LOOKING THROUGH THE LENS WITH JO KLIMA
We go through the lens with Jo Klima our creative Muse in the next segment of our ‘Looking Through the Lens‘ series where we feature women that inspire us with their authenticity and how true they stay to themselves. Are you ready?
Who is Jo Klima?
Well, isn’t that the lifelong quest to find out?! The simple answer is a designer and artist, an introvert who loves to explore and wants to discover and spend time on the things and with people that make her happy.
And in this moment, how do you spend your days?
A lot of my week is spent in my studio, a new one I’ve recently moved into with a few other creative biz ladies, working on various parts of my business mixed in with creative time for myself. Some mornings involve a post office visit to drop of more Inner Star Oracle decks that are sent all around the world. I’ll often catch up with one or two soul pals over brunch or chai during the week. When I’m at home I’ll be cuddling with my puppy, packing orders and binging on Netflix. I don’t schedule too much of my week, preferring to go with the flow and where my energy is, choosing to do what feels good at the time.
What does creativity mean to you? What have you learned about yourself through creativity?
Creativity means being engaged, feeling energised, feeling connected and honouring who I am. Without it, I am lost. When I am feeling stuck in life, I know I’ve been ignoring it. It’s my way forward, it’s how I align with my truth, and it’s how I connect and share with others.
It shows me what I’ve capable of. It teaches me patience and non-judgement.
When did you know that you wanted to create for a living?
Art was always something I enjoyed as a kid, but it was in my last year of high school that I saw the opportunity to pursue the creative industry of graphic design. It really was the perfect fit for me, and in the 15 years since high school (seriously can’t believe it’s been that long), design has been a huge part of me and my work. Over the last few years, I’ve loved being able to combine art and my spiritual practice with design and discover more of myself through creative projects.
What do you see as the relationship between intuition and creativity?
How has this elevated your own creative practice?
They totally work hand in hand with the universe! There is no authentic creation without tapping into something internal and outside of your mind, otherwise it’s simply repurposing your external world. Some of my favourite experiences and work have come from not having any plan or idea to begin with. When I do that I’ll often find I lose motivation quickly, or it feels like a struggle, there’s no flow and energy around it. Of course, this presents an interesting situation when you are also running a business, but the seed of the best ideas always come from somewhere inside me and it feels like it tells me what it wants to become. It’s much more embodied, less from the mind, which I feel comes in later when more of the practical side of things need to be figured out.
How did you learn to trust your own intuition (both creatively and otherwise)?
I believe it initially began happening when I found myself feeling quite miserable about things and realised that it was mostly because a lot of what I was doing in life was what I thought I should do or had believed was the right thing to do. It makes you realise how much we are conditioned in our society and by our parents or family. I wanted to understand what I really wanted out of life and it took the slowing down and searching within to begin to see that there were many other possibilities. When you begin acting on those quiet whispers, you can see how much better you feel and more beautiful things flow in (and out) of your life.
What would you say to someone that believes that they are not creative, ‘creatively gifted’ or don’t have the time to be creative?
For someone who thinks they aren’t creative, I would like them to know that what they consider being creative may be limited to something like drawing or painting. And while for me that is part of it, for others, there are so many other ways to bring creativity into your life. For some, it’s experimenting with cooking, or growing a beautiful garden, or making a beautiful home for your family. Personally, I love going along to workshops and trying lots of different things, it’s such a great way to discover what you really enjoy.
In regards to time, well, in today’s world it’s easy to believe you don’t have time but I really think you can find it for things that are important to you. I’ve been tracking my phone usage for a few months and it still shocks me how many hours I do spend on it, it’s a huge distraction for a lot of us. One of the best things I’ve ever done was take a whole month off social media, I can’t exaggerate how weird and wonderful it was, how much time I suddenly had and how I would try and find other things to distract me instead hehe.
When you are caught up in your head or just really busy / distracted in life, how do you get back to earth (and into your body)?
Solo time and switching off is the best way for me to centre myself when I’m becoming too busy, anxious and worried about unimportant things. Getting out into the sun and being in nature, in particular going somewhere out of the city where I can see the stars, provides the best healing. Travelling is my favourite way or removing myself for a little while. I remember all the blessings and am always happy to come back home.
Tips for others for accessing their own intuitive creativity.
Try not to fixate on how what that is supposed to look and feel like for you. There are others who share what it is for them, and it can be helpful to hear but it can also be easy to judge your own experience against theirs. All this does is make you feel like you are doing something wrong or it won’t happen for you. There are brilliant teachers around that I love but I understand that it’s likely I’ll never have the same experience or express my own the say way. Go out and try different things, but come back to yourself and discover your own ways of tuning in and expressing yourself.
Do you have a favourite ritual?
I like to sprinkle small simple rituals throughout the day. Pulling a card from my deck, dropping some oils on my wrists, or spraying some beautiful mists, tapping, eating a piece of dark chocolate in the afternoon, or finding somewhere to watch the sunset.
These things are easy for me to do regularly that connect me to the present moment.
(Click on the image below to enlarge if writing is too small)
We love Jo’s artwork and her take on creativity!
Where you can find Jo –
Website :: http://thedarlingtree.com
Instagram :: @thedarlingtree
Photos provided by Jo Klima
How do you add creativity to your life?
Share below!
