There’s no magic solution to being successful and that’s the magic: You get to create the solution yourself. Today’s guest, Meera Lee Patel, is self-taught artist who became a best-selling author through years of trial and error. Her work inspires others to connect with themselves, each other, and the world around them.

Aileen and Meera talk about how to make a jolt of inspiration last, why fear is actually your friend (and not an enemy), and the difference between being “uninspired” and being “unmotivated” to create.

In this episode we explore:

1:30 – Why Meera settled in Nashville, TN after months of travel
2:50 – Meera’s “late” start to self-taught painting
5:23 – Why it’s actually comforting to learn there’s no shortcuts to being an artist
7:46 – Start Where You Are – Exercises to break down inspiration into action
11:04 – My Friend Fear – Meditations on following your fear like a compass
17:20 – Meera’s greatest lesson as an artist – Ask yourself: “Have I exhausted every possibility?”
20:13 – Why “uninspired” shouldn’t mean “unmotivated” to keep making the work
23:38 – Sneak peek into the process of Meera’s third book
25:18 – Advice for aspiring artist + Making work that aligns with your heart

Links

• Meera Lee
• Instagram
• Twitter

Show Notes

• My Friend Fear
• Start Where You Are
• Freshbooks | www.freshbooks.com/lifestyle

Quotes

• Your path might be different from somebody else’s but that doesn’t mean it’s worse or better. It’s just different.
• Because there’s no perfect combination of solutions, that means that any combination is possible.
• Everything you haven’t tried yet and every opportunity that you haven’t taken advantage of, those are all opportunities for you to change where you are.
• I don’t want for inspiration to make the work. If I let inspiration lead me, I would probably never make anything

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