. Above all, liberating. Like I feel so free when I'm doing those things.

Polly Mertens 20:28

Yeah. Wow. I just got this idea of like cre, you know, like when you create an experience, like let's say you're like, oh, let's come over for a house party or a birthday party or something like that on Friday, and okay, and you put a lot of thought into decorate, like I can tell you some crazy wacky parties I've thrown. You know, like I had one that was pirate, yeah, pirate party that was your wackier.

Samantha Pruitt 20:49

Yeah, that's true. That's next level. It was like themes.

Polly Mertens 20:52

People were on a boat, and then they had a scavenger hunt, and it was wow, right? But it's like, wow, as you described that, I was like, we're literally creating each day, like, oh, how's this day gonna go? And where am I gonna be? And what am I gonna wear? And who am I gonna see? And you know, like you're giving yourself where you put your body, where you put your attention, how you experience that. Do you light yourself up? You know, like I remember a long time ago. Well, A, I've studied Feng Shui, and then B, I remember Oprah saying, your home, especially your bedroom, when you come home to it, that damn well better feel like a sanctuary. She's like, I want to come in and just be like, ha. And I was like, you know what? Right. And so if we don't treat the spaces we can create, not to say that you know we can touch all the world, but like if we can curate our own spaces, we get to experience that. You know, like I'm looking, like you said, I've got all this beautiful, colorful art on my walls, and I'm just like, I'm lit up at the moment.

Samantha Pruitt 21:48

So I think we kind of can create our own experience in that way, even in places where we don't think we are. So, for example, how you would like schedule your day. Where would you be going, right? Would you go to this grocery store or this one? Would you go to this coffee shop or this one? Would you have your office cubicle or your desk or your office look this way or that way? Those are all things that you are creating. And in that, there is an expression that's happening there. It's a reflection of who you are, what you're into, the colors you're into. The sound, the music, the whatever, all of that kind of stuff, right? If you think about the more traditional creative outlets, so we'll just talk sort of art for a second, right? So the writing, the music, the film, things like that. There's a lot of schools of thought out there. Rick Rubin is a legendary music producer, right? And I read his book on creativity. It was fascinating. He's a total character if people don't know who he is. He should definitely YouTube that. He's great. His video interviews are awesome.

Polly Mertens 22:49

Yeah.

Samantha Pruitt 22:49

Yeah, yeah. And him and even Elizabeth Gilbert, who I'm a super fan of her work, also author. You know, they do say that the creative ideas come to you from the universe, from the cosmos, energetically, whatever. They're going to come to you. And then it's your up to you to receive them and accept those invitations, if you will, to let them move through you into some sort of thing that you create, or not? Yeah. Because the universe has all of this available. It's constantly there for any and all of us. It's just, do we choose to accept the invitation? Or do we reject it, push it off, ignore it, intuitiveness, whatever it is? Do we just say it's not my time, it's not my thing to do? And unfortunately, the majority of us do say no.

Polly Mertens 23:40

Right?

Samantha Pruitt 23:40

Because look how many people are actually creating in the world.

Polly Mertens 23:43

Well, we're all creating, but but like consider themselves artists or you know creating an artist expression in the traditional sense. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. Wow, wow, wow. I dig it. I dig it. All right. So how about on the tail end of that, unless you have another question? My next question is what does not being creative cause in your life, right? Like what is it when you're yeah, and you know, part of the title we were talking about is like creative breaks, right? So, like, you know, I would I mean, yes, we're being liberal with these creativity, like, oh yeah, in our life every day is a creative act and stuff like that. And I would say a lot of us, our life, you know, five days a week, maybe seven days a week, can look like, you know, a rinse and

Favorite Creative Forms And Daily Curating

Polly Mertens 24:24

repeat, a little bit cookie cutter, you got the responsibilities in the morning, you got the responsibilities in the middle of the day, the end of the day, repeat next day, responsibilities in the morning, you know, whatever. So we were thinking, you know, creative breaks is that, you know, evenings, weekends, middle of the day, whatever, or quarterly, you know, type of thing. So what is when you're not allowing your creative expression or you're not tuning in to the things that light you up?

