by Julie Claire
So often as a culture we are striving, figuring, earning, achieving, performing and our hearts run dry. We can be a little dead, still breathing-but essentially dead–don’t you think? This is one reason why I paint. This is why I help others paint, create, live—so that...
by Julie Claire
Beginners Mind is a great place to be. Beginner’s Mind refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions. In the studio I am always asking for people to have a beginner’s mind when approaching the painting...
by Julie Claire
Recently I was talking with a woman who was struggling to be both self-compassionate and accountable to her intentions. She didn’t feel like she could have both. And it got me thinking:–How common this is for so many of us who have something we want to do in life and...
by Julie Claire
Regular art classes never worked for me. I don’t bloom in instructional settings. It was when I first experienced painting in a sacred context, in a place of personal intimacy and depth that I opened up and found my inner painter alive and well. Actually, I was...
by Julie Claire
I will never forget this one painting experience: early on, perhaps my 4th or 5th painting ever, painting with a small women’s group in my studio; I reached a point in my painting where I felt ALMOST done. But there was something still to do. I could feel...
by Julie Claire
There are these creative openings that happen for you while you paint intuitively. You can’t plan them or predict them but they happen. Sometimes it’s because you change paint colors, or you find your playful self momentarily, sometimes it’s because of a new tool—like...
by Julie Claire
I grew up being the one who was always asking questions. I live in questions. I love questions. One of my favorite parts of being a professional coach is asking questions. It’s really in my job description and I find there is an art to it—finding the...
by Julie Claire
Tired of thinking? Need a break from working on “yourself”? Feel like “moving your energy”? Picking up a paintbrush with the intention of moving and being physical can be a wonderful way to enter into your creative process and leave thinking behind altogether. One of...
by Julie Claire
I have a strong voice. When I was singing professionally, it was a gift—to be able to be creative and express myself in music–with strength, connection and volume. I was never dinner music/background music. That’s just the way it was. My voice...
by Julie Claire
A couple of weeks ago I gave a presentation to a group of Georgetown leadership coaches on ways to bring creativity into their coaching practices. I had two hours. It was the first time I was bringing pastels into a professional environment. I was nervous. Very...
