The Joyful Creative

I'm sure I'm not the only one having a tough time right now. Life get's hectic at this time of year, and when personal crises pop up simultaneously, it can be completely overwhelming. At times like these my advice is to show yourself some kindness and just let some things go!If those things are important (like your creative practice!) give yourself a grace period and simply pick it up again whenever you can. Let's say "no" to hustle culture and embrace peace and joy this Christmas season.In the spirit of all that, this will be my last episode for the year. But fear not, I'll be back in 2025 with more inspiration and encouragement to help you live your best creative life.Subscribe to my mailing listSend me an emailFacebookInstagramOrder my colouring Book - It Starts With A HeartTranscript:Welcome to The Joyful Creative. I'm Deborah O'Toole. I'm a multi passionate creative and I believe regular creativity is essential for well being. Whether you love painting, writing, knitting, music, gardening, or any other creative pursuit, here you'll find the inspiration and support to make your creative practice a joyful priority in your busy life.So let's get creative. Hello, my friends. Welcome back to another episode of the joyful creative. I hope that you're all going well at this late stage of the year. It is getting towards Christmas. I mean, we've still got three weeks before Christmas but I don't know, every year it just seems to ramp up earlier and earlier. And here we are in the first week of December and it already feels like it's been going on for a while and there's still a bit to go.So I hope that you're all coping well, not stressing too much and keeping calm and creative through this time.I have to admit I've had a bit of a tough week. My father passed away a few days ago.  And, he was, he was old. He was in hospice and he'd had a stroke a couple of months ago. We knew that the end was close and he had a very peaceful and comfortable end. He was very much at peace with his life and was ready to go. And I am grateful that he didn't suffer for too long or you know, be sort of hanging around in this limbo state of not really having much of a quality of life for too long. So it was  in some ways a relief. And I didn't expect that I would feel particularly emotional. I think there's a difference between when people are old and and they have had a wonderful life. And when they pass away, there's some sort of sense of contentment and peace about them passing, as opposed to a young person where that can be very tragic. I hope that isn't triggering to anybody.But nevertheless, even though I couldn't have wished for a nicer end for my Dad, my body is just telling me something. And it does seem really disproportionate to the emotions. I mean,  I have been on the verge of tears on and off for a few days, it's not like I'm howling and completely distraught and very emotional. I don't feel that way. I feel pretty emotionally stable. And yet my body is just fatigued and I'm having body aches and brain fog like I've never known it. It's just very difficult to think clearly at the moment. This is a kind of grief I was just not prepared for.And I'm sure that there are people out there who can relate, who have gone through the same experience.  And I feel for anyone who's going through this.  On...

Are you curious about trying a new medium? Is there a little voice inside urging you to break out of your usual creative routine and do a different thing? Well guess what? It's ok to pivot!Don't let the fact that you've invested time, energy and money into one medium, your lack of storage space for more materials or your identity as a particular type of creative prevent your expansion in new creative directions. It's all doable and it's part of your creative journey, so embrace the pivot.Subscribe to my mailing listShop the studio saleSend me an emailFacebookInstagramOrder my colouring Book - It Starts With A HeartTranscript:Welcome to The Joyful Creative. I'm Deborah O'Toole. I'm a multi passionate creative and I believe regular creativity is essential for well being. Whether you love painting, writing, knitting, music, gardening, or any other creative pursuit, here you'll find the inspiration and support to make your creative practice a joyful priority in your busy life.So let's get creative. Well, hi there. Welcome everybody back to another episode of the joyful creative. Before I get into this episode about pivoting, I would like to mention that my studio sale, which is currently live for my subscribers will be open to everybody else on Sunday this Sunday, the 1st of December. I will add the link to the show notes. It's basically just go to my website and have a look at what's there. I have put lots of images and reels on my social media in the last couple of weeks. So if you're interested in what is available just have a look back at some of those posts. And you'll be able to have a good look at what they are.  They're a little pieces of mixed media on paper. Some of them are water colour, some of them are black ink and all of them have been embellished with the coloured pen, black pen, some glitter pens, metallic pens.  Some of them have some hand stitching on them as well. And they're all just process pieces that have been part of my exploration of this new media. And I've really had a good time doing them and I look back and I still really love them. I would love to keep them all but I am moving house again, and it would be lovely to just clear them out so that, you know, they're not just stashed in a drawer in a box somewhere when I get to the other end, I would love them to fly off to new homes.  So yes, that will be open this Sunday and I will only have it open for a week or so because while I'm in transit, which will possibly be a couple of weeks, there's no way I'll be able to fulfill any orders after about mid December. So, if you are interested in grabbing a little piece for yourself or for a Christmas present, remember, it's so lovely to give handmade presence gifts for your family for Christmas and loved ones. And look, they're just little pieces on paper at the moment, so they can be mounted in a frame under glass, which really does elevate them and makes them look really special. Or if you just want to casually pop some bulldog clips he can hang it directly from a bulldog clip, or you could put two bulldog clips on each side of the page and add some ribbon or string and hang it up on a little hook. So they're just nice little things to have around, little bit of...

