Laura
0:00
So Nikki, it’s been a hot minute since we released our last episode. How was your fall break? Did you eat lots of turkey and drink lots of bourbon?
Nikki
0:09
Gosh Laura, our fall break kind of led into winter a little bit, didn’t it? But yes, I drank lots of bourbon. But instead of turkey, I discovered goose this Thanksgiving. And by discovered, I mean a friend of mine cooked it. It’s not like I went out and hunted goose and plucked it myself.
Laura
0:28
Wait, goose? What the heck does goose even taste like?
Nikki
0:32
Oh my god, goose is the superior bird to eat. I’m 100% convinced. I thought it was going to be kind of like duck, maybe. But, if somebody served me a plate of sliced goose and asked me to identify it, I would have said it was roast beef. It was freaking delicious.
Laura
0:50
Wow. That’s pretty interesting. And our apologies to our vegan and vegetarian friends for this carnivorous start to the episode.
Nikki
0:58
Maybe we should go back and start with bourbon. So how about you, Laura?
Laura
1:05
Well, I spent the holidays not eating goose.
Nikki
1:09
And that’s where you went wrong.
Laura
1:11
I spent time with family. I was working in my day job and getting settled into my new place, organizing my new studio, basically, instead of making art. And I’m an expert at productive procrastination.
Nikki
1:26
Well, I mean, it’s been long established that we both are.
Laura
1:30
True. Well, as we mentioned in Episode 86, breaks are super important for your mental health. But coming back from them can be kind of hard to find your groove again. So let’s just hope we haven’t forgotten how to podcast, Nikki.
Nikki
1:45
What’s a podcast, Laura? But in all seriousness, as we start off the new year, we wanted to talk today about getting back into the groove and some of our own tips and tricks that we hope you’ll find useful as we all reset our goals and priorities for the upcoming year.
Laura
2:06
Hi, this is Laura Lee Griffin.
Nikki
2:08
And this is Nikki May with the Startist Society, inspiring you to stop getting in your own way and start building an art biz and life that you love.
Laura
2:18
We are artists who believe strongly in the power of community, accountability, following your intuition, taking small actionable steps and breaking down the barriers of fear and procrastination that keep you stuck.
Nikki
2:31
Follow along with us on our creative business journey as we encourage you on yours.
Laura
2:39
Okay, so this is going to be a real episode talking about tips and tricks. But first, let’s share a little bit more about what we’ve been doing with our time off.
Nikki
2:47
Okay, so this is like the first day of school after summer vacation. Laura, what did you do on your summer, I mean, fall vacation?
Laura
2:56
Well, the big thing is that I picked up the last 25 years of my life and I moved it from Texas to Oklahoma.
Nikki
3:04
Is that all?
Laura
3:06
Can I just say, moving is hard. Like, I don’t understand these people who have moved 20 times in their life and think it’s an easy, breezy, CoverGirl commercial.
Nikki
3:16
Well, I’m one of those people, I’ve moved at least 20 times. Yeah, at least 20 times, but I would never say that it was easy or breezy.
Laura
3:25
Well, I’m very thankful that I had an awesome moving company.
Nikki
3:30
Did they even pack for you?
Laura
3:31
Yes. I literally could not have done it without them. Okay, so this is the funny thing. They came to give me a cost quote. And they said that they could pack my entire condo in two hours.
Nikki
3:43
Oh, they clearly had no idea how much crap – I mean, beautiful stuff – you had crammed everywhere!
Laura
3:49
Well, I mean, I showed the guy my whole place and all the nooks and crannies and he just didn’t get it. So it took myself and four men seven hours to get the job done.
Nikki
4:00
Oh, I can spend seven hours with four men. Oh, sorry. I didn’t learn anything about decorum during our break.
Laura
4:10
Okay, I do have to say these guys were awesome. They worked so hard. They packed everything meticulously and I hardly…
Nikki
4:17
…and this episode is sponsored by whatever moving company…
Laura
4:21
Well, seriously they were incredible. And there was almost no collateral damage, which is highly unusual during a move. They were also super reasonable for all the work that they did.
Nikki
4:31
So you actually, in the time since we released our last podcast, bought a house, moved 25 years worth of books and art supplies and who knows what else, sold a condo, did a million repairs to each and got settled in your beautiful new house.
Laura
4:49
Well, almost settled and not all the repairs are done yet. But yes, I’ve made massive strides.
Nikki
4:55
All this while working your more-than-full-time job which had you travel a couple times too.
Laura
5:00
Yes, yes, my plate has definitely been full. And I’m not sure it was actually a break, now that I think about it.
