How to Reconnect With Your Creativity: Self-Care, Confidence and Quieting Your Inner Critic with Kristen Fagan & Kerry Burki

What if you’re not “uncreative” at all? What if you’ve simply gotten disconnected from that part of yourself?

In this episode of Love From the Inside Out, I’m talking with expressive artist and creativity empowerment guide Kristen Fagan and intuitive mentor and yoga teacher Kerry Burki about creativity as something much bigger than being able to paint, draw, or make something beautiful.

We talk about why so many of us gradually lose touch with our creativity as life gets fuller, what perfectionism and our inner critic have to do with it, and what can happen when we give ourselves permission to create simply because it feels good.

Kristen and Kerry also share how creativity, movement, mindfulness, and intuition can work together to bring us back into the present moment and reconnect us with ourselves.

And yes, I share my own experience of being the person who freezes when someone puts a blank piece of paper in front of me and says, “Create something.” As it turns out, what gets triggered in those moments can have very little to do with the art itself.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why women often lose touch with creativity as life gets busier
• Why “I’m not creative” may not actually be true
• How perfectionism and our inner critic can shut down creativity before we even begin
• What changes when we stop creating for an outcome and start creating for the experience
• Creativity as a form of self-care
• How movement, mindfulness, and getting into our bodies can quiet some of the noise in our heads
• The freedom of knowing you can paint over it, change direction, or simply start again
• How creating can help us rediscover what we actually like, want, and feel drawn to
• Why creativity extends far beyond painting and drawing
• Simple ways to start reconnecting with your creative self without turning it into another thing on your to-do list
• Kristen’s belief that we are all artists of our lives

About Kristen Fagan

Kristen Fagan is an Expressive Artist and Creativity Empowerment Guide who helps women reclaim their creativity, inner calm, and confidence through art, mindfulness, and immersive creative wellbeing experiences.

Her intuitive, layered approach gives perfection a chance to step aside so there’s more room for play, curiosity, self-expression, and self-discovery. Kristen holds a BA in Visual Communication, is a certified creativity coach, co-facilitator of Create More Community, and co-creator of the Tend & Create Retreat.

Her core belief is simple: Life is yours to create.

Connect with Kristen:

Website: kristenfagan.com

Instagram: @kristenfagan

YouTube: Kristen Fagan Art

Monthly Membership, Soul Painting Journeys & Online Courses: Make Art with Kristen

About Kerry Burki

Kerry Burki is an Intuitive Mentor, E-RYT 200 yoga teacher, author, and Divine Resonance Magic Practitioner who helps women reconnect with themselves through mindfulness, movement, creativity, intuition, and intentional self-care.

Through her books, workshops, and immersive experiences, Kerry creates spaces where women can slow down, listen inward, and reconnect with what feels alive and meaningful in their lives. Her work is rooted in the belief that we don’t always need to fix ourselves. Sometimes we need space to pause, feel, create, and hear what our next chapter is asking of us.

Kerry is also the co-creator of the Tend & Create Retreat.

Connect with Kerry:

Website: kerryburki.com

Instagram: @kerry_burki

Book: Tend to Your Vibration

Discover & Paint Your Animal Guide Online Class
Kristen and Kerry also created the online Discover & Paint Your Animal Guide class that came up during our conversation. It’s available to join from anywhere.

Tend & Create: Full Moon & Feathers Retreat

Kristen and Kerry’s next Tend & Create Retreat takes place September 25–27, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The retreat brings together creativity, gentle movement, yoga, mindfulness, reflection, community, and practices centered around releasing what is no longer yours to carry.

And you do not have to live in Arizona to attend. Women travel from around the country for their retreats, and attendees can choose to stay at the retreat hotel or make their own lodging arrangements.

Learn more and register here:

Tend & Create: Full Moon & Feathers Retreat

Stay connected with Love From the Inside Out

If this conversation gave you something to think about, share it with someone who might need the reminder that her creative self hasn’t disappeared. She may just need a little space to find her way back to it.

And you can stay connected with Love From the Inside Out and sign up here for Notes From the Inside Out.

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🎶 Music Credit:
“Seize the Day” by Andrey Rossi, via #Uppbeat (uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day)

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© 2025–present Susan Kricun.  Love From the Inside Out® is a registered trademark of Kricun Media, LLC.

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Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:00

The answers you're looking for aren't outside you, they're already within you. I'm Susan, and this is Love from the Inside Out. Today we're talking about creativity, but probably not in the way that you're expecting. Because if your immediate reaction is, oh, I'm not creative at all, well, this conversation might actually be especially for you. My guests today are Kristen Fagan and Carrie Berkey. Kristen is an expressive artist and creativity empowerment guide who helps women reconnect with their creativity, confidence, and intuition through art, mindfulness, and creative well-being experiences. And I've actually attended a few and they are fantastic. And Carrie is a longtime friend of Kristen's who I haven't had the pleasure of meeting until today. She's an intuitive mentor, experienced registered yoga teacher, author, and retreat creator whose work brings together mindfulness, movement, creativity, intuition, and intentional self-care. And together, these women have created something that they call creative wellness, which I, as you can imagine, absolutely love. We started out talking about painting and yoga and the work that they do together, but pretty quickly the conversation became about something much bigger than that. What happens to that creative part of us as life gets fuller? What happens when we start judging everything we make or decide that there has to be a right way to do it? And what might creativity give us when we stop worrying about whether we're any good at it and just simply let ourselves play again? I share some of my own experience with this because I absolutely have been the person staring at that blank piece of paper thinking, uh, you want me to do what? And I've learned through Christian's workshops that sometimes the thing getting triggered has very little to do with the art itself. We talk about the inner critic and perfectionism, creativity is self-care, getting out of our heads and back into our bodies, and why things we create can actually teach us something about what we like, what we want, and who we are. Kristen says something during this conversation that I just really love. We are the artists of our lives, and I think by the end of this episode, you'll understand exactly what she means. So let's get into it. Carrie and Kristen, welcome to Love from the Inside Out. It's so great to have you both here today. I'm really excited about today's conversation because it's all about creativity. And I would love to hear from each of you a little bit more about how you first got involved in the world of creativity.

