We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Christy Foust, Ph.D. (she/her) a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Christy, we are so happy that our community is going to have a chance to learn more about you, your story and hopefully even take in some of the lessons you’ve learned along the way. Let’s start with self-care – what do you do for self-care and has it had any impact on your effectiveness?
Pre-2009, I didn’t do much for self-care. I bottled up emotions only to have them come erupting out once the bottle could no longer hold. Then, in 2009, my now ex-husband decided he wanted a divorce. I, fortunately, had the realization that dealing with that was too big for me alone. I began going to counseling, and I still go regularly. I started looking around me, figuring out what *I* liked. What *I* wanted. After trapping myself in the “marital we” for 10 years, I’d lost so much of that. During that time, I started attending yoga classes, which wonderful pockets of time to focus solely on breath and body movement. I developed a journaling practice that follows me to today. And I started creating art. First, I attended a couple of “paint and sip” classes that have been so popular. At the final one I attended I had the epiphany of: “I could do this on my own!!” So I bought my first paints, brushes, a smallish canvas, and a table easel. And I’ve been creating in a lot of different ways ever since. Sometimes on canvas. Sometimes in a sketchbook. Sometimes creating leathercrafts or jewelry. But weaving together all of the different forms of expression that helped me heal from my divorce, and later the other sad cards that life can deal us. Continuing these practices has made all of the difference in managing my emotions and feeling like my emotions truly have a voice, no matter the method I choose to use. These practices have carried me through finishing my masters degree and earning my doctorate. Through the challenges of being a public high school teacher and working in a Florida non-profit as an Organizer. Through the passing of family members, and all of the other stresses life can throw at you.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Living Daringly has been a hobby of mine for a long time. I created, and occasionally sold, different art pieces. Now I’m excited to be working to turn this creative practice into a sustainable business where I get to be both a creator and creative guide!
When I create love, nature, words, and social justice are often on my mind. And as a scientist, I love experimenting with different media. So my artwork usually includes bold colors, a lot of movement, and a lot of texture. I include paints, inks, stamps, stencils, collage elements, and more. There’s always a lot to explore, and a number of pieces and prints are available through my website: livingdaringly.com.
I love creating, but I’m also a teacher at heart. Educationally and vocationally I’ve taught biology at the college and high-school levels. Now I want to share what I’ve learned about journaling, meditation, yoga, and creating (really, playing!) with folks! All of these practices have helped me forget and cope with the stress of the “real world” while I practice them. They have helped me let go of that call to perfectionism that I felt as a student at different levels striving for As or the teachers’ approval.
My Living Daringly creative workshops will weave these elements together: art, meditation, journaling, and yoga. I’m excited to offer a powerful and playful creative experience for participants. Together, we’ll ground and set intention for our shared creative practice. And then we’ll play. In the midst of so much going on in our world, Toi Derricotte’s quote: “Joy is an act of resistance” comes to mind. Let us connect with joy and resist the labels that some would like to put upon us.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1) Embrace your power. I’ve thought about Living Daringly as a business for years. I could have done it at any time, but fear has held me back. I’m still afraid, but I know I can do hard things.
2) Ask for help. Somewhere along the way, I learned to not ask for help. Society sometimes tells us doing so is a sign of weakness. That you should be able to do it yourself. All of that is bullshit. I’m still unlearning it, but never in human history has anyone been expected to do things all on their own. That’s why we live in towns and cities: so we can share our strengths and resources.
3) The world needs what you are offering. I’m still learning that it is a gift to share our offerings. Letting fear get the best of us and holding back is actually a disservice to the world. Let us all let go of that imposter syndrome and let our lights shine!!
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
How to Be Everything: A Guide for Those Who (Still) Don’t Know What They Want to Be When They Grow Up by Emilie Wapnick was a catalyst to help me move on finally making Living Daringly a true business (versus a hobby). She introduced me to the term “multipotentialite,” which is synonymous with “a Jill of all trades,” “a Renaissance human,” or other examples of people who don’t solely specialize in one thing.
I like a lot of variety and diversity in my work. My business would fail if I don’t have flexibility and diversity in the work, because I’ll get bored. As Living Daringly grows, I imagine offering robust, holistic opportunities to help folks reveal their creative power. And I’ve experienced first hand how that ripples and effects the rest of one’s life.
I also need to give Emilie Wapnick a shoutout for promoting Michelle Ward’s Hello Business program, which helps new business owners launch their businesses. Emilie recommended Michelle through her Puttyverse community as someone who plays well with multipotentialites. I’m participating in Michelle’s 45 Day Business Launch program, and am on track to (re)launch Living Daringly in mid-March!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://livingdaringly.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/livingdaringly/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/livingdaringly