Nikki
5:07
Well, it was a break from releasing podcast episodes, but not much else.
Laura
5:10
Yeah. So Nikki, what have you been up to during this break?
Nikki
5:15
Well, like you, I’ve also been working my more than full-time job. But instead of having one boss, I have like 30 bosses – I mean – wonderful clients. And I’ve still been dealing with my ongoing saga of getting the bus ready to really live in full time and travel.
Laura
5:32
Yeah, you’re going to have your mechanic license soon, right?
Nikki
5:36
Oh, yeah, that would be really nice. But actually, mechanically, the bus has been great from the beginning. It’s really everything else about it that I’ve had issues with.
Laura
5:44
Yeah, like a functional toilet, solar panels that actually work…
Nikki
5:49
Yeah, that actually connect to my batteries. Well, that’s for another episode. But what I did get to do during our break was to take my first real trip in the bus. I won’t go into a ton of detail about that here. But my very first trip was into the Smoky Mountains. And it was for a Skoolie gathering.
Laura
6:08
Cool.
Nikki
6:08
So yeah, my first trip was in the mountains in a 40 foot bus…
Laura
6:13
And you’re still alive to tell the tale.
Nikki
6:15
And so is the bus and my dog and my cat, and most of my stuff.
Laura
6:21
So from a creative perspective, I know you’ve been working on a secret project. Can we talk about it yet?
Nikki
6:26
Yeah. I’ll give a little bit of information about it now and save the juicy details for another episode. But I was awarded a really big, very public commission at our regional airport.
Laura
6:38
That is awesome. And I know you had done that phenomenal window mural for a three-story building in downtown Paducah, so it totally makes sense that your art will continue to make its way into other large public spaces. Nikki, you were just meant to go big.
Nikki
6:55
Which is a funny thing to say as I just went from 1500 square feet to 200… you could say I’m going small to go big.
Laura
7:04
True. Well, we’ll do another episode and we’ll talk all about the proposal and the commission process soon. But in the meantime, I know you took another trip in the bus.
Nikki
7:14
Well, I did take another trip. And I was originally planning to go in the bus, but it was to upstate New York in November and I was afraid it might snow and I didn’t want to be driving the bus in the snow on my second trip anywhere. So I decided to fly.
Laura
7:29
A wise choice.
Nikki
7:30
Ironically, it snowed in Paducah the day I came home. I left 70 degree weather in New York, and came home to 20 degree weather in Kentucky.
Laura
7:39
Ouch.
Nikki
7:39
Yeah.
Laura
7:40
But I think you had a pretty amazing experience when you were there, right?
Nikki
7:44
Oh my god. If you’ve been listening to us for any period of time, you’ve heard me talk about the only person on the planet that I really fan girl over, Amanda Fucking Palmer. So I got VIP tickets to see the Dresden Dolls, which is the band that she had before she went off on her own, in Woodstock, which is also where she lives. And it was the first show that she’s done since the pandemic started and the first time with the band for, I don’t know, probably eight or nine years and, and I got these VIP tickets. And these tickets gave me amazing seats and the chance to meet her after the show.
Laura
8:26
Which, let’s be honest, was your dream come true?
Nikki
8:29
Yeah, absolutely. She was amazing. Aside from the concert being fantastic. I’ve never seen anybody who meets their fans after a show and takes so much time and attention to just really connect with everybody who is waiting to talk to her. Usually they say a few nice words and sign an autograph and move on. But she took as much time as anybody wanted to listen and talk and connect with people. And I don’t know what possessed me but I was wearing a necklace that I had made, and I took it off my neck and asked her if I could give it to her. And I put it around her neck and told her she was beautiful. And she told me I was beautiful.
Laura
9:08
Okay, dork! You know, I totally get it.
Nikki
9:11
I know. I’m such a dork, but we’ve heard your story about Bano?
Laura
9:16
Well, I haven’t actually shared the story before, just that I did dance with him on stage. So we’ll save that for another episode. But I totally know what it’s like to have a silly grin on your face for like two days. Or maybe it was two years. I can’t remember.
Nikki
9:30
That sounds about right. Anyway, my date to the concert took a zillion pictures so I’ll share a couple.
Laura
9:37
Awesome. Okay, so let’s get into something that we need to pay attention to. And that is how to get back into the groove after a break.
Nikki
9:46
Yeah, the thought of getting back into the groove after a break can be a bit paralyzing when you think of all the things you need to do. So let’s talk about how we can break it down so we aren’t so overwhelmed.
Laura
9:57
Well as we start the new year, one of the things we talked about back in episode five was having intentions, not resolutions. And in that episode, we talked about choosing a word of the year to guide you along with your way.
