From Guilty Pleasure to Self-Care: Embracing Creativity in Everyday Routines with Kate Ward

Dr. Christine Li [00:00:00]:
Welcome back to the Make Time for Success podcast. This is episode number 230. I am welcoming back my special guest today, Kate Ward, who is a textile artist, and she specializes in the Japanese art of sashiko stitching. You will hear that part of her story if you go and listen to episode number 133 of this show. Today, in episode 230, we're gonna change the conversation and broaden it a bit, and we're going to dive deeper into the ideas of art in our daily lives. Art as a practice of active mindfulness and meditation, art as a version of self care and stress reduction. Kate shares a lot of insights as to how art can become a daily practice and a vehicle for transformation in your own life. She shares a lot of beautiful stories about her clients' transformations and the beauty of the community of artists that she has built over the years.

Dr. Christine Li [00:01:14]:
I can't wait for you to hear how you can make zen in your own life and practice. Let's go listen to this episode and Kate's wisdom together now. Hi. I'm Dr. Christine Li, and I'm a psychologist and a procrastination coach. I've helped thousands of people move past procrastination and overwhelm so they could begin working to their potential. In this podcast, you're going to learn powerful strategies for getting your mind, body, and energy to work together so that you can focus on what's really important and accomplish the goals you want to achieve. When you start living within your full power, you're going to see how being productive can be easy and how you can create success on demand. Welcome to the Make Time for Success podcast.

Dr. Christine Li [00:02:13]:
Hi, everyone. I am so excited for today's conversation. I am welcoming back to the show Kate Ward, who is a wonderful human being, a lovely friend and colleague, and she is also a creative textile artist who loves the art form of sashiko stitching. It's a Japanese stitching art form, and she loves sharing what she knows. She's also become quite the leader in the arts and crafts space, and that is one of the reasons I'm having her back on the show today, and we're gonna get into all the details of what she is up to lately. Welcome back to the show, Kate.

Kate Ward [00:02:58]:
Oh, hello, Christine. It's so lovely to be back, and thank you for such a lovely, warm introduction.

Dr. Christine Li [00:03:04]:
It was easy to give. I love you to pieces, and I can't wait to really unpack what you've been up to recently. We were just saying it's been a while since Kate has been on the show, and time just is passing so quickly, it seems. And we're all kind of busy in our own ways. And Kate and I connected about a month ago, maybe two months ago, and we were talking about bringing her back on the show and talking about art and the therapeutic value of engaging in art and the creative process. So can you start us off with that conversation? And I'm sure you have given lots of thought to this topic, and I can't wait to get into this conversation with you.

Kate Ward [00:03:51]:
Yeah. Well, it's something that is becoming more and more prevalent in the the online space, just the benefits that creativity has for us, which I just love because I've been a creator my whole life. I grew up with parents and siblings and aunts and uncles and grandparents, and everybody created in some way, shape or form. And so it was just very natural for me to do the same. And because of that, I just and because I love it so much, I see creating as a little bit of a guilty pleasure in a sense. Like, there's nothing nicer than to be able to sit down and do a little bit of stitching or do a little bit of knitting or painting or whatever the art form takes me. And so I just love that process. And then as I've done more reading and research into the topic, It also goes to show that there's actually lots of research into how beneficial and therapeutic art is, which is just amazing.

Kate Ward [00:04:54]:
So it's something that you can do which is good for your soul, but it's also good for our bodies and our minds as well. Yes. I noticed that you snuck the term guilty pleasure

Dr. Christine Li [00:05:07]:
in there, and I think that's fascinating. Right? Because someone you have devoted your career to teaching the arts and engaging in the arts, and yet there's still this idea, perhaps, that in order to enjoy ourselves, that there's something that's kind of other about that. I mean, do you see people struggling with that? Do you struggle with that yourself? That we just have to be productive or some other professional way. And if we succeed with that, then we get to do these kinds of things. Is there that kind of attitude that you found?

Kate Ward [00:05:45]:
Oh, my goodness. There's so much that we could ins explore with that. And, yes, absolutely. I think, like you say, today, you know, we're all about getting things done, you know, ticking off our to do list. And I I know I'm just as guilty for it myself that, you know, you've got all these things that are pressing and urgent. And then suddenly, that half an hour that you had put aside to do some creating, it's evening time, you're too tired and can't be bothered and it doesn't happen. So it is one of those things where I think sometimes we do put these things that are so nourishing for ourselves at the very bottom of the list. I know, like, I'm guilty of it too.

