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Welcome to The Artist is In, where creativity doesn't stay inside the lines. We're your hosts, Kat Collins and Nina Buthansing, two artists sharing real, unfiltered conversations about the creative life.

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Whether we're chatting with each other or interviewing fellow artists, we're here to explore the heart of making art and what it means to keep showing up. Let's dive in.

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Hey friends, welcome back to The Artist is Zen. I'm Kat Collins here with co-host Nina Buddha-Hansing. How are you guys doing today? We've been thinking a lot about how easy it is to stay busy, to push ourselves to always be producing, always moving, but sometimes the most creative thing we can do is stop. In this episode, we're talking about the power of rest, how taking time off gives your mind the headspace to dream, wander, and spark new ideas. And we'll explore what happens when we slow down enough to notice the beauty that's already around us. Because rest and beauty go hand in hand, and they refill the well we draw from as artists and humans. So let's pause together for a little while and see what unfolds. So

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hey, Nina, how are you doing today? Not too bad. A little tired, if I'm being honest. Otherwise, pretty good. How are you?

SPEAKER_00: 1:25

I'm good. Yeah, the rest topic is very pertinent to you right now because you're finishing up setting up for your solo show.

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Yes, I can't wait to not do anything for a few weeks.

SPEAKER_00: 1:41

Yes, I get that. Yeah. I know you understand. Yes, I do. I always get excited when I look at my calendar for a Monday and there's nothing on it. And I'm like, oh, I can stay home and do nothing. Doesn't always happen that way, but you know.

SPEAKER_02: 1:57

Yeah, it is nice.

SPEAKER_00: 1:59

It is. You were the one that mentioned bringing up this topic of rest. And I thought it was super important, especially in today's society. You know, it's not only that we live in a culture of being busy and glorifies being busy. You know, when somebody always asks how you're doing, your answer is like, I'm doing great. I'm busy. You know, I get that a lot. But it's like checking things off the list, always moving forward, always producing But it's also, I find, very heavy right now, too, with everything that's going on in the world, with the stuff that's happening with Israel and Gaza and Palestine and the stuff that's happening here in the United States that we're both dealing with. And I find, as creatives, that... gets really heavy for us and it makes it harder for us to create as well. So I think the topic of rest is something we all need right now. But I found that being creative doesn't always do well under constant pressure. You know, we often find that ideas need space. They need air. They need quiet. They need time to form. And that's why I find rest is so important. So what made you want to talk about this?

SPEAKER_02: 3:25

I think part of it, to your point, is there's so much going on in the world and our country right now. And then we have everything going on in our day-to-day lives, you know, family, friends, personal lives. And as humans, I don't think we're meant to take all of that in constantly all of the time. So it gets exhausting mentally and physically. And I really wanted to talk about the rest because I haven't been able to rest. Even when I am resting and put air quotes around that, I'm still thinking of everything going on and everything that I have to do. Yeah. I keep saying to myself, well, why did I plan two solo shows among the other shows that I'm planning throughout the year? Because they're all kind of back-to-back. And I know that's the life of the artist. I mean, I'm not complaining. I feel like right now it seems like if this was... You know, several years ago, maybe I would have felt differently. But I feel personally that I'm carrying a lot of weight right now. And then we're also carrying the weight of the world. And we're not meant to carry the entire weight of the world.

SPEAKER_00: 5:17

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, being an artist, we're always... If it's something you're doing professionally, it's always hours at our easel. It's honing our skills, altering our work, and dealing with self-criticism all the time, and burning the midnight oil, as we often say. Sometimes working on just coffee and water. Maybe a little wine thrown in there too, you know. I

SPEAKER_02: 5:53

was at the store and I just got a bottle of red and I was like, it might be a little too early to have a glass of water.

SPEAKER_00: 6:06

You know, it's five o'clock somewhere. Yeah.

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I'm having... I'm having kombucha instead.

SPEAKER_00: 6:15

Oh, well, there you go. I'm still drinking coffee. I don't know what that says about me at three o'clock in the afternoon, but I

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cannot drink coffee after about noon. I don't know. It screws up the rest of my day.

SPEAKER_00: 6:30

I'm sure it affects me. I have insomnia anyway, so hey, whatever.

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Rest? That's right.

