Awaken to Your Next Chapter: Artist and Activist Lisa Congdon on Imagining a More Beautiful Life

Description:

Lisa Congdon may be an internationally known fine artist, illustrator and writer but she didn’t achieve momentum in her career until she was nearly 40 years old. Prior to that time, she felt that her life hadn’t mattered much, that she didn’t have anything interesting to say. But, a total career pivot in her mid-thirties awakened a passion in her that had been lying dormant for decades and helped her find her powerful, beautiful voice. Despite taking an untraditional path, Lisa has achieved recognition, not just as an artist, but as a leader in the industry for her work in social justice, mentoring and teaching. Lisa says making art is what changed her relationship to her story.

Today, Jen and Amy talk to Lisa Congdon about:

• What it looks and feels like to awaken to new possibilities in life
• The power of finding and harnessing your voice, something Lisa covers more in her book, Find Your Artistic Voice: The Essential Guide to Working Your Creative Magic
• How two really big things (joy and activism) can coexist in artistic expression
• Lisa’s game-changing practice of “loud quitting” the things that no longer bring joy or something positive into her life

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Segments:

Bless & Release: Loud Quitting

Thought-provoking Quotes:

I decided to develop a new narrative for my life and what it could become. I needed to start believing that I was worthy of love. – Lisa Congdon

I think I’ve always been an artist and a maker and super-creative but I was operating in self-doubt. I learned to give myself permission to play and explore and change my own life. I was lit on fire because, for so many years, I had no sense of agency. But suddenly, I could do whatever I wanted, C

I think my work is the marriage of a passion for social justice with the authentic joy I have for life. – Lisa Congdon

I found myself in a place where I was exhausted, miserable and doing things out of obligation. I worked hard at letting go. I got in a systematic process of taking inventory of my life, how I was spending my time. Every time I felt a rush of anxiety about doing something, I would stop and examine it. – Lisa Congdon

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Find Your Artistic Voice: The Essential Guide to Working Your Creative Magic by Lisa Congdon - https://amzn.to/4kkYAO1

Art, Inc.: The Essential Guide for Building Your Career as an Artist by Lisa Congdon - https://amzn.to/4ij5Ms2

The Live Your Values Deck - https://lisacongdon.com/products/values-deck

Lisa Congdon’s St. Mary’s College Exhibit - https://www.stmarys-ca.edu/museum-art/lisa-congdon-hold-it-lightly

Corita Kent - https://www.corita.org/

Guest’s Links:

Lisa’s website - https://lisacongdon.com/

Lisa’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lisacongdon

Lisa’s Twitter - https://x.com/lisacongdon

Lisa’s Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/lisacongdonart

Lisa’s Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/lisacongdon/

Connect with Jen!

Jen’s website - https://jenhatmaker.com/