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Contagious Victories is a community for individuals to share positive perspectives, artistic endeavors and miraculous moments with others. Whether it is through storytelling, art, music or word, the members of Contagious Victories create space for vulnerability and act as an audience for support in creative works. We all have something to courageously celebrate- and even small victories are contagious!
Welcome to the Contagious Victory's podcast. Each week, we talk inspiration, explore possibilities, and share insights from creative creative perspectives. I'm Tori Blackmon, and I'm here to remind you that your purpose in life is to celebrate the victories because victories are contagious.
Victoria B. Glass:Hey, friends. I'm so glad to have you back for another episode of the Contagious Victories podcast. If you're curious about the secrets of fulfilled living, then you're gonna love hearing from our guest today, Lauren Spangler. As a creativity coach, Lauren helps other artists bridge the gap between their boldest visions and their everyday reality. A painter, writer, and musician herself, as well as a wife and mom of 2, Lauren's mission is to empower artists to enjoy the creative freedom they crave without giving up their other roles and priorities.
Victoria B. Glass:She has helped 100s of professionals set and achieve their goals, and now she's here to help you unblock your inner artist and take big steps toward your biggest dreams. Y'all, this episode really hit home for me because there's been seasons of my own creative journey where I've faced burnout and struggled to unlock my potential. So if you've ever felt like that too, you're not alone. And today's guest, Lauren Spangler, is going to help us gain invaluable insight and give us a few strategies to help us overcome excuses, inspiration blocks, and she even shares a very simple but strategic secret that helps us find more time in the day for creative work. Now I do want to mention, we talk a lot in today's episode about Lauren's art.
Victoria B. Glass:And I don't just want you to hear us chat about her work, I want you to see it. So if you'd like to do more than just visualize her pieces, then head over to YouTube and search for contagious victories. That way you can watch the video version of this podcast and see her talent for yourself. She's a painter, a musician, and so much more, and I really love her paintings of animals and botanicals. It's all just so lovely.
Victoria B. Glass:But don't just take my word for it. You can tune in too and watch our conversation on YouTube. Alright. Let's hear directly from Lauren Spangler.
Victoria B. Glass:Hey. Welcome back to the Contagious Victory Show. Listeners, I am so excited to introduce you to our guest, Lauren Spangler. She is a creativity coach, a artist and creative, and I'm so excited to learn more about her today. And I know you're gonna get a lot out of this conversation. Lauren, welcome to the show.
Lauren Spangler:Thank you so much, Tori. It's a delight to be here with you. I'm really, really glad and excited for this conversation.
Victoria B. Glass:Yes. And I have been exploring all the awesome creativity that you share online from reels to podcast interviews like this 1 and your artwork too of beautiful, like, drawings and paintings, digital art. Am I saying that correctly? Is that what you call it?
Lauren Spangler:Yeah. Thank you so much. I like to work digital. I also like do watercolor. I like to draw, work with pastels. Yeah. All sorts of stuff.
Victoria B. Glass:Thank you so much. And it's just beautiful and it has such a positive and cheerful vibe that comes off the page. So I've just enjoyed watching all of the creation videos and stuff that you've shared. And I'm looking forward to hearing more about your creativity journey. I want you to start from the very beginning. So how did you get started as a creative and what did that look like growing up?
Lauren Spangler:I always wanted to be drawing and making music. That's what I was doing in any down moment as a kid. That or hanging out with my family. I was lucky to have amazing parents and a wonderful sister, and we spent a lot of family time growing up.
Lauren Spangler:And so when I was a kid, there were 2 things I always wanted to be. I wanted to be an artist, and I wanted to be a mom. And so through school and through college, I studied music, and, then after college, studied a little bit of visual arts as well. And I actually worked as a professional musician after college for a little while. And, after after about a year or so, I realized that the lifestyle of a professional musician at that place and time, was really different than the sort of peaceful connected family life that I had sort of envisioned for myself.
Lauren Spangler:And that for for a long time was something I really wrestled with and was trying to reconcile, like, how do I be an artist and how do I be a mom? And it took me a good decade or so to figure out how those 2 things could live in peace together, and where I could have this, like, creative drawing, making music, painting
Lauren Spangler:type of lifestyle, and also have the financial stability and the peaceful home and the other side of it as well. So yeah, it's been a long road to figure out how to balance all of that. But here I am now, and I get to create, I get to paint, But here I am now, and I get to create. I get to paint. I get to make music. I get to coach. I'm a strategist. I get to be a mom. I get to do all the mom things. I I feel like I get to wear all the hats that I want to wear, which is just, incredible. I'm really grateful to get to do all of it.
Victoria B. Glass:Well, I feel the gratitude from you your this conversation. You talking about all of the wonderful opportunities that you've had to create in this lifetime of yours. I also feel it from your feed online, like your Instagram feed and things which goes back to earlier. Just the excitement that you have but also the tranquility that your post and artwork and the things that I've seen you share online just the vibration that they give off. So I wanted to let you know that as an audience member, I really appreciate you taking the time to figure that out.
Victoria B. Glass:I know it must have been a journey to get to where you are right now as far as having to battle with those different roles that you were explaining in your life, but the journey is so beautiful when you watch it happen from an outsider perspective too. So just wanted to comment on that is that it does that love that love for creation comes through. You're welcome. Well,
Lauren Spangler:It means a lot and I'm that's the piece I'm hoping is contagious because I think we have all these preconceived notions of, like, what it has to be like if you wanna be an artist. And so, if that's coming through, then that that makes my day because that's what I'm hoping to help show people and help teach people.