SPEAKER_00: 6:42

But I do. A lot of people associate being an artist with long hours, sleepless nights, or the I think of Van Gogh a lot where people think to be a real artist, you must be driven mad,

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you

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know, or in other words, because you have to be sad or depressed or something like that to create great art, which I think is silly, you know. But in reality, being well rested actually makes your creativity better. Oh,

SPEAKER_02: 7:13

it does for sure. Because I, I might have mentioned it. I can't remember if I mentioned it in the first episode we did together, but I was already starting to feel burnout then.

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And

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now I'm just like, it's here. It is here. And I do feel like I've gone mad. It's not that bad. But Speaking of taking time to rest and like the long hours, I'm not one. I feel like I definitely feel more creative now. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. It's usually first thing in the morning or like after dinner. Now, lately I've been in the studio more throughout the day. A lot of it because I have to.

SPEAKER_01: 8:36

Yeah. Yeah.

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But yeah, I feel like my productivity definitely is between, you know, before 11 in the morning and after 6 in the evening.

UNKNOWN: 8:48

Mm-hmm.

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And I don't know, sometimes I wonder, I'm like, well, is that because I just woke up and I have the energy and I had my coffee

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and

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I get the caffeine crash and I need to recharge throughout the day? I

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don't

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know.

SPEAKER_00: 9:04

I don't know. My most productive time is usually between like 11 and 4. Sometimes three. It all depends on when they start. But usually by the time five or six o'clock rolls around, I'm like, yeah, I'm done. I don't want to work anymore. It used to be I was a night owl and would work at night. And that really changed as I got older. It was weird.

SPEAKER_02: 9:23

Yeah, I remember I would be in the studio sometimes till like two in the morning. And yes, it definitely changed when I got older.

SPEAKER_00: 9:33

Yeah. Well, now I'm like 9 of 30, time to head back to bed. Which is really sad when I used to stay up till 4 or 5 in the morning all the time and then do stuff at like 8 o'clock or go to work at 8. Now I'm like, I can't do this anymore. But that probably says more about my age than anything. But that's okay.

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We're young.

UNKNOWN: 9:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 9:59

We are. As my wife likes to remind me, age is just the number in your head.

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It is. It really is.

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There you

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go. I mean, my body feels older.

SPEAKER_00: 10:10

Yes. I would say that. My body probably feels about 80. Yeah. You know, my brain is more like 25. Oh,

SPEAKER_02: 10:18

yeah. Sometimes my brain is 12.

SPEAKER_00: 10:21

Yes. Yeah. So anyway, talking about rest, I think one of the biggest things for me is when I rest, and we'll have to talk about what we mean by resting as well, but... When I take that time to pause, it actually allows me to have these aha moments of like, that's what I was looking for, or that's what I was thinking of, or if I try this on my painting, this will make this work, because I'm not thinking about it. So it's kind of like the distracting yourself and then the ideas come. It happens often when I'm in the shower and can't do anything about it. Yeah. Yeah. You know, or I've actually gone to sleep dreaming about my painting. and ideas. And then in the morning, like I paint in my sleep, it's really bizarre. And then in the morning, I'm like, oh, this is what I think could work. And then I can go and give that a try. But I find that, and it also gives us a chance to notice and connect with the world around us, you know, and how doing all of that feeds our creativity and what we do.

UNKNOWN: 11:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 11:41

I think it was just last week you and I were having the conversation about... I just felt this need to finish one more painting for my show. And you helped remind me that, hey, there's plenty of work. Don't force it. Make sure you rest. And after we had that conversation, I... I told myself, you know, like, you know, cat's right.

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Thank you.

SPEAKER_02: 12:17

If it's meant to be, it will come to me. And I actually took a few hours one afternoon and I went to a movement class. And I've never been to a movement class before. I had no idea what I was getting into. It is more of. It was more of like a holistic therapy type, but with movement. And I'm like, well, am I going to be tired after this? Am I going to... Like, is it going to be like a workout? It definitely... The type of movement that we did, we were pretty goofy with it. But we also had conversations throughout that class about... just about life in general and how we feel and what's weighing on us. Are we taking the time to rest and recharge? And parts of the class, I'm going to be honest, I thought it was a little corny. But I still enjoyed it. And it made me open my eyes to other avenues of rest rather than just, hey, I'm going to take a nap or I'm going to put this painting to the side for now. Because it kept my brain going, but in a more meditative state, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_00: 13:53

Absolutely, it does.