I'm sure I'm not the only one suffering some overwhelm at this stage of the year! But I think we can all safely say that this is no different from any other Christmas lead up and maybe if we remember how we managed to get through it every year before, we might just feel empowered rather than on the verge of break down!A little mindful creativity (hello mindful colouring book!) even a few minutes a day can also do wonders in keeping us on an even keel during the silly season.Subscribe to my mailing listSend me an emailFacebookInstagramOrder my colouring Book - It Starts With A HeartTRANSCRIPT:Well, hello everyone and welcome back to another episode. Thank you so much, everybody for listening in. Gee, we're really getting so close to the end of the year and I think I'm not the only one that just starts to feel this incredible overwhelm at this time of the year. I mean, it happens every year. Doesn't it? And I just don't know why it always has to be like this. Every year I approach, you know, get into sort of October seeing what's on in November and December. And I try so hard to really just make it easy, but for some reason there is just so much that we always want to do before the end of the year. I don't know why the end of the year is the important time to do all the catching up and all the things, the parties. We should just be having parties all year round. I don't know why we have to catch up with people before Christmas. Because there's a lot going on before Christmas. You know, kids are finishing school and they've got their graduations and their last, this, and their last to that. And you know, work things of course and end of year, this and that. And I get it. It's always the same. I would love it to be different. I'm not sure what I can do to make it different in my own life, even though I, I think ahead for it. But here I am again feeling completely overwhelmed with things to get done by the end of the year. And on top of everything, we are moving house, not just moving house, but relocating to another state. We're in Brisbane at the moment and we're heading down, back to Canberra in Australia. We're in defence and we have packers come to pack up our house, which I really appreciate because it takes a few guys a whole day to do it. But there are certain things that just need to be organized beforehand. I always have a compulsion to really tidy up and clear things out before they arrive, because what I don't want is to unpack at the other end with just a whole lot of things that I feel a bit resentful about. Why do I even have these things? Or why didn't I just chuck that away before we, we moved? So that's always a bit of a project. There is one good thing about moving fairly often and we have actually moved. I just realized it's like four times, this is the fourth move in four years. So because we have moved fairly frequently I can say that we don't have a lot of major decluttering to do. We've sort of done that pretty regularly. And in the last few years, or in the last two years, since we've been here, we haven't accumulated too much. But even saying that there were still things that I have now that I just, I just know I don't need anymore. And that's just a thing I've decided in the last two years. So will I get rid of them? I'm not sure. It's big things like a sewing machine and mannequins and things that I used to use when I...

I've found myself some creative friends and it's been surprisingly lovely for this lone-ranger! I highly recommend connecting with a person or a group who can be your support, your cheerleader and keep you accountable to your creative practice. Subscribe to my mailing listSend me an emailFacebookInstagramOrder my colouring Book - It Starts With A HeartTRANSCRIPT:Well, hello everyone. Welcome back to another episode of the joyful creative. And I hope that you're all feeling like you're enjoying some joyful creativity at this late stage of the year where it's starting to get a little busy, a bit frantic. Creativity is so important for our mental health and just to keep us centred and grounded. And I know that when we're busy, sometimes the creative pursuit is the thing that gets dropped off the to-do list first. But I'm here to advocate for creativity becoming or remaining at the top of the list so it's a regular thing that you do for your wellbeing and your mental health and your self care every day, or at least many times a week, just to keep you on that equilibrium, because it just might be the thing that gets you through this silly season.Today I wanted to talk about creative friends, but before we get into that, I wanted to remind you that I have a studio sale coming up, it's going live on the 24th of November 2024. At 7:00 PM Brisbane time Australia, which is 8:00 PM Daylight savings for the rest of Australia. And, God knows what time it will be around the world. I'm sure you could figure that out if you're not in Australia. And you might be wondering what a studio sale even is. Well, a studio sale is a where an artist or creative will sell the experiments samples, exploratory works that they'd been working on within a medium. They're not fine art, finished works that they would normally put on their website or sell in a gallery So what I'm doing is selling... I've got about 26, small works on paper. And this has been the exploration that I've been doing with watercolor ink, Pen glitter pen, a bit of stitching and they're all works on paper. Most of them are around about A5 size, but some of them are A4. But I'm selling them all for $35 Australian each. And that includes free shipping.And the reason I'm doing this really is because I do need to clear out my studio because I'm about to move house again. Moving from Brisbane to Canberra. And I look around and you know, I've got this pile of, of works and I just love them all actually, I would love to have them all up in my studio. I might keep a couple. But there they're just so pretty. I just can't bear for them to just be in a pile or in a drawer somewhere just as a memento of what I did this year. I've certainly gained a lot of insight, a lot of wisdom, a lot of skills about how to use watercolor and pen glitter pens in the way that I like to express myself creativity, which is more abstract I guess. A lot of people go to watercolor classes because they want to recreate something that's a bit more realistic, but that's certainly not my experience. I am really an organic artist. Organic artist, is that really even a thing? My way of working is really, I love to let the materials dictate the direction of the work. And then I can apply my creativity to solve the design problems, to make it cohesive. And I find that a really lovely challenge And I'm going to say that usually the...

