Conversations on Creativity Part One

This year, Indelible Ink Writers launched a podcast called, Ink and Soul.

Ink and Soul has brought creatives from all walks of life and with varying passions to the table to engage in powerful conversations that both inspire and challenge us to broaden our horizons on what it means to be a “creative” and how our gifts can be used in and for the world.

Here is an overview of our first 5 episodes.

What Makes Art, Art?

Rachel Marie Kang, founder of Indelible Ink Writers, joins the conversation to help us understand what makes art, art. Her passion for all mediums, including the written word, music, painting, dance, and photography, has deepened her understanding of what a true artist, truly is.

Rachel brings with her message a bold wisdom and gentle encouragement that welcomes us into the world of exploring art – pouring out our hearts and bringing life to concepts, thoughts, and images – without the pressure to conform to the titles, “writer”, “painter”, etc.

In this episode Rachel also shares an original piece, teaching us what it looks like to find beauty and inspiration in the everyday ordinary. We must only be willing to look for it.

Faith and Fiction

Jamie Lapeyrolerie sat down with us to share her love of fiction and the role it has played in enriching her life. As a huge fan of Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Harry Potter, she discusses the important role fiction plays in expanding and deepening our faith, saying, “we find ourselves in the stories we read.”

Jamie also imparts wisdom on writing, reminding us that while it’s easy to plan what we need to do for our writing, it is more important to stop all of the planning and to just write – because as we write, we get better.

She is hugely passionate about the Tolkien – Lewis relationship, sharing how their friendship had an incredible impact on their writing and gives us an example of what it can look like today to grow and encourage each other to greatness.

The Practice of Creative Listening

Stephanie Duncan Smith joins the conversation as a Senior Editor for Baker Books, challenging us in our creative process and dropping priceless nuggets of wisdom along the way.

She is incredibly passionate about the creative process, putting emphasis on the truth that everyone’s process is different and each of us must embrace our individuality rather than trying to copy someone else.

Stephanie challenges the comparison trap we often fall into, saying, if you are looking to producers and creatives and measuring your work against theirs, you are viewing and measuring their final cut, not their process. Don’t get lost in that. Don’t put more priority on the end product than the process.

She reminds us that listening to our voice and trusting our creative instinct could ultimately be the thing that sets us apart.

The Craft of Writing

Jazmine Marie Lampley, a college professor on creative writing, sits down to talk about her journey and how teaching the art of writing has impacted both her life and her writing.

Jaz teaches us all the importance of having a willing heart for opportunities that simply come our way in the midst of living obediently to our passions. She loves her students and is passionate about teaching them to write real life experiences. She also reminds us that writing is messy, and we must sometimes flip the script to spark a different outcome.

As a true teacher, Jaz imparts great wisdom to us as creatives, reminding us that we “are not going to reach them all, and that’s okay.” We simply must do what we were made to do and trust God with the rest.

Farming as Creativity

Christine Marie Bailey of Kindred Farm in Tennessee inspires us to dream big and love people.

She lives by the motto “learn as you go” in all of her pursuits, never letting her lack of knowledge inhibit the pursuit of her passions.

Christine and her husband’s journey began by simply supporting local farms. This seemingly small passion led them to start an organic co-op and eventually plant roots in farming.

Christine describes the beauty and creativity she has both found and cultivates through farming. She loves creating art through the meals she prepares, and she sets a wonderful example for what it looks like to bring community together through the food we grow and the hospitality we cultivate.

Her story is a perfect example of what is means to live willing to go places you may not have gone and how tiny steps can lead to dreams fulfilled and lives changed.

To listen to these podcasts, click the link below!