SPEAKER_02: 13:55

A couple days after I took that class, I looked at that painting that I was struggling with. I'm like, I know what I'm going to do. And it's had almost turned around completely. And I really feel like it was because I just told myself to stop thinking about it and stop worrying about it and give myself a couple days to step back and relaxed and take a breather

SPEAKER_00: 14:27

you know i think i look back at getting ready for my solo show you know and it just this happens no matter what we're doing as artists not just when we're preparing for a solo show it's just that happens to take a lot of energy and creativity but i was also so my solo show i got exhausted because i painted 17 paintings for that show And it started last August. It is a lot. You know, and I kept worrying, is this enough? Is this enough? Just like you did when you texted me. And I was like, you know, and then eventually I wanted to stop and say, enough is enough and what will be will be. And stop myself from continually doing this because I felt guilty for stopping. You know, I think anytime we choose to rest, we... there's something in me that says you're being lazy. Or you're not doing what you're supposed to do. It's this idea that stopping and resting is bad.

SPEAKER_02: 15:37

Where does that come from? So many people, whether they're an artist or not, so many people have those same thoughts that, If they take a moment to rest that they're being lazy or they could be more productive or they could get more done or, oh, I should have finished this house project. The projects aren't going anywhere. The work's not going anywhere. I

SPEAKER_00: 16:05

think it's our hustle culture that we have, which I'm very much against anymore. It's this idea that you always have to be pushing. You always have to be striving for something or doing something to feel important. But you also have the external pressures too, like deadlines, long hours. If somebody has financial insecurity, they could be thinking they have to keep working and have to keep working to make the money. Family commitments. can make you feel that way. And then we're often very highly critical about ourselves. Our own mind doesn't allow us to take a break. But in our work-dominated culture, for us here in the U.S., being busy is equated with your worth. So we often think, oh, well, rest will be when I retire because I'll have more time. And that doesn't work.

SPEAKER_02: 17:08

I'll jokingly say this now, but I think I was more serious when I first started saying it. I'd be like, oh, my mom would say, you gotta rest, you gotta make sure you're getting your sleep. I'd be like, oh, I'll sleep when I'm dead. Like, well, if you don't rest now, you're gonna die a lot sooner.

SPEAKER_00: 17:27

Yeah, because that's just not how we should function at all. Yeah. Sarah Borg, she's a clinical psychologist at Green Room Psychology. It's from an article I read, and she explains that every human brain needs rest. And then if we don't allow ourselves to obtain adequate restful states, then our brain just can't keep doing what it needs to do. And then that's when people burn out. They find themselves obsessing, catastrophizing, being self-critical. And for creative people, rest allows us, allows our brain to be in a default mode, which is a state where thinking is more flexible, flexible and novel. So that's when those light bulb moments come for us. And we think of that new association or we come up with a solution that we hadn't thought of before. So I think our work, you know, our culture here in the US definitely drives us towards that. Because even artists feel that. I mean, we may not be working a traditional nine-to-five job, but we're still pushing ourselves about deadlines, about having enough work. Is our work good enough? And then we're obsessing about our work. We're being self-critical. I know I do this a lot, and I tell myself, well, that sucks, and this isn't good enough, and why am I being an artist? And then I go to the worst. I should just quit and do something else. I've

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been saying that a lot lately. I'll call my sister I'm like I don't know why I'm still doing this I don't know why I made this decision and then you know a few weeks go by I'm like oh this is why I do this this is why I chose this path

SPEAKER_00: 19:15

yeah you know and there's nothing wrong with working long hours when you feel inspired

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you

SPEAKER_00: 19:22

know we get as artists we get into something called flow and where our mind kind of lets go. Our intuition and kind of the state of just being takes over. It's a wonderful feeling, but it's easy to get lost. You forget to eat. You forget to go to the bathroom. You forget all these things. And I, yeah, I think that's a great moment, but I think still hitting pause every so often is, Number one, it boosts our wellness health-wise, because if we're forgetting all these things. And then it really ignites our creative streak. It's all about self-care, really. Oh,

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yeah. I am one for... I fully support self-care. I don't do it enough.

SPEAKER_00: 20:11

No. No. I think about my year last year was super busy with everything I was doing. And so when I was planning stuff for this year... I deliberately scaled back a little bit because my body took a toll. And both of us have talked about our chronic illnesses that we deal with. And I found... myself getting more irritated, more impatient. Talk about being tired. It was much worse than normal. And I found that I wasn't stopping enough to take care of myself. And I always tell people, I tell other people, well, you have to take care of yourself first in order to be able to fill any cup for anybody else or do anything else. And I wasn't taking my own advice. And I actually think that triggered a lot of the flair I had of my stuff early this year and the struggles that I've been having this year. We

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do that. I think too often. I know it's too often because I do the same thing where I give people all this great advice and then I don't take it. It's like, well, hey, you should listen to me, but I'm not going to listen to me. Yeah,

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yeah, that happens a lot.