I almost didn't record an episode this week because I'm away from home and don't have my microphone with me and I was concerned about the sound quality. But then I remembered my new motto "Done is better than perfect" (not mine originally but I'm embracing it!) and realised I should just get resourceful and do it anyway, even if the results are a little messy.The same goes for creativity. We could all use the excuse of having lack of time or other resources or the lack of faith our own ability to stop ourselves from doing cool creative things. But that would just be dull and lead to regrets. I say do it messy and do it anyway!Subscribe to my mailing listSend me an emailFacebookInstagramOrder my colouring Book - It Starts With A Heart TRANSCRIPT: Well, hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of the Joyful Creative. Today, I'm recording this episode directly into my laptop rather than through a microphone because I'm currently away from home again, and I don't have my full set up with me. I'm currently staying in what used to be student accommodation in Canberra. And it's quite an older buildings so when people come in and out of their rooms and use the shared bathrooms, the doors tend to bang quite loudly and also, while the location is great for getting around and going out for coffees and restaurants and things there is a constant street noise. There are sirens and horns happening all the time. And so I just hope that it doesn't affect your enjoyment over listening to this episode.I normally pride myself on a high level of professionalism. It might be the performer in me, I really want my audience to have a great experience. So when I knew I was going to be away and I wouldn't be able to bring my microphone and headphones with me, I almost thought that I'd have to miss a week of recording this podcast. But this year, I've really turned a corner where perfectionism is concerned. And where before I would stop myself from doing something, if it wasn't going to be perfect or I would procrastinate and overthink it, or just take a really long time completing it, now my new motto is "Done is better than perfect" I didn't come up with that myself. You might've heard it before. For me, it's taken some pushing out of my comfort zone to embrace this. And to be honest, I still don't really like it. I still don't like feeling like I'm doing things half-assed or not quite to the best of my ability. But also I recognize that it's not that I'm lazy or I don't care, or that I'm happy with what I deem to be a sloppy outcome. But the fact is sometimes I have less than optimal resources available to me. Like right now, not having my microphone. Usually the lacking resource is time. And of course, if I had a microphone with me now, I would use it. If I had unlimited time, I would spend more of it on perfecting everything I do, but I don't. And so the alternative is that I either do things imperfectly or I don't do them at all. And I've come to the conclusion this year in particular that in my short time on this earth, I would rather just get things done and achieve things and have the experiences with the time and resources I have rather than not do them at all. And I really just have to let go of the unrealistic expectations of myself and give myself credit for what I do manage to achieve.It's interesting isn't it? That if we were...

This episode was inspired by a ground breaking music concert I saw this week. There were combinations of artistic elements in this show that I didn't believe would ever be seen on the one stage. I was blown away, and excited by the creative possibilities that exist if we just allow them to. I share a vulnerable admission and encourage you to give yourself permission to do the seemingly silly, the crazy and the impossible.Subscribe to my mailing listSend me an emailFacebookInstagramOrder my colouring Book - It Starts With A HeartTRANSCRIPTWell, hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of the joyful creative. My name's Deborah O'Toole, if you didn't pick that up in the intro. This episode is a little unplanned, it's really come up from something that happened this week and I was really inspired to talk about it. I went to see a concert that really blew my mind and just reminded me of what's possible creatively speaking. The concert was Esperanza Spalding. She's an American jazz bass player. She plays upright and also electric bass and she sings and composes, and I've been following her for a little while and yeah, she's just completely mesmerizing to watch on stage and incredible bass player in her own right just as it is.But in this concert, as well as the small band (she had a little ensemble) and also two contemporary dancers were on stage, not all the time, but when they did come on, at times they were improvising their movements to the instrumental solos that the instrumentalists were playing. It was just, I found it really fascinating because I really love dance, particularly creative and contemporary, interpretive dance. And I just found that it had me so visually engaged as well as listening to the solos because the musicians were unbelievable as well. But I do admit that sometimes when I'm listening to a jazz gig and I'm hearing an instrumental solo for an extended period of time, I tend to get a little, I'm not going to say bored, I just get a bit restless. I'm sure that there are jazz musicians out there who would think I'm completely mad because they're just hanging on every note. I am hanging on every note for about the first, maybe three minutes. And then after that I can tend to drift off, but having these dancers on stage adding this visual element was just, I just thought it was so inspired. Um, yeah, just such a creative, amazing idea. But for those of you who are not familiar with the jazz scene, I can, I think I can safely assure you that having dancers in a jazz concert is not the done thing. I've never heard of it. Yeah, it was quite a new thing.She also incorporated spoken word in her recitatives when she was, I couldn't really figure out whether this is patter things she was saying in between songs or whether it was actually part of a song, but it was, it was kind of a spoken and kind of song and it was sort of along with music. Um, but it was just very theatrical and theatre and jazz... I don't think they really a thing together. And look, I have that notion because I had an experience that I had very, very early in my career. I was in my early twenties and I was auditioning for a jazz course in Melbourne, I won't say which. College it was. But they really had two streams. You could either be a classical player or you could be a jazz player. And I sort of, wasn't really either one

Hand made gifts are always that little bit more special aren't they? And with Christmas looming, now is a great time to utilise your creative talents and make unique gifts for your loved ones. In this episode I share some great hand made gift ideas and guidelines on how to get them done without last minute stress!If you don't have the time or inclination to make gifts yourself, a hand made item by another creative is the next best thing (I will have some perfect gift-worthy mini artworks available in my upcoming studio sale; make sure you're on my mailing list) Or if your loved one is creative, how about putting some materials, tools and patterns/instructions together to encourage their creativity?Listen in for the goods and happy creative gift giving!Subscribe to my mailing listSend me an emailFacebookInstagramOrder my colouring Book - It Starts With A Heart

I'm back from my mind blowing trip to Italy with some insights on finding creative inspiration wherever you are and my light bulb moment about finding my creative voice.Listen in for the juice!And make sure you're on my mailing list of you're interested in my upcoming studio sale...Subscribe to my mailing listSend me an emailFacebookInstagramOrder my colouring Book - It Starts With A Heart

I'm about to go to Italy!!I'm really excited but of course there are now considerations about what creative materials I can pack, where I'll be able to sit down and do my creative practice and when I'll fit it into my travel itinerary. I've encountered this many times on work and personal trips both overseas, outback camping and interstate visits to family so in this episode I share some tips on keeping creative while travelling. The tips are:Pack smartCreate a routinePivot.Take a classJust try some new thingsTake photosJournal