SPEAKER_02 3:07

I'm so happy to be here. Thank you so much for inviting Carrie and I to uh to chat with you and your audience here at Love from the Inside Out. Creativity has been just a part of my life, really, always. I'm definitely someone who was very imaginative as a kid, and creativity was my safe space, and it was how I sort of navigated the world and how I fit into spaces and places. And it's always been something that has given me strength and given me uh empowerment and given me joy, and I continued throughout school to always tap into the creative side of things and learn as much as I could about all the different modalities. And I went on to college and I stayed in a creative career. I moved into more of the design space because I felt like that was, quote, safer, you know, to have my creativity and have a career. But you know, that really isn't true either. And I found my way back to just the more hands-on creativity when my kids were born, and it's just been with me ever since. And now I love to share with women online, in person, all over. Anyone who I can get to listen and play with me, yeah, I invite to play and experience the joy of you know just being in your creative magic.

SPEAKER_00 4:36

Well, and I love that you said that because as I was listening to what you were saying about how you first got involved when you were younger, I'm thinking to myself, that to me is the opposite. And I know for a fact that you could speak to that because I've taken a few of your courses. And so I can't wait to get a little bit further into the details around how people react when you put something in front of them and ask them to actually play. But before we go into that, Carrie, I'd love to hear a little bit more about you and your background and please share.

SPEAKER_01 5:10

Yes, thanks, Susan. It's so nice to meet you and you too together with Kristen. So I'd say I started out similar to Kristen. I would consider myself I was totally creative and artsy when I was young. By the time I got to high school and college, that was not my focus anymore. So it's definitely something I've had to circle back to and also redefine. I always kind of say I'm like an intuitive mentor. I think the easiest thing to say is I'm a yoga teacher, but I'm a lot of things. I was like Krista and I talked about that we do creative wellness. I was in college and I had felt like I kind of had to, I don't know, I got a little wild in high school, and I felt like I owed it to my parents to like go pre-med. And so I did was doing pre-med classes. I was doing chemistry and biology, and then I did an elective in Hinduism. And this Hinduism teacher asked me to stay after one time, and he said, Have you ever considered studying, like doing a getting a bachelor's in religious studies? And I remember I laughed because I had gone to Catholic schools my whole life. I think that was something I rebelled against a bit. And he was like, But you asked so many good questions, you're so interested. And uh, it's funny that I hadn't noticed that people weren't, but I was in all these other science classes not raising my hand. And I didn't realize that my younger self, I was, you know, kind of surprised that I landed in an area of where I thought I should be doing something. So I switched. I switched to religious studies, so I kind of studied all of them. At the same time I was taking Hinduism, I was taking my first yoga class, which was on campus. This was in Flagstaff, Arizona, and uh it was interesting because during that time is also when I had like a feeling where that maybe there is a God. So the timing of everything was kind of interesting, and even using that word, I've had to circle back. That kind of led me to become I became a yoga teacher, and I have to say over time, like one of the things you do is you create lesson plans. So I've been on a whole journey about just learning how all these ways I may not be painting or drawing all the time, but I've created a really beautiful life. I create when I'm at my home, I create even if it's like creating meal plans. So sometimes when Kristen and I get together, that's something I like to focus on. People say they're not creative, and I'm like, you are, you're doing so much, and maybe you're not, and you do want to get back to it. I've been taking Kristen's classes for maybe 12 years. And in the past year now, I'm kind of using more like abstract painting as a form of mindfulness and self-care. But yes, I circled back to it, and I'm all about kind of redefining what it means to each person.

SPEAKER_00 7:53

I have to say, I really, really love this concept of creative wellness. This is the first time I've heard it put in that way. And I think you really hit the nail on the head because I guarantee you, as people are listening, many of them are thinking, I don't have a creative bone in my body. What is she talking about? Like that whole thing makes me anxious, or yeah, I never thought about it that way. So when you just said that about cooking or whatever it is that you do in your life and everything, I think, in some way, does have to do with being creative or creating the creation of something. And I just love the way that you put that. And I think that's a really great place to dive a little bit deeper. I'm curious, why do you think so many women would stop creating? And granted, not in the bigger context, but maybe Kristen, like you were pointing out when you were younger, there were certain projects and things that you did, and then they evolved and became even more for you. But why do you think that some people just put that up on a shelf and forget that it exists?

SPEAKER_02 9:03

I I think there's a there's a couple of things that happen to us as we get older. And I actually had this conversation with some friends recently because I was trying to pick their brain about it a little bit. Like, where do those creative blocks come from? And what I found in the conversations with them is it wasn't just one thing. It wasn't just one, you know, like one bad experience or one thing that just happened that they just stopped creating. It was slowly over time, they pulled back from their creativity because of other things that were priorities in their life. There were different relationship issues going on. Maybe they were caregiving, maybe they became a mom, they had all these other things connected to their time. There's times where some of people had put certain values on their creativity. Like if my creativity is not actually monetary doing anything, um, then what's the value for me to continue?

