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If your creative energy feels fragile right now, ask yourself not how to push harder or where to recruit more willpower. Instead, ask yourself what kind of container it's been asked to survive in.

This episode draws your attention away from motivation and willpower, and towards creating containers where your creativity can grow and expand.

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There is enormous variety in the universe of visual art—and in this episode of The Modern Creative Woman, we explore why that matters so deeply to the human brain and nervous system.

Inspired by research from the field of neuroaesthetics, this conversation bridges cognitive science, art therapy, and lived experience to help you understand how beauty, art, and the spaces we inhabit can genuinely support healing and well-being. From moments of awe and wonder to the calming effects of viewing art, we explore how aesthetic experiences influence mood, regulation, perspective, and even physiology.

You’ll hear reflections on:

• Why beauty can create feelings of awe and meaning
• How viewing art supports emotional regulation and mental health
• What neuroaesthetics teaches us about architecture, space, and wellness
• Why art museums, sacred spaces, and expansive environments feel so soothing
• How your personal aesthetic preferences matter more than you think
• Simple ways to bring more beauty and creative intention into daily life

In a time when so much feels uncertain, this episode is an invitation to stay connected to art—not as escape, but as a powerful source of healing, reflection, and restoration. Beauty is not frivolous. Creativity is not optional. They are essential to how we care for ourselves and one another.

And as always, the question remains: now that you know, what will you create?

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Explore the Modern Creative Woman Community
https://moderncreativewoman.com

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In this episode, I’m welcoming 2026 with a reflection on creativity as a fundamental human force—the energy behind civilization, healing, meaning, and change. As I begin the early, tender labor of writing my next book, I wanted to share some of what has been stirring in my mind and heart during this season of intention-setting and renewal.

We explore creativity not as something reserved for “artists,” but as an essential way of thinking, making, and knowing. From the objects in our homes to the systems that shape our societies, creativity is the invisible thread that connects ideas, innovation, and emotional healing. I reflect on art as both an intellectual process—integrating disparate ideas—and a deeply human, embodied act of making with our hands.

Drawing on art therapy, psychology, and thinkers like de Botton, Armstrong, and Pat Allen, this episode invites you to reconsider your relationship with art and creativity. We talk about why so many adults stop creating, what we lose when we do, and how returning to simple acts of making can support nervous-system regulation, clarity, insight, and emotional well-being.

If you’re seeking inspiration, grounding, or a gentle reminder that creativity belongs to you—no art degree required—this episode is an invitation to open your eyes to the creative world already surrounding you and to ask yourself: Now that you know, what will you create?

I also share details about the upcoming Paris art therapy retreat and a special bonus for podcast listeners.

Support the show

Explore the Modern Creative Woman Community
https://moderncreativewoman.com

Free Goodies and Subscribe to the Monthly Newsletter
https://moderncreativewoman.com/subscribe-to-the-creative-woman/

Connect with Dr. Amy on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/dramybackos/