Victoria B. Glass:Absolutely. It is. And I wanna talk a little bit about your music background just a little bit because I see the piano behind you and I heard, you know, you talk about being an a musician, musical artist. I feel like there's so many versions of art artists and things like that, so I wanna be specific. Now tell me a little bit about the music part.
Victoria B. Glass:Do you play piano, it looks like? What else? Tell me all about that.
Lauren Spangler:I play piano. I sing. I was a singer songwriter for a while, and I studied music theory and composition in college. So I trained classically, studied opera, studied classical music, and, but my heart is really in the singer songwriter world.
Lauren Spangler:So, for a while, I was recording and performing music of my own, which was a roller coaster, and I absolutely loved it. And these days, I sing a lot more lullabies and nursery rhymes. Not not on stage singing my own music very much anymore. Although I do write and and record some here in my little studio. And, yeah, it's been a big part of my life forever and something that's really important to me.
Victoria B. Glass:Oh, that's amazing. I love hearing that you are very, how do I put this, more than I thought. Like, I I know that you said you were a musician and stuff, but like you say, like, opera and then to write music too, that is a true true musician and an artist, like, in so many ways.
Lauren Spangler:Thank you.
Victoria B. Glass:So Thank you. That's that's really inspiring to hear. To know that there's many facets of your artistic career and also life, it is so inspiring again to me that to be like, oh, that's so awesome that she can not only play, but she allows the creativity to flow her flow through her in so many different different ways.
Lauren Spangler:Well Thanks
Victoria B. Glass:You're welcome!
Lauren Spangler:For for a long time, I thought it was a bad thing. For a long time, I felt like I needed to pick 1. Like, what's on my name tag? What am I what am I saying? Am I am I gonna be a musician?
Lauren Spangler:Am I gonna be a painter? Am I gonna be a composer? Like, what am I gonna do? And, it's I you know, that's another piece where I feel like there's more and more room now for people to be multipassionate and to sort of lean into all the different things they care about. So, yeah, there's there's a lot of room.
Lauren Spangler:Even though right now I don't do music professionally, I still consider myself a musician because I'm writing it and practicing it and making it every day. And so, yeah. Anyway, there's a little philosophical rabbit hole we could go down on identity.
Victoria B. Glass:Yeah. No. I mean, I think that's so good. And if you bringing that up is a good thing too because we recently talked about how on the show, we talked about how my husband got my art degree framed. And for a really long time, I was like, no.
Victoria B. Glass:That's just a piece of paper. Like, it's fine. But it does make a difference when you realize, hey, this part of myself is still a part of this story even if it's not something that is at the forefront right now. You know, this is who I am. So I love that, and I can only imagine just how wonderful it is to have a mom that will sing lullabies and, like, that that's so beautiful of a life that you've created for your kids even to have that part of yourself still shine through in those intimate moments when you're with them at, you know, singing lullabies at night and things like that.
Victoria B. Glass:1 thing I love about the show, but I'm still kind of getting used to is, like, just these moments of brave recognition where it's like, oh, I see you. Like, that's awesome and, like, kudos. So I guess I should just leave it at. That is a good victory, like, claps. I'm having a clap very softly.
Lauren Spangler:Thank you. It's hard, you know, it's hard for us to share our victory sometimes because we want to be humble. Do you know what I mean? Like, we we don't want to have an inflated ego. We wanna remain aware of the fact that we're still growing, and there's still a lot of road ahead of us.
Lauren Spangler:But it's important to pause and say, this is what I did, and I'm proud of it. And it went really well, and it's really cool because when you say that and when you speak that victory out loud, then someone else who hears you can see themselves and see their ambitions reflected in your reality and go, Yeah, I wanna do that too. If she can, I can! Like, look what they did. I should go give it a shot and and bring my own desires forward because it's possible. So, yeah, kudos to your kudos, to my kudos, to all the kudoses. This is why this is important. Yeah.
Victoria B. Glass:This is why this is important. Yes. Absolutely. So now that you're able to recognize these many different versions of yourself and and call them to existence as for what they are, how do you take those moments and put them into your coaching career and to your your season of being a strategist right now? Can you elaborate a little bit more on your personal experiences and how you tie that into your coaching with your clients?
Lauren Spangler:1 way it serves me is that I have experience as a musician. I've written. I have painted. I've done all these different things, and it allows me to have, you know, a little window into what those experiences are like. And so the creative process in general is actually there there's a lot of commonality.
Lauren Spangler:No matter what medium you're working in, no matter what, you know, particular style or genre, where, like, the creative experience and the process of having an idea and bringing it into reality and sharing it with people is pretty there's a lot there's there's a common denominator there. But there are specifics within the world of, like, what does it look like to do that as a visual artist? How are you gonna use your tools like social media? How are you gonna promote yourself? How are you gonna conceive of your collections, you know, versus doing that as a musician, which can be like a performance art, you're live, you're with people in a real space, or how do you use social media in a different way?
Lauren Spangler:Like, there there are a lot of different tactics and different nuances within creativity in each of those different worlds. And so 1 way that it's helped to be a jack of all trades or at least a jack of several trades, is I can relate to my clients who are musicians. I can relate to my clients who are authors. I can relate to my clients who are painters because, on some level, I've been swimming in that ocean. Right?
Lauren Spangler:And so, that's been really helpful. And the coolest part is when I get to meet clients who practice something I've never done before, like ceramics or jewelry making or dancing. There are a lot of artistic worlds I haven't ever walked in. So it's actually really fun to work with those people too because then I get to learn a little bit about what they do and what their particular flavor of of art is like.