Samantha Pruitt 24:47

What is I think it's very costly. Yeah. Uh like tragic, tragic, right? Because really you're saying that those gifts that are innate to you and those ideas, those thoughts, those concepts, those visions, those feelings associated with all of that that would ultimately turn into an experience or a thing or whatever, are not worthy of my time and attention. And then what are you really saying if you say that? That part of me will never get expressed to the world because it's not worthy. Oh, damn.

Polly Mertens 25:26

Yeah. I started to think as you were crafting that answer, like, you know, if we think about because part of one of the metaphors I was like, you know, when I went to LIB this weekend, I felt like I wrung out my sponge and I could take in more. You know, it was like, like, like the the whole, you know, I've been just plowing, you know, doing concentrated work for all quarter and like learning AI and just all this like mental, you know, masturbation of, you know, just work, work, work kind of stuff, pumping out, producing things, creating new things in a context, right? That felt very, I know the word is like right brain, and maybe there's not right and left brain, but more mechanistic than creative, feminine, intuitive, if you will. And I was thinking, you know, if we had a flower and we just, you know, if we watered it with like we only watered it once a quarter or something, like would we expect it to flourish and thrive and grow and flower and all that stuff, or if we just kept it lack of water, you know, it's like the tree.

Samantha Pruitt 26:30

Would we expect fruit from the tree? Uh good luck with that. Okay, people.

Polly Mertens 26:35

Right. So it's like our so what I declared. I mean, I'm I can remember being at Lightning in a Bottle, and I was just so like it was such night and day how my life had felt, you know, before it. And then I get immersed in just, oh, I love you, people, you know, and it was like so great. And I'm like, why do I deny myself this? Why don't I do this more often, right? Just the it was like a straitjacket gets lift off, or my brain gets just cracked open, or what if my heart's just wide open, just all this like sense of freedom. It's like the plant just got, you know, fertilized, you know, and it's like, holy smokes, these creative brain. I'm I'm like, okay, I could and I was telling you, I think I texted you from there, I was like, I can see why MLMs, multi-level marketing companies, do these quarterly retreats for their people, fly them to, you know, beautiful places, like la la la la la, whatever. It's like, it's like a it's like a rebirth, you know, because they're like down in the trenches, you know, gotta get some more people on board or whatever, you know, and then like they have these experiences. And so like these quarterly retreats, I'm like, I'm committing to that, you know.

Samantha Pruitt 27:39

But back to the question, why do you deny yourself? I know those opportunities.

Polly Mertens 27:44

Why does anybody well that's that's an old paradigm? That's an old paradigm.

Samantha Pruitt 27:47

It's like well, it's like these stories, paradigms, you know. Well, I'm it doesn't generate money, uh, it's not good enough, nobody will like it. You know, it's not worthy of my time and attention or some resources that might go towards it. Yeah, you know, all of these things, story things, paradigms that we craft around that that limit us. Many people have the whole like, oh, well, I'm not good at it, right? Because maybe they tried when they were younger or they wanted to try when they were younger, and somebody told them no, or that they shouldn't or couldn't, or that it wasn't good. And that's still looming around, flying around in that brain of theirs, and they're attached to that.

Polly Mertens 28:28

I was thinking, you know, lackful thinking. So, you know, scarcity and lack, like, oh, I have to be producing. There's no time for the luxury of being creative. There's no time for the luxury of taking a creative break or whatever that looks like for somebody. But you know, I mean, you gotta breathe. And it didn't take me that much more time yesterday when I went on my little scooter tours, you know, it's like I was gonna go for a walk or whatever. It's like, oh, just be creative in the act of something you're already doing, too.

Samantha Pruitt 28:54

You know, exactly. I see, I don't see it as luxurious at all. Maybe because my forms generally are not luxurious at all, like they're not like relaxing in in that way.

Polly Mertens 29:06

Extravagant or something. Yeah.