Kate Ward [00:06:27]:
Going exercising, you know, all the things that we know we should do, but quite often, it it doesn't quite happen. So I think it's something that I'm in the process of trying to encourage more people to just bring back a little bit more creativity into our lives. And the wonderful thing is it doesn't need to be a marathon effort. You know, like, a lot of people that, well, I'd really love it if I had a a day to spend in the studio creating. Well, the reality is many of us, most of us don't have a luxury of a day, but we do have the luxury of five minutes. So, you know, whilst we're waiting for a bus, for example, or waiting in the doctor's studio, instead of having scrolling on our phones, there's no reason why we couldn't pick up a little project that we're working on and do a little bit of work on that. So, you know, like, that's one of the reasons why I love Sashco because it's so small, it's so portable. You can take it with you, and you can just pull it out and and do a little bit.

Kate Ward [00:07:35]:
And before you know it, these little increments of five minutes here and five minutes there, you've got something beautiful to show

Dr. Christine Li [00:07:43]:
for your time, something tactile, but you've also had that moment to become grounded and centered through doing that creative project. Beautiful. Could you talk about that mindfulness piece? The way that what what is it about the arts and creative projects that engage us in this deeper way where, really, all of our senses, perhaps, all of that creativity is is channeled in a very special way, and that we don't really have that opportunity. In some ways, I'm thinking physical sports can be a little bit of, like, a corollary or a a parallel kind of activity where you're fully engaged, and you're focused, and the spirit is kind of alive. And can you share with us what you know about just the the being able to be more mindful when you're engaged in creativity?

Kate Ward [00:08:44]:
Yeah. So, you know, whenever we are doing something that's creative, we become all absorbed in the creative process. And, you know, we might be focusing on what we're making. And the nice thing about the creative process is it doesn't necessarily mean being in front of an easel or doing some stitching or something like that. It can be cooking, for example. Cooking is another great way of being creative. But what it really means is we're becoming focused on what we're doing, and we've got our senses engaged with that process of making. And what's really wonderful about this is it's it's also known as active meditation because the process that our brains go through whilst we're creating is very similar to meditating.

Kate Ward [00:09:34]:
The same areas in our brains light up. We get the same kind of response signals. So one of the benefits with meditating is we learn to be able to control our emotions, and we have a better reactivity to the events around us because we're teaching our brain to be strong rather than letting the amygdala, the lizard brain side of our conscious, kinda take up and do that fight or flight kind of thing. So it's fascinating that through the the focusing, we're giving our brain the opportunity to light up in opportunities that it doesn't do or have when we're being, you know, going about our daily activities. So I think there's something about being in the flow that focus and also engaging with our world through our fingers. Like I'm sitting here now when wiggling my fingers at you because a lot of the time, a lot of us are in front of a screen. So it's a very visual experience, but we don't have that same tactility that we would have if we're making. And we really do engage in the world with all of our senses.

Kate Ward [00:10:54]:
And I find that when I am creating, it gives me the opportunity to become present again. So it's it's really about being in the now, which is what meditation really is trying to teach us.

Dr. Christine Li [00:11:06]:
Beautiful. So now I I love your your backstory where your family just created. Right? And that it was just part of being who you are and being part of your family. For the people listening who may not have had the benefit of that kind of environment, how would you guide people into inserting that into their family routine or in their daily routine? Is there an easy trick or some habit or system that you recommend so that people really make sure that they give their bodies a chance to settle in and take some time and calm down a bit?

Kate Ward [00:11:50]:
Yeah. That's a a really good question. And I'd say one of the first things that I would suggest is listen to what inspires you or what you're naturally attracted to. Because I know we're all on social media and we'll see different things, or we might be walking through a store. We touch things or we see things that are of interest. And it's so it's becoming aware of what those things may be. So I think the awareness is the first step. And then finding a lovely community, I think, is really helpful for just the companionship, the camaraderie.