Victoria B. Glass:Oh, I love how you put that. And I bet that is so interesting, and it'll keep you curious as an artist because there will be things and people who have experienced the same feelings but different mediums and you can appreciate their artwork and also help guide them through some of those those maybe troubles that they're having or experience in that season. So I really see that and how it would be such a fulfilling life to live as a creativity coach. And you mentioned a little bit when we were talking before the interview that you had a a business where you experienced a little bit of burnout and I know as an artist that can be like the number 1 fear. At least I know personally, it's like I will take, you know, being the the artist who loves what I do and never gets acknowledged for it over being someone who loves what they do, gets acknowledged for it, and then doesn't wanna do it anymore. So how did you navigate that? III wanna hear that a little bit more and how you navigated it. Can you elaborate on on that a little more?
Lauren Spangler:Yeah. 1st, let me say that what you just said, Tori, is really healthy when you said you'd rather be the the artist who loves what you do and doesn't get acknowledged versus the artist who burns out and doesn't wanna do what they love anymore, because they were seeking that acknowledgment so, like, frantically. That's a beautiful mindset. So just, like, pat yourself on the back because sometimes it takes a lot of work for artists to get to that place. Yeah.
Lauren Spangler:So my experience was maybe common. I don't know. But I when I first set out to be a professional creative, I was a musician, singer songwriter, like I said, and I had every bit of knowledge in the book about how to write a song, how to record a song, how to perform a song. All the pieces of the creative process were, like, locked down, ready to go. But I had 0 knowledge of how to run a creative business, how to think like an entrepreneur, how to position myself in a market, how to engage with the rapid fire rejection that happens when you step out of school and into the real world.
Lauren Spangler:I was totally under underprepared, unprepared, 0% prepared for that experience. And what happened was I developed this really toxic relationship with my creativity because I was suddenly in this environment where I didn't know I didn't know how to swim. I wound up sinking emotionally creatively, creative health wise, because of the strains and pressures that operating as a professional creative put on my creative process. Does that make sense?
Victoria B. Glass:Oh, yeah.
Lauren Spangler:And so my business went belly up financially just, like, completely tanked because I had no idea how to be savvy in a business at that point. And when that happened, that was just such an enormous blow to my creative to my inner artist because I took that financial failure, and I took it as a creative failure. And I thought, okay. Wow. I thought what I was making was good.
Lauren Spangler:I thought people liked it. I guess I was wrong. I thought this was what I was meant to do, but, like, obviously, it's not because I crashed and burned. And it sort of triggered this gigantic burnout because I lost the connection to what really drew me to being creative in the first place. And I lost the faith and the trust that what I was doing was helpful and purposeful.
Lauren Spangler:And so for me, that looked like, you know, I did a a 180 turn, moved back to my hometown, got a job in corporate, totally changed my entire lifestyle and thought, like, okay. I guess this music thing isn't gonna happen. I guess the art stuff in general, like all that creative living, maybe it's not meant for me. Maybe this isn't how I'm gonna actually support myself. Because at that time in my life, like I mentioned, right, I had 2 dreams, be an artist, be a mom.
Lauren Spangler:And being an artist was not funding the lifestyle I wanted to be a mom. It was like, how am I ever gonna have the financial stability that I want if I you know, how am I gonna be able to support the family that I want to have? And so so, yeah, that was a that was a big moment of it felt like this gigantic fork in the road. And so at that moment, I decided, great. I'm gonna choose stability.
Lauren Spangler:I'm gonna put creativity to the wayside and keep it, you know, as a hobby or whatever. And, and I did. And I spent about 7 years sort of divorced from my creative spirit because I was just busy focusing on that stability side. And then it wasn't until, you know, 7 years in that I was realizing, okay. This was actually creative burnout.
Lauren Spangler:I still wanna be an artist. I still have gifts to offer here. I still wanna go be creative. And then I had to figure out how to reconcile and how to do all the things in balance with each other, so that I could allow both sides of myself to come forward and to serve and to, be seen and and be used. Right? Does that make sense?
Victoria B. Glass:Absolutely. Yes. Yes.
Victoria B. Glass:Well, I admire the journey. And when you reach that fork in the road, it wasn't the end of the story. And we know now that you have so much that is coming out of you lately, like all the things we've mentioned earlier. So now let's paint the picture of what your day to day looks like as the as the artist and the creative that you are today after you found the space to let each part of that exist. The mom dream and the artist dream because we know that with God, anything is possible.
Victoria B. Glass:And a lot of times He lets us go down those roads and figure it out because that's what the gift that He gave us was, but we're never alone as you know. And so now that you have come back to the art, the artist part of yourself and the mom part didn't go anywhere. She's still here too. It sounds like so can you paint a little bit more of that picture of where you are today and how you feel now that you let both both versions exist?
Lauren Spangler:Yeah. I am I am living a daily life now that I didn't think was possible. I really I thought it was had to be 1 or the other, and now I feel like I am enjoying this really deep balance and purpose on both sides and that there it's sort of harmonious. Right? The art piece came back up bubbled back up to the surface when I was in my 2nd maternity leave with my with my second baby.