Samantha Pruitt 29:07

Yeah. They're they're generally even even whether it was building a business or doing music or whatever, I don't consider these things or you know, being out in nature as luxuries. But if you say that art is a luxury item and it's for a certain class or group of people, then there's again that separateness, right, of the who gets it and then who doesn't. And really, I just can't say enough that that's a bunch of bullshit and that we're all uh it's available to all of us, right? If we so choose. So stop saying no, I guess is the answer to that real question, right?

Polly Mertens 29:45

Yeah, exactly.

Samantha Pruitt 29:46

Well, you know, and that's just like a little mental pivot, yeah. So well, that was going to be one of my questions for you is like, how do you keep it alive? Is your creativity something that evolves over time throughout your life? Is it seasonal in nature? Is it cyclical? Like, how do you keep it stoked? You know, and I'm curious how you do that, and then I'll share how I do it.

Polly Mertens 30:08

Well, I can definitely see you know, when you we talked about having this conversation, I'm like, I can see doing such a better job at this. So I am gonna give myself some grace that I haven't been generating as much as I'm now present to as possible and not seeing it as a luxury because I was sitting in that camp. So I'm the one in this conversation. If you're out there that was like, you know, oh, I don't have time for the playing and the did-day, you know, whatever creativity or so like reform. Let's all like jump into Sam's boat. I'm I'm I'm sold, you know, sign me up for that. I'm gonna be doing that. But I would say for me, I think you're right. It's like I I curate it almost like subconsciously, like like the art in my house and redecorating or moving things around, or I have ideas for video, like even the things like you know, I just redesigned my website, right? And I'm doing thumbnails and stuff like that, and my brand, my logo. Yeah, yeah, all those things. So I just gotta stop telling myself I'm not, you know, and then I, you know, and then I say, because I I it's funny, there was a period where I, as I mentioned, these friends that were super like could paint like phenomenally type thing. And so it inspired me, like, I'm gonna get a little paint set and this and that. And the amount of I label it as work that goes into A, because I'm like way behind them in terms of the learning curve. You know, it's like, oh, the the work to get decent at this, and then B, the setup, cleanup, finding the stuff, you know, like I just don't have this stuff sitting around, you know. So it was like sort of like if you want to become a good skier, oh, you gotta get the gear and you gotta get lessons, you know, and all that stuff. And I just hadn't invested in that. So I sort of I tabled it, right? But there is plenty to be creative, like you said, like my garden. That's you know, I get compliments on my garden and stuff, so yeah.

Samantha Pruitt 31:59

Yeah, and I don't think we have to be good at any of it. Yeah, so whatever that even means, it's like totally hilarious to me, okay, dude. Because I don't really care. I nobody says so many things. Like, who gives a shit? Even if I if when whatever I eventually write a book or books, honestly, at the end of the day, I need to do it for me. It's a form of expression. I want to express this these thoughts, these ideas, this concept out into the world. And damn it, I'm gonna do it. If anyone responds to it, and honestly, that's when we took on this podcast, that was a commitment we made. Hey, we're doing this for us. This is about us. This is about us having a form of expression and getting our voice out into the world. If you and I are the two people that listen, fine. And by the way, we're still doing it almost three years later, right? So I think that's how people have to really pivot that idea about, you know, if they are creating or creative in whatever capacity, which they are obviously. There can't be that judgment attached to it, standards and all that kind of stuff. That just robs the joy out of it most of the time, you know. One percent of the world is gonna be the published author on the bestseller list and the la-da-da-da in the art gallery and whatever. So who cares? But the other 99% of us are just humaning. It's cool. Let's just get on humaning together, you know?

Polly Mertens 33:25

Hell yeah, like have fun. This is one one shot at this, right? Mine,

Receiving Ideas And The Cost Of Saying No

Polly Mertens 33:29

why is Mel, have a good time, make it as colorful as you feel good with, and and and just I would say, like, you know, I said I like lifted the veil off of myself or lifted the lockdown I had on my brain. Like, I'm not a creative, that's not me, that's for someone else. Just give yourself permission, right? And see what happens. Like, let her rip, you know, who knows? Like, and I'm a big fan, like I have this yesterday or the day before, I think it was, I I have this list that I created, and it's there's gonna be more, but it's a list of a hundred things that I created a couple years ago. And these are not like climbing Mount Everest things. These are my I should be able to do these fairly easily without maximum resources or something, you know, like visit a new park, or um, like I want to write a one of my ones this week is to write a poem for my aunt, you know, and this one, yeah. So, you know, like whatever they are, you know. So one of them was get on my rollerblades. I have a fucking set of rollerblades in my storage from who knows where, whatever, right? So I got my damn rollerblades out.

