Meet Jackie Padich

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jackie Padich. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jackie below.

Jackie , thrilled to have you on the platform as I think our readers can really benefit from your insights and experiences. In particular, we’d love to hear about how you think about burnout, avoiding or overcoming burnout, etc.

Being an artist is more than a full time job, it is a way of being. When an artist walks through the world we are observing, reflecting, gaining inspiration both consciously and subconsciously. Taking notice of the beauty, the pain, and the absurdity of existing at all. We feel life to its depths and its power becomes so strong it must become manifest in some way shape or form into this physical world or else we begin to wither. A need so strong that immersing oneself in its process can induce a flow of creative fever where all you can think about is your current project. You dream about it, stay up late into the night, forget to eat, ignore your social and physical needs… a type of indulgence I can only liken to an eternal honey moon of a blossoming romantic love. However, our current society is not structured in a way that it is easily accessible to devote oneself to art. It is often fit in between long shifts, financial stress and an existential angst about how to survive living a creative life which can take the magic away from its creation and keep us from reaching our potential.

The cultural expectation to continuously produce work no matter what circumstances you find yourself in can be truly damaging to the soul. It can weaken, seemingly to the point of death, the very source of our creativity to begin with. The pressure to go and go (and go), to keep running even if you are breaking in body, soul and heart can culminate in a complete dissolution of the self. An emptying of all energy, inspiration, joy in creation- the very things an artist who pursues this as a career sacrifices so very much for. To make matters worse if you hit this point our culture sees you as lazy. You’re just not pushing hard enough. You lack discipline. You’re emotionally or psychologically weak. This external and internal shame you can feel if you’ve hit this point only lengthens the process. You need to rest, to take a break and release the pressure valve but when you are forced to listen to this need the rest isn’t restful because there is a constant stream of self shaming for needing to be “unproductive” in the material and monetary sense in order to heal. An over exertion of the body and the creative muscle and ignoring our other needs socially, our other interests, or just the simple need to have fun can take away our ability to create in the long term. All limited free time can feel like the time needed to be filled with art creation forgetting that art is still work, no matter how meaningful. You may need to stop making all together for a while. You may need to take a full time job and prioritize other things and it can feel like a failure. I promise you it is not.

If you dear reader, haven’t been able to tell, I have experienced this burnout in my life. Perhaps burned to ash would be a better phrase. From high school through several years after college I continued an unsustainable work ethic and relationship to making. I rarely allowed myself to take time off, I pushed myself so hard my hands often ache at the age of 31, pushed through traumatic experiences, chronic illness and unstable life circumstances. A few years ago I hit a moment where pushing stopped working and all the experiences I pushed through rushed to the forefront to be reckoned with. My chronic illness (fibromyalgia) became so bad that I experienced intense fatigue, pain even doing regular activities not to mention struggling to continue to work and provide for myself without an ability to meaningfully have time to heal in a safe place for a long time. I only began to heal when I gave myself permission to not make much in my free time unless I felt truly called. To take a break from trying to advance my career. To explore other interests and reconnect with old passions. To spend extended time with myself and focus inwardly. I had to limit working for a time, accept help from my community and loved ones and honestly had to put bills on a credit card for a time to be able to do it. My only regret is that I didn’t give myself permission to take these actions earlier.

This lasted for almost five years and finally from the other side of it I can offer a little of what I learned. Here are some lessons that have helped me through.

1. Your relationship with your art mirrors your relationship with yourself. If you are not taking care of your needs and cultivating a healthy internal world your art and your passion will ultimately suffer.
2. If you are hypercritical of yourself you will be hypercritical of your art and it will suffer.
3. If you ONLY focus on your art and not on other interests your inspiration will wither.
4. You are still an artist if you are taking a break from making art. You are still an artist if you are not making money from it.
5. Taking time off when needed can be seen as an incubation period. The next version of yourself is being gestated and needs nourishing. When this time ultimately passes (and I promise it will if you treat yourself with compassion) your art and your relationship with yourself will be better than ever before.
6. You are worthy of respect, compassion, kindness, and grace no matter how productive you can be at any given time. You are worth more than what you can give.
7. Taking yourself less seriously will greatly improve your quality of life.
8. Learning to not internalize others judgement when you know you are doing your best is a key to confidence.
9. Sometimes you just gotta say “F” this for a while and get a little lost.
10. Have some compassion for yourself. Life is extremely hard sometimes and the world is on fire. Be proud of every small step and for being here at all.