Kate Ward [00:12:32]:
And also, it can be really intimidating learning something new. So being in a group where you've got people going through a similar experience is always fun. And you also being guided by someone who can help gently teach you how to do that next process of learning how to do something on the creative side. And one of the things I'd like to share with the creative process is it's just like sports in the sense that you can't just run onto the football field and be like David Beckham. You know, like, there's a lot of training, there's a lot of practice, and there's a lot of time involved in getting to that level of skill and ability. And I think sometimes when we're coming to the creative world, we are really tough on ourselves on expecting to be able to create a masterpiece when we may not have picked up a paintbrush ever. So being very kind and gentle on ourselves is is a really nice way of we're just being aware that we're not going to create masterpieces all the time and there's a lot of learning. But with all that here in mind, one of my things that I love to always remind myself about and that is it's the journey not the destination.

Kate Ward [00:13:57]:
So enjoy that process. Enjoy making mistakes. To me, mistakes, it gives me goosebumps thinking about it. Mistakes aren't mistakes. They're opportunities for learning and growing. And a mistake is where the magic happens because if I sat down to create something and it worked out exactly from start to finish, that's great. But if I have some mistakes along the way, sometimes, yes, it is very frustrating. But quite often, it will take me down a path that I wouldn't have been able to conceive, you know, just as thoughts in my mind.

Kate Ward [00:14:38]:
So it's those making moments that really kinda help take you on a journey to discover ourselves just as much as anything else, I'd say.

Dr. Christine Li [00:14:48]:
That's a beautiful way of reminding us that sometimes it's the expectations we put on ourselves that create the stress. That it may not be what life is actually giving to us. It's actually the stories and the the drama that we're adding on to the beautiful story of life. And I love that that art is is this arena where we can make some peace with ourselves and bring ourselves back to just a centered, more reasonable, lovely way of living. I wanna now turn to the community of artists that you are a leader of. Could you share with us about this community, the history of the community, and what you've learned by by putting this community together and being its host?

Kate Ward [00:15:41]:
Yes. Absolutely. Thank you for asking. And, again, this is something that it just gives me goosebumps, and it makes my heart sing. It's gone from it just keeps growing. And for me, that's so lovely to see because it's connecting people with artists, and my intention is to make the world a better place through art. And this is where making Zen has that opportunity to do so. So I like to bring in all these amazing artists who I aspire and just really appreciate.

Kate Ward [00:16:16]:
And I invite them to come in and share what they like to do or like to teach with our online community. And so Making Zen is now in its eighth edition, which is super amazing. And last time we held the the event, we had about 16,000 people sign up. So it really is starting to be an international event. And what's so wonderful about it is it's free. So you don't have to pay to participate. You can watch all of the workshops and create alongside the artists. We also had a a Facebook group where you can pop in and share what you're creating.

Kate Ward [00:16:59]:
And that's where it gets really fun because I love seeing what people make because we've got so much stuff, like we've got 32 artists in this event. There's not enough time to make every single individual workshop, although some people do and I greatly admire them. But so quite often, we see ideas getting mish mashed together, and that's where it's really fun. So it really does have a a wonderful life of its own where the the audience is creating and inspiring one another. And quite often, it's a really nice reciprocal approach because I'll see things and I'll get inspired, and the other artists who are sharing, they also get inspired too. So it it really has such a I don't know. It is it's a lovely community.

Dr. Christine Li [00:17:47]:
That's amazing. Could you share with us maybe a transformation story of someone who maybe wandered into one of your Making Zen events and then maybe become became a full time artist or something like that, where they really found a part of themselves that they hadn't tapped into before. Something like that.

Kate Ward [00:18:06]:
Yeah. Oh my goodness. I've got so many. So I'll share two of them. And they're they're quite different, but they're very poignant in both both the senses of their the the journey that they went through. And so one of the things that I really like about making Zen is we're talking about the mindful aspect and just how beneficial the the making process can be. And I've had quite a lot of people get in touch and tell me how they've found the the experience of creating, particularly with stitching, but it can be applied to any of these artistic processes, how it's a really wonderful way of processing difficult emotions and tough experiences. And I'm probably going to get emotional talking about it because it's it's so beautiful and so close to my heart.

Kate Ward [00:18:59]:
One lady was she was overseas. She was with her son who was undergoing cancer treatment. And I'm going to cry, so excuse me. Anyhow, she used our Makingsen event to help her get through the process. The wonderful result is he's now well, but she also had the opportunity to kind of take her mind off things by participating in everything and enjoyed the community and really enjoyed the process. And like I was saying earlier, when you're creating, it's a really good way of processing the feelings. So that was really touching to hear that we could help her work through such a difficult point in her life and come through the other side stronger and with so many beautiful skills and techniques that she now can work with as well. So that's kind of one side of what makes making sense so special to me.