SPEAKER_03 10:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:08

And I think a lot of it comes back to the permission to give yourself the ability to just play for the joy of it and create for the joy of it, and then back to that creative wellness idea. And that's something that Carrie and I do really well together because we both I love her classes too. I take her yoga classes, her meditation, her visualizations, all of her intuitive stuff. And together we infuse both of them the creativity and the intuition and the meditation or the visualization or the embodiment to create this holistic experience. And so it's no longer like, oh, I have to create something to look good. I don't have to create something to hang on the wall, it doesn't have to be sold. It's none of that. You peel all of those things away and just let it be the creative wellness of it all.

SPEAKER_00 11:11

Yeah. It's interesting because uh again, thinking about that experience, I had a couple of different classes that I've taken with you, and you were talking about the things that get in the way for some people, and it sounded like a lot of those things were related to their life circumstances. But I very specifically remember for me that I was just like frozen like a deer when you said make a dot or make a petal or create a flower, because my mind was telling me, Oh, good luck, you can't even make a stick figure. Like, oh my gosh, and the judgment started pouring in and just all of those negative self-talk things that came with that. And I'd love to hear a little bit more about that. And I also want to mention, as well, the other thing that I heard you say that I thought was really cool is how Carrie's work and the work that you're collaborating on together helps people really get into the moment and into that creative space and let go of all that negative self-talk. And that sounds like such a great experience to me. I know I need it. So, anyway, tell me a little bit more about that.

SPEAKER_01 12:21

Yeah, I was actually gonna say your reaction, I would say, would be my reaction. I consider myself somebody who can't draw naturally. I mean, obviously, Kristen's always like, well, people practice more. But you know, we have to get to that point sometimes too. And uh, but so I'm definitely the one when she says to draw something specific. I do, I kind of freeze. And uh, that's one of the reasons why I love Kristen's. When I first saw her artwork, I was just like, oh my gosh, I love the color she uses, and there's just a lot going on that I didn't quite understand. And she was like, well, it's like soul painting and intuitive painting. And so that's like my whole world that kind of evolved out of becoming a yoga teacher is that when I could kind of clear some like blocks in my body just by doing some yoga practices, all of a sudden I could hear this inner voice a little bit clearer. And sometimes that your intuition will actually lead you to your creative project, it doesn't have to be painting. Um, like I said, some people consider me like people, like a friend of mine, her big thing is designing sugar cookies. And so it's for one, I guess it is can be scary to say you're going to try something. And one thing I love about Kristen, she's like, you can paint over it. Yeah, but you know, like you won't even think about that. And and I have painted over many things in her classes, and I'm like, oh, we're starting over. And it's funny because sometimes I'm co-hosting, and then I'm like, okay, this thing's just gonna be done later. Jumping back in to go teach, and then I'm also like, I don't like how this thing turned out. And she's like, it's it's fine, it's all just all like information. Yeah, and the other thing I noticed, if you look at other people's stuff, I mean, it's if you're not trying to be so specific, but like if I I don't look closely at Christian's paintings, but I'll look closely at my work and I'll be like, that line isn't straight or whatever, and then especially kind of like abstract art and stuff, and she's like, Well, if you look at mine, none of mine is even or anything. And then I'm like, Oh, how funny though, you don't see it in somebody else's. Yeah, you know, you're like you're there's a you're removed. You're your own worst critic. Absolutely. So you see it, you're like, gosh, that's beautiful, and somebody might see that in yours, but it's funny how there's a layer there to not seeing it. So then, I mean, you can see how it can already start working on certain levels in your in your mind, how you talk to yourself, how you treat yourself, that all of a sudden it becomes more of a you're doing more than just painting.

SPEAKER_00 14:55

Oh, are you ever? I mean, when Kristen, and I love that you said that because when Kristen, when you said something about, oh, if you don't like it, just start over or paint over it. First of all, wow, we need the permission, we need to know, because I would have never thought that that would be okay. Like the rules, you know? And then once you said it, it was like, oh, thank goodness.

SPEAKER_02 15:18

So anyway, yeah, it loosens you up. And that's, I mean, I I want to speak to that because that is one reason why paint is so beautiful, in my opinion, and mixed media. I do mixed media too, so collage and paint and lots of other things added on, lots of layers. And I think the beauty in that process is yes, there's always more that you can add on top, you can take away, you can completely cover over. And that is part of the permission of saying, well, you just need to loosen up and let yourself go and just try it and try it on. You know, it's like trying on a clothing. If you try on a shirt, you don't like it, you take it off. If you try on a pair of shoes that don't fit, you take them off. So it's the same kind of concept. You try it on, and then you put something on top of it, or you cover it up, or you you change direction. But like Carrie said, it's all information. And the beauty, I think, with why I like this process, um, process painting or process art making so much, is it's information for you to get back to you. It's information to get back to what you like, what you enjoy, the colors you respond to, the textures you respond to. And at first, you're gonna you're gonna stumble a little bit and you're not gonna know what you're what you really like because you're so used to what everyone else is saying or what everyone else feels is quote unquote good enough and all that stuff. But the more you practice it and the more you show up in this kind of creative space, the more you get to know what you really like, what you really want. And that extends beyond the art later on as well.