Maintaining your creative practice alongside parenting can be challenging on so many levels. In this episode I share tips I wish I knew when I was in the throes of parenthood and finding my way as a creative.The tips are:Keep it small.Get the kids involved!Have your project ready to go.Connect with other creative parents.Seek supportThe housework can wait. Think outside the square.Be okay with less than perfect. Transcript:Well, hello everyone. Welcome back to another episode.  This is episode 10. I can't believe it's 10 weeks since I first launched this podcast.  Um, yeah. Time's flying by this year and it's been 10 weeks and I'm pretty proud that I've managed to publish an episode every week for the 10 weeks.  I am about to take a little break after the next episode, because I'm going on a bit of an artistic holiday, which I'll talk about in the next episode, pretty excited about that. I'm going to Italy.  Um, yes, I can't stop talking to people about that. But we are coming up to the September school holidays, uh, as I'm recording this today.  And even though my kids are adults now, I still vividly remember wondering what the hell I was going to do all day and every day to keep them amused and me sane. I would often take leave during the holidays so while it's really nice to be able to chill out with the kids and take a break from the school routine of evening homework and making lunches and strict bed times, being out of routine can also be unsettling to all the other beneficial routine activities, like self care, exercise and creativity.  And in the midst of it back then, I didn't know about boundaries and I snuck my creative time in and around everything else that seemed more important at the time. And it's only recently that I've acknowledged what I need to do on a regular basis to maintain my wellbeing. Things like daily meditation. Moving my body. And most importantly, doing something creative every day. It's different for everyone. And I do acknowledge because I remember it that when you're in the throes of parenting,  It's extremely difficult to prioritize your creative practice because first of all, mother guilt.  You know, when the baby cries or the toddler throws a tantrum or the six-year-old needs to ask a million questions about dinosaurs you're not going to ignore them. It's just not natural or possible. And secondly, when you do get a moment to yourself, you're probably exhausted and the best you could do for yourself is have an early night or an evening watching Netflix, and no judgment on either of those things.  And thirdly, maybe it seems daunting to begin a creative project or frustrating that every time you start something, it has to be packed away when life happens and you just lose the vibe to start again.  I'm sure there are creative parents out there who can relate. So in this episode, I'm going to share some ideas to help you maintain your creative practice alongside parenting.These are tips. I wish I thought of when I was in the middle of it. And maybe some of these ideas might apply to other self care activities you've been struggling to make time for as well.So tip number one. Keep it small.  I often say this, but it really applies to parents with little kids. Um, maybe before kids, you used to lock yourself away for hours to write paint, play music.  But now since kids have come along,  it doesn't seem worth doing, if you don't have the same luxury of time.  Well, the fact is you probably don't have blocks of hours to yourself anymore, but you might have 15 minutes during nap time.  So break down the all or nothing thinking and embrace the small wins. Because doing a little bit every day is better than waiting until you have more time because let's face it, you...

Hi there. It's Deborah O'Toole artist here. Now, if you're in the Brisbane area, you might be interested to know that I'll be offering two sessions of my mindful creativity workshop on the 14th of September.  Over the course of three relaxing hours. You'll enter a state of creative flow while experimenting with simple, repetitive techniques, such as doodling, inking, and metallic embellishment. The focus of the session is on enjoying the soothing processes, which calm the central nervous system and clear the mind. The artistic outcome is not as important, although you'll be so happily surprised how beautifully creative you are when you just allow yourself to play.  The cost is $120 per person, which includes all materials, a bag of take-home goodies, including our own frame to mini masterpiece. And I'll bring a freshly baked gluten-free cake for morning or afternoon tea.Spaces are limited so book now at the link in the show notes or go to DeborahO'Toole artist.com/workshops. I look forward to seeing you there.Hello everyone welcome back to another episode of the joyful creative.This week, it seems that the universe wants to send me a message about dancing, through experiences, conversations, things I've read and on social media. Does anybody else have that experience where just the same sort of thing keeps showing up and it makes you sort of think about it?  Well, that's definitely happened for me this week and it culminated in an experience yesterday that made me really think about how our inhibitions and the judgments we place on ourselves rob us of joyful life experiences.So I'm studying to become a holistic creative arts practitioner. It's along the lines of art therapy, but on a practitioner level, which means I would work with people in a practical setting like my workshops to enhance physical and mental health through creative activities rather than actual art therapy which has done in a clinical setting.  And every week we've been practicing a different  modality.  So yesterday's class was what they call emotional meditative movement.  Yeah, they don't call it dance because it scares people.   So anyway, the session went that all the students were together in a room in an old hall with the curtains closed and no atmosphere other than that,  And they play a music track that goes through a series of beats different beats and vibes.  . And there are spoken prompts dotted throughout to guide the meditation and potentially your movement during that segment. And I was dreading this. Even though I'm a performer by profession and I still dance most times I'm on stage, and I studied dance as a kid through my whole childhood so I'm quite coordinated and I'm comfortable with moving my body. And I actually love dancing if the mood and the music is right. But despite all of this, I couldn't help feeling deeply self-conscious at the thought of this session.Now. I've done many gigs where there is always that one person, and this happens mainly at festivals and public places. There's usually a, yeah, that one person, usually a pretty eccentric looking older man or woman who comes in front of the stage and just dances.  With total abandonment, freedom and joy, no sense of self-consciousness or embarrassment. They're just living their best life, dancing to our music in their own unique way. Now we on stage, the musicians we usually make eye contact in a kind of bemused way and go, oh, there's the dance and man again. It's like our little in joke, because there's always that weird one in every gig.But as I was getting into the movement activity in class yesterday, I started channeling the dancing man.  And I realized how judgemental I am to people who seem a bit weird and who don't seem to care that they look different and are happy to stand out from the crowd and just do what comes naturally with their body