Nikki
10:12
Alright, Laura, let’s take a minute to talk about what our words of the year we’re back in episode five. What were they again?
Laura
10:20
Okay, so my word was connection. And yours was courage, Nikki?
Nikki
10:26
Oh, yeah, that sounds vaguely familiar. I guess I definitely did take that word to heart. I mean, I sold my house, bought a school bus and I’m now living in it. And I’ve gone after and was awarded big art commissions and design projects in the past two years. So that was a good word choice for me.
Laura
10:45
Yeah, you definitely exemplified that word, Nikki. So mine was connection, which is really great to have during a pandemic, when you can’t see people, right?
Nikki
10:54
Okay, well, maybe physical connection wasn’t so easy. But there’s all kinds of other ways to connect.
Laura
11:00
Oh, definitely, I connected with new students through my Skillshare classes that I created, I connected with family, and even made a big move to be closer to them. I connected with several of my best friends who are scattered across the planet on a regular basis through the magic of technology. So I do think connection played an important part of my life. And I continued using that word through 2022.
Nikki
11:23
Well, we didn’t actually announce a word for 2022, I don’t think. But I kind of had a mantra that I kept repeating to myself throughout the year, trying to convince myself and it was, “Nothing is urgent. Nothing is urgent.”
Laura
11:38
Okay, can I borrow that one from you? I feel like especially my day job that everything is urgent all of the time.
Nikki
11:44
Well, I have a better one for you. I met a really interesting van-dwelling philosopher on my bus trip in October. And we talked a lot about this kind of stuff. And he pointed out to me that in repeating “nothing is urgent,” I was just repeating the word “urgent, urgent, urgent” to myself all the time.
Laura
12:04
Right. That’s actually a very bad for the law of attraction when you repeat that word, because you’re attracting more urgency into your life.
Nikki
12:11
Yeah. And even though I’m not convinced about attracting things to you by putting it out there in the world, I do believe that it’s not good inside my brain to keep saying urgent, urgent. So he encouraged me to reframe that in the opposite way by telling myself that there’s plenty of time.
Laura
12:23
Right.
Nikki
12:24
And that feels a lot better.
Laura
12:31
Now, words are important. I personally believe they hold a lot of power.
Nikki
12:36
Yeah, whether you think it’s power out there in the universe, or just the power you give them in your head, you might as well not repeat the ones that don’t feel good, right?
Laura
12:44
Right.
Nikki
12:45
So I’ve decided that my word or words for 2023 are “there’s plenty of time” or “there’s enough time.” What about you, Laura?
Laura
12:53
Man, there’s one word that I go back to again and again.
Nikki
12:58
Penis? Oh, wait, that’s me.
Laura
13:02
Nikki, I thought you were gonna say bourbon. But you know, okay…
Nikki
13:05
Well, I was going to but that wouldn’t be as funny. Back to you,
Laura
. What’s the word you keep going back to?
Laura
13:14
Okay, I’m blushing, now. The word is trust. Now this is a borderline fix word for me. And when I say fix word, we talked in that episode five about not having your word be something fixing what’s wrong, but something that inspires you. But honestly, it is accompanied by the word allow. And I come from a control freak background, self admittedly.
Nikki
13:36
Background, foreground…
Laura
13:40
It’s still there. But anyway. And it’s really hard for me sometimes to let go and let be. And that shows up as perfectionism, it shows up as not trusting my own decisions, worrying about things that I can’t control. Anybody else have these emotions?
Nikki
13:56
No, not at all.
Laura
13:57
And if I have faith that the universe has a grand plan, and that I can just trust the process, and not have to have things all figured out, the world shows up in a much better way. And frequently things just manage to fall into place exactly as they should be when I approach life from an allowing and a trusting mindset.
Nikki
14:18
And maybe trust yourself to figure things out as you go along.
Laura
14:22
Well, yeah, and because if I waited until everything was figured out, I’d never accomplish anything in my life. I’d be waiting forever, hence the Startist Society.
Nikki
14:32
Amen. So okay, so you’re going to trust and allow and I’m going to try to believe there’s enough time.
Laura
14:38
Nikki, do or do not, there is no try.
Nikki
14:42
Okay, Yoda. I thought you were looking a little green.
Laura
14:46
Well, I once did an exercise and a course on life that I was taking where they asked me to try as hard as I could to pick up a ball without actually picking it up.
Nikki
14:55
So you would have taught that course?
Laura
14:58
Nope. It was someone called Landmark Education, but I think it was a valuable exercise. And some of you may have also heard of Mel Robbins, who invented the five second rule.