SPEAKER_00 17:04

Well, you know what really hit me when you said that about the layers, about things and the way we are as humans. You know, we try certain things on, whether relationships or clothes or anything that has to do with our life. And it's such a great way to put it that, you know, if the shoes don't feel good, take them off. Like, how easy is it to think about that? But when you're in it, I guess depending on your personality, it just wouldn't even be the thing that would cross your radar. So I find that so interesting. And like I said, I really, really love the marriage of what you're doing together because it really helps pull you right into the moment. And Carrie, you mentioned something about yoga practice, which I've had a yoga practice myself for a long time, and I've recently been focusing and really amping up my meditation practice a lot more. And for me, the downloads are coming left and right around the things that I want to talk about in my podcast. So, again, there we are around creation and creativity, and it's not necessarily just the paintbrush or you know, the crayon or whatever it might be. And so it's just fascinating when you stop and think about all the different layers involved in it. I'm curious, Kristen, in your events that you've held and maybe events you guys have collaborated on, how many people, like percentage would you say, are like they show up and they're having their best time and they're just like diving in versus the ones that are like deer in the headlights and don't even know where to start?

SPEAKER_02 18:37

Oh, I think I think most people are the deer in the headlights at the beginning. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I would probably say, you know, halfway through, people start to loosen up. And then by the end of it, they've just had the best time.

SPEAKER_03 18:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:55

And I always joke that if you come back and you do it again, then you're starting from that place. You know, you're not starting from the deer in the headlights place. You're you're starting from the joy that you had at the end. You're starting there. And the second time you show up, you're so much freer. You're you're you're ready to explore, you're ready to try something. I've had so many people say to me, I'm here again, and this time I'm gonna use that color that I was afraid to use last time, or this time I'm gonna go. You keep saying to add more, and I was afraid to add more, and today I'm gonna add more, you know, and so they're they're ready to tackle the next part of the experiment because it's fun and it's playful, and that's the whole point.

SPEAKER_00 19:39

Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_02 19:41

I do want to add something about the beauty of collaborating with Carrie and how with us together, uh, it creates uh a synergy because you know she sets the groundwork. She's definitely the person that comes in and gets everyone present and gets them settled and gets them dreaming and thinking and opening up, and then we can move into the creative space, and then they're not in that deer in the headlights so much. It softens everybody before we move to the creative parts, and you're a little more open, and that is just such a beautiful thing. And I can't thank you enough for the work that you do in our workshops, Carrie, because of that.

SPEAKER_00 20:23

It just sounds like such a special process. I want to be a part of it, and I just want to mention really quickly, we've got some really exciting news to share in just a little bit, so stay tuned for that for sure. But I was curious, Carrie, related to this idea of creativity, how would you say that it's a form of self-care and a way back to ourselves? And obviously, either one of you, if you have something that you want to share about that, I'd love to hear.

SPEAKER_01 20:53

Yeah, it it's it's funny. I mean, one of the reasons we work so well together is so Kristen naturally unwinds by painting or drawing or something. So that's how she kind of gets out of her head. And my go-to is I always know I need to get into my physical body. I need to, I need to move my body, and then and then I need to get quiet, though. I can't just do that. And that's either meditation, shamasana, and and then that's where I sit. Like all of a sudden things, you know, I'd go to different places in my mind, and Krishna and I do a workshop about finding your animal guide and then painting it. That would be one I think that people kind of get a little nervous about because they don't come in having any idea what they're going to paint. But it's funny because for both of them, like the yoga, I mean, there's eight limbs of yoga. What's focused on so much is obviously just one of the limbs, which is the asana, the poses. But the reason the poses were even invented was so that you could sit comfortably in meditation for longer. And then when you think about it, even sitting, painting for longer. And then one of the things that the yoga poses do, I mean It's always funny. Kristen has experienced this. I like a lot of my classes. I will start with these certain leg stretches where you stretch one leg on your back with a strap and then you let it down, and that leg will literally feel longer and lighter than the other one.

SPEAKER_00 22:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:14

And so for people to go, oh my gosh, I didn't realize maybe how compacted I'd allowed my life to make me feel. And so I tend I teach more gentle classes where we're just kind of working on loosening up, getting that spaces so all of a sudden you feel like you have more space. And it's like removing that layer that the outside world has told you that you are, or that you've kind of been conditioned to, or you kind of got stuck of thinking who you are. The possibility starts opening up when you feel lighter and a little bit more of that release. So then that's what I try to do to bring into Chris. But then it's funny because I've taught yoga for so long, I can get in my head about it. And there is a right way to do some yoga poses. Yeah. You know, like it's dangerous not to. So when I'm in Chris's classes and she's like, Carrie, it doesn't matter. I'm like, I'll say, it's been a thing over the years of us working together. And and like I already said, the Catholic schooling, there's some stuff where like there's a right way to do things. And I'll be like, Well, should I put the line here? She's like, put it wherever. And I'm like, okay, I can see. And it's so fun. And then, right. And then I mean, I was I've been on a huge journey with my painting of allowing that to happen. So I feel like both of us help us. So then when Kristen's in my yoga classes, I'm like, she gets to experience something that she doesn't always that feels different and that's not necessarily as work-related, and then I get to experience that. And her, that's not work-related. And yeah, next thing I know, I'm just kind of in a flow that I don't get to experience otherwise. I'm not sure I answered your question.

SPEAKER_00 23:54

That's okay. This is really great. I think you did. You did actually, because I had some other things I wanted to ask, and you've covered a lot of it in the most wonderful way. And I was thinking about this. You guys have such a great friendship and relationship together with what you do. And I just think about like yin and yang, you know, and Kristen's free spirit and Carrie, like you were saying, with yoga poses. I understand. I took, I once took a handstand workshop, and I thought, I'm never gonna be able to do this thing. And then of course I learned through the workshop that it's really just all about structure and stacking, right? And then I was up. I was like, oh my gosh, check it out. It actually works. Now that was the one and only time I ever did it, but I I understand what you're saying, and literally feeling myself as we're having this conversation when you're mentioning Kristen's free spirit and stuff like, oh, like it's just like even still just kind of thinking back to some of the stuff that I had done in your workshops. And so it's just really interesting, but I am loving our conversation, and I just think this is really juicy and interesting, and something that I have never thought about before. Um, I'm just thinking to also for someone who might be listening, where do you think that the idea of I'm not creative comes up versus I just really got disconnected from myself and forgot that this even existed? Woof. Yeah, I know. I know. It's interesting.