So you have the time but not the motivation? Here are 8 tips to get you off the couch, away from the screen and into your studio when you just can’t be bothered. Anyone relate??In short:Allow yourself to do the minimum and celebrate those small wins. Plan a big reward for finishing a project.Get yourself an accountability partner.Have inspiration in your environment.Get physical.Put down the phone!Change up your medium.Start with a simple warmup activity.Links:Order my colouring Book - It Starts With A HeartSubscribe to my mailing listSend me an emailFacebookInstagram Workshops — Deborah O'Toole ArtistTRANSCRIPT Hi there. It's Deborah O'Toole artist here. Now, if you're in the Brisbane area, you might be interested to know that I'll be offering two sessions of my mindful creativity workshop on the 14th of September.  Over the course of three relaxing hours you'll enter a state of creative flow while experimenting with simple, repetitive techniques, such as doodling, inking, and metallic embellishment. The focus of the session is on enjoying the soothing processes, which calm the central nervous system and clear the mind. The artistic outcome is not as important, although you'll be so happily surprised how beautifully creative you are when you just allow yourself to play.The cost is $120 per person, which includes all materials, a bag of take-home goodies, including our own frame to mini masterpiece. And I'll bring a freshly baked gluten-free cake for morning or afternoon tea.  Spaces are limited so book now at the link in the show notes. Or go to deborahotooleartist.com/workshops. I look forward to seeing you there. Welcome to The Joyful Creative. I'm Deborah O'Toole. I'm a multi passionate creative and I believe regular creativity is essential for well being. Whether you love painting, writing, knitting, music, gardening, or any other creative pursuit, here you'll find the inspiration and support to make your creative practice a joyful priority in your busy life.So let's get creative. Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode. I've just come off a crazy couple of months and I have two full days where I could be creative for hours but I just couldn't be bothered. Just not motivated. And this has got me thinking about the difference between not having the time and not having the motivation. And I think many people will relate to this because we often say we're too busy and then we spend time doing other things that don't get as closer to finishing our creative projects or simply even just tending to our need for regular creative expression.  So I started thinking of ways, I've got myself out of a slump in the past and into the studio.  And if you've been following me for a while, you know that I'm on a daily creativity streak, which I track with an app on my phone. And that is a big motivator because I want to maintain my streak and  when I look at my phone and I see the app sitting there, it's a really big reminder and I am quite motivated then even just to do a bit. But I realize that a streak isn't for everyone or not everybody's there at this point in their life. So here are some other tips which...

Lately I've found myself wondering if I should still be performing in a rock band at age 53.After 35+ years in the biz, am I too old for this? Sometimes my aching body says yes! But more often it's my nasty nagging inner-critic (ego) that says I look too old and it's silly for a woman my age to be prancing around the stage, belting it out like Tina Turner. Nobody told Tina to stop doing it when she was 53 so why should I? I believe that when your soul calls you to do something creative, it shouldn't matter what age, gender, type you are. Creativity transcends stereotype so just go for it!Links:Instagram FacebookOrder my colouring Book - It Starts With A HeartSubscribe to my mailing listSend me an emailAll Abilities AustraliaRest Easy ExpoTranscript: Well, hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of the joyful creative. This is the seventh episode. And if you've been listening to all the episodes so far, I just want to say, thank you so much for listening, for tuning in for giving me your support. If there's anything in particular, a subject about creativity that you'd like me to cover in a future episode. I'd love to hear from you. You can get in contact with me via email or social media, all the links are below in the show notes.  So, yeah, reach out and let me know.  And if you know anybody who could really do with this sort of support and inspiration, then by all means, please share this episode. You can message or text them the link and then they'll be able to listen as well.  That will be wonderful.Also just a little update on my episode from last week where I talked about my collaborative artwork with all abilities Australia that was auctioned off at a gala last Friday night.  The piece fetched $2,300 at the live auction for the fundraising gala. And yeah, I'm just so pleased with that result. All abilities Australia are an amazing organization that really support adults with various mental and physical abilities.  They do such a great job and they were fundraising to purchase a big van a wheelchair accessible van that they can transport the participants around town in to take them out on excursions and around the place. And when I was working with these people, I really felt how valuable it would be for them all to have  the enriching experience of being able to go to an exhibition or an art gallery or a live performance or any other type of arts that's outside their four walls  and so hopefully the money raised from this artwork will help them to reach their goal to be able to purchase this van. Another public service announcement I have is that this Saturday I will be presenting at the Rest Easy Expo at Technology Park. So that's this Saturday time of recording the 24th of August, 2024.  It's going to be amazing. So many vendors that are all geared up to share their information on improving your quality of sleep, rest, relaxation, wellness, all that good stuff. The tickets are $10 if you buy them beforehand, if you turn up on the day, they will be $15. So if you're thinking of going, if you're in the Brisbane area, I recommend getting online and...