Samantha Pruitt 34:28

And I was like, off I went, you know. Okay, that's so funny because recently I saw something and it was roller skating, and I was like, I'm totally in. And then it was like for young people, I was like, what about me? All right now. I was the roller skate queen, dude. I could easily have a comeback, all right? And so we need to get on these things. These are so fun, they're play dates, really, if you will, like just letting ourselves out to play kind of concept. If I circle back to kind of like keeping it alive, you are much more disciplined and structured than me in these ways of like having lists and schedules and carved out time and whatever. I do think for some people that is a best way, a best practices, you know, and there's a lot of philosophies around this, especially for uh writers or writers for sure, but creators, you know, it's like you set a certain schedule and 30 minutes a day or whatever the time that you can allot to this project is carved out and come hell or high water, you are showing up and delivering on that. And like Elizabeth Gilbert says, you know, I go to my desk, everything is prepared for the ideas to come through me into my writing. And sometimes I am met there with the ideas. Sometimes the universe doesn't deliver, but I sit there anyway. Yeah. Because the last thing I want to happen is for that the universe to deliver these ideas, these thoughts, these words, whatever. And then you're in bed. Not at my desk.

Polly Mertens 35:57

Totally.

Samantha Pruitt 35:58

I am somewhere else, circling around. Totally. So I think that's kind of a fun idea, too, that some people might fail really resonate with some people is that like blocked out, carved out time on your calendar, you know, highlighted in pink, and it's, you know, twice a week or once a week, whatever the thing is going to be for you, that you are just doing nothing but creative play and exercising some kind of creative outlet.

Polly Mertens 36:23

Yeah, and that what you're talking about too, that morning page's idea is from one of my favorite books in yours, The Artist Way, you know, Julia Cameron, and she has this little prescription, and one of them I loved. And I've done it before, like more structured, because I was finding that I wasn't doing it, and that is artist dates. So you take yourself once a week solo on a little sojourn, whatever that can look like. It can be visiting a museum, it could be looking at butterflies, it can be, you know, whatever your artist date looks like. And there's some idea she gives you. Yes, the artist for life. Put it in front of your chest. Yeah. Sam's holding up a book, says right for life. Right for life. Is that one of hers too? Yeah. Oh, okay. Anyway, so the artist's way, the artist date, highly recommend those if you are leaning into this or want to. Some of this is sparking something inside of you. That's a great classic. And the artist's date is just once a week, take your little self out, you know, take your little inner artist, and yeah.

Samantha Pruitt 37:17

So let's say you're into music, okay. Um you can either just commit to playing music in your car when you drive to and fro or whatever, like blocking out of time with friends to go see music. Like these things will feed the musician in you and make you more apt to play your instrument if you have one. Um, I was coaching a young gal that was interested in being a musician and had an instrument, and the instrument was in her closet, sealed in its little container. And I was like, I don't know how you're gonna play it in there. First of all, what is this instrument? Bring it out. Yeah, and and we were doing this whole recalibration of her house. Yeah, and so she brings the instrument out, and I said, This is a work of art, and it's sitting in the living room. From now on, it's out of the case and it's sitting in the living room. What? Yeah, and so because you're gonna walk by it how many gazillions of times a day, and you're gonna see this work of art and it's gonna be calling to you, you're going to play it. And I don't care, it could be a couple strands, it could be, you know, a few minutes, it could be a jam session, whatever. But your hands are getting on the actual instrument. Okay, this is how we do it, and it was just so funny and like kind of crazy and ironic. And then I've got this other gal, you know, she's got quite a health crisis that she's up against. And so I'm really, really encouraging her to do as many creative projects as possible. She is home because she's ill and she's in treatment, right? So she has a lot more time available to her rather than sitting around feeling like crap or being full of anxiety and fear and depression around, you know, a disease state. Like, let's find creative projects. And it's so the stuff she's coming up with is fantastic. The other day she was walking up and down her street, and a neighbor put out an old like chandelier light thing, and she took it, you know, like free traffic, and she's redoing the whole thing. I'm like, wait, you know how to do that? She's like, not really. I'm on YouTube and I'm gonna like paint it. And I mean Earth's new life, yes, yeah. And how cool here is this person who is gravely ill and has decided that every day and throughout the week, I'm gonna do these different creative projects, and I'm gonna let that part of me out to breathe. And through that, the amount of mental and emotional healing, which I then believe affects, of course, the physical healing, yeah, it's next level. Like it's so cool. It's changed her whole vibration, just like that. Just like that.

