Art does change the world and you are one of those flames. You are the fuel for your own art and art is your fuel.  The world inspires us and we transform those ideas and concepts and images into something new, which then creates more beauty in the world and more ideas and more thoughts and more change.  Complete show notes and transcript at https://www.metaphormindset.com/26-your-creative-spark  

When opposites attract, there’s an energy between them that creates a sum that’s greater than the parts. That’s what negative and positive space can do for your art and business.

Seeds hold profound symbolism and are often associated with concepts of growth, potential, and new beginnings. Inside every hard shell - including the one on our shoulders - is a world of knowledge that can guide you in your creative entrepreneurship, but sometimes you just need a little guidance. In this episode, art and business coach Shannon Borg talks about the symbolism of seeds, and about the art of Ai WeiWei, the Chinese activist artist who made an exhibit with 100 million porcelain sunflower seeds.

Big 3 Ideas from this episode: Landscapes are the place of personal mythology Inner to Outer: Sand Play, the Beach, the Desert The Inner Journey often begins in real places, translated and transformed into art through the artist’s creative process to inner places. Find complete show notes at shannonborg.com/metaphor-mindset-podcast/23-beach-desert

Big 3 Ideas from this episode: Brene Brown’s challenge to “Enter the Arena” The Roman Arena = The Place of Sand Inner to Outer: Sand Play, The Beach, The Desert Find full show notes at: www.shannonborg.com/metaphor-mindset-podcast/22-in-the-arena-of-sand

History of the artist’s studio tour, and how the studio is a metaphor for the mind of the artist.

On Mother's Day, let's talk about baby steps. And breakthroughs. One usually precedes the other - but sometimes they work back and forth, from baby steps to breakthrough and back, in a continual process of growth. Find images and show notes at: https://www.shannonborg.com/metaphor-mindset-podcast/20-baby-steps-breakthroughs

Show Notes In this episode I talk about the Feather of Truth from the story and many sculptures and narrative images of the Ancient Egyptian goddess Maat, who wore a beautiful ostrich feather on her head, representing truth, justice and cosmic harmony. Learn how this metaphor helps us think about balancing our thoughts from different parts of our lives, including art and business. Big 3 Ideas from this episode: What are your thoughts about your art? What are your thoughts about business? Any thoughts you can have about your art, you can have about your business.Join me for a Q&A about creating an online art & business community - I'd love your input! https://shannonborg-discovery.as.me/thought-salon-community  

Rosa Bonheur hung out with Wild Bill Cody, and got a special permit to wear trousers. She was truly a horse of a different color.

This episode returns to Plato’s Allegory of the soul, with its charioteer managing two horses - a wild one, and a noble one. We need both horses - both sides of ourselves to get there.

We have many sides to our interior life that we must manage as artists - emotions, thoughts, ideas, expectations - all are important. Plato’s allegory of the soul as a charioteer driven by two horses - one noble, one wild - gives us some interesting ideas to think about when it comes to creative process and business.

In this episode, I break down the history of the ”Impostor” and what it means to embrace the different roles the artist has the opportunity to play.

Today, I discuss our thoughts and feelings around finishing art projects, and we consider this quote by the poet Paul Valery: “A poem is never finished, merely abandoned.” (Does your work have abandonment issues?)

I can't believe I've been doing this for a whole quarter! In this episode, I offer 3 tools to help you review your art, business or any other event, class or project. Big 3 Ideas from this episode: How much time do you spend in the past? In the future? A Quarterly Review can be a calming and grounding practice in your art - and business. Here are 3 tools to help you stay on track for the year. PLUS! You can now become a sponsor of the Metaphor Mindset Podcast - and I will create an ad for you and your art! Visit metaphormindset.com for Show Notes and more information about sponsorship - and how to promote your art, classes, coaching and more through this podcast.  

Creative Meditation can help you find new ideas, process and feel calmer and more connected to the ideas you have, and enhance your creative process, so you can feel calmer, more centered, and more productive as an artist.

George Bernard Shaw said, "We do not find ourselves, we create ourselves." So when it comes to artistic voice, I really feel like it's a combination of the two. Finding yourself and creating yourself. What do you think?

"It’s bigger on the inside." Today I want to talk about TIME - how time works in art  — and also -  how to manage your time. This is a line from the British cult sci-fi show Dr. Who - the TARDIS looks like a blue phone booth on the outside, but when you walk in, it is a huge spaceship. This is like our brains, our art, too. When you enter a painting, it expands in your brain into color, memory, ideas, feelings. When you enter a poem or a play - the world inside your head expands, too. If you battle with your weekly schedule like I have in the past, this fun and effective 3-step process may transport you. * Each week, artist and art & business coach Shannon Borg explores an idea that relates both to art and to business. By making these connections, Borg helps her artist clients discover more unique and innovative ways to nurture both their creative process and their entrepreneurial ventures. Find full show notes at https://www.metaphormindset.com.    

The art world was in a tizzy last week when a visitor to the Art Wynwood Fair in Miami accidentally kicked the pedestal, where a shiny bright blue porcelain, balloon shaped dog stood knocking it to the floor. This "art event" made all the papers, and made the artist, Jeff Koons, even more famous than he already was. What is fame, what is obscurity - and , as an artist - do you want either? Or both? In this episode, I talk about obscurity, fame, the Northwest School, and more. * Each week, artist and art & business coach Shannon Borg explores an idea that relates both to art and to business. By making these connections, Borg helps her artist clients discover more unique and innovative ways to nurture both their creative process and their entrepreneurial ventures. Find full show notes at https://www.metaphormindset.com.  

Let's talk about the artist's struggle. There's a concept I teach called the Struggle Button. This episode, I'll tell you all about it, and there are also a few paintings and stories about little creatures who have overcome their struggles in order to grow. * Each week, artist and art & business coach Shannon Borg explores an idea that relates both to art and to business. By making these connections, Borg helps her artist clients discover more unique and innovative ways to nurture both their creative process and their entrepreneurial ventures. Find full show notes at https://www.metaphormindset.com.  

Today. I want to talk about the flow state. That moment when time stops and you are in the zone. We often know what this feels like because we’ve experienced the opposite. Fear of the blank page, the creative block.