 I just completed an artwork that is a collaboration between myself and participants and staff at All Abilities Australia. This piece will be auctioned at their upcoming fundraising gala. In this episode I share the process (what a journey!) and some insights I gained about creativity. Find me on socials  - https://www.instagram.com/deborahotoole_artist/https://www.facebook.com/DeborahOTooleArtistSend me an email - hello@deborahotooleartist.comOrder my colouring book - https://www.deborahotooleartist.com/Subscribe to my mailing list - https://www.deborahotooleartist.com/subscribeAll Abilities Australia - https://allabilitiesaustralia.com/Transcript Well, hello everyone, and welcome back to another episode of the joyful Creative. Today's episode is a little out of the norm. It's a bit of an off the cuff I hadn't really planned, but I just finished an artwork like hours ago, and I thought it'd be really nice to talk about it because it really does relate to creativity being for everyone.  So I have a friend who works as a dance therapist with an organization called All Abilities Australia.  And, they run a program where people who have varying levels of,  physical and mental abilities can come along. It’s a day program where they learn life skills, exercise, join in community mindfulness, lots of great things for these adults who are past school age. Where they can come along and still engage in enriching activities during the day.  And they’re currently fundraising to purchase a big van, a maxi van people mover to be able to transport the participants  around town, on excursions and to really enrich their lives with various experiences. So that's their fundraising effort. They have a big gala coming up this Friday night.  And my friend asked me if I would be able to, along with participants, create an artwork that could then be auctioned off to help raise the funds to go towards this van. And she's one of these people who is.. her energy is just infectious. And it's very hard to say no to my friend. There definitely was something in it for me, because even though I'm doing this on a volunteer basis, have been developing a mindful creativity workshop which is to help people to drop into a beautiful, mindful flow state without having to use any particular artistic techniques like brush strokes, or drawing shading or anything like that. So, what I normally do in these workshops is some doodling, and then we go into dropping ink on a page and rolling it around on paper. It's a beautifully relaxing activity for all people and I really wanted to see whether these participants at All Abilities Australia would also benefit from this kind of activity. So this project gave me an opportunity to do a bit of research on this process.  So I went in and I've had three sessions with these people and we've had so much fun. They were really interested in getting involved. The first day I used pipettes like an eyedropper. And, their motor skills are at varying levels. And so  some of them had some assistance from the staff. And myself. But to see them even really drop into this flow state and really just enjoy seeing the colors rolling around the page through the water.And what they achieved during that session is really not dissimilar to what I achieve when I'm doing the same technique, which really proved...

How do you get started if you’re keen to pick up a creative pursuit but don’t know where to start? From online resources to listening to the quiet voice within, I give you some ideas to get you going on your creative journey. SHOW NOTES:Find me on socials  - https://www.instagram.com/deborahotoole_artist/https://www.facebook.com/DeborahOTooleArtistSend me an email - hello@deborahotooleartist.comOrder my colouring book - https://www.deborahotooleartist.com/Subscribe to my mailing list - https://www.deborahotooleartist.com/subscribeRest Easy Expo - https://resteasyevents.com.au/TRANSCRIPTWell, hi there again, and welcome to another episode of the joyful creative.  Many listeners to this podcast would already have a creative passion that is their go-to thing that they do when, when they get time. And maybe they're listening to this podcast because they want some tips and ideas and encouragement and inspiration on how to make the time and how to justify the time to do the thing that they're really drawn to do.  But what if you're keen to try a creative activity, but you just don't know what to do or where to start. Well, in today's episode, I have some tips to get you going.So the first tip is do some soul searching.  I know this might sound a little woo woo. But. Sit quietly and take a breath. And ask yourself, what have I always wanted to try? Because chances are, there is a spark of an idea that's been lurking around in the back of your mind for years, maybe since you were a child.  Maybe it's something you did try as a child, but you stopped because you thought you were bad at it. Or maybe someone actually told you and you believed them. But when it comes to creativity, the standard you're at is completely irrelevant unless you want to make money from it. And even that's subjective. So please don't let your own opinion of whether you're good at it or not to, stop you from having a crack.  Creativity is for your own personal joy and nothing more.  So, if you think you'll enjoy something, do it. And don't be too cool for school and think, oh, now I'm an adult, I should be doing oil painting landscapes or charcoal life drawing. If you want to finger paint or draw, stick figures in the sand, go for it. As I said before, listen to the quiet voice within and act on that rather than using any mature logic at all. Number two.  If you're not hearing anything from your quiet voice go out and look for inspiration. Go to galleries or music performances. Or art supplies stores.. in Australia, Spotlight, Officeworks, and Bunnings also now have art and craft supplies sections which actually have some good stuff there for beginners. Obviously if, uh, you know, you want to go straight to professional standard, you might want to go to something a little bit more specialized, but you can get a lot of stuff in the craft and art supplies sections of these general big box stores. So wonder around those aisles and see what you're inspired by.  YouTube has heaps of videos, Pinterest… There's plenty of online resources. I guess what you'd need to do is have a bit of an idea so that you can search something. For example, if you thinking you want to play guitar, then that's an easy search. Then you can just choose what sort of style you want, or if it's visual art or a craft or a fiber art or something like that and you just want to narrow...