Lauren Spangler:Yeah. So I have 2 kids, my my 2 sons. 1 is 5 years old, 1 is 3 year old 3 years old now. And so it was 3 years ago during that maternity leave with my second son, that I sort of had this creative, like, reawakening. I don't know what else to call it. It was like this urge this, like, really intrusive urge to go paint things because at the moment, I was really busy. I was kind of like, in the newborn phase and up all night long and had a toddler running around and it was really an inconvenient time to go, like, try to be an artist. But it happened, and I just felt really I felt this pull to go paint and sing and write, and I stopped eventually trying to avoid it. And I think it was out of that desperation when maternity leave ended, where I needed to go back to work. I needed to return to my career as a strategist, which I absolutely loved and was proud of.
Lauren Spangler:So I didn't wanna step away from that career. But then I had started to do this art stuff again, and I also now had this brand new baby who I adored and my toddler who I adored, and I didn't wanna step back. I didn't wanna step back or let go of any of it. And I thought, okay. If this has all been put on my heart, right, like, then then it's here for a reason, and I like, I'm just going to expand my capacity to be able to do all these things that matter because I could feel like these things are important to me, and I don't wanna let any of them go.
Lauren Spangler:And so I sort of just started, like, I don't know, getting to the ground truth of each of those. Like, as an artist, what do I wanna feel? What do I wanna experience? What do I wanna bring forward? What do I feel like is my purpose beyond like, this is not vanity metrics.
Lauren Spangler:This is not revenue. This is not anything that's gonna go on my resume. Like, why why with a capital W am I doing art? And figure that out. And then, like, okay.
Lauren Spangler:So how about my work as a strategist and a coach? Like, why do I do that? Obviously, there's financial reward, and it's a paycheck that supports my family and pays the bills. But, like, deeper though, why am I picking that? Why is that the way that I'm seeking financial reward?
Lauren Spangler:Right? So I've got clear on that. And then as a mom, like, obviously, I know I wanna be a mom, but like, what is the experience I want in motherhood? Where do I want to really be focused? And where do I want to really anchor what I'm what I'm providing to my children and what I'm receiving from my children in that sacred relationship of parenthood.
Lauren Spangler:And so getting clear on each of those 3, the the values and the priorities underneath of those roles was really beautiful because then I started to just rebuild my daily life to make sure that the things I was doing on, like, a minute to minute basis were always tied back to 1 of those deeper and more important purposes.
Victoria B. Glass:Oh, that's so.... I can tell that you are a writer too because that is this is so clear that what how you said that and too and and getting clear on yourself and then making sure that every single moment, everything that you are living for and working for and spending your time on is tied back to those whys. And I've never heard it put so clearly of, like, I mean, I've heard find out your why, but I've never heard it with a capital W, you know? And I really feel that you were I didn't I don't know who you were before, but I can feel the intentionality between who you are, who you are, and where you're going to. And I love the way that you put, I can hold these things, and I don't have to set them down. I can expand.
Victoria B. Glass:And isn't that just the the dream for anyone? Not even just creatives or just artists, but I feel like we all want to be able to take those walls and instead of go around them just go through them and then just have, you know, that that mentality of like not look what I did in a vanity way, but like look what I did because God gave me the strength to do it. And now I don't have to use that excuse anymore of there being a, like, a wall. Not that there's ever .... I mean, like, we have real lives and things that happen, but I think that each 1 of us is on a journey where we can decide to carry it with God and evolve and and become expanded, like you said, or we can just, like you said, go back.
Victoria B. Glass:And there's not a right or wrong, but we do have that choice. And as a creative artist, it's amazing to see and to talk with and to know artists who've been like, you don't have to put it down. You can you can expand. You can do it. You can become something new and different and also hold on to who you are. You're like, the story goes on.
Lauren Spangler:YES! It's true. Absolutely.
Lauren Spangler:Absolutely. And that reinvention of ourselves and of our story and of our connection to our our bigger purpose, like, that you can rewrite that at any moment. Like, you can metamorphosize how you're thinking about yourself in your life without changing all that much about your life. Like, if you look at my calendar today and you look at the time that I have blocked out for coaching and the time I have blocked out for art and the family time I built in, like, the actual time blocking looks pretty similar to how it did when I was feeling frantic and overwhelmed, and it's like there's a different energy. Let's see.
Lauren Spangler:Like, you can go about having it all in the energy of feeling like you have to hold it all and, like, you're juggling all these balls and you're, like, if I was gonna paint a mental picture, it'd be like this ballerina, like, up on her toes, like, constantly upholding everything. Like, there's all this tension and this expectation and, like, you're trying to rise to meet all these expectations. Right? There's that energy, and that's 1 way in which you can try to do all the things and have a full day and a full life. Or there's this other energy where you can still have all of that, and you can still be holding all those things, and you can still have this gigantic capacity to be engaged in all these beautiful ways in your life, but you can instead be just, like, grounded and just releasing into this knowing of, like, you know what?
Lauren Spangler:There's a bigger purpose. I'm connected to all of this gigantic, beautiful beyond me, ahead of me, behind me, like there's this beautiful, there's this beautiful, larger purpose that I am living out all the time. And it calls me to do all of these different things. And it supports me in doing all of these different things. And that place is totally different energetically.
Lauren Spangler:You you know, it's a much more grounded, a much more centered, present, mindful way of still being, still holding all of that, but without the tension and without the pressure, like, you have to do it all. It's like instead, you can just simply be in it. Does that make sense?
Victoria B. Glass:It does. And the whole time I was thinking too because I even felt it as you were describing it. You can do it and breathe at the same time. Like, isn't that astounding? Sometimes we don't we don't we're holding it and we don't breathe, and I'm talking to myself.
Lauren Spangler:Oh, yeah. Me too. There are still days where I'm the ballerina and I realize, okay. I'm holding my breath. I'm up on my toes.
