In this episode of the HeART Space Podcast, Carly and Dani explore why we so often put creativity aside when life gets hard, and what we might be missing when we do. From the pressure to be productive and the temptation to numb ourselves through endless scrolling, to the ways art helps us discover who we are, this conversation challenges the idea that creativity has to be useful, beautiful, or profitable to be worthwhile.

They talk about the power of making something simply for the experience, how perfectionism can steal our creative joy, and why art can help us reclaim a sense of agency, hope, and belonging when so much feels beyond our control.

As part of October's theme, The Art of Knowing, Carly and Dani consider how creative expression helps us sit with uncertainty, discover new perspectives, and reconnect with ourselves and each other.

And the best part? You don't need expensive supplies, artistic talent, or hours of free time. You can begin with what you already have.

A few questions to carry with you:

• What do you actually know about the future, and what are you imagining or fearing?
• What do you know about yourself that might sustain you during difficult times?
• What might become possible if you gave yourself permission to create without knowing where it will lead?

Learn more about HeART Space workshops, gatherings, and creative coaching at handsatheart.com/heartspace.

Make a little space for what wants to be made.

Together, we explore how even chosen endings can bring unexpected grief, how we begin to imagine possibilities beyond what we've known, and the role creativity can play in helping us navigate the space between what was and what might be.

What becomes possible when we allow ourselves to grieve what has ended while making room for what comes next?

This week, our neighbor Kimber Innecken joins Carly and Dani at the HeART Space table. Kimber is a trauma-informed life coach, founder of Fish for Life Coaching, and facilitator at The Restoration Room, where she leads Intro to Improv.

We talk about why you don’t have to be funny to do improv, what happens when we stop trying to get it right, and how practicing “yes, and” can help us become a little more comfortable with mistakes, pauses, uncertainty, and whatever happens next.

But our conversation goes well beyond improv. We talk about play, getting stuck, trusting ourselves, expanding our comfort zones, accepting what is, and why we need places where we can practice all of that together.

And somewhere in the middle of it all, Kimber says three words that stay with us:

“I pick you.”

Because maybe we don’t have to figure everything out alone. Maybe sometimes we just need someone to say, “Come play. Be on my team. I pick you.”

Learn more about Kimber and her coaching at Fish for Life Coaching:
fishforlifecoaching.com

Find Kimber’s Intro to Improv and other community offerings at The Restoration Room in Tucson:
restorationroom.org

It’s a chance to get to know the voices behind the podcast—and to wonder about the beginnings that have brought each of us to where we are now.