Kate Ward [00:19:59]:
And just having people reach out and tell me those stories is really beautiful.

Dr. Christine Li [00:20:03]:
Beautiful. Very beautiful story. Thank you for sharing that.

Kate Ward [00:20:06]:
You're welcome. It it really does make my heart sing knowing that I can help others through this kind of event. And then on the other side, one of the artists that we have with us for this event, her name is Giovanna Zara. She's a Sicilian artist. And she has been following along to a number of our events over the years. And she was really inspired by all the other artists that were teaching at these events. And now she is one of the artists teaching at the event. So she's super thrilled to be part of it.

Kate Ward [00:20:44]:
I love it because she's taken these techniques and made them her own. And and I think that's what's that's the beauty about this kind of experience, because you can learn what others are teaching and then turn them into your own projects. So give them your your own spin of on things.

Dr. Christine Li [00:21:05]:
I love it. I love there's a real organic feel to the whole thing, that you take what you need, that you grow, that you can share, and that the whole group as a whole expands, right, and and is opened up in the process. Could you I find myself wondering, what was the initial idea for creating Making Zen, the the large global event? Because I'm imagining that it started with a single idea or a single thought of yours or wish. Could you share that story?

Kate Ward [00:21:41]:
Yes. Absolutely. Well, how it came about was I was teach it was during COVID or just after the COVID, and some of my community were really expressing desires that they wanted to learn other things in the textile realm outside what I was teaching, which was mainly Sashiko. And I thought, well, I'm a textile artist. I can teach all of these different things, but I think it would be much more interesting if I reached out to these other artists who I also admire on Instagram and ask them if they would be willing to share their ideas, their techniques and their approach. And it kind of just grew from there. It was it was very scary because I was reaching out to these, you know, these people that I held on a a pedestal, like, they're amazing. And these days now, I I consider myself friends with them, which is which is super fun.

Kate Ward [00:22:38]:
So it it was it was just just a desire to to learn more, but instead of just kind of sharing, I guess, rather than doing it all myself, which I think and that's the power of it. That's what I really like. It it really is that sharing that makes it such a great, great experience.

Dr. Christine Li [00:22:58]:
Great. I love it how our clients come up with the best ideas. Right? Also, so much. It helps to have really wonderful clients. I love it. Alright. Let's go to an invitation in terms of just really inviting our listeners to really take some time for themselves and sign up for this wonderful Makings Zen event of yours. Could you give us more of the details, like the dates and what happens when they sign up? Will it be just nonstop art all of all over the place, or is there a system that you've developed where people can really find their way and find the artists that they wanna connect with?

Kate Ward [00:23:40]:
Yeah. Good question. So it's running from the May 26 till the May 30, so Monday to Friday. And that's when the the free workshops will be screened. So every day at 11AM eastern, four, five, or six, depending on each day, they will have different workshops that will be available to watch. And they're available to watch for twenty four hours, and then the next day happens, and they will have another four to six workshops screening. So every day, you've got different content to choose from. Depending on your thought, you can do it all.

Kate Ward [00:24:21]:
Sometimes, despite best intentions, there's not enough time to do it all. So you may choose to just pick or choose to do one or two of the workshops, sometimes just one, and take it from there. We have all kinds of different workshops to choose from. So there's knitting, there's eco dyeing, there's different style of embroidery stitching. We've got felting. We've got some junk journaling. Oh, my goodness. We've got so many different kind of genres.

Kate Ward [00:24:56]:
Many of them focus around using things that we already have. So for a lot of people who are crafters, we've got our big stash of things hidden away in cupboards and under beds and that kind of thing. And what's great about these workshops is most many of our artists are like, this little scrap will make it great. You know, it'll you can turn it into a a picture or many different options. So it's all about reusing and recycling and upcycling where possible to, which, again, is another thing that's near and dear to my heart. I think the the more we can use what we have, I think the the better it is. And sometimes those parameters of using what we have rather than going to the shop, buying a whole lot of new things means it gives ourselves another opportunity to get creative as well. So all you need to do is go to makingzen.com to sign up, and you'll get your your free ticket we're calling it, which is and a number of emails will be sent.