Lauren Spangler:Like, I just need to take a beat. And, like, for me, it start it sounds really cheesy, Tori, but I start with gratitude. It's like if I'm in that moment where I feel tense, and I feel like I'm having to hold everything up, I just go, wow, look at all this stuff. Look at all of this that I get to experience. And look at all of these gifts that I'm getting to use and like, yeah, my calendar might be really full today. Look at all this life I get to live. You know? How nice it is not to be, devoid of that. Right?
Victoria B. Glass:It is so nice. I was gonna add the part that you mentioned about having a schedule that looks very similar to the life before, only now you're grounded and you're breathing and you're thankful and you're filled with gratitude and you can see a little bit clearer, it sounds like. And I promise you, Lauren, I had that thought this morning of this is the first time I've ever batched interviews today. And I had this moment this morning where I looked in the mirror and I was like, yeah, but like these are people you wanna talk to. Like, ain't that so different of a of a air whenever you're doing something?
Victoria B. Glass:And not that I didn't talk to great people at the news station, I did. But at the same time, it was for someone else's agenda. But, but I go all I go off on that to say that when you're in the space that you feel created to be in and that you are able to let go of those expectations that you have for yourself or that others may have of you, and you just let God, like, work with you. And and you'll have I know as an artist for myself, it's like you have this dual creation in the moment sometimes going on and it's like when you just allow that to happen even if it's a little moment throughout your day then it just all of a sudden has again this new energy about it and it's so much more fulfilling and it it vibrates differently.
Lauren Spangler:Absolutely. Absolutely. It's the intentionality, and it's the recognition that it's a privilege to get to do what you're doing. Right?
Lauren Spangler:And that if you're doing things that are aligned and that feel, you know, like, congruent with your purpose and your calling, like, heck yeah. You might have a lot of interviews today, but how cool is that? And it can be as simple as shifting the phrase, like, from I have to to I get to. Like, I have to have all these meetings today. I get to have all these meetings today.
Lauren Spangler:Like, it's a tiny change, but it's a huge change, and it changes the entire way you move through that day. It changes the way you're feeling during that full day. It changes the way you feel after that full day. I love that. It it's it's it's subtle, but powerful.
Victoria B. Glass:It is. And I I wanna go back and just make sure, like, I was so excited. It means so much more to be able to say I get to and it feels so much better. And also, I'm not it's not lost on me. Like, I was so excited to have these interviews and get or not have, but, yeah, get to get to interview these people because, again, this is I feel the same way you must feel too about, like, this is a dream that I'm like, okay.
Victoria B. Glass:Yes. I'm I get to do this and it's such a privilege and I'm so grateful and glad that it gets to happen. Well, I wanna talk a little bit more ....oh, yeah. Go ahead. Sorry.
Lauren Spangler:Well, you know, on the topic of getting to getting to expand our capacity, getting to have these really full days, getting to do all this stuff and, you know, sort of do it all, have it all. Right? There's a there's an important, maybe caveat, maybe addition to that topic, which is we also get to rest. We also get to allow ourselves. Right?
Lauren Spangler:So, like, you have this full day of batched interviews, which is amazing, and what an opportunity and how many connections you're making. It's also wonderful to be able to tomorrow, if you're recognizing that you're feeling a little tired from all that external, right, like, from all that output and all that exchange with everyone, tomorrow, you get to say, okay. Today, I get to rest. You know? And that's the same shift.
Lauren Spangler:It's instead of, oh, I have to rest. I'm exhausted. I overdid it yesterday. I've just gotta go collapse. Instead, you can say, wow.
Lauren Spangler:I get to rest today because yesterday, I went all out and I did a great job, and now I get to reward myself with a little bit of quiet time or whatever refuels you.
Victoria B. Glass:Oh yeah!
Lauren Spangler:So yeah, it's important because we can expand our capacity and we can do a lot more than we think we can do, but only if we're still doing it in balance and allowing ourselves to also have those moments of sanctuary and quiet and solitude that we need to recharge.
Victoria B. Glass:Yes. And I love the way that you reframed that for me because it's 1 thing to reframe it in the front end of it of, like, yes, I get to. But then, yeah, you're right. And I've never thought about it that way of, hey, now I get to rest and I Did this and and you know now this space is over here.
Victoria B. Glass:So it's not- It always balances out if you allow it to And I need to get better of just having that mindset of when it does happen, when I am allowing it to, not to focus on it in a half glass empty kind of way, but in a glass half full kind of way. You know?
Lauren Spangler:I mean we all need to practice that. That's a hard it's a hard shift to make, but yeah, it's a good 1. Yeah.
Victoria B. Glass:It is a great 1. Well, and I wanted to talk a little bit about how you instill moments of creativity throughout your, like, day today and I know that it looks different for everyone but do you have any advice to someone who might want to instill differently. Can you elaborate about how to allow those moments into your life?
Lauren Spangler:Absolutely. So first thing I would recommend is take a look at what you feel like you have to have, like, the ingredient list that you feel like you have to have in order to feel inspired or in order to go be creative. And there's probably a lot of things on that list that aren't actually necessary.
Lauren Spangler:So, like, I used to think I had to have a certain number of hours all in a row. I've used to think I had to have a certain space. I had to have certain I had to feel inspired. That's a really big 1. That's a really, really big 1.
