of ink and insight: Recent Episodes
Cynthia Berg
Awaken your muses and unravel mindful, compassionate self-discovery. The creative tools & inspiration you need are already all around you. Expect plenty of prompts for writing, photography, contemplation and artmaking.
ofinkandinsight.substack.com
This week, I’m turning 58.
Recently, I found a letter my mom wrote titled “Blessings of Turning 40.” What stopped me was this: she wrote it when she was 58.
So here I am, at the same age, reading her reflections across time… and noticing what lands differently now.
In this short episode, I share her letter in full, along with a few quiet realizations about what this age is actually offering. Not as a milestone. More as a series of small permissions.
There’s also a simple writing prompt at the end, if you feel like joining me.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stilllifewithcyn.substack.com/subscribe
I’m really excited to share this interview with St. Paul artist, Mark Granlund.
A few years ago, when I started cultivating my interest in making art, I looked around my local area for artists I liked, and in particular, I was hoping to find artists who were open to chatting with an artist newbie like me. I came across Mark’s website and blog, signed up for his newsletter, and recently reached out and invited him to have coffee. And I’m so glad I did because Mark is, beyond a talented artist, a really genuine and generous person who is passionate about people and the environment.
In our chat, we talk about: Early art memories, Art as storytelling, Mark’s transitioning art style, Connection to nature, ecology and conservation, The art-making process, Using earth-friendly art materials, Mark’s career in art education and public art administration, The Impact of public art in culture and community healing, Renovating the cutest studio space in St. Paul, A passion for creating artist communities and collaborations
Mark Granlund is an oil painter who is well known for his landscape and still-life paintings. His love of lakes and woods is rooted in his early years while living in Northern New Jersey and later experiences with his family on the lakes of Northern Minnesota
Grounded in respect for nature, Mark chooses to work with eco-friendly materials and make substrates from sustainable lumber sources.
Mark Granlund received a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting and drawing from The City University of New York at Brooklyn College. He is represented in galleries in Minneapolis and Grand Marais, Minnesota. He has exhibited regularly for 30 years alongside a career in art education and public art administration, currently the Public Art Administrator for Metro Transit in the Twin Cities.
https://markgranlund.com
Subscribe to Mark’s Newsletter
Facebook @mark.granlundartist
Instagram @markgranlundstudio
P.S. You might have noticed that the Of Ink + Insight Podcast doesn't have sponsored ads. This is intentional! I personally support and serve this creative community. To keep bringing you new episodes and interviews on the podcast, community chats, writing workshops, and more, I would love your support!
Subscribing is an easy way you can appreciate and support this community and your own creative growth at the same time. https://ofinkandinsight.substack.com/subscribe
Get full access to of ink + insight at ofinkandinsight.substack.com/subscribe
Giving you a bit of an update on how I’m doing with a big, hairy, audacious creative goal (h/t Jim Collins) I set for myself last year around this time.
Fair warning, I’m feeling plenty of trepidation and insecurity about this Open Studios event that’s coming up fast in May. So it’s all I can really think about right now. I’m going to be talking about my story, but consider how this could be your story too.
If you’ve ever thought about taking your creative practice (your business, your relationships, or anything else that’s important to you) to a new level, this episode might give you a peek at how setting a giant, high-stakes goal could generate insights and opportunities you couldn’t get by playing it safe.
Am I ready for this BHAG? No.
Am I going to do it before I’m ready and pretend I know what I’m doing?
Yes indeedy.
To learn more about how you can attend Art A Whirl 2023, visit the Art A Whirl website. https://nemaa.org/art-a-whirl/
To learn more about my Open Studios event, make sure you subscribe to Of Ink + Insight on Substack https://ofinkandinsight.substack.com/subscribe or my Studio Notes newsletter https://ofinkandinsight.com/subscribe . I’ll send you the details for how to stop by in-person or virtually.
To talk about how you could be a guest on the Of Ink + Insight podcast, send me an email at cyn@ofinkandinsight.com. I’d love to hear from you.
P.S. You might have noticed that the Of Ink + Insight Podcast doesn't have sponsored ads. This is intentional! I personally support and serve this creative community.
To keep bringing you new episodes and interviews on the podcast, community chats, writing workshops, and more, I would love your support!
Subscribing is an easy way you can appreciate and support this community and your own creative growth at the same time. https://ofinkandinsight.substack.com/subscribe
Get full access to of ink + insight at ofinkandinsight.substack.com/subscribe
In today’s episode, I talk about being stuck.
Sure, I talk about being stuck in creative work – as in writer’s block or feeling stuck when painting. But you may want to listen for how these situations are analogous to feeling stuck with just about anything in life – a job, a relationship, a health condition.