Why Joy? I didn’t call this podcast the JOYFUL Creative for nothing!Is joy possible or even important in our busy lives, particularly in the world today? Listen in for my musings on joy, how we take a joyful perspective on the not-joyful aspects of our lives and how we can ensure our creative practice brings the joy it is meant to (not be another burdensome item on the to-do-list)SHOW NOTES:Find me on socials  - https://www.instagram.com/deborahotoole_artist/ https://www.facebook.com/DeborahOTooleArtistSend me an email - hello@deborahotooleartist.comOrder my colouring book - https://www.deborahotooleartist.com/Subscribe to my mailing list - https://www.deborahotooleartist.com/subscribeTRANSCRIPT:Well, hi there and welcome back to another episode of the joyful creative. Today, I'm talking about joy.  Is Joy important? I think it is. And that's one of the reasons why I chose the title, the joyful creative for my podcast.. It's not the productive, creative, or the dedicated creative. It's about joy. I feel that so many people lack joy in their lives and joy is important. If you don't have a bit of daily joy in your life. speaking from personal experience and from observing the same thing in the people around me. When you don't do anything fun, you get miserable. And you know, that might seem a little bit flippant, but you know, that's how depression and anxiety set in. And well, there might be reasons to be anxious in your life, but if you have a little bit of joy in that sort of helps to subside that. Now I'm not a doctor, I'm not a psychologist. I don't come with any medical professional opinion. This is purely anecdotal, what I've experienced with myself and what I do see in others and from conversations I've had with people recently.  There's a lot to be said for prevention. Let's not wait until we're all taking antidepressants and having to have time off work because we're completely burnt out. Let's be preventative. Let's see what we can incorporate into our lives to avoid going down that dark tunnel and just to keep us a little bit buoyant. If you think about the things that we want in life, the things that we covet and, you know, we think that we'll be happy when we get that thing.  Well, If you drill down to why, like why do I want a better job? Do I want a bigger house? Do I want to get pregnant? Do I want to find a life partner? Why do you want that? Well, I want the better job because it will pay more money. Well why do you want  more money? Because then I can pay off my debts. Well why do you want to pay off your debts?  Because then I will feel a little bit less stressed about my financial situation. And if I feel less stressed, then I'll be happy.  So, if you drill down to all the things you might want in your life, you probably find that the reason why, the intrinsic reason why is not just to have a house, not just to have a partner, not just to have a baby. But because you perceive that those things will bring you happiness.  So happiness and joy are really the issue.  Happiness and joy are what we're striving for. We're not striving for  more money. We're striving for happiness and joy. And so why not bring something into your life that can bring a little bit of joy?  Um, to have a bit of joy every day. It doesn't mean your whole life is perfect. It doesn't mean that you don't have things that upset you or stress you or that you don't have any problems, but you...

DESCRIPTION:I get it, you’re super busy with life, job, kids, parents, all the things…. and you think “there’s NO WAY I can make my creative practice a regular priority!”Well, I’ve been there and I can tell you there are ways to help make this a reality and bring the joy  and wellbeing benefits of creativity into your life… yes, every day!Here are my tips:Start Small - even a little bit every day counts Set a Routine - scheduling a regular time for your creative session means you don’t have to plan it every single day, and it’s more likely to happen.Create In the cracks - not the ideal situation, but doing your creativity in lunch breaks, in waiting rooms on public transport might mean the difference between getting something done or not.Create A Space - designate a space in your home where you can have your materials and tools ready to go at all times.Stay Inspired - Surround yourself with visual cues to keep you inspired and connected to your practice.Be kind to yourself  - take the pressure off the outcome and practice creativity regularly  simply for the joy of it.SHOW NOTES:Find me on socials  - https://www.instagram.com/deborahotoole_artist/ https://www.facebook.com/DeborahOTooleArtistSend me an email - hello@deborahotooleartist.comOrder my colouring book - https://www.deborahotooleartist.com/Subscribe to my mailing list - https://www.deborahotooleartist.com/subscribeTRANSCRIPT:Hi there and welcome back to the joyful creative. I'm Deborah O'Toole. And in episode one, I talked about why creativity is important. So in this episode, as promised, I'll share some tips on how to make your creative practice, a regular part of your busy life.So tip number one, start small.  In the last episode, I talked about my daily creativity streak inspired by the book streaking by Jeffrey Downs and Jamie Downs. So their version of streaking is not what we Australians know it to be, which is running publicly across a sports field nude. No. The book streaking is about committing to an activity, and that could be running meditating, reading, whatever. And doing that activity every single day or a frequency you set for yourself. And the result is that you create life-changing habits.  Now in one of the chapters, they talk about making the commitment laughably simple. And the reason is so that there is absolutely no barrier to your success in the streak. So you might have a super busy day or be unwell or have some emergency come up.  And if you have set your task as laughably simple then you would still be able to complete your activity for the day and to maintain your streak. Personally, I dedicate a minimum of just five minutes a day to my creative practice.  It usually ends up being more than five minutes, much more actually, normally once I sit down and get going. But there have been times recently when I have literally set a timer for five minutes and just done the bare minimum because it was one of those days. But I still maintained my streak.  Now you might wonder what's the point of only doing such a small amount?  And the answer is that having the streak going means my creative practice is in the forefront of my mind.  Otherwise, I would allow a busy period; Holidays, Travel, Having house guests or any other disruption to my routine  to derail my practice. And I would find that I had neglected it for...