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And then sometimes, you know, it's too late. It's like you push yourself so far and overextend yourself. And then you're in bed for a week or don't do anything for a month. And then the cycle continues and you beat yourself up again. We have to be more patient with ourselves.

SPEAKER_00: 21:57

Yes.

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And more forgiving.

SPEAKER_00: 21:59

Yep. You know, I tell people when I paint. And this is also in the web design practice I've had. I talk about white space a lot.

UNKNOWN: 22:07

And

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it kind of translates in this idea of it's a place to rest. So in a website design, you want white space. It doesn't have to be white. It just means breathing room. So it's this idea of not cramming everything together. And so having white space in your schedule is is like leaving room on a canvas or slower, softer areas on a painting. Because ideas, creativity, everything about ourselves needs space to breathe and take those moments. I often say when it comes to a painting that it's the quiet moments. Because if a painting is so chaotic to look at, It can be too much and you have no place to go to step back from it and take something else in. But then if you create even small little spaces that aren't quite as in your face or as chaotic or bold, but are softer, easier. A lot of times we don't even realize that subconsciously we kind of take a breath and relax a little and then come back into the rest of it feeling refreshed. And so it's kind of the same idea in taking a rest as well.

SPEAKER_02: 23:33

Are there certain things that you do in particular to create that white space for yourself?

SPEAKER_00: 23:41

I do for myself personally. I like to journal a lot. I unplug by reading. I am a huge book nerd. I read a lot, a lot. And I probably start a new book every three or four days or finish a new book every three or four days. And I'm not necessarily reading self-help books or how-to books or any of that. It's all worlds I can get lost in. And so it takes me out of my own self. Now, they're all like black ops thrillers, assassin thrillers, book thrillers. Yes, yes. And I think that's what matters. The other thing I do is I'm in nature. I love nature. It has a sacredness to it for me. Now, mind you, this is not like camping or being deep in a forest kind of nature because bugs and I don't get along. So, especially spiders. Went boating yesterday and there was a gigantic spider and it ran across my wife's chest and I freaked out. It wasn't even on me.

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I Aside from the spider, did you have a nice time at the lake?

SPEAKER_00: 25:01

Oh, my God. Yes. Yes. Those are the things I do. Water is a big thing for me. So I'll go to lakes. I'll go to ponds, rivers, creeks. There's a park locally that I love to sit at and I'll read next to it. And I get to watch the birds. I get to watch, you know, the geese coming in and the ducks and everything. Sometimes I've been able to spot a bird that I don't typically get to see. Like there was a crane that stopped by. I was able to get a picture of him. That was really cool. And then I saw a kingfisher bird, which I don't typically ever see unless you're by water. But I also take long, hot showers at night. Part of that's for physical reasons. But it was also a chance just to relax. I do crossword puzzles. I will admit I don't do well just sitting and doing nothing because I get bored. My brain gets bored.

SPEAKER_01: 25:49

Yeah.

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Not physically get bored, but yes. Yeah. It's like, I want something to at least engage me a little bit, but I think it's, I love lighting candles. You know, that have scents that mean a lot to me. And so I'll do that as well.

SPEAKER_02: 26:04

I do love a good hot shower and like a soft scented candle.

SPEAKER_01: 26:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 26:13

I actually just did that the other night because I was so tense. So I just turned the bathroom light off, lit the candle, and I just stood under the hot water. I was like, it's fantastic.

SPEAKER_00: 26:27

Very relaxing.

SPEAKER_02: 26:28

Yeah. And sometimes I'll put calming music on too. just to you know close my eyes not think of anything for however long I decide to stay in there

SPEAKER_00: 26:39

I mean I do mindfulness things with the headspace app so I'll do a lot of those and meditations did yoga for a long time I love doing yoga I have to get back into it yeah but doing any kind of moderate exercise like walking mine's more like strolling because I'm looking at everything around me you know even going for hikes biking which I don't do anymore because I can't physically but but it's anything that boosts your mood and helps you unwind while you're away from, whether it's the easel, the camera, sketch pad, whatever it is you are using for art.

