We’re back with another BONUS episode to finish out this week of celebrating the Entwined anthology + Ember art journal companion.
This episode was originally published in 2022. Listen here on Substack or search “episode 39” wherever you prefer to listen!
If you’re new here, UNRAVEL your journey is a biweekly podcast where we explore what it means to build life outside the confines of conventional work and motherhood.
Let’s talk about creative cycles and seasons.
In Season 1: Episode 39, we welcome Sarah Shotts to the podcast!
Sarah Shotts is a multi-disciplinary artist who creates fine art to explore her neurodivergent experience as an autistic mother. She’s also a part-time university instructor of theatre and a homeschooling parent.
Sarah has authored and self-published Discover Your Creative Ecosystem. And her latest project is a collaboration of artist/mothers from around the globe!
In this episode, we talk about why there’s no one-size-fits-all to creativity (or creative capacity) and the importance of practicing INconsistency.
Sarah’s Insight:
“[I realized that] I’d always seen my autistic traits as my character flaws…”
“What [The Artist’s Way] was telling me I need is not what I need, [and that realization] was really new for me, because I'd always looked outside myself at what I should do...”
“Even if you can’t do something every day, it doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing at all.”
Key Moments:
8:41 - Re-evaluating creative capacity + self-imposed boundaries
17:35 - Creative cycles & seasons: Discover Your Creative Ecosystem
30:34 - Being intentional about being INconsistent
36:40 - Honoring creative intuition (as neurodivergent artists)
47:09 - Embracing the “messy middle”
We invite you to listen here on Substack (or wherever you normally listen!)
You can also download this episode + listen directly on your device.
SUBSCRIBE and share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!
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We invite you to SUBSCRIBE for free - or for $5 per month ($55 per year) if you’re willing and able. This helps subsidize production costs so we can focus on creating!
We publish an hour-long(ish) episode biweekly on Tuesdays to support your conscious creation of a life built on what you value.
BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE.
Sarah is the curator of Entwined: An Anthology of Creativity and Motherhood.
This is an anthology that weaves together stories of creativity and motherhood by painters, writers, potters, visual artists, musicians, poets, and multi-passionates from around the globe.
(Its sister-project Ember is an art journal companion.)
About the project, Sarah says:
“This anthology’s purpose is to inspire mothers to create, to reframe what ‘counts’ as art, and to hold space for rest and ideation within the creative process. This isn’t just a book about making art. It’s about the whole of motherhood and how that impacts our creative process.”
This is a crowd-funded project, so your support can help make it happen!
We invite you to preorder your copy of Entwined + Ember before September 30 (that’s the FINAL day to contribute).
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Quick Links.
Connect with Sarah via her website and Substack newsletter.
Preorder your copy of Entwined + Ember. This crowd-funded project weaves together stories of creativity and motherhood by women around the globe - and your financial support will help make it happen!
Read the 5-year origin story of this project (and take a peek inside the books!)
Order your copy of Discover Your Creative Ecosystem.
Check out Sarah’s archive of (free) online courses including Self Publishing 101 and Crowdfunding 101.
Discover Your Creative Ecosystem with Sarah Shotts