Who is this Deborah O'Toole anyway??In this episode, I introduce myself, talk about my creative background and how I’ve come to where I am now.In short, I'm a former full time Army vocalist who has always loved visual arts, I’m on a daily creative streak and I’m passionate about spreading the good word about creativity for well being. Oh, and I adore my labradoodle and morning coffee!Listen in for the long story…SHOW NOTES:Find me on socials  - https://www.instagram.com/deborahotoole_artist/ https://www.facebook.com/DeborahOTooleArtistSend me an email - hello@deborahotooleartist.comOrder my colouring book - https://www.deborahotooleartist.com/ Subscribe to my mailing list - https://www.deborahotooleartist.com/subscribeTRANSCRIPT:Well  hi there and welcome back to the joyful creative. I'm Deborah O'Toole. And today I thought I should probably introduce myself and explain my background and how I've come to doing what I'm doing now in this whole creativity space. I might just jump straight in. I have been a vocalist for my whole adult life.... early in my career, I performed in bands.   Did some TVs some recording sessions. So music theatre, which was very exciting. And then in 2002, I joined the Australian army band as a full-time vocalist.  Had a fantastic 21 year career. Traveled some very interesting places, had some amazing experiences there. And early this year, 2024, I have transferred to part-time, just in search of a bit more freedom and a scope to do these creative ideas that I have had for a long time. So I'm very grateful for my army career and yeah, I'm still performing with the band part time. So I still have a connection there. ... so for my whole adult life, as well as being a performing artist, I've also practiced visual art. And I got a diploma of art - studio textiles and design from RMIT in 2011.  And then for the next 11 years or so I was practicing textile art, doing a lot of stuff with quilting and but more sort of experimental stuff. Not the quilts with triangles and squares that you might think of when you think about quilting. I'm really was just layering up fabrics and adding a lot of embellishments, sequins and beads. Really loved doing all of that. And then I just got to a point when I really wanted to explore other mediums.  The laborious nature of the textile art was bogging me down I'd have to say. Yeah, I just wanted to have the antidote to that very slow art and do something that was a little bit more immediate. ...... I had a bit of a break from it. I picked up my sketchbook and fine liner pen. And I just started doodling, which is a thing I'd  always done. And the doodling was really therapeutic actually. And another thing is that I do a lot of travel, have done with my work and also, personally, we love to get around camping and whatnot. And obviously when you're on the road, it's very hard to take the whole textiles studio with you. So that I could still do something creative, I would bring at the very least a sketchbook and a fine liner pen and sometimes a bunch of coloured pencils. So I could use some colour as well. And I just really got into these little sketches. Yeah. They became a bit of an obsession. Then I got myself an iPad and  started doing the doodles digitally in the procreate app.  And then that actually led to me creating a bunch of illustrations that I've now published into a colouring book, which is...

Welcome to the first episode!Here I talk about the WHY? Why regular creativity is important, and some of the incredible benefits to mental health and wellbeing. If you’re struggling to prioritise regular creativity in your busy life, these points might just help you reframe that thinking so you can get more creative, enjoy the benefits and bring more joy into your life!Here are the takeaways:1. Creativity reduces stress and anxiety.2.   Creativity boosts mental health.3. Creativity fosters a sense of accomplishment.4. Creativity connects us with others.5. Creativity keeps our minds sharp. SHOW NOTES:Find me on socials  - https://www.instagram.com/deborahotoole_artist/ - https://www.facebook.com/DeborahOTooleArtistSend me an email - hello@deborahotooleartist.com Order my colouring book - https://www.deborahotooleartist.com/  Subscribe to my mailing list - https://www.deborahotooleartist.com/subscribeTRANSCRIPT:Well, hello and welcome to the first official episode of the joyful creative. I'm Deborah O'Toole and I'm passionate about creativity for wellbeing and making it a joyful priority in our busy lives.  Today, we're starting with the why, why regular creativity is so important.  I think creativity gets so underestimated as a form of wellbeing.  People see it as a hobby or a nice thing to do when you (in quotes) have time. But I would argue, and this is from my own experience and observing it in the people around me that regular creativity is actually essential, just as it's accepted that daily exercise is beneficial to our health and wellbeing, so too should creative activities, if they bring you joy. I mean, nobody says “I went for a run today and that's all I have time for this month.”  Or showering or brushing teeth.  You know, they're activities that we know should be done regularly, if not daily, to be of benefit to us. So creativity, isn't just a fun pastime. It's a powerful tool for enhancing our wellbeing. So let's talk about some of the incredible benefits of engaging in regular creative activities.So number one, it reduces stress and anxiety. And this is such a big issue these days.People are overworked and burned out and just surviving.  But when we immerse ourselves in a creative activity, our minds enter a state of flow. So, this is when we become fully absorbed in what we're doing. We tend to lose track of time and whatever stresses you might've been thinking about before, just seem to go away. Studies have shown that this state of flow can reduce stress and anxiety and leave us just feeling more relaxed and centered.  And let's face it, just being surrounded by all your beautiful materials, the softness of your knitting yarn, the shiny viscousness of paints. The patterns on your scrapbooking paper, the feel of piano keys under your fingers. All these comforting sensory experiences can put you literally and figuratively in a happy place.So number two.  (And this is a little bit like number one, but) it boosts mental health.So regular creative practice has been linked to improved mental health. Activities like painting, writing, or playing music can act as a form of self-expression.  It allows us to process emotions and experiences in a healthy way. And this can lead us to greater self awareness and emotional resilience.Number three. Creativity fosters a sense of accomplishment.Completing a...

Welcome to The Joyful Creative - a source of inspiration for integrating creativity into your busy life. Whether you're into painting, writing, knitting, music, cooking, or gardening, I firmly believe that nurturing your creative practice is essential for your wellbeing.Join me as we embark on a journey to reconnect with the creative passions that bring us joy. Together, we'll explore practical and holistic approaches to creativity, uncovering its profound impact on mental health and overall wellbeing. Through insightful discussions and practical tips, I'll help you navigate the challenges that often hinder regular creative expression. Whether you're looking to reignite your creative spark or embark on a new creative journey, The Joyful Creative is here to support and inspire you every step of the way.Connect with DeborahWebsiteInstagramFacebookYouTube