SPEAKER_02: 27:14

I do love a good hike, but since I don't exercise quite like very often, like I walk the dog every day, but that's not, it doesn't do much for me. But we were at the Carl Stirner Arts Trail in Easton a few weeks ago. The week we had the first heat wave, wave this summer. So it was back in June already. And it was still hot. But I kept, I was like, it's so beautiful. There's art everywhere. There's birds, there's water flowing, you know, and being with the dog, that's relaxing for me. And as hot as it was, I just stopped dead in my tracks and I stuck my arms out and I looked up to the sky and I was like, I love this. And my husband's like sweating his butt off. I mean, both of us were, but he was just like, Well, I'm glad you like it. I feel like if it was maybe another day, I would have been like, okay, it's too hot for this. But I needed it so badly. It just felt so good. But it does feel good when you're out and you're exercising. It's just sometimes we get so overwhelmed that we don't even want to do it. We'd rather, well, I shouldn't say we. I don't want to speak for everyone. I don't want to speak for you. But sometimes I would rather just take a nap.

SPEAKER_00: 28:42

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02: 28:43

Which is also fine. I'm a strong, I'm a big advocate of naps. I would probably nap every day if I could.

SPEAKER_00: 28:55

When we were talking about bats, I was thinking of two things. When you were opening your arms like that in the heat and the sun, it made me think of forest bathing. You know, there's different ways you can do bathing, which is basically just submerging into something.

SPEAKER_02: 29:12

I was going to say, I never heard the term forest bathing.

SPEAKER_00: 29:16

Yeah, it's very cool. So that's basically that where you go into a forest pretty much and allow yourself to absorb the sounds, what's going on around you. And it's engaging your senses and connecting with the natural environment. And it's slowing down and immersing yourself in the sights and the sounds and the smells of the forest. So it's engaging all your senses. Amazing to do. And it's actually based off a Japanese practice. I'll do

SPEAKER_02: 29:50

that. I guess I've done that without realizing it was That's what it was called. Because, I mean, I'll do that in the yard sometimes. You know, I'll just like sit or lay. I love laying in the grass in the yard. Now I live more in the city. So there's more noises than just the birds

SPEAKER_01: 30:15

and

SPEAKER_02: 30:16

bugs. But also, Lydia Panis, she does gorgeous photography. And all of the models that she uses... She goes out onto her property, and I've modeled for her a couple times, and we drive basically into the woods, the wooded areas of her home, and I'll just lay in the grass or under a tree, wherever she has the vision. It's actually very therapeutic. She'll be taking pictures, and she'll be pulling bugs off my face.

SPEAKER_01: 30:56

but

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it's like like you said like i'm i'll be immersed in the sounds of nature and for a person that grew up hating bugs to now wanting to be out in nature all the time and exploring my gardens and other gardens just knowing that like i'm laying there essentially that you know i'm laying there in the forest and there there could be a snake somewhere or there's a spider crawling up my leg and I just I remain calm because she's taking these photos and it almost I think working with her over the years has also helped me appreciate nature even more and I think I'm you know I'm just coming to the realization maybe now well

SPEAKER_00: 31:49

that's cool though yeah well good I love that and I can't say I have that experience completely in nature. But for the most part, I do love it. I do. And so he took us for a walk out into the woods behind my great aunt's house. And we started walking and you could see clear as day without flashlights because the moon was so bright. But we could start seeing where deer had bedded down in the forest and tracking them basically. And then we came upon a field. There was a herd of deer that had to have been between like 30 and 50 deer standing in this field. eating just hanging out together being together there was a couple bugs there along with does and it was such a magical experience to be out in nature like that I loved it now mind you it was freezing cold and no bugs so I was good

SPEAKER_02: 33:10

it really is beautiful and I don't think that we always take the time to slow down and appreciate the beauty around us

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and

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I've been making at a point to really do that more often. One thing that I've noticed too is I'll get impatient sometimes with the dog when I'm taking her for a walk because she stops to smell everything. But that's what dogs do. But then, you know, she'll stop and she'll start smelling the flowers or she'll see a little insect and she'll, you And I told her, yes, I talk to the dog all the time. And I told her one day, I was like, you know, like you, you really helped me learn how to slow down and notice everything around me. We have to remind ourselves to do that.

