We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jeffrey Miller. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jeffrey below.
Hi Jeffrey, so excited to have you with us today, particularly to get your insight on a topic that comes up constantly in the community – overcoming creativity blocks. Any thoughts you can share with us?
Early childhood trauma set the stage for so much of my life experience. It was the filter through which EVERYTHING passed. The core wound was the core block and until I sorted that out, I simply experienced variations and symptoms of that block- so there was no shortage of reasons for shutting down and giving up: I’ve been nearly dead 7 or 8 times (Cut my right hand almost entirely off, hit by a car, almost froze to death, hit a tree at 46 MPH while riding my bike, Chronic illness, etc.). Looking outward, I saw racism, poverty, warfare, greed and so on. I’ve Lost friends to murder and suicide. One of the worst experiences was not making a living with my talent, passion, and education early on. I was totally committed. Took all my showers at the YMCA for 6 years and got down to 123 pounds, destroyed my microbiome. A genuine starving artist. I’ve seen the worst in humanity up close and personal. I’ve had somewhere around $60,000 of art stolen.That’s some of the stuff that has blocked me to say the least. Overcoming the depression, fatigue, grief, anger, brain fog and so on has indeed been a journey.
To be honest, I’m not so sure I have overcome my creative blocks so much as I’ve learned to navigate/dance with them. Ride the waves, you know? Seems to me these things are cyclical, but with each turn of the wheel the process gets a bit smoother and I ease up on myself more and more. We live in a culture where we are told we must overcome and accomplish and achieve and conquer and win… but what if the blocks and pain are, in fact, necessary for our development? What if we need to lose so we know what winning is? What if we need to be blocked to appreciate flow? I think we do, more or less. In the moment, of course, it can be less than fun. The older I get though, the more I see it all as more of an adventure than some kind of plight.
Whatever the case may be I know this to be true- a clear mind, a healthy body, and a positive spirit are essential for thriving. To that end, I meditate twice daily for half an hour at a time. I also try to spend time in nature and get my bare feet on the ground. I make time to exercise (either working out/running/yoga) and eat right. I rarely drink and do not smoke. I avoid sugar and wheat, but not to the point that life is some self imposed prison sentence (there’s been enough of that already) I practice staying positive by being of service in ways as great as I can manage and as small as opening a door for someone as often as I can, provided I am honoring my boundaries. I follow instagram profiles that remind me of the beauty in the world and that there is an abundance of hope and wonder and joy. I hang out with comedians because laughter is living; Comedians are excellent at turning lead to gold. A very important factor has been taking the opportunities to exercise my creativity, even when I was just phoning it in. It kept me tethered just enough to community and to “The Source”. Without saying yes, life would have been truly unbearable. In particular, Improvisational Comedy has been a gift beyond measure. I say that because I didn’t have to worry about it being perfect, let alone good. Socialization kept me connected to the land of the living and the process itself gives immediate gratification (in the best of possible ways).
Lastly and most importantly, aside from my choice to keep going (because at the end of the day, only you can save yourself), I give tremendous credit and gratitude to having a family that didn’t give up on me. The love of my Mother, especially, is more than I can express in words.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
The word art literally means, “To be”. First and foremost, “Art” refers to a state of mind and mood rather than some arbitrarily selected field of activity. How art thou? It is Presence. Awareness. Stillness. My MFA is in Sculpture (Pratt Institute), but I have sought all manner of creative outpouring with a focus on BEING in the moment to the best of my ability. Acting for Stage and Film, Voice-Over, Printmaking, Drawing, Photography, Painting. Contact Improvisational Dance, Improvisational Comedy, and beyond. I have been practicing yoga and meditation for some 25 years. Everything I have pursued has been with the intention of reclaiming what was severely compromised in my earliest childhood days; To make it back to my original state of pure awareness and unmitigated bliss.
I do not see myself as any better or worse than anyone else. I’m part of a continuum. We are one energy. I am presently at the stage where I am striving to serve others by helping turn their lights back on. The best doctors are those who have suffered from the same illness/injury that their patients contend with, right? I’ve been through the muck to be sure (and life doesn’t stop throwing muck at you), so I get it. I’ve made it through, as it were, and the only reason I can see sticking around is to be of service in ways others have done so for me while perhaps putting my own spin on it. To be more specific, I work with groups and individuals by modeling and providing a series of creative engagement strategies across an array of visual and performing arts (and more) in order to support people as they work their way through the muck back to themselves.
Along with, “Doing my own thing”, I’ve taught and worked with people ages 5-85, from kids in the street to youth groups, at yoga studios, at community college, at university, in the home, and at the office. All this experience combined with keeping and eye and ear out for what is happening in our society at large has led me to forming a vision for what can employ hundreds of people, transform lives, and serve as a powerful catalyst for change in society itself.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Qualities: Passion
Skill: Meditation
Area of Knowledge: The Arts
If you are not sure what qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge you posses because you are to close to see yourself, ask 5 or so close friends/family members/co-workers who you feel safe with and trust. Sometimes people see things in us that we don not or otherwise deny.
You can’t help but improve. Life is always calling and pushing and encouraging us forward. The only way out is through and it is best to not swim against the current.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I love and live by what Stella Adler (noted actor, director, and acting coach) said, “Life beats down and crushes the soul. Art reminds us that we have one.”
Are you wanting to work with me one on one or with your group? I’m in!
Are you wanting to collaborate? I’m listening!
Are you looking to make a world changing and at the same time rather lucrative investment? I have a master vision to share with you!
Let’s connect via Social Media or Email and see how we can work with one another for a greater cause
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jeffmiller-artist.com/home.html
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffreymillermfa/
- Other: [email protected]