Polly Mertens 39:52

Well, I have a little stat. So data on creativity and mental health. So in 2023, there was a poll of 2,200 American adults found that people who rate their mental health as very good or excellent, right? They rate themselves as very good or excellent mental health, engage in creative activities far more frequently than those who don't, where they rate it as poor. 71%, they would give themselves a 71% like their mental health score, 46% of those who don't. So nearly half of Americans use creative activities specifically to relieve stress or anxiety. Hell yes, right. And there's more. The UK has a government commissioned study that participation in arts activities has measurable benefits for the individuals and the whole society, right? Including some reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety, boosted productivity, and improved quality of life. So, like, you know, and they say that the societal benefit, like the UK is like, well, you know, what are we doing on this great stuff? Societal benefit was an estimated eight billion a year in their country. Okay. Like that didn't just translate for that. Hit some of y'all, yeah, some of y'all that check the box, like, okay, you know. So yeah.

Samantha Pruitt 41:04

Well, when you were reading all of that, which is mind-blowing, of course, I immediately was thinking of the trickle down, because that's what you're talking about, outcomes of people having creativity and creative acts and art within their life, and the amount of human connection that is oriented towards the creative nature of people and whatever their art is, right? So if for me, if it's building community or building business or whatever, there is creative acts within that, right? If it's music or whatever the dynamic is. I told you I'm super into music right now, and I always have been,

How To Keep Creativity Alive

Samantha Pruitt 41:39

but it's been cyclical in my life. It's definitely a seasonal thing. And I'm using it right now with great intention to connect to people. Now that might sound weird because I'm not going to concerts and I'm not in a band. Okay, even though I pretended in high school I was in a band. I told you we had a girl's band named Girlstyle, and we never actually had a band, but that's a good video. So anyway, but because I love music and I've been back playing different types of music and whatever, I will shoot a song to a person and I will send it to them and I will say, This reminds me of you, or do you remember this song? And I will create connection around that music, and then they will listen to it, and I get the greatest responses from people. And so, with several people that I sort of had fallen out of touch with, we now have this ongoing every week, it's like music back and forth, back and forth. And there's this really lovely connection that we're sharing through that piece of art that's moving through us, our emotions, our thoughts, our memories, our ideas. It's a form of us, you know, expressing with each other without having to, you know, write some long text or this or that. So I feel like, you know, creative elements are everywhere and available as tools for really improving pretty much every aspect of your life. I mean, they that's how I feel about it.