Lauren Spangler:It's like the biggest excuse that we use to avoid dipping into creative work. It's like, well, I just don't feel inspired. People who make awesome work consistently within the landscape of their actual real life, will tell you that you have to show up before the inspiration does. So if you find yourself with time and you have 20 minutes to go make something and you're not feeling inspired, but it's still important to you to go make something, go sit down. Go jump in.
Lauren Spangler:Go pick up your pen or pick up your paintbrush or whatever it is you do and start. And I would guess that probably 75 to 80% of the time, your inspiration will start flowing as soon as you sit down and start getting into the work. So that's the first piece is just don't close the door because you have manufactured this list of things that you feel like, you know, the stars have to align in order for you to get into a creative headspace. It's actually a lot easier to to to jump into than than that. But the other thing I would say is there is value if you can find 30 to 60 minutes a day where you can arrange some uninterrupted time for yourself, where you can focus and really, really get into your creative zone, that's spectacular because, you know, with an hour a day, the amount you can actually cover and the amount of headway you can achieve on your creative projects is dramatic.
Lauren Spangler:Like, that really stacks up, and you'll be surprised how quickly you are finishing the book or how quickly you are done painting the collection and ready to put it in gallery, like, whatever it is. And so if you can find uninterrupted time, it's worth trading other loved ones in your home, bribing people not to interrupt you during that time, you know, whatever you need to do. And if you have little kids like me, I know there's a whole other set of challenges around what it takes to get 60 minutes to yourself completely uninterrupted. So there there are strategies and tips and tricks and tactics there to do that. If you can't, though, if it's impossible to find uninterrupted time, I love this concept of confetti time.
Lauren Spangler:I don't know who coined that term. I I really should look it up. Someone brilliant called it confetti time, and it's this concept that your day is sort of sprinkled with open space. And a lot of times we fill that open space mindlessly. So this could be the 15 minutes when you're waiting to leave the house, could be the 10 minutes at school pickup, it could be the time before your kids go to bed and you go to bed.
Lauren Spangler:You know, there's all this open space in our day. And a lot of times, we just fill it with noise. You know? We're scrolling on social media or we're watching Netflix or, like, doing things that maybe are enjoyable, but may not actually, if we really ask ourselves, may not be as important to us as the creative work that we wanna do. Like, if you are really called to be an artist, like, there are some people who are like, yeah.
Lauren Spangler:I'll take Netflix over painting any day, and that's fine, and I'm all about that. But if you are the type of person who is saying, okay. I really, really, really want to paint. I'm desperate to find this time. I don't wanna wait till my kids move out.
Lauren Spangler:I don't wanna wait till I retire from my job. Then ask yourself, is painting more important to you than an hour of Netflix? You know? Or is there a way that you could fit in 15 minutes of your creative prep? Could you work on your book for 15 minutes, you know, in in the early part of your day when you have a little chunk of time to work with.
Lauren Spangler:So we take that confetti time, and we start to be mindful about how we use it, then it's actually pretty surprising how much you can weave in some of these really enjoyable activities without letting go of a ton of the other stuff that you have to give time to.
Victoria B. Glass:Oh, I can see where that would be really helpful to have 15 minutes here, 5 minutes there. I mean, after just a couple little moments, probably, like you said, that are already in your day at the school pickup or in the morning or in the evening, right before bed. If you just carved that out, it will be an hour. Like, I mean, you know, like, it might not be consecutive, but you can find an hour a week that way. And I've never heard of confetti time.
Victoria B. Glass:I'm just learning all little tidbits of sayings and touchstones from our conversation today because I really like the visualization of having the confetti because we don't we don't think of, like, 2 pieces of confetti being blown, you know, at a birthday party. It's always, like, - It's sprinkled everywhere!
Lauren Spangler:Yes. Exactly. Exactly.
Victoria B. Glass:And God knows that we have that time. Like, we do. We we have it. And sometimes it might be making sacrifices, like, saying I'm not gonna watch Jeopardy tonight. I'm just not gonna do it or whatever.
Victoria B. Glass:But I can but it means more to me to have the outline of this thing I'm working on, like, written out.
Lauren Spangler:Yes, YES.
Victoria B. Glass:Or....I can go ahead and add a Piece of color to this painting I'm working on. And it might not be the whole thing, but I also have the confidence now that I've put 15 minutes towards that.
Victoria B. Glass:And then tomorrow, I'm gonna-
Lauren Spangler:It feels so good.
Victoria B. Glass:I know. It feels amazing, but I didn't know that's what it was that's what it was called.
Lauren Spangler:Yeah. I love that term.
Lauren Spangler:It's not my term. I really need to figure out who came up with that so I can write them a thank you note. But, you know, the other thing is you figure out which creative activities match which little slots of time. So, like, for example, if I have 10 minutes at school pickup, I'm probably not gonna be trying to get into any really deep thinking, creative, like, massive projects, but I might have my iPad and do some digital sketching while I'm sitting in the car. Or if I'm let's say you wanna watch let's say your husband's like, this is a killer awesome episode of Jeopardy. You've gotta come watch this. It's amazing. Right? Okay. So great.
Lauren Spangler:Can you take your sketch pad out to the couch and be sketching thumbnail ideas while you're watching your favorite show? Or, you know, like, how can you be creative about the way you actually fit your creative activities into the little confetti time pieces that you have. And, you know, I will be honest. The the confetti time strategy is not going to be fully satisfying if you never allow yourself space to get into the deep focus because I think there's a lot of value in that too. You know, having the ability to really get into the flow and be uninterrupted, is very valuable.
Lauren Spangler:And I haven't ever tried let me think about this. Have I ever made something I'm super proud of where I only did it in 5 minute spurts? I wanna say no. I wanna say I there's I just need a little bit of deep focus now and then. But, you know, it's a balance between the 2.
