I'm happy to share this lovely interview today with Nicola Newman, based on the Sunshine Coast in Australia. Nicola is an award-winning artist. She’s an organic gardening teacher, author and entrepreneur. Her mission is to help women explore their creativity and inspire them to live an authentic life that supports their heart's deepest desires to be self-expressive and enjoy even greater well-being. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts, and she’s produced and directed three documentaries on contemporary Australian artists. Her paintings are featured in a multitude of public and private collections all around the world. She is the author of Grow Abundant Herbs and Greens in Pots and the creator of two acclaimed online training courses, The Abundant Veggie Patch System and Grow Organic Food in Pots. Nicola has taught hundreds of beginner gardeners worldwide to grow their own organic food and nurture their health. She’s currently working on a new project, Flourish with Painting and Creativity, which is an online mentorship program dedicated to teaching practical, soulful and nurturing ways to explore painting with acrylic and oil paints and express your innate creativity. In Nicola's words "I want to inspire you to create things. Whether it’s a garden, a painting, a business or a life that supports you, it would be my honour to share the tools & inspiration I’ve found to push past creative blocks and see the results of your heart and hands unfold before your eyes." Nicola never felt that yearning to have children that some women feel. She thought that maybe it would kick in when she was ready to have children. For some reason, that never happened. Today, Nicola has allowed herself to be liberated in being childfree. It has given her the opportunity to pursue her passions, and in turn, impact the world in a much bigger way. In this episode you will learn: How being childfree has liberated Nicola; The morning creative exercise that Nicola practices and recommends; When Nicola first discovered her creativity; What it really takes to make a living as an artist; The role her Mother played in accepting her childfree situation; Why Nicola is open to not being childfree forever; How to put the opinion of others regarding children,in perspective; Why having children is no guarantee of “being taken care of” when you are aging; Why having step-children can change your perspective; Tips for navigating a new Step-Mother relationship. The positive and negative lessons she learned in Step Parenting. Nicola’s Advice for Reigniting Your Creativity Within: Don’t believe the stories in your head Keep focusing on what’s coming up in front of you Be open to all sorts of possibilities Take short courses Find what makes you happy Allow yourself to explore and go to the things that you are interested in Give yourself permission. I really enjoyed this down to earth and practical conversation with Nicola and I hope you did too! Find out more about Nicola's work here.
Resources:
Morning Pages by Julia Cameron Grow Abundance Herbs and Greens in Pots The Abundant Veggie Patch System Grow Organic Food in Pots Flourish with Painting and Creativity I would love to hear your comments below. If you found this helpful and interesting then I would love you to share with a friend who may also benefit. Thank you!