Georgina Marie has been a poet and painter for over 15 years. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors at the Middletown Art Center, she also facilitates monthly writing circles and workshops in Lake County. And she does this all while working full-time at a nonprofit.

"Art is an outlet to learn more about myself," she shares in her interview with Charity. "The little things in between help me balance."

Georgina opens up about losing her sister, her dog, and having to evacuate her home due to the recent fires up north — all within a short period this summer — and shares how to keep creating (and living) despite grief, heaviness, loss. "The lesson is how to ride the waves," Georgina says. She closes out the episode by reading one of her powerful poems, A Quest for a Quest.

Notable Mentions: The necessity of writing and art in all waves of life. Accessing grief through poetry — by both sharing your work and reading other writers (like Cheryl Strayed). The “unintended connections” that happen when you choose vulnerability. How to gracefully accept criticism. Charity references Elizabeth Gilbert's interview with Glennon Doyle Melton, and Georgina invites listeners to her upcoming writing workshop on Oct 15 at the Middletown Arts Center.

Links: https://www.facebook.com/georgina.guardado.7 https://www.middletownartcenter.org/