Polly Mertens 43:02

Yeah. Yeah. What are some of the takeaways? What are things like that people can, or do you have another question, or what do we want? I have a couple things to so I was thinking of, you know, like what would, you know, what, you know, if you can't take these, you know, a weekend away and lightning in a bottle style and go get immersed in like that whole wonderful experience. If you can do it, highly recommend it. But like, so some of the takeaways I have is remember you are already creative. Like you've been hitting that home, right? Like creativity means to grow, to make. It's not, you know, like defined by looks like Picasso. That's not what the art, you know, that's not what the definition is. So just allow yourself to express, allow yourself to be free and to own that, you know, because like if we identify as an artist, if we identify as creative, we're more likely to come from that place. Like you said, it's a way of being, right? Yeah. So, you know, there's evidence that your brain needs to wander, right? And I would say this because of the hypnotist in me is I think some of the most creative states are when people are like yesterday. So I was, I was, I'm I was thinking, I was like, how am I going to share this? Because I've only done it one day so far, but there's so there's self hypnosis, right? And all hypnosis is technically self hypnosis, but I was doing self hypnosis yesterday, and I was purposely doing it. I've been studying the Silva method, which is from the 70s and 80s or something. It's having a new, it's having a comeback. It's like Dolly Parton's having a new comeback, whatever, you know. So the Silva method is back. And it really is a proponent of they call it going to your level. And so they call that the alpha state, which is it's just really like a relaxed state of mind, relaxed state of body and a relaxed state of mind. And then you just have access. They say you have more access to more parts of your brain and all this stuff, right? Because I will attest to being in full throttle, busy, and I don't do social. So, you know, I don't even know if people are putting that junk in their brain with like TikToks and stuff like that. Like you don't have, you're not, you are consuming, you're not creating when you are on social media, just a reminder that, you know, field note, like that's a consumption act. It's not a creative act. So unless you're the one creating the video, of course, you know. So going into this alpha state is an opportunity to drop down into this relaxed state, more of your brain. And I was, and the practice I'm doing is just like you talked about, like Elizabeth Gilbert sitting at the desk in the morning and receiving. So I wrote down, like I was, I was just like, one of my, you know, evil twin sisters is confusion, right? Like twas confusion and doubt. And so I was like, oh, you know, because I get so many ideas, and they're just like, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, what do I do with all this? So I was like, okay, I need this. And then I had like four questions, and I narrowed it down to one question. I was like, I'm going in on that question. So I wrote that question down, went into my alpha state, and I just like opened up my mind, right? And it's hard to explain, like, what does that mean? Go look, go listen to a silver method, whatever. And I just like Elizabeth Gilbert was ready to receive from the universe. And the downloads, I was probably there for 30 minutes. Like I was motionless, like my body was just, we got more down. Like it was coming in. And I was like, crap, I gotta like, as soon as I get out of this, capture this. I like wrote and wrote, I'm like, and another thing, and another thing. Like that, and some of it was confirming, you know, some of it was like, yeah, this, not that, kind of confirming. And some of it was like, oh, oh, you know. So yeah. So I would just say, like, your brain needs to wander like that. Like, so turn things off. I think walks are great, being in nature. Anything to say on that, my dear?

Samantha Pruitt 46:35

Yeah, I think that's an energetic flow state where you're tapping into the energy of whatever the planet, the earth, the ground, the water, whatever. Can do music, higher self. Music is an opening to that too, because there's a very specific energy to different music, visually, colors, sights, smells, like all of those things that make us human are portals in, I, in my opinion, right, to that flow state. I mean, people love to meditate, and I'm not a big meditative person, but I do see the value in it, and you know, that can get you to that state also. But just being, you need to be open, right? And like what you said was really interesting. When you are consuming whatever that might look like, that's not an openness. You know, people think that that is an openness when they're consuming audio, video, so entertaining, maybe entertaining at best, but yeah, yeah. Yeah. So there needs to be, it doesn't have to be quiet, but it there needs to be the space available. I'll just call it oxygen, right? For that new whatever

Mental Health Benefits And Finding Flow

Samantha Pruitt 47:49

circle of creative energy, concept, ideas. You were talking specifically about ideas and downloads to come in. Yeah. Right. And so it's like a tuning in. I guess it's maybe like a tuning pitchfork or some kind of thing like that, if you think about it like that. And that could look different for everybody, you know, it's going to.