Nikki
15:09
What’s the five second rule, Laura?
Laura
15:11
Well, there’s a famous TED talk on it, there’s a New York Times best selling book…and we’ll link to both of those in the show notes. But basically, it’s this simple theory that you count backwards from 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1, and then you get off your butt and take action on whatever thing you’re stuck in avoiding or procrastinating. I mean, it’s amazing what you can accomplish when you just stop getting in your own way. And let go of all the reasons why you can’t do something, and you just go do it. It’s never as hard as you make it out to be in your head. Right, Nikki?
Nikki
15:44
Absolutely. Yeah, the fear of doing something is always way bigger than the actual doing of the thing. Yes. So let’s talk about some other things you can do to help you get back into the groove.
Laura
15:59
Well, one thing is to start slow. You don’t have to jump in and achieve all your new goals at once. That’s how we burn out so quickly. So just pick one thing to ease yourself into a routine and do it for 14 days in a row if you can, which helps form a new habit. So Nikki, what is your one thing?
Nikki
16:18
For a very, very long time, I was drawing every single day. And as we talked about in several episodes, I set challenges for myself to help me do that. And in 2022, I didn’t participate in or set any of my own challenges. And I didn’t draw every day or even every week. So my one thing is going to be getting back into the habit of drawing every single day. And I’m not going to set any limits or rules about it just that I have to do it every day.
Laura
16:47
Yeah, so you can draw on a post it note, it doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Right?
Nikki
16:52
Right. Or even on my bus.
Laura
16:54
Awesome.
Nikki
16:55
What about you, Laura? What’s your one thing?
Laura
16:58
Okay, so my one thing is to spend 15 minutes of creating a day, whether it is art or music, and that could look like sitting down and painting a watercolor sketch or sitting at my piano composing music. The point is, is that I’m flexing those creative muscles.
Nikki
17:15
Yeah, I love that. It’s similar to mine, just do something creative without making it a huge daunting thing. Something we’ve both done recently, to make it easier for us to want to create is designing spaces in our new homes that we’re excited to create.
Laura
17:30
For sure, I think I’ve mentioned it in past episodes, but in my condo, my studio was the entire condo.
It really, really was, it was spread everywhere.
You saw it, Nikki, I didn’t really have one dedicated space. So in my new home, I have a room that sort of connects between the kitchen and the bedroom area that is a dedicated space. It has a lovely window looking out on a huge magnolia tree in my backyard, and where I can see all the hummingbirds come to feed in the spring and summer.
Nikki
18:03
Nice.
Laura
18:04
And IKEA in Dallas no longer has any Alex furniture because I think I bought it all for the studio to store my supplies.
Nikki
18:11
And this portion of the episode is sponsored by… just kidding. Well, my studio is in one way, just a small, also IKEA desk. But in another way it could be the entire continent.
Laura
18:24
Right? That’s the beauty of having a home on wheels. And you can always paint plein air, right?
Nikki
18:31
Well, I could. But it’s really hard to get insects to pose for me for long enough.
Laura
18:37
Well, I know some people don’t have the luxury of having a full room or a dedicated desk, maybe it’s just a corner at the dining room table. But if you can find ways to make that your own, or have rituals or routines around the space, and you can check out episode number 27, where we talk all about that.
Nikki
18:57
That’s pretty much what I have right now to my desk acts as my workspace, my art studio and my dining room table. But by putting my computer away and pulling out the bins that have my art supplies, it’s kind of like changing the set on a stage in a play. And it gets me into that next scene. Can you tell I’m working on a website for a community theater?
Laura
19:20
I love it. Well, the view from the window can constantly change to when you’re on a bus.
Nikki
19:26
Absolutely. That’s a big part of why I’m doing what I’m doing. And I can’t wait for it to keep on changing. So what else can we do?
Laura
19:34
All right, well, one thing we can do is to release one bad habit and replace it with a new one to just help get our groove back.
Nikki
19:42
I love that idea. What are you thinking?
Laura
19:45
Well, I have so many bad habits same. How do I choose?
Nikki
19:49
You want me to pick for you?
Laura
19:53
No, thank you.
Nikki
19:55
Imagine if we chose each other’s bad habits. We might not podcast any longer.
Laura
20:01
Well, I think one of the bad habits that I have is that I get sucked into sitting at my computer for hours at a time. And it really helps when I take a break and get outside physically, even when it’s cold. Just taking a walk with my dog helps get my creative juices flowing. What about you, Nikki?