SPEAKER_00: 34:13

Well, I think it's important, you know, as we talk about rest, it's rest, it doesn't mean not doing nothing. It's more about making space and taking in what's around us. Slowing down allows us perspective. It's the antithesis of what Western society often says, you know, and so a nap, meditation, or just pausing without a screen in front of us, or headphones in our ears, stepping out Mm-hmm. It allows us into new ways of being and seeing the world. So slowing down brings us that. When you slow down, you see more. I often think about, this is a goal I try to achieve in what I paint. I do a lot of layering on a lot of hidden things that you won't necessarily see unless you take the time to stop. And I actually look deeper and deeper into the painting. And that's always my goal is just to make somebody pause. And then feel something. I don't care what the feeling is. You can hate it for all. That's fine. It might break my heart a little bit. No, I'm just kidding. It's the idea of slowing down. And

SPEAKER_02: 35:44

I think that's where you and I are similar with our painting styles because I have, I too create so many layers. I mean, the original piece, like that first layer, or I should say those first few layers of paint that I put on my canvas, usually it's nowhere near what the end product is. And the more you look at it, especially with your work, oh my gosh, I mean, I could stand and stare at your work all day. Oh, there's something else. Oh, I didn't notice this before.

SPEAKER_00: 36:17

Yeah, I always think of the story of the experience I had at Westmoreland Art Museum. It's out near Falling Water in Pennsylvania. And they have a room that's painted white. It's a small room. And one painting hanging in it and a chair. And I was like, what the heck is this? I walk in and they have a description for you that basically invites you to sit in front of this painting for 30 minutes and And it challenges you to stay there and keep looking for things. And it gives you ideas of like questions you could ask yourself and things to look at. And they change the painting all the time. So it's not the same. And then they have a journal there where you can write what your experience was about. So I put myself in there and I'm like, all right, let's see if I can really do this because I talk about this all the time and tell people to slow down. Instead of in a gallery, you're just scanning paintings as you walk, stop and actually truly look at something that catches your attention. Well, the painting in there wasn't one that would normally catch my attention, but I found myself after five minutes fidgeting. And I was getting bored. I'm like, I, you know, I don't want to do this. I don't like this painting, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I was like, all right, I'm going to quit. I can't do this. Like, that's not good because I tell people to do this all the time. But then I decided, all right, why is this? Am I not happy with this painting? And I actually went that direction with it, which was interesting. And then I started making, it was a painting of men and boys going to work somewhere, but it was more about when they would work in warehouses or mines or things like that. Then I started making up stories about the people I kept seeing. And I was like, well, he looks at this age and what direction is he coming from? So it was interesting to do this. And it's not easy, right? I even find it when I sit and watch TV. If a commercial comes on, I'm fidgeting on my phone.

SPEAKER_02: 38:19

Oh,

SPEAKER_00: 38:20

yeah. It's like I can't just stop. I

SPEAKER_02: 38:23

need to throw my phone out the window, I think. Sometimes. It's such a distraction. But I think thinking about what you just said with sitting with the piece, I often will pull up a chair. If I'm struggling with a piece, I'll pull up a chair and I just sit with it. But I often find myself asking, well, what do I like about it? Not what don't I like. And if I find something I don't like, I usually don't question, well, why don't I like it? I'm just like, no, this has to go. I don't always take that pause and really think about it. And I'm wondering if I can create something even better if I take that time with my pieces. I

SPEAKER_00: 39:17

think so. I think we often rush through our work sometimes just to get somewhere else or... But I think it's number one, asking yourself, what do you think is beautiful? And maybe we have misconceptions about that. But also, when was the last time you stopped to appreciate something beautiful or something different in your life? You know, I'm a dreamer and I love to just kind of daydream and space out a bit. But I'm one who will get lost in looking at the shape of a leaf or the way the color in the sky changes, the way the texture of a tree looks or the food I'm eating. You know, I get very just lost in something simple like that

SPEAKER_02: 40:04

oh I am in the same way and you've been in my studio before so for those that don't know my studio is actually the front bedroom our second bedroom in my home so it's up on the second floor and We sit a little higher than the other homes on the street, so we can see kind of over the neighborhoods and part of South Mountain. So I get to see great sunrises, although I can't really see the sun, the actual sun, because there's a giant pine tree in the way. But then at night, when the sun is setting the opposite direction, the clouds look so beautiful above. the mountains. And I'm always like, I'm just like, I wish somebody can come and watch this with me. Or if my husband's downstairs, I'm like, hey, come up and come upstairs and look at the clouds. And yeah, just sitting and just looking at like watching the movement of everything. And like you said, like the shape of a leaf. I mean, it's really a beautiful thing to just take a moment, take a look at what's right in front of you.