I hope y’all find this helpful.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am an artist and educator (amongst other non career related things). I primarily focus on clay as my medium of expression and create functional pottery, sculpture and everything in between. I am currently focused on making and selling work, and teaching in community centers. I sell work online and in shows and I take a lot of joy in working on custom commissions for customers. I’ve made unique pottery with clients preferred themes, as well as, installations and sculptural objects for the home. I am currently on Instagram and Etsy where you can look through my work and contact me with any inquiries.

I have always felt that nothing exists in isolation and so my particular point of entry is heavily influenced my spiritual practices, cultivating a philosophy of compassionate living, other creative interests and both teaching and learning with my students. My work is rarely stagnant shifting through themes, forms and tones as I grow and change as a person and is deeply entwined with my connection with others and with the natural world. The main goal of my work is bridge an understanding between my inner and outer world and to be an authentic presence in this current culture. Art is meant to be a mirror for the human experience and I believe the making, sharing and appreciating of it can do a lot of good in this world and help us along the path to healing.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1. Willing to be “The Fool”.

I think the most important quality one can cultivate in pursuing just about anything is being willing to be “The Fool”. The Fool is the first card in the major arcana of the Tarot representing the archetypal journey of what one could call self mastery. The Fool stands at the edge of the cliff of the unknown, is lighthearted, ambitious and has no idea what they are about to get themselves into. They are willing to take the leap anyways and allow the journey to present itself along the way. The allowance to be where you are in the journey of an endeavor and not expect yourself to be instantaneously amazing at something in order to pursue it is the most vital. Without it the dream will always remain unmanifest. As cliche as it might sound as long as there is passion there is a way all you have to do is keep walking. Allow yourself to be humble, have patience and know that failures along the way do not equate to something inadequate in the self and are all part of the journey.

2. Faith in the universe.

In this day and age most jobs that are deeply meaningful are seen as superfluous and impractical. Until you provide some evidence that your efforts are paying off a lot of people will look at you like you’re more than a little crazy. The bravery to pursue something without having a worn path to follow and the faith to keep going even in the face of hardship are some of the only things that will get you through. One of the greatest mysteries of this world is the ways the universe will support you if you only dare to dream. One way I’ve found to cultivate this resilience to keep walking an unconventional path connect with your why. In any path there is hardship, slogging through a job you hate is another kind of struggle so decide what is worth it to you. Another practice that helped me take the leap was to think of the people that inspire me and learn about their life. You’ll see the incredible things that can happen along the way and what is possible.

3. Finding Balance.

You will only be able to do the work you want to do in the world if all of the facets of self are needing to be tended to for you to so your best work and be well. Something I’ve worked on is valuing the totality of my life experience and making time for meaningful and important experiences outside of art making or business. Prioritizing listening to the body and maintaining a healthy lifestyle including things like meditation, yoga and hand stretches for working in an art form that is very physical. Working smarter not harder and pursuing passions with a goal of longevity is really important in continuing the path.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

My biggest practice when feeling overwhelmed is to go walk in nature. The forest, the ocean, the dessert- we emerged from and are inseparable from the ever flowing life and beauty that surrounds us. In our modern age it is so easy to feel disconnected especially if you live in an urban setting. Since living in Charlotte, NC I have often found the only thing that truly helps is to drive out of city limits and find refuge in the mountains or a preserve even if it is just for a couple of hours. I feel the chaotic energy of the city lift and instantly feel more connected to myself. I will often sit and meditate, do yoga or write in the forest and find it helps tremendously in feeling a sense of groundedness, peace and safety. The Earth is truly alive and will support, inspire and guide you if you ask. Walking barefoot, listening for the movement of animals, sitting still and listening as birds sing and the peepers chirp is one of the best medicines for the soul.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @jackielope.land
• Facebook: Jackie Padich
• Other: Etsy- jackiepadichceramics.etsy.com