Polly Mertens 48:08

Sure. And my idea, yeah. I mean, because I, you know, I so I find that doing dishes and shower, my brain goes into just like, you know, that auto state. It's kind of like driving and you forget where you are. That's actually a hypnotic state, right? You're like, oh, how did I get here again? You know, you just parked and but you forgot the whole road to work because you know it on autopilot. So those are hypnotic states. Well, that's actually a relaxed state for your brain. I find like in the shower, like I do the same, you guys probably all probably shower in the same direction and you know, for each other, you know, like whatever. But when you do that, like your brain is open, it's not having to process as much, right? So, so just you know, allow your brain to wander or allow it to relax, or you know, just be receptive, I think is what we're saying. Be allow it to create, be creative, not consuming.

Samantha Pruitt 48:52

So and I would add a really important piece, in my opinion, is create just for you. Hmm. Yeah. The so many brilliant ideas and so many creative ideas and acts are stopped because the human, the creator, feels like somebody else is gonna see it, read it. I've done this to myself with writing uh endless times, endless times, and ultimately is gonna have an opinion about it. And so it will either change what I do or it'll just stop it altogether. It sort of just will rob the joy of the whole thing. And when I don't care, because I shouldn't, by the way, I got endless ideas. It's just an endless flow of all this crazy shit, right? Because it's in there, yeah, it's in there, and it needs to be expressed, you know, energetically. It's literally in these cells, you know, it's in our little mitochondria. Me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me.

Polly Mertens 49:49

Totally.

Samantha Pruitt 49:50

Let it out.

Polly Mertens 49:51

Totally. Let it out. All right. So I would say a couple other things. So having a weekly creative practice, if that's your thing, but you know, it's mental health benefits. We talked about that earlier, you know. So like coming up with a practice, it's good for your health, it's not a luxury, right? Like start seeing it as a necessity, not a luxury, not a need nice to have, a need to have, right? Because it's the counterbalance to all that other stuff that we're doing. And, you know, and LAB experiences, you know, lightning in a bottle, doing these creative retreats, it's not indulgent, right? Those are creative retreats that, you know, it it has so much payback, you know, like the return on investment for my business, for myself, my sense of self and create, you know, joy. You can't you can't buy that. Priceless. Yeah. Yeah. And and you don't have to call yourself an artist to create, right? So just liberate yourself from whatever the labels might be have held you back until now, right? Because now this, if you're listening this far, you have permission. You ding, you remember the creative glitters in your ears, like curious, creative, whatever it looks like and feels like for you. So yeah.

Samantha Pruitt 50:57

Exactly.

Polly Mertens 50:58

Anything else to add?

Samantha Pruitt 50:59

Just do it. Just do it.

Polly Mertens 51:01

So, what's your one thing? What's your one thing from today that you want to leave people with about creativity?

Samantha Pruitt 51:08

I do want people to think about when their eyes open in the morning you know, what will I create today? And it could be I will create a particular experience for myself and the people that I love. Cool, or my coworkers or whatever. But I want them to ask the question and then think about the fact that they're going into the day as a creator. Okay. So in whatever that whatever that looks like for you, it's going to be completely unique. But go about each day with the intent, I am a creator. What will I create today?

Polly Mertens 51:45

Wow, that's so good. That's like a whole episode itself. I would say for me, and I'm the one speaking it, and I'm speaking it to myself and to you, beloved listener. And that is, you know, if you're like me, if it's not on the calendar, like it doesn't get done, right? And so, like, I do have a trip planned a quarter from now. So in you know, about 90 days, I have a trip. I'm like, okay, great. That is another, you know, so keeping those out there for myself. And they don't have to look extravagant, they don't have whatever they look like, but putting it on my calendar helps me ensure that it gets done and not making it a nice to have, but uh like it's an essential part of how I like the little watered plant. Like if I'm if I'm wanting pr to produce fruit in my life, like I gotta water myself, I gotta take care of this, you know, soul creature

Final Takeaways And A Daily Question

Polly Mertens 52:34

creativity, all of it. So yeah, those are mine. Those are mine. Okay, I love it. All right, well, let's sign off now, my dear. What do you want to tell them?

Samantha Pruitt 52:45

Oh my goodness gracious, how your life feels is so much more important than how your life looks.

Polly Mertens 52:52

Yeah, and every day is your opportunity to find your awesome.