Kate Ward [00:26:01]:
So every day during the Monday, the twenty sixth through to Friday, the thirtieth, we will send out a daily email reminding you of what will be on for the day. In the lead up to the event, we also send out emails with a a materials list. So lots of people like to make sure they've got everything ready for all the different projects, so we send out a materials list. We have a Facebook group, which is seriously fun and a really wonderful place to hang up and get hang out and get excited when the lead up to the event and then during the event where you can share your your projects. And there's the opportunity to win fabulous prizes as well. We've got some wonderful sponsors there. So that's through a a game of bingo. So there's it's gonna be so much fun.

Kate Ward [00:26:52]:
Is there anything I have forgotten to mention there?

Dr. Christine Li [00:26:55]:
No. I think it sounds like you know what I'm imagining is like a spring fair, where you're you're kind of roaming around, but also just enamored by the different people and and artists that you see. And this is, I guess, an online version of a spring artist's fair, and you get you get to learn a bit of the skill, right, the crafting skill behind it and from known experts as well that you have gathered for the event. So this is wonderful. I'm planning on participating. I haven't told Kate this this year, but I really have had, over the past few months, this real itch to do something more creative with my life and with my hands and with my time, and I'm really looking forward to just enjoying making zen with all of you who might choose to join along with me. I have created a link for you to get into the event as well. You can go to maketimeforsuccesspodcast.com/makingzen.

Dr. Christine Li [00:28:03]:
The link will also be in the show notes. You can connect with Kate on Instagram. Can you share your Instagram handle with us?

Kate Ward [00:28:12]:
Yes. Absolutely. So you can find me on the socials. I'm at Zen Stitching, Facebook, and Instagram.

Dr. Christine Li [00:28:19]:
Yes. She has a lovely Instagram account as you can see and hear. If you're watching YouTube, you can see, but you can also hear how lovely Kate is. Feel free to send her a message with how this episode affected you, how making zen might affect you. I'm sure it would be lovely to connect, you and Kate. And she's got this beautiful community, so there's that for you as well. Kate, any final words for our audience?

Kate Ward [00:28:48]:
Well, I I think a couple of things I'd like to share. So one is it was shared with me by one of the artists who's participating, and she was talking about, you you know, a lot of us, we have a self care routine in the morning where we make sure we eat the right things, do some exercise, maybe journal, you know, all those kind of good things. Why not include making a little bit of art as part of that self care ritual? And And I thought that was a really nice way of just changing the focus on what it is, and it only needs to be five minutes. All you need to do is is sit down and and spend a little bit of time with your fingers doing something something different. And I would even go so far as to say, one of my new catch phrases is create before you consume. So before you pick up your phone in the morning and check Instagram and emails, and I know I'm guilty of it too, try and do a little bit of creativity because it's such good food for the soul, and it only needs to be five minutes. And so a really great way of breaking that down is prepare so that one day you've got all of your bits and pieces, and then the next day, you can start creating. So just do it little bit by little bit.

Kate Ward [00:30:06]:
It gently does it.

Dr. Christine Li [00:30:07]:
I love that tip because it's it's now a way to recapture and capture and rescue your time. So even better. So let's let's do this. It's a very healthy thing to engage in. I I absolutely, through and through, believe this as Kate does. And, Kate, I wanna thank you so much for your lovely being and being on the show again with me. I love talking with you. I feel calmer when I speak with you.

Dr. Christine Li [00:30:34]:
I think it's just all of the art wearing off on us. So I wish you the best of luck with hosting Making Zen. May it be the biggest smash of a success. I know it's already you're already creating that experience. So thanks so much again, Kate.

Kate Ward [00:30:51]:
You're welcome. Thank you so much, Christine. It's always a lovely time to chat. Yes. Always a pleasure.

Dr. Christine Li [00:30:57]:
Look forward to connecting again soon. Everyone, thank you so much for being here with us on the Make Time for Success podcast. Go make some zen in your own life, and I look forward to hearing all about your experience. Take care. Bye. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Make Time for Success podcast. If you enjoyed what you heard, you can subscribe to make sure you get notified of upcoming episodes. You can also visit our website, maketimeforsuccesspodcast.com, for past episodes, show notes, and all the resources we mentioned on the show.

Dr. Christine Li [00:31:31]:
Feel free to connect with me over on Instagram too. You can find me there under the name procrastination coach. Send me a DM and let me know what your thoughts are about the episodes you've been listening to, and let me know any topics that you might like me to talk about on the show. I'd love to hear all about how you're making time for success. Talk to you soon.