Even if you’re not a writer or artist, the problem is universal…..as are the solutions. And the topic of being STUCK came up in a lot of ways for me in February, so I figured the Universe was trying to tell me something.
Here are all the posts or podcasts I mention:
https://emergingform.substack.com/p/how-might-awe-inspire-our-creative
https://ofinkandinsight.substack.com/p/insight-writing-march2023
https://susannahconway.substack.com/p/thoughts-from-this-morning
https://maggiesmith.substack.com/p/pep-talk
P.S. You might have noticed that the Of Ink + Insight Podcast doesn't have sponsored ads. This is intentional! I personally support and serve this creative community.
To keep bringing you new episodes and interviews on the podcast, community chats, writing workshops, and more, I would love your support!
Subscribing is an easy way you can appreciate and support this community and your own creative growth at the same time. https://ofinkandinsight.substack.com/subscribe
Get full access to of ink + insight at ofinkandinsight.substack.com/subscribe
In this episode, I continue where my last Museletter left off, inspired by a chapter in the book The Adjacent Possible by Nancy Hillis M.D., to explore what holds me/us back from starting.
Turns out, there’s an explanation for why it’s so hard to go from NOTHING to SOMETHING - and it’s not because we’re lazy.
And if you think you’re not READY to start, keep in mind that readiness might actually wreak havoc with your creativity.
Change is hard. Let’s do it together. Enjoy.
Subscribe to the Of Ink + Insight Museletter
Read The Adjacent Possible by Nancy Hillis M.D.
I’ve started something new already this year. It’s a Pinterest page!
I’ve been putting it off because I didn’t feel ready. And then, I just decided to go for it. Guess what? I already have ONE follower!
Enjoy the humble beginnings and follow me there if you’re a Pinterest user. xo
Get full access to of ink + insight at ofinkandinsight.substack.com/subscribe
For all of you out there making your art at the kitchen table or in a corner of the basement…..I see you. I feel your pain.
The problems of a small studio are about more than just storage. I’ve been struggling with my small space since I started making art about two years ago.
But I found one solution that has really changed my whole practice. It’s not perfect - but it’s a BIG improvement.
Tell me what you’ve done to make the most of a small studio space in the comments!
Mentioned:
The Walker System
A little photography, a little poetry, a little inspiration to move your pen across the page, your brush over the canvas, a spark for your creative courage.
This is the MUSELETTER you’ll look forward to receiving. And it’s not on Substack.
SUBSCRIBE
Get full access to of ink + insight at ofinkandinsight.substack.com/subscribe
“Any minute now, my ship is coming in…” croons Colin Hay on a random Spotify playlist.
I remember this moment a few years ago – I was really struggling with almost everything in my life. My job, my health, my relationships, money, self-esteem, purpose – I mean, good Lord, will I ever figure out what I want to be when I grow up?
Ever have a period in your life where it seems completely overwhelmed with things to fix?
Well, this is the episode for you. Let me know if you can relate. Maybe some of my insights can help you out.
Insight Writing® is a practice of allowing your creative unconscious energy to roam free on the page. It’s spontaneous, messy and vulnerable.
Take the free course - DISCOVER INSIGHT WRITING®
Get full access to of ink + insight at ofinkandinsight.substack.com/subscribe
In this episode, I share a simple tactic for reminding myself to pay attention and write, inspired by a poem by Naomi Shihab Nye called Prayer in my Boot. And I read you a bit of my own prayer from a little something I wrote back in 2017.
I hope you’ll be inspired to create your own kind of prayer and share it with us. xo
Insight Writing® is a practice of allowing your creative unconscious energy to roam free on the page. It’s spontaneous, messy and vulnerable.
To get beyond the head and into the heart and soul requires a kind of permission slip – permission to bypass cleverness and the inner editor, to write about what's really true and Say YES to the words that are coming instead of searching for a better story.
The most enjoyable result of trusting this process of writing is learning something new about yourself and developing a healing sense of being fully expressed, a few things most of us lose touch with as we grow into serious adults.
Take the free course - DISCOVER INSIGHT WRITING®
Get full access to of ink + insight at ofinkandinsight.substack.com/subscribe
This episode may sound familiar to those who receive my monthly Museletter. Yet, you may enjoy this audio version, complete with my reading of the poem Don’t Expect Applause with permission from the poet, Ellen Bass (The Human Line, Copper Canyon Press, 2007).
Consider me a champion for the creative unconscious, the intuitive approach, the ‘messes make the best art’ scenario. Perhaps there’s a risk that art made in this way won’t be accepted as the real thing. Maybe no one will reward the effort with money or approval if it doesn’t look like something out of the Room & Board catalog.