SPEAKER_00: 41:22

We have bird feeders in our backyard. I just put them in this year intentionally to entertain my three cats, but I actually find I'm very entertained by them. But there's days I'll just sit on my deck and just watch them and just do nothing and just watch how they interact with each other. I start seeing more colors on the birds. I realize I have a squirrel that's getting very fat in my neighborhood because he's eating all my seat on the floor. I

SPEAKER_02: 41:52

have one that jumped. I built a tray, like a hanging tray feeder.

SPEAKER_01: 41:58

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02: 42:00

And I tried to put it far enough away from the fence that the squirrel couldn't get into it. But eventually, it realized that it could just launch itself off the fence into this tray feeder. And they will. They're

SPEAKER_01: 42:18

crazy. Yeah,

SPEAKER_02: 42:19

they're insane. I mean, it looks ridiculous. And every now and then, I'll see them out there. And I say to the dog, I'm like, go out and get that squirrel. Oh, they're so entertaining. I mean... It's fascinating. I am a birder now. Is

SPEAKER_00: 43:02

that saying something about her age too? I'm just kidding. I mean, I think it's more about the fact that we're, we slow down. So we appreciate what's around us more.

SPEAKER_02: 43:17

Yeah. Like I feel like when, when we're like, when you're a kid, you know, you're again, you're, you have so much wonder, but then you, you reach, eventually you reach a point in your life where a lot of people tend to lose that wonder and awe and that curiosity. And I don't, for me, personally I don't think it ever left but I definitely ignored it for a while and then it wasn't until I got in my 30s where I was like oh I need to take a look around again and there's just I don't know it brings me so much joy everything

SPEAKER_00: 43:56

I mean that slowing down and seeing things and seeing beauty which doesn't necessarily always mean beautiful but it often sparks fresh ideas or emotional shifts and that feeds our creative work anything we do as part of this resting is it just feeds us to make us do better and be better at what we are

SPEAKER_01: 44:18

yeah

SPEAKER_00: 44:19

so let's talk about some Because we talk about rest a lot, but practical ways to rest and notice. Do you have any ideas?

SPEAKER_02: 44:27

It is very hard for me to just relax. So one thing, this is me giving other people advice that I don't take. Or I take my own advice, but very rarely.

SPEAKER_01: 44:42

There

SPEAKER_02: 44:44

have been a few times recently where I've gone on walks and I've left my phone at home and I need to do that more. more because of like taking a walk is a very it's a meaningful time for me I don't just go out I think about it I'm aware of my surroundings I'm taking everything in if I have my phone with me you know I'm walking the dog checking Instagram or maybe like I'll call somebody and I'm like well this is my time this is my time to relax so why am I on my phone also I think I've mentioned And maybe before just having like a little sketchbook, you know, sketching what you see. I like to do that where I'll go in the garden, sketch a fun looking leaf, call it a day. It takes five minutes. I know you love to read. I like to read, but it takes me forever to finish a book. But when I'm in the right mindset, I'll go out, I'll sit outside and I'll read a book. I cannot read in bed or I'll just fall asleep. I

SPEAKER_00: 45:58

agree. I think it's important to remember though that restful what feels restful is different from person to person just as you said you read to fall asleep I read and I never sleep because I get so engaged with it but so it can be as simple as cuddling with your pet you know my cats I well I try to cuddle with my cats they don't always like that but uh yeah you know

SPEAKER_02: 46:22

I just love me

SPEAKER_00: 46:25

yeah right and they're like no but I you know walking in the sun You know, like you've done some people, it could be rock climbing. Others is just turning off your notifications on your phone, putting boundaries on emails that you won't answer after five o'clock kind of thing. Spending time on a different type of creative pursuit. You know, I paint. So recently I have been doing collages with paintings that I don't want or need anymore. There are little studies and cutting them up and reconfiguring them, which I find incredibly revitalizing. It's still being creative, but it's not what I typically do. It could be playing with Legos. If you like Legos, I have some friends that are obsessed with them and build them.

SPEAKER_02: 47:12

I do like Legos.

SPEAKER_00: 47:13

Some people is having a

SPEAKER_02: 47:14

nap.

SPEAKER_00: 47:15

I want to get

SPEAKER_02: 47:15

one of their garden sets, their floral sets.