SPEAKER_02 25:30

I yeah, I I will say I think, you know, touching on the latter part of that, I do feel like I've heard from women more often than not is a return to themselves. And now they look at it as, oh, I'm gonna do this for me. And this is something that is taking care of me in the process. I'm not doing it because I'm learning a particular skill or you know, and you know, you might find at some point you want to once you open up that spigot again. But really, the the joy that I like to bring is that we're we're looking at it as like a creative relief. We're doing this as a way to express ourselves, and we're doing it for our internal relaxation and for for us. But the first part of that question was what again, it was hard.

SPEAKER_00 26:25

Like this thought of I'm just not a creative person, so good luck. Yeah, you know, I'm gonna sit here and take your workshop, gals, but I don't know what's gonna happen here, versus okay, that was an incredible experience, and I forgot that part of me, and I forgot how to be creative, or that I actually loved creativity. And I will say, I did your mixed media card class, a note card class, and I a couple of different times have wanted to pack them up and give them away as gifts, and I just can't do it because I look at them and I think, oh my gosh, they're so pretty, and I did that, like I did that, so it's I'm so proud of them, and I I want to keep them, so they're mine. I have to make more, but I I'm just so curious, you know, what you might experience or see, whether it's in your classes or the collaborations you've done together to see that evolution. Is it just me, or do you think a lot of people have that like shift as they're going through, especially Carrie, as they're opening up like their body or their hips specifically?

SPEAKER_01 27:32

Or real quick, Susan, when you were just saying that you were thinking about gifting them and then you weren't, I thought you were gonna say because you were embarrassed by them or you didn't want to give them the fact that you said because they're so beautiful, I was like, Woo! I was like, that was I was not just because of how the conversation had gone, and you know, you were talking about how other people feel. So I feel like for I mean, when Kristen teaches us a specifically creative class, I feel like both of us bring people who practice yoga, we bring people who are artsy, and sometimes some people are trying to take on one or the other. I'd say I feel like we've done a good job, at least at this point. I don't think so many people are showing up like I'm not creative. Are you how are you gonna do it? I feel like they're already. Yeah, they're not coming defiantly to us.

SPEAKER_02 28:23

Yes. Yeah, but they're coming, they're coming because something in the messaging or the or the imagery or our thing has has piqued their interest and they're and they're open to the idea. So that is a good point.

SPEAKER_01 28:37

We kind of add on like this. We did a summer solstice one, and uh we'll say it's a workshop, but I mean really they're circles. They're I mean, they're women's circles. And I usually try to bring in some sort of thing to get people to be a little bit more comfortable to share something a little bit deeper in this summer. One we did. I mean, all these women were just like, I want more of this in my life. And I mean, this meant following the seasons. It meant meditating, it meant gathering with women, it meant that I was gonna paint. It meant tuning into my intuition and going on a little journey that I took them on. It meant honestly sharing in a group, maybe shifting something. So it is really interesting. I think maybe even when we started, it might have been like yoga and painting. Yeah, now we have much bigger overarching themes, and it's just even for us to feel more comfortable about even our titles. And I think we've also learned that like if I say I'm an intuitive mentor and yoga teacher, and she says she's an expressive, intuitive artist, then the right people are gonna show up to that. I think at you know, when you're younger in business and stuff, you kind of want you're trying to get everybody. Um, but then like we said, I don't know if you want somebody showing up where you feel like you're trying to prove something to them. Um not to say we're not open to work with that. No, yeah, and you know what?

SPEAKER_00 30:07

I just want to clarify really quickly, because I'm laughing. When I said that, that was that was my inner critic. That was who showed up that was like, yeah, show me, show me your creativity.

SPEAKER_02 30:19

Show me that you can make me do something creative. Good luck.

SPEAKER_01 30:24

Your heart, or you know, your heart, I say your higher self, was like, I want that. I can do it. That's why you were drawn to it, and you're like, I like what she's doing. There's something there. I'm feeling a pull. And then, right, that's where I like to think, and it's funny, it's both of our things. Like, I do so much work to quiet that voice, and then Kristen does so much work to quiet that voice. And both of our things help quiet that voice. So I feel like after people spent time with us, they're like, Oh my gosh, I would just spent so much time with the positive, like with my higher self. And like the whole time they were with us, that voice wasn't there. And I love that. I love that. I love that.

SPEAKER_00 31:03

I love it. Yeah, because I just really quickly have to say, because I literally just recorded an episode about that exact thing that you guys were just talking about. When you were mentioning about what you get from spending that time, really, what I was hearing even beyond that was you're giving yourself permission to just show up and be, just be there in that moment with no agenda, and then also would be that you are, like you said, tapping in to the truth of who you really are, and you're giving them that pathway to get there, and that's a beautiful thing, and that to me is something that I would want to do every day, all day. So, anyway, yeah, yeah, it is.

SPEAKER_02 31:52

We're working on that. It's a really beautiful thing. I think you hit a nail on the head with the presence. I think we're holding space for you to be there in the present moment exploring things that you don't necessarily have time or space to on your own, and and giving you permission to, you know, feel a little vulnerable, feel a little off-center. You're encouraged to just be who you are 100%. I think that we set up our classes either individually or together like that, that you are you are welcome just as you are, and that is not to say that I have not had type A personalities, big personalities in some of my classes. I have. And I try very gently to just pull those layers away so that they loosen up and and and get a little more gentle on themselves by the time they leave. I have had someone storm out of one of my classes.

