Chris Zydel

Chris’s Soul Art Day Interview

What shaped you as an artist?

Both my parents were EXTREMELY creatively talented. My mother as a singer and a poet. My father as a visual artist. And they had almost ZERO support for developing their unique creative genius. What they had in such abundance was never seen as important in THEIR families. So they lived lives of unspoken grief around not being able to develop , share and honor these gifts in themselves and with the world.

Their grief impacted me in very profound ways. Initially, it was related to dealing with the challenge and struggle to claim my OWN creativity. And through much intensive therapy I eventually opened that door and discovered the incredible healing and joy that was available to me by allowing my creativity to flow freely.

 After that, my response to my parents pain became the clarion call of “ Not on MY watch!” 

It literally HURTS me to see someone disparaging their creativity, not living out their creative dreams or telling themselves that they are not creative. In addition to my paid work with students and clients, I will go into major creative cheerleading mode with folks who I meet on the plane, in line at the grocery store, at a party etc. when I find out they are wrestling with this issue.  I have became totally DRIVEN to help heal folks around their broken creative hearts. To encourage them to break free of whatever paralysis and fear has been keeping them from being fully creatively self expressed because of ways that they have been shamed or wounded or neglected around being creative. 

And of course I am totally committed to keeping that creative spark alive in me through regularly engaging in the creative process in ALL aspects of my life. Everything I do is my art from how I decorate my home, to how I adorn my body, to how I run my business, to how I work with students, to how I teach and design classes and workshops, to how I write and to how I make visual art. My life is truly one creative art fest!!!

How do you get into the creative zone?

My creativity is also my spiritual practice. I experience creativity and spirituality as coming from the same place. They are both rooted in a deep connection to the primal source of everything. They allow us to see what can’t be seen with the naked eye. They are portals into the invisible realms and unseen dimensions of infinite potential, wild imagination, profound wisdom and mystical inspiration. They invite us into the mystery of the formless energies that shimmer behind the veil of all earthly existence.  They are both practices in the art of surrender to something larger than us. They both rely upon and develop our intuition. They both require that we let go of our allegiance to left brain concerns like logic, linear thinking, rational analysis, objectivity, productivity and of course… our need to control the outcome!

They are both expressions of divine love.

So every time you open the door to your creativity, you are also opening the door into these magical cosmic worlds where spirit lives. You are touching spirit directly through your paintbrush, or your body when you dance, or through your mind when you simply allow your words to flow upon the page. 

I think that the Creative Muse and Great Spirit are part of the same tribe.  And that when one is talking to you the other isn’t far behind. And I don’t think an art practice OR a spiritual practice should be something that you only do at a certain time of day. It’s something that ideally is something that you live and is woven through your whole life. So I get into the creative zone by trying as much as possible to never LEAVE the creative zone!

Who is your art for?

My art is first and foremost for me. I make art and live a creative life for the sense of joy and meaning and purpose it brings me. I also love that my art and how I express myself is also a source of inspiration and support for others. I love that sense of play and connection that I experience when my art impacts someone in a way that encourages them to be more creative. But when I’m making art I’m not thinking about anyone else or how my art may be perceived. If I ever try to make art from that place where I’m wondering how someone else may view it or start worrying about other peoples opinions about my art, it shuts down my creative flow immediately. I literally get stuck and bored and nothing happens. So I know I’m on the right track when I’m having fun, making myself happy and filling my soul well with the energy that comes when I’m directly connected to my own creative source.