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I’m as guilty as anyone else of saying that I value creativity, but then as soon as life gets busy, it’s the first thing I throw on the backburner.
It doesn’t help that many of us got the message (from our parents, from society at large, from wherever) that creativity in adulthood is kind of frivolous and should, at best, be relegated to a side hobby.
Whenever I find myself ignoring my creative side in favor of more “productive” things, I try to remember this quote from Brené Brown:
“Creativity has to be cultivated. Unused creativity is not benign. It metastasizes. It turns into grief, rage, judgment, sorrow, shame. We are by nature creative. It gets lost along the way.”
Kara Guilfoyle can attest to just how true this is! After years of working herself into exhaustion in the intense, fast-paced, emotionally exhausting medical world, she finally realized that the best way to heal her burnout and make her feel whole again was to reignite her artistic side.
Listen in as I ask Kara about her evolving relationship with her creativity, including…
- How and why her creative side got shut down when she “grew up,”
- Her view of the healing power of creativity (you’ll want to hear her description — it’s beautiful!),
- Her struggles with procrastination and the many ways she’s learned to overcome it,
- How the “menu approach” opened up a whole new world of creative freedom for her,
- And her advice for anyone who’s craving more creativity, but is feeling stuck on how to prioritize it.
After you’ve listened, leave us a comment below to share how Kara’s story resonated with you!
MORE ABOUT KARA GUILFOYLE
Kara Guilfoyle is a reformed workaholic, former Pediatric ICU nurse and Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner who sought healing and refuge in art. She is on a journey of tapping into her divine feminine and expanding her creative self. She is a highly sensitive, INFJ, Thriver and Side-Hustler fascinated with cultural anthropology, horticulture, and a love of all things witchy and woo. She has been informed by her nursing students that she is a Ravenclaw. She is currently working as a Nurse Practitioner in a primary care clinic serving uninsured adults in Los Angeles and is considering getting a dog.
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