By design, we’re built to create.
I’m Jenny Velarde MA, LCAT, RDT. I’m a psychotherapist and just as importantly, I’m an Artist. Welcome to Artist As Guide. To me, being an artist isn’t a luxury. It’s not a hobby scenario. To me, the Artist Role is a means of survival. To survive. And it’s also a means to thrive. Stunningly, it’s both.
I VIEW THE ARTIST ROLE IN THREE KEY WAYS:
1.) Everyone has access to it
2.) It’s a non-negotiable role
3.) It can be applied effectively to every part of our lives, in a practical sense
I’m thrilled you’re here and you’re stepping deeper into the wild potential of your creativity. This space was built with you in mind and I’d love for you to think of it like your own creative real estate. It’s my aim to carefully craft and curate a library of resources for you, the creator, akin to filling up a tool box. It’s about arming you with actionable steps. I want you to have something tangible to walk away with and put to use, each and every time you stop in.
Let’s be real. It takes outrageous bravery to be an artist. Even more so, to be an artist in every part of our lives.
Now what do I mean, when I say artist?
Sometimes when that role pops up, we immediately assume visual art. Certainly, Artist As Guide is for visual artists, though when I use the term artist, I mean creatives and creators of any kind.
Artist As Guide is geared towards you becoming a more emboldened art maker: Feeling an expanse of confidence within your creativity and your work, as well as your relational life. To me, the two are inseparable.
We’re talking professional relationships. Family. Partnership. Friendships. The community you are in and that’s around you. Faith. Whatever the roles are that you play out in your life, by rolling up our sleeves and digging into our unbelievable capacity for creativity, spontaneity, innovation---these things strengthen our connections.
As a therapist, I’m just so grateful for the hundred of clients I’ve worked with over the years, of all backgrounds. Their stories of courage and ingenuity and vulnerability and fear. Triumph. Boldness.
I’m also thankful for the years of real world creative experience I’ve had through so many different mediums. Through this combination, I’m so inspired and driven by the practicality and power infused in creative ways of moving and functioning, particularly when things feel rigid or fixed or stuck.
By inviting the Artist Role into all aspects of our lives, not just our mediums, the opportunities to more deeply step into our creative impact are staggeringly expansive.
By inviting the Artist Role into all aspects of our lives, not just our mediums, the opportunities to more deeply step into our creative impact are staggeringly expansive.
Artist As Guide. A place to further build out your craft. A place to refresh. A place to strength-train. A place to step out and really take action, creatively.
Now go and create. You were created to.
"When we change our relationship to procrastination, we change everything."
-THE PROCRASTINATION SYSTEM