SPEAKER_00 32:52

Wow.

SPEAKER_02 32:53

And yeah, that was a really interesting experience. And and I'll ask more about that. It was really, it was really tough. That was early on, actually, because I think a part of it too was not yet understanding how to hold the space for people, you know, when they have some big person, big feelings or things coming up for them. But she was great, she had a great time, it seemed, throughout it, but at the end was just not happy with what was created. And she kind of left in with in a way that you knew she was not happy with what she created at the end. And it was very, it was really interesting for me because I was like, oh, I just wasn't expecting that response. And then the wild thing was she messaged me later that night. And she said, I have to apologize for walking out the way I did, and um it took me a second, it just wasn't what I thought it was gonna be. But now that I have like stepped away from it for a little while and I'm home and I'm and I'm looking at it, I actually really love it, and it's now hanging in my kitchen.

SPEAKER_00 34:09

Wow, isn't that so interesting? I mean, it's so powerful. That's why I'm saying the work that you're both doing is so, so, so powerful, so layered, and I could totally see how it's triggering because I experienced it myself. Truthfully, though, I'm so glad that you shared it.

SPEAKER_02 34:28

And I love that you did because that that means something broke open, and that's what it's all about is really that protective shell, right? Yeah, breaking that open a little bit and allowing that creative magic to to get in there and to realize that we're all artists, we're all artists of our lives. Uh, life is yours to create is one of my core beliefs, and I mean that in the sense of creating tangibly and then creating your entire like creating your experience, creating your life, creating your spaces, creating relationships, creating all the things because we are truly the artist of our lives, and we're all artists underneath it all, whether or not you believe that to your core or not, I believe it for you.

SPEAKER_00 35:14

Yeah, and I felt that. I felt that. I have a question just around that exact thing that you were just saying. So for someone listening right now, that's like, yeah, you might say that, Kristen, sure, but you know, what could we tell that person? One small way that they could start reconnecting with creativity this week, whether they turn it into something else. Well, I guess what I'm trying to say is instead of making it like a to-do list item, like like a heavy thing where they feel like they have to do it, something that would actually the intention would be to actually pull them away from that feeling and more into the space that we've been talking about during this conversation.

SPEAKER_02 35:56

Well, I do have a YouTube channel. And if anyone is interested, I have a creative well-being playlist over there that's really simple, simple ways to access your intuitive creative self. There's things called a little soul scribble, which is just that. It's like a three-minute scribble, and then you look for what you see in it. Just like you would like, do you did you ever look at the clouds when you were a kid? Like to lay down and what I still do, right? I love that. Um, it connects me to my grandmother, one of those things, because it was something we always did together. And it's kind of the same concept. You do a little scribble and then you just look for what you see, and you spin your paper around, and and you you find a connection there. And sometimes it's like, well, I don't see anything today. Well, that's okay. You try it again tomorrow and see if you see something tomorrow. And it could be anything from like a pair of glasses. Like, I mean, it could be anything, and it's like, okay, oh, I see a pair of glasses in this picture, just like you do in the clouds, like, oh, I see a turtle. Like, you know, what does that mean? What kind of message does that have for me today? Is there something I need to look more closely at? Or, you know, the turtle, is there something I need to slow down a little bit, or things like that?

SPEAKER_03 37:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 37:16

Um, so that would be to kind of combine the a very simple practice to combine your intuition with a little bit of movement and creativity. But just scribbling in general, I love scribbling. And everyone can scribble. Like doodle. Scribble, doodle, doodle scribble. Yeah. Yeah, just doodle, scribble. Move your hand. Just move your hand. Yeah. And you know, and you can see, do I feel tight? You're gonna make like really scratchy little scribbles if you're feeling angry or you're feeling tight. And if you feel really loose and relaxed, you're gonna make really loose and kind of circles and and looping things. And it just it doesn't have to be any more than that. You can grab a crayon, you can grab a pencil, you can grab anything and just scribble it out and and see if there's something that kind of shows up inside of you of hmm, I might want I might want a little more of that.

SPEAKER_00 38:11

I really love that. And Carrie, what do you say from a movement standpoint?