SPEAKER_00: 47:19

That would be fun. You know, so it's just different for everybody. Playing, doing anything to play, just switching yourself off from the outside world and being task focused and allowing ourselves to be in a It's often found the most restorative forms of rest are actually active rest, not passive, where you're just doing nothing. I can't do just nothing because I get bored. It's about finding a balance between resting, but not being inundated or feeling you have to do something or whatever. I love that. If you need a break from sensory stuff because our phones go off all day long, turn it off for a little bit. Even if you just silence it Stick it in another room and then go do something in a different room.

SPEAKER_02: 48:11

So

SPEAKER_00: 48:11

it's still there. But even doing that can be hard sometimes when you know you need it.

SPEAKER_02: 48:19

I do that sometimes. I'll put my phone in another room and then I'll go work in the studio so that I don't think about checking notifications or popping on social media because then I go down a rabbit hole.

SPEAKER_00: 48:35

It's the whole idea of the slow undoing of some of the ingredients assumptions we have about work and rest and resisting pressure to be in my studio seven days a week because I now pay for it or allowing myself time to rest and say, I can paint later or I can answer an email at 11 o'clock on a Monday and set my hours and not do it on the weekend. But you need that time to rest and let ideas percolate and come out. And then there's less emotional stuff that you end up carrying because your brain has had a chance to let it go. And we take a break.

SPEAKER_02: 49:24

I'm going to take a break and rest tonight and watch some Star Trek.

SPEAKER_00: 49:28

There you go. I will be doing it much later tonight because I have a meeting later. But sometimes rest for me is cooking and I'll make dinner because I love to cook.

SPEAKER_02: 49:37

I wish I loved to cook. I'm sure my husband wishes that I loved to cook. And I wouldn't survive without his cooking.

SPEAKER_00: 49:48

Yeah, my wife is cooking tonight since I'll be home later. So it's a nice treat for a change. I've learned that while resting, creativity doesn't shut down. You're not going to lose it because you're not doing it. You know, they'll still come. Inspiration will still happen anytime. When I feel that inspiration, I'll write it down. I'll make a note on my phone in the notes app or, you know, I'll write it quickly in a journal.

SPEAKER_02: 50:14

Yeah, I keep a little notebook in my purse and my nightstand. And I've gotten some great ideas from that, having that little

SPEAKER_00: 50:25

book. All right. So to recap our whole entire conversation in a nutshell, which will be really hard to do, but rest is not a waste. It's an investment in your creativity. Beauty is everywhere, but you have to slow down to see it. And I highly recommend, you know, give yourself permission to rest and notice one beautiful thing each day. You could take a picture of it, you know, or just think about it or draw a quick sketch in a sketchbook if you want to remember it. Whatever. And that's a directive for myself too because I know I'm bad at that.

SPEAKER_02: 51:01

Yeah, I go out every morning and I look at the bees and other insects in the garden and I take a picture and I share it in my Instagram stories almost every day. And I'm like, well, you probably saw the same bee ten times in a month, but here it is again. Enjoy it.

SPEAKER_00: 51:21

Yes. Yeah. I'll do the same thing with the park that I'm at. I'm always taking pictures of it and posting it. And so I bet it brings me such joy.

SPEAKER_02: 51:29

And then it brings others joy too. Everyone should share their beautiful moments on social media with us.

SPEAKER_00: 51:37

Absolutely. Yeah. You can tag us at the artist is in. You want directly to tag us. You can do at what is your Instagram handle?

SPEAKER_02: 51:49

Nina underscore Bood.

SPEAKER_00: 51:52

B-O-O-D.

SPEAKER_02: 51:54

Yes.

SPEAKER_00: 51:55

And mine is at Kat Collins Studio. Kat with a K. But I want to thank people for spending time with us today. We hope this conversation reminded you that rest isn't wasted time. It's where creativity has space to breathe. And when we slow down, we start to notice the little sparks of beauty all around us. This week, give yourself permission to pause, step back, rest, and see what shows up, whether it's a creative idea, a shift in perspective, or simply the joy of noticing something beautiful. Remember, rest is not a luxury. It is a necessity.

SPEAKER_02: 52:33

If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend who might need the same reminder. And we'd love to hear from you. What's one beautiful thing you noticed today? Again, tag us on social media at hashtag the artist is in or email us at info at katcollinstudio.com and again that's kat with a k

SPEAKER_00: 52:57

until next time keep creating keep noticing and take care