Lauren Spangler:Like, you know, just because you can't always have the deep focus doesn't mean you can't move things forward with baby steps. And so, yeah, it's worth experimenting to find the balance that fits in your daily life and that feels fulfilling and rewarding. Right?
Victoria B. Glass:Right. And I think it's a great way to get started on building those moments of deep focus in your life. And if you can it's kinda like working out. Right? Like where if you can, you know, show up for a little bit of time or even even just drive to the gym or whatever, then at least tomorrow, you can look back and say, oh, well, I've done a little bit here.
Victoria B. Glass:So now I remember how good that felt, and I'm gonna go and carve out 20 minutes instead of 15 today. And so you kinda build that momentum up to something that looks a little bit different, but also it doesn't happen in, like, an overnight change where all of a sudden, you know, you've got 3 hours and you're painting a picture, but you can say, I can do that in a little bit of time. But today, I'm gonna start with 15 minutes and figure out what -
Lauren Spangler:Absolutely.
Victoria B. Glass:What I'm gonna be painting or whatever today. And the reason I said painting is because I do wanna segue into talking about now your your physical painting art and how adorable it is. And I wish I don't have any kids, but I wish I did because I was, like, thinking of all the different room ideas that I could even just center around just 1 piece of your of your artwork.
Lauren Spangler:Thank you.
Victoria B. Glass:To have that in a kid's room or to have that on display in a house.
Victoria B. Glass:So tell me about your art and how do people find it to see it and, just elaborate on that a little bit more.
Lauren Spangler:Well, right now and for the last few years, I have absolutely been obsessed with painting, parents and baby animals, like mama and baby animals. That all started in maternity leave, and it really came out of this desire to capture these tender moments that I didn't wanna forget, In like, because with my first son, it felt like the newborn days were just never ending because we were up all night long. We had a challenging delivery. He was in the NICU for a while. It was just like it was really, really disorienting, and I felt like, oh, my gosh, this time is never gonna be over.
Lauren Spangler:I'm never gonna sleep again, right? And then all of a sudden, I turned around and he was 2 years old, and he wasn't a baby anymore. And so when when I had my second baby, I in that maternity leave, there was this awareness like, okay, yes, I'm tired. Yes. The house is a complete disaster, and there's spit up on every piece of clothing that I own.
Lauren Spangler:However, this is a sacred time and it's a gift. And the fact that he's this tiny precious little itty bitty baby in my arms is just gonna last a blink, and then it's gonna be gone. And I don't wanna just remember the spit up and the sleepless nights. I really wanna remember these moments of bonding and play and sweetness and the things that can kinda get run over by the exhaustion of new parenthood. And so I started painting these pieces that were just based on, like, on any given day.
Lauren Spangler:Like, what moment did I enjoy with my children today that I that I want to put in a jar and keep forever? And I would paint it. And now when I look back at those paintings, they serve that purpose, and they give me that feeling that I have at the time or that I had at the time. And they're they're really probably my most treasured work for me personally just because of what they carry. And when I started sharing them online, other people started looking at them and going, Oh, my gosh, that reminds me of my little 1 or, you know, this, my my friend is expecting a baby and I wanna give this to her because it's just the vibe of, like, you know, cheerful hope and love that I wanna, you know, gift.
Lauren Spangler:And so that was really precious to me also when people started to resonate with the work. And so yeah. So I share a lot of it on Instagram. I'm at @Lauren Spangler, and also have a lot up on my website LaurenSpangler.com, And it's a blast. Every once in a while, I even do a commission.
Lauren Spangler:I just finished a commission for some friends who are expecting, and so I made them a piece with their own little animal family and their favorite animal. But, yeah, it's it's been a real delight to build that collection.
Victoria B. Glass:It is so beautiful and so sweet, and I can see the moments now. I didn't realize they were based on real moments, but I can see how they would be because they're just so tender and lovely. I can't say anything else just because they are. They are so lovely and
Lauren Spangler:Thank you.
Victoria B. Glass:Do you want to, I guess, make more of those? Is that something you feel like for the future? Like, is that where you're going with your artistic journey? How does the future look like for you? Like, what is what does it all look like longterm?
Lauren Spangler:Well, what I can tell you is I want to keep painting. And beyond that, I've gotten really I used to try to map out so, like, in my work as a strategist, it's all about planning the future and, like, charting the course and then moving down this planned path. Right? And for a while, I tried to do that creatively.
Lauren Spangler:Like, what am I gonna do with my work? Like, what exact I was trying to plan my collections, like, 3 collections out. Like, what am I gonna be painting? And then I would never stick to the plan ever. And so I painted 50 of those during that first for
Victoria B. Glass:OH WOW!
Lauren Spangler:I've only shared maybe half of them online. Well, no, I think I shared sketches. I shared some of the original ones on Instagram when I was first working on them. But they're only they're only a handful of those that I've actually, like, formalized and and sell within that collection. But after I did 50, I was like, okay.
Lauren Spangler:I think I'm done painting animals for a while. Like, I think I'm gonna go do flowers and some other things and experiment with different mediums, and I did. And then lo and behold, I keep painting parent baby animals. I just keep going back to it. So if you would ask me a couple years ago, Tori, I would have said, yeah.
Lauren Spangler:I'm all done with the animals, and now I'm gonna do botanicals. But I right now, I'm painting a pair of birds that is a mom and baby bird sitting on a branch. I just can't seem to get away from that theme. So the likelihood is I'll probably be painting them for a for a good while.