SPEAKER_01 38:17

Well, actually, just at the beginning of that, we were like, How do you get past it? I just wanted to share, so Krista knows this has been a whole journey for me to stay like whether or not I'm an artist. So it was so fun. The first thing I had decided to do, this was a couple years, is I was like, I'm artsy. I've known that I'm artsy, and I can claim that I'm artsy. And literally, as soon as I said that, I was out on this historic home tour in Phoenix, and this woman who I know her, I think it's like called Gab and Company, had a little her shop, had a tent selling stuff, and it had a hat that said artsy. So I mean, I just walked up and bought it. I mean, I am so comfortable saying I'm artsy. I feel like that's just how I am. That's my whole vibe. So it's funny how, to me, in my mind, I think for people to think about, either saying you're an artist or you're a creative, what is the first thing that pops into your mind? So when you say artist, to me it's somebody who can maybe draw or paint something that looks like what they want it to. That is not my strong suit. So I was that's where I struggle saying that I am an artist. So so many people I follow have read The Artist Way, um, and you know, Kristen has recommended it. And like last year I was at this big news book fair and they had it, and I was like, oh, it jumped out at me. So I got it, and I started reading it, and I had no idea that the author is a writer. Yeah, and I have two books. And I was like, I've written two books, and I don't call myself an artist, and I've never picked up the artist way because I thought it was meant for painters and people who can draw, and then I was like, Oh, you gotta be kidding me. It's like and so, right? So I would ask people to think what is their concept of it, and that is that's a layer right there. I guess if you asked me about another writer, are they an artist? I'm like, oh, I'm not entirely sure. I would have gone there. And it's so funny because like my one book, it's called Tend to Your Vibration, it's all visual. I mean, Kristen did the artwork on the cover, and then the artwork inside is very like simple. I didn't draw anything, but like there's a whole animal guide section. So I found outlines of animals, and then I did pulled colors from Kristen's flowers so that they all look different, and I created a really beautiful book, and yet it's funny that I would that I struggle to call myself an artist. So that's what I'd invite people to do is to say first, why like are you are you saying it's because you can't fill in the blank? Is that why you're saying you can't call yourself that? So in my book, the first two chapters are like working with nature and working with your breath, and some of that stuff is on my website too. I feel like it's those things, taking that you can take such a small amount of time to just shift your energy, whether it's inhaling essential oils, whether it's doing a certain type of breathing technique to help you then step into a creative thing with maybe a little bit more ease and a little bit more confidence instead of just sitting down at something blank and feeling kind of overwhelmed by it.

SPEAKER_00 41:25

Yeah. Yeah, well, that's a really great segue too, because I know I've hinted a little bit through the interview about something that you guys have put together that's coming up really soon. And I would love for you to share more details about your collaboration and your event that's coming up later in September.

SPEAKER_02 41:44

Thank you. Yeah, we're really excited about it. We call them Tendon Create Retreats because Carrie's just said her book is 10 to your vibration. So that is a part of our retreat. And then the create is that we're gonna have creative projects and things and open up your creative side as well. So it's it's tend and create retreat, it's our second three-day retreat. We did our first one last year, so this is our second one, and we're just so excited to put it on. It's got a beautiful theme of full moon and feathers. So we like to have a little overarching theme for the event to give a little grounding and clarity on what the what the idea is about it. So it's really about releasing what is no longer yours to carry. We've got the full moon, the harvest full moon. I'll let Carrie talk a little bit more about that, but that's what's happening during the weekend. So we're gonna tap into some rituals around that. And we have a full day of yoga, gentle yoga, and movement and creativity and painting. And the first one was so magical last year. We even have half the people signed up are return people. So we're really, really proud of that and excited for that. Yeah, and it's happening September 25th, 26th, and 27th in Scottsdale, Arizona. Um, you can sign up for the retreat and stay with us at the hotel, or you can decide to stay elsewhere. So there is a little bit of flexibility if you are local, or if you just prefer to stay what at Airbnb or something like that, or with friends or family, you can separate that. And that was important to us because we didn't want cost to be that as much of a hindrance for like the whole entire package. So you get to choose. And I'll let you, Carrie, talk a little bit more about some of the theming and things around it.

SPEAKER_01 43:40

Yeah, it was really fun because we just picked the same weekend as last year. And then when I looked at the moon cycles, because that's a big part of my work, that it turned out that it's that weekend is the harvest full moon. And that's one of my favorite moons to watch. Usually when you watch it rise, it's really orange. And where our retreat is, it has a seventh-floor room. Rooftop. And so in Scottsdale, it's a valley, so it's like 365 degrees, 365, I'm thinking of the days of the year. 360 degrees view of mountains. So that we'll be able to watch the moon rise. And so, I mean, how it all kind of plays into it. So full moons are about release, and then so is the season of fall when you think about trees releasing their leaves. And so the fall equinox is the week before. And uh there's all these layers that are gonna come with it. So usually a new moon, so whatever happens six months before a full moon, we're gonna be asking people to tune into a little bit before the retreat. So the new moon in Aries, which would have been the end of March. And then kind of where they want to go. Like, is there something that they have been carrying that they'd like to release? And so each kind of part of the retreat is about getting them to identify, release part of it, all of it, see how that happens, and then getting them to feel this like when you would be imagining releasing something that you're that's no longer yours to carry. How would you feel? You would feel lighter, and that's where the feather comes in. And Kristen's creativity part. She's done some sample paintings. I came to her house and played around with one. I just had so much fun before we even got to the feather. Yes, like it's really really good stuff. And then we have a follow-up call to kind of keep the energy going, and people from last year have become friends with each other, and the people who aren't able to make it back was just because of timing. Like just those weekend work, and yeah, and uh so we just kind of love sharing it. Like, if that kind of just sounds like something that resonates, it's just kind of fun to learn. Kristen and I are pretty down to earth, um, like we're good at holding space for others and also pretty vulnerable ourselves. Like, not to say that like if things come up that you know we might not have some tears, or we're totally honest and not just asking other people to be sharing too. So it's really a beautiful space that we're really excited about.

SPEAKER_00 46:10

Oh my gosh, it sounds really intimate and in a really beautiful way, definitely.

SPEAKER_02 46:16

One of the things we like to say though is we take this work seriously, but we don't take ourselves seriously. Because we like to have a good time. There's a lot of laughs, there's a lot of giggles, there might be some dance parties or some wild sound stuff going on. And yeah, so we like to loosen up and have a good time as well. So it's sacred work, but it's not necessarily a super serious package. We want you to have fun.

SPEAKER_00 46:44

It sounds like you guys have thought of everything. Who would you say that this experience is really for?

