Artists for Joy

This week, Merideth chats with writer Heather Lanier about creating in the cracks, why she writes, and how to become more comfortable with the inherent uncertainty of making a new work of art. Heather's bio: Heather is a poet, essayist, teacher, speaker, and thrift-store shopper. An assistant professor of creative writing at Rowan University, she is the author of the memoir, Raising a Rare Girl (Penguin Press, July 2020), a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, along with two award-winning poetry chapbooks, The Story You Tell Yourself, and Heart-Shaped Bed in Hiroshima. She is the recipient of a Vermont Creation Grant and an Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award. Her full-length poetry collection, Psalms of Unknowing, is forthcoming from Monkfish Publishing. Heather often writes at the intersections of spirituality, motherhood, and feminism. Her essays and poems have been published in The Atlantic, TIME, The Sun, Salon, Brevity, Vela Magazine, Longreads, and elsewhere. Her TED talk, "'Good' and 'Bad' Are Incomplete Stories We Tell Ourselves," has been viewed three million times and translated into 18 languages. Her essay, "Out There I Have to Smile," was among the top 10 most-read Longreads essays of 2021. With an MA in Teaching from Johns Hopkins and an MFA in Creative Writing from Ohio State, Heather has taught Shakespeare to ninth graders in Baltimore, conversational English to housewives, ship workers, and executives in Japan, and expository and creative writing to undergraduates at places such as UC Berkeley, Miami University, and Southern Vermont College. After seven years in the Green Mountain State, she is learning to live—and drive—in New Jersey. If you follow her on Twitter or Instagram, she vows never to post a post-workout selfie… although if you do, she'll cheer you on! Follow her on Instagram Subscribe to her substack

This week on the podcast, a Mini-Joys episode all about something that's really helping me recently: an off/on ramp! Listen to learn more, and tell us on Instagram if this worked for you! Design your own off/on ramp: Think of something you've been avoiding or dreading, something you've been worried about starting or finishing. Ask yourself: What might future-me need? Is there a task, activity, or decision that will help to do or make before or after? How do you want to feel? Make space and set boundaries to give yourself what you need. Buy Merideth a coffee Join our email list

In today's episode, a loving-kindness meditation to some music by Franz Schubert. As you listen to each selection, repeat the mantras: "May I be well." "May you be well." "May all manner of things be well." Pre-order Merideth's book, The Artist's Joy Buy Merideth a coffee Email your question to be read on the air: hello@artistsforjoy.org

This week on the podcast, a Musical Meditation for Inspiration featuring music of Chopin performed by Emile Pandolfi, Gleb Ivanov, and Yuval Vilner. Settle in and make some space for quiet time to reflect as you listen. Self-Coaching Questions When have I felt the most inspired? Remember a time when you couldn't wait to sit down and make something? What transpired that brought this frenzy of creativity on? What activities or actions inspire you most? What is a way to embed more inspiration into your daily creative life? Where is there white space for inspiration to strike? If you don't see any room, can you work to create larger margins for yourself so that inspiration can find you? And lastly, what creative endeavor or project is just for you right now? Take out your calendar and find an hour to get out the watercolors or dust off the guitar or take out the novel you were writing. Artists for Joy Classical Playlist Leave us a rating or review Comment on IG Buy Merideth a coffee The Artist's Way Creative Cluster Pre-order "The Artist's Joy"

Today's episode of Artists for Joy is one of our Mini-Joys episodes, and in this one, Merideth answers alllll the listener questions. From creative routines to how it feels being edited to creating in the cracks...she tells a little of what life has been like on the book-writing journey and how you can shift your lens and make space for creative joy. Even if you don't call yourself a writer (yet!), this one is for everybody. Creating in Cracks Episode Beau Soir Album Artists for Joy Classical Playlist Pre-Order Merideth's Book Enjoy the show? Buy Merideth a coffee

This week on the podcast, a new bonus episode series: Mini-Joys. Got 10 minutes? Listen for three questions to ask yourself if you're struggling with time management. What is possible? What is the percentage I need? Where is the "ma"? Subscribe to the email list Join the book launch team Register for the next Artist's Way Creative Cluster Buy Merideth a coffee Email the show: hello@artistsforjoy.org

In the penultimate installment of our Creative Archetypes Series, we chat with Enneagram 8s. Authors Shannan Martin and Meredith Boggs, as well as hornist and educator Johanna Burian, share what life is like as a Challenger. We explore how creativity can feel like a full body experience to 8s, how vulnerability and levity are key to health, and something we can all do to help the 8s in our lives feel known and loved. Invitation: Take this prompt to your journal or answer the questions with a friend or therapist: What creative challenge(s) am I facing right now? What beliefs underneath the challenge(s) need to be challenged? Shannan Martin, author and speaker Meredith Boggs, author and nurse Johanna Burian, hornist and educator David Gate Enneagram Poems Playlist of the Creative Archetypes Series Register for the next Artist's Way Creative Cluster Buy Merideth a coffee Email the show: hello@artistsforjoy.org

This week on the podcast, the Creative Archetype series continues with Enneagram 6: The Loyalist. We chat with writer Cheri Hudspith, visual artist L. Camille Calloway, writer and therapist Camden Morgante, and visual artist Kate McEnroe, all about what life as an artist 6 is like, how they manage the anxiety, get unstuck, and create with joy. Our BFF Enneagram coach, Lee Fields of Enneagrammatic, also returns to educate on a notable polarity with 6s. Invitation: Find your ragtag team of people and invite them to support you and one another. Accept Love's invitation, listen to where and with whom you can find your creative community, and show up faithfully for yourself and others. Cheri Hudspith, writer and spiritual director Kate McEnroe, mixed media artist Camden Morgante, writer and therapist L. Camille Callaway, visual artist David Gate Enneagram Poems Enneagram Workshop with Artists for Joy Register for the next Artist's Way Creative Cluster Buy Merideth a coffee Email the show: hello@artistsforjoy.org