Victoria B. Glass:Well, they're cute. And if you have a baby or if you have a gift that you need to buy someone who's expecting or if you just want to have a beautiful picture of a mother and baby or multiple babies or daddy and baby. I think there was a daddy shark that you did recently that was so cute. It was perfect for summer. And so, anyways, if you have any of those things or if you just wanna have the heart to support an artist, then head to Lauren's website, LaurenSpangler.com.
Victoria B. Glass:Right?
Lauren Spangler:That's right. Yeah. Yeah. If you're interested in purchasing a piece of work, I sell reproductions on my website in my shop, so head over to LaurenSpangler.com. And, if you wanna see what I'm working on right now, then I'm always sharing on Instagram.
Lauren Spangler:So I'm @ LaurenSpangler there, and that's a really good place to reach me too if you'd like to buy an original piece or if you're interested in a commission. And then if you, you know, if you're listening to this episode and the creativity coaching piece is really sticking out to you, and you wanna take a pulse on your own sort of creative balance and well-being, I've put together a 10 question or a 10 minute questionnaire. It's a self assessment that you can take. And when you run through it, it tells you sort of where you might be really balanced right now in your art life and your art work life family balance, and then maybe some places where you could fine tune to feel more fulfillment and enjoyment over time. I call it my spark or sputter test, and it's completely free.
Lauren Spangler:You don't even need an email to download it. It's just on my website for free. It's at laurenspangler.com/spark. If you head over there and take it, then I hope it helps you.
Victoria B. Glass:Awesome. That is so generous too, and I love that it's completely free. That is very, very generous of you, Lauren, to have the self assessment that you can go online and and take and, figure out where you fall on the creative balance, chart and that's completely free. So I love that you you don't even have to put an email. That's very generous of you to to put that on your website.
Lauren Spangler:Yeah. absolutely. So what it'll do is when it gives you your results, it'll walk you through sort of where you fall on this spectrum. And based on where you fall, it'll tell you kind of the support that would be most useful to you right then. And I always offer a free 15 minute consultation. So if you take the quiz and you're like, yeah. I really wanna understand more about, like, what I could do next or what's next on the path, then just drop me a note or there's even a link on my website to just sign up for a 15 minute call.
Lauren Spangler:So you can pop in anytime that works for you. And I'm always my door is open, and I'm excited to talk with, you know, talk with anybody about what creative hurdles you're facing right now or what creative goals and dreams you have that you might wanna move toward. So, yeah, people are welcome to reach out anytime.
Victoria B. Glass:Well, thank you so much for sharing that, and I invite everyone who's listening to go and take that. You might even see me in there in just a few. I've taken it because I've been I've been curious about it and so I'm glad that you explained it a little bit more and, thank you for coming on and just realigning my creativity chaos that's been going on a little bit over here. So I feel like we're kindred spirits and we have a lot in common in that way of, being creatives who have who's gone through the burnout a little bit and who knows what it's like to be on the other side of it now. So just thank you for coming on and sharing your victory story and for all of the good touchstones and tidbits that you shared with us today.
Lauren Spangler:Thank you, Victoria. This has been a real treat. I appreciate it. I hope this conversation helps people and I'm just glad to be connected So thanks for having me.
Victoria B. Glass:Yes. Well, Lauren, you want us to go to Lauren Spangler on Instagram or your website, Lauren spangler.com, to work with you and to to look at your art.
Lauren Spangler:If you want to purchase a print, I offer giclee prints, which are really high quality archival. It's archival quality inks on this beautiful watercolor paper. It's they're gorgeous. They get them professionally printed here in the US, and that's what you can purchase on my website.
Lauren Spangler:So if you go to LaurenSpangler.com/gallery, that's where you can see a lot of those those pieces that are available for purchase as a print. I also although I don't have a formal shop open where you can purchase original pieces, I do have people who reach out to purchase pieces on Instagram. So if you ever see me working on something that you really love and feel connected to, if you see me painting a watercolor piece that just really speaks to you and that you'd like to have in your home, just drop me a message in Instagram and just let me know you're interested in that piece. And, and usually, I just sell direct to collectors, like, through my messages on Instagram. So it's not really formal.
Lauren Spangler:There's no checkout page for the for the original pieces, and probably I should work those into my online shop at some point. It's on the bottom of some to do list somewhere. But, yeah, if there's ever a piece you're interested in, just reach out and I'll connect you with what you're interested in and we'll, take it from there. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
Lauren Spangler:Then LaurenSpangler.com/gallery, and you can pick sizes too. So you can get a a little 8 by 8 or you can get 10 by 10, 12 by 12. Like, there are a lot of different options for for the sizes and the the different, you know, qualities that you can find on the website. So, yeah, check it out.
Victoria B. Glass:Beautiful. Wonderful. Well, thank you again for welcoming us into your world, and I will check it out. And I hope that our listeners do too. Have a wonderful afternoon, Lauren, and thanks again for coming on and sharing your victory story.
Lauren Spangler:You too. Thanks so much. Talk to you later.
Victoria B. Glass:Thanks for joining us for this week's episode of the Contagious Victory's podcast. If the show inspired you to share your own victory story, I'm here to tell you the world deserves to hear it. Submit it to me online at ToriBlackmon.com. Review and subscribe if that feels right. Telling a friend about the show helps contagious victories to grow.
Victoria B. Glass:Plus, we all appreciate a little sunshine. I'm Tori B. Thanks for listening. I'll catch you soon.