SPEAKER_01 46:51

Something that just popped into my head as you were saying that is I don't consider myself uh I don't even want to say like regular yoga teacher, but I'm just a different. I do things differently. I feel like I'm just honest. I feel like I bring the fact in, like I just I have two kids, I have family, like just all the outside stuff you're dealing with. I feel like some people have a negative connotation about yoga who don't practice it, right? Like, oh, I don't want to do that. I don't want to wear, you know, yoga clothes, I don't want to do whatever. I'm like, my gosh, you don't have to. You can just wear something comfortable. And I just approach it that anybody, like literally anybody, can do it. One of the women who came last year who's coming this year will do the practices sitting in a chair, and I know how to accommodate for everyone. And then I feel like Kristen's not your typical art teacher. She's your painting, it's not like she's gonna show you this is a painting, and I'm gonna make you all have it look like this. And I kind of feel like that's with yoga too. I could have my legs wider and you'll your legs will look different, but we might be feeling the same exact stretch. We might be hitting the same things, but it doesn't look the same. And Kristen doesn't have you try to make what she's making, she helps kind of find something. Look, what do you what's what's gonna express something about you? So that being said, to people kind of who tend to be a little bit eclectic, like think outside the box or looking to meet some other people like that.

SPEAKER_02 48:17

Yeah, I I think that you know, even if you do like instructions and left one, two, three, four, five, if you're okay to loosen that up a little bit and say, let's see what happens, you're kind of like tap into your curiosity and you want to experiment a little bit more. I think I think that's the right person. You want to find your way back to your creativity. Maybe you want to do some movement and body stretches that are are gentle. We're not trying to do any kind of crazy poses, we're just kind of getting you in a space that's open and gentle. And then we're also going to like help you quiet your mind a little bit and just kind of drop into the present. A return to yourself, a return to your creativity, and also ultimately find find each other because people, like Carrie said, the community is an important aspect. I find that when people come back to their creativity, once they get comfortable there, now they're looking for other people to share that with.

SPEAKER_00 49:17

Yeah, I get that. I think I I just think it sounds so great, and I have to look at my calendar and see what I'm doing that weekend. It just sounds so relaxing and a really special gift to give to yourself. And to be able to spend a couple days with you guys would be really a lot of fun. The dance party sounds really fun to me too.

SPEAKER_02 49:36

Yep, of course, right?

SPEAKER_01 49:37

We gotta have some. You gotta move that energy, you gotta shake off what you're releasing.

SPEAKER_00 49:42

Get it out. It's like all the things, so much of what we've talked about today are concepts and principles that I've brought up in one way or another in this past year of doing the podcast, and it just really came together so beautifully and perfectly. And I just have one question that I would want to ask each of you before we end for today. And that question is: if a woman listening has gotten really far away from the creative part of herself, what would you want her to know?

SPEAKER_02 50:16

Oh, that it's never gone, that it's never lost, it's always there, you can always come back to it. You just have to open the door a little. You just have to give yourself that little door to walk through.

SPEAKER_00 50:29

That's beautiful, Carrie.

SPEAKER_01 50:31

Yeah, I was gonna say that it's not as far away from you as you think. It's not as big of a step as you imagine. It's not as hard of a task as you might be thinking. I would say, yeah. I mean, even if you just after this call, like put your hand on your heart, close your eyes, took three deep breaths through your nose, and then picked up a pencil and scribbled on something, you'd be like, oh my gosh, I really I just tended to my vibration and created something from my heart. And that's the next step. I mean, and that could even just be your daily practice for a while. Or if you know what you'd like to do, just allow yourself to start trusting that the things will things will show up, whether it's a ceramics class or whatever you're kind of looking to do, start to clear that space. That's a big thing, I think Chris and I we we make time for it. Yeah. Like, I mean, you know, like that's to make time for it. And so if that sounds overwhelming, try to look at your calendar and be like, okay, you know what? That 20 minutes on this day or whatever, or a lot of us, it's kind of like could I take 10 minutes less scrolling on my phone or something, or could I get off by email or something sooner? And like I'm saying, it could be you could make it like a two-minute practice to start.

SPEAKER_00 51:57

Yeah, I love that. I think it's a it's it gives people something that they could work from, and I think that's really, really helpful. So helpful. And so I just want to say thank you both so much for joining me today and for having this really incredible conversation. You've got my mind going in a million directions, and I feel like I need to sit down and write for about the next six hours.

SPEAKER_02 52:24

And free write, right? Do those morning pages, do those uh stream of consciousness writing and just see what comes out.

SPEAKER_00 52:31

I love this conversation because I think creativity can sound like something that belongs to other people. Artists, writers, painters, people who know exactly what to do when someone hands them a blank canvas. But Kristen and Carrie made such a good case today that creativity is just so much bigger than that. It can be writing, it can be cooking, it can be the way you put your home together, or the way you solve a problem. It can be creating a relationship, an experience, or the next version of your life. And I keep thinking about how simple their advice was at the end. You don't have to completely reinvent yourself or suddenly become an artist. You can take three breaths, pick up a pencil, and scribble. You can take two minutes of space for something that just feels good. You can just open the door a little bit. And one more thing about the tend and create retreat, Kristen and Carrie talked about. You absolutely do not have to live in Arizona to attend. They've had women travel from around the country for their retreats. So if what they describe sounds like something you'd love, don't let geography stop you from looking into it. The retreat is September 25th through the 27th in Scottsdale, Arizona, and I'll put all the details in the show notes, along with links to Kristen and Carrie's websites, Kristen's creative offerings and Carrie's book tend to your vibration. And before you go, maybe you ask yourself this where have I decided I'm not creative when maybe I've just stopped making room for that part of myself. I'd love to know what comes up for you. As always, thank you so much for listening today with love and gratitude.