Nikki
20:20
Actually the bad habit I need to work on – well, one of many – is the same as yours. I sit at my computer for like 12 or more hours and then I can’t move.
Laura
20:32
Do you make old woman noises when you do finally move?
Nikki
20:35
I do. Oh, hell yeah. So something that I’ve been wanting to do for a couple years and I finally took the first step is I want to learn how to play a ukulele.
Laura
20:48
Oh, well, a ukulele can fit in your bus. You can borrow mine?
Nikki
20:52
Exactly. I thought about a guitar, but then I thought where the hell would I store it?
Laura
20:56
Right.
Nikki
20:57
And thank you for the thought. But I just bought one for myself.
Laura
21:00
Oh, I see a podcast ukulele duo in our near future.
Nikki
21:04
Future, maybe, near future? Probably not. I am not naturally musical at all. But I think that adding a creative habit that’s not related to my creative business will be good for me. When I add a new visual art form, I feel like I have to figure out a way to monetize it or to fit it into my business. So doing something different, I think it’d be really good for me because there’s no way I’m trying to be a professional musician.
Laura
21:34
Right. But just so you know, Nikki, everyone is musical. I heard you say that you weren’t, you know, naturally musical, right? I think everyone is musical, just like everyone is creative. It just requires practice similar to visual art.
Nikki
21:47
Yeah, you’re right. It doesn’t come as naturally to me as visual art. But I know both things can be learned. So I’m going to learn to play the best mahogany ukulele that you can get from China via Amazon.
Laura
22:02
Hey, I think I own the same one. I think we should learn how to play somewhere over the rainbow.
Nikki
22:07
Yeah, just as soon as I learned how to play Amanda Palmer’s Ukulele Anthem.
Laura
22:11
You and Amanda Palmer, get a room!
Nikki
22:14
If only!
Laura
22:16
Okay, Nikki, what else do we do to get our groove back?
Nikki
22:20
Well, I keep a list of ideas of things that I want to draw or techniques I want to try or even bigger projects that I want to do. So there’s always something waiting for me when I want to start something new. I’m never just completely starting with a blank piece of paper.
Laura
22:36
Right. And we talked about this a bit in episode number 82, all about keeping a sketchbook, which can be really useful for this purpose. But there are lots of different ways you can keep your own inspiration file, you could use a project management tool like AirTable, or Asana or a notes doc on your phone, a Pinterest board, etc. But as you get ideas of things, you want to try color combos you love, things like that, store them away, and then use them.
Nikki
23:06
I pretty much have ideas and inspiration saved in all of those places and more. Too bad I never remember to go back and look at them. Or if I do, which things I’ve stored in which place.
Laura
23:18
Nikki, you’ve got to practice what you preach.
Nikki
23:20
I’m really bad at that game.
Laura
23:21
Okay, so the other suggestion we have is to make art just for you. Sort of like you were talking about having a hobby just for you, Nikki is making art just for you. We all want to make a successful business out of our art. And after all, that’s likely why you’re listening to this episode. But getting back in the groove means also listening to your own internal voice and creating the things that make your heart sing.
Nikki
23:47
Pretty sure my heart sings really off-key. Maybe that’s why I want to make art from the bones of dead animals.
Laura
23:56
Hey, go for it if that’s your tune, or you might be someone who makes art using nothing but cotton candy pastels, right on, everyone has a contribution. And there’s someone out there who will love the unique perspective that only you can bring to the world.
Nikki
24:12
All great ideas, Laura. The point is to just get back to doing something creative, not to rush, not to feel like you have to do everything all the time. Just what feels good to you.
Laura
24:23
So I have a poem by the amazing poet Mary Oliver that I’d love to end this episode with. And if you haven’t heard of her, definitely go to your library pick up a copy of one of her books. She’s absolutely amazing but this one is called Wild Geese.
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
Nikki
25:23
That’s beautiful Laura. The soft animal of my body loves the hard bones of dead animals.
Laura
25:30
And the world is better for having you in it.
Nikki
25:33
Back at you, Laura.
Laura
25:36
Now it’s your turn. Share with us in the Facebook group, how are you getting your groove back?
Nikki
25:41
And to read today’s show notes go to startistsociety.com/backinthegroove.
Laura
25:49
If you’ve enjoyed today’s episode, we’d love for you to leave us a five star review and share it with a friend. Sharing helps us reach more Startist like you and keeps us inspired to create new episodes.
Nikki
26:00
Thanks for listening and we’ll see you next time.
Laura
26:06
Getting back in the groove.
Nikki
26:08
Back in the groove.
Laura
26:10
Getting back in the groove… hit it, Nikki!
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