Listen in as I dig into how my desire for approval may (or may not) be changing my art practice.
Some questions for you...
-
Do you find yourself sometimes angling for approval - in your work, your relationships, your creative life?
-
What, in your ordinary life, deserves a little acceptance or applause?
Leave a comment and let me know! And if you’d like to receive my monthly Museletter…
A little photography, a little poetry, a little inspiration to move your pen across the page, your brush over the canvas, a spark for your creative courage.
This is the MUSELETTER you’ll look forward to receiving. And it’s not on Substack.
SUBSCRIBE
of ink + insight is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Get full access to of ink + insight at ofinkandinsight.substack.com/subscribe
I’m trying something new on the podcast this week. Not a traditional interview, but more of a ‘fly on the wall’ recorded chat between creative friends.
I met Ann Hume Wilson back in 2009 when we worked together at a performing arts organization in Austin, Texas, and we’ve been good friends ever since. About a year ago, we started having regular coffee chats by Zoom most Saturday mornings, something I always look forward to.
We’ve often said we should record some of our talks and publish them as podcasts because we end up talking about some pretty deep things including how to lead an organization, navigating recovery, solving the problems of aging and caregiving, and plenty of laughs about the human condition.
So we’re giving it a go!
Ann is an accomplished leader and executive with wide-ranging experience at some of the country’s top cultural institutions like the Blanton Museum of Art and Walters Art Museum. She’s currently the President and General Manager of KMFA, a listener-supported public radio station offering the best of classical music to Central Texas and beyond.
In our talk, you’ll hear Ann refer to some of her family members, in particular, her father who was the music editor for The Washington Post from 1946 until 1982 in addition to many, many other esteemed roles and honors in music appreciation and education.
Here’s a recent press release about Ann’s impending retirement and more details about her amazing professional journey.
Suffice it to say, music, art and creativity have been a big part of Ann’s life and understandably how our conversation angled toward the meaning of creativity, what creative people seem to have in common and how each of us has navigated our own creative journeys.
You’ll see. Ann is kind, hilarious, insightful and one of my dearest creative friends. Enjoy and let us know if you’d like to listen in on more of our morning chats!
Get full access to of ink + insight at ofinkandinsight.substack.com/subscribe
The reality of life as a human being is that it’s full of chaos and uncertainty. It’s stressful. Moments of complete peace and contentment are rare and an illusion, as all kind of upset is happening all around us in every moment. Peace and contentment are internal states occurring most likely when we are in total acceptance of everything conspiring to upset us.
So naturally, we learn to cope with stress. We have to or we wouldn’t get anything done.
Are your coping strategies helping or just creating more stress for you?
Listen to this episode as I tell you about some of my really BAD coping habits and the better tactics I’ve discovered after fifty years of trial and error.
What are your BEST and WORST coping mechanisms? Post them in the comments. xo
Get full access to of ink + insight at ofinkandinsight.substack.com/subscribe
So often, we can think of ourselves as meditation flunkies because we haven’t yet figured out how to carve out time for long expanses of stillness in our rich, overflowing lives. There’s so much pressure to have a life of wellness, fitness and self-care that the care itself becomes another stressful addition on our to-do list.
A simple and brief Mindful Pause practice may be a more practical and accessible way to bring moments of stillness, awareness and focus to your day. I hope you’ll try it and if you’re more curious about this practice, check out the following resources:
The Mindful Way Through Depression: Freeing Yourself From Chronic Unhappiness by Mark Williams, PhD, John Teasdale, PhD, Zindel Segal, PhD, and Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD
Taking the Leap: Freeing Ourselves From Old Habits and Fears by Pema Chodron
A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook by Bob Stahl, PhD and Elisha Goldstein, PhD
Guided STOP method
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I thought, this week, I’d share a little from the course Discover Insight Writing®. Enjoy a chapter about what happens when we experience a block – which I prefer to call unexpected stillness – or when we trigger powerful emotions in our writing practice.
If you’re interested in taking the course, head to https://ofinkandinsight.com/insight-writing to learn more. The course is free when you subscribe to my monthly museletter.
Questions:
Do you have a tendency to lean IN or AWAY from strong emotions when they occur?
In writing or in any situation, what do you do when you feel stuck or lost?
Please share in the comments. I want to learn more about how you deal with these challenges.
A little photography, a little poetry, a little inspiration to move your pen across the page, your brush over the canvas, a spark for your creative courage.
This is the MUSELETTER you’ll look forward to receiving.
SUBSCRIBE
Get full access to of ink + insight at ofinkandinsight.substack.com/subscribe
I thought I’d do a little update about what’s happening (or not) in my creative life, and it includes a terrifying exciting announcement about convening my very first open studio show next Spring.
Find out what that means in terms of investment and preparation…..and expectation-setting.
I’m not sure what I’m getting myself into. So follow along as I try to figure it all out! Give me your best advice in the comments because I will need all the help I can get. xoxo
Mentioned:
Art-a-Whirl - https://nemaa.org/art-a-whirl/
Best Arts Districts - https://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-arts-district-2022/
I make art to connect with the creative, intuitive energy that often waits long stretches of time while I do all the responsible grownup things. So when the opportunity to play arrives, I tend to let her roam wherever she likes.
My art practice is a genuine ‘freedom practice’ that surfaced in 2020 at a time when I needed it most. I hope it inspires you to create a few messes of your own and discover the healing medicine of intuitive, creative play.
You can see some of my recent artwork on my website at https://ofinkandinsight.com/artwork. But the best view of my ongoing work appears on Instagram at https://instagram.com/ofinkandinsight. I’d love to see you there!
of ink + insight is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Get full access to of ink + insight at ofinkandinsight.substack.com/subscribe
In this episode, I tell the story of how I got the idea for TellMe Insight Cards™ and how it’s evolved into two volumes of decks - and now a weekly feature here on Substack for the OI+I community.
Find the weekly #tellmetuesday posts at https://ofinkandinsight.substack.com/s/tellme and occasionally here on the podcast too.
Enjoy this week’s card prompt: If I had time…
I give you some of my own writing from this prompt that promises to shine a light on possibilities for spending our time differently. Share your TellMe writing in the comments with us and help fan the flames of our collective writing practice.
You can check out TellMe Insight Cards™ at https://ofinkandinsight.com/tellme.
There are two volumes to choose from, each containing 120 cards. No more wondering what to write about! You can use them as writing prompts, conversation starters or a fun game between friends. They are also unique therapeutic tools for educators, coaches and counselors.
Follow TellMe Insight Cards™ on Instagram at https://instagram.com/tellmeinsightcards.
Let a card lead you into the realest, truest stories you have ever told.
of ink + insight is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Get full access to of ink + insight at ofinkandinsight.substack.com/subscribe
In Insight Writing® workshops, we sometimes start with a short meditation. We rest our eyes, settle into stillness, focus on breath and visualize openness, kindness and freedom.
This helps us release tension that accompanies anxiety about being a ‘good’ writer or having anything ‘interesting’ to write about.
A short, easy meditation can be a great way to start anything you hold tension about starting - a conversation, a chore, an artwork, even your next meal.
If this feels weird or difficult, just know that it does get much easier every time you practice. It can be challenging to shift gears if most of your day is full of action, stress or tension.
Just remember, you deserve to slow down, relax and make space for mindfulness and creative expression. That may seem indulgent or optional to some. Yet, in reality, science tells us what many of us intuitively know - a creative practice is impressively superb for developing resilience and wellbeing.
Questions:
What do you find typically gets in your way of feeling present and focused?
Do you sometimes feel guilty for taking time for mindful or creative moments?
If yes, who can you rely on to help you feel more permitted to take this time?
Let me know in the comments below.
Thanks for listening. While all the content you find here is self-funded and freely available, you can help support me and this podcast by subscribing at the level that feels right for you.
Just one more thing. I want to hear from you. What questions can I answer? What creative challenges can I help you overcome? Is there a guest you’d like me to meet and interview? Leave a comment or email me at cyn@ofinkandinsight.com
Get full access to of ink + insight at ofinkandinsight.substack.com/subscribe
This is Of Ink + Insight.
And I’m Cyn, an intuitive creator, mindfulness seeker and expressive arts coach coming to you from ‘the snug’ my tiny studio in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Whether you think of yourself as ‘creative’ or not, my aim is to clear the way for deep self-inquiry, to help quiet the critical voice and offer you the freedom to grow into an intuitive creative practice that truly nourishes you.
I won’t tell you all the ‘right’ ways to write or make your art, but you can always count on me to provide plenty of prompts for experimentation, discovery and sharing.
My own messy writing, contemplative photography and artwork is proof that courage, freedom and beauty can be found in the smallest, most ordinary moments.
Are you ready for more creative freedom? Then, let’s begin!
Thanks for listening. While all the content you find here is self-funded and freely available, you can help support me and this podcast by subscribing at the level that feels right for you.
Just one more thing. I want to hear from you. What questions can I answer? What creative challenges can I help you overcome? Is there a guest you’d like me to meet and interview? Leave a comment or email me at cyn@ofinkandinsight.com
Get full access to of ink + insight at ofinkandinsight.substack.com/subscribe