0:16

Hi everyone, Larissa Russell of

0:16

CreativeU Healing and today I

0:20

have with me Sue Young. Sue is a

0:20

mixed media artist from

0:24

Cornwall, UK, she trained in

0:24

both fashion textiles and fine

0:28

art, and has a wealth of

0:28

experience as an artist. Her

0:31

creative journey has led her

0:31

through working as a glass

0:34

engraver, a seamstress and even

0:34

creating bespoke headdresses for

0:38

a bridal house. Sue works in

0:38

mixed media painting and art

0:42

journaling and loves to create

0:42

and collect our adults. She is

0:45

deeply passionate about sharing

0:45

the benefits of creativity for

0:48

all and loves sharing and

0:48

helping others discover new

0:52

techniques. She is a full time

0:52

artist and online art tutor

0:56

working out of her little

0:56

gallery Gift Shop, which you

0:59

only have a limited time in her

0:59

hometown, and welcome, Sue.

1:07

Hi, thanks so much for having

1:07

me.

1:10

I'm so excited to have you.

1:10

You've been like a staple in our

1:15

summits that we host. And I love

1:15

having you and people always are

1:19

like excited about your projects, you always do something a little different. I

1:21

love that. It's so good to hear.

1:25

Yeah, I just yeah, it's been

1:25

wonderful. So can you for those

1:29

who don't know, you share some

1:29

of your story and the path that

1:33

brought you to where you are now. As I was thinking about this

1:36

before, you know, obviously

1:39

before the interview, think

1:39

about how I would kind of

1:41

describe my story. I think, and

1:41

I haven't really shared it in

1:45

this way before. But this is how

1:45

I was kind of figuring it today

1:48

is that I the creativity in me

1:48

is it's really strong, and it's

1:54

been there the whole time. And

1:54

it's hard to fight, I've had to

1:58

fight to kind of retain that and

1:58

keep that, but it never went

2:02

away. And in a lot of ways it

2:02

actually saved me. I might I was

2:08

raised to I was quite good

2:08

academically I was raised to do

2:13

science, I was told we're not

2:13

we're not a creative family, we

2:18

don't do that. That's for people

2:18

who aren't good at math and all

2:20

that kind of thing. And it just

2:20

so all the time, I always felt

2:25

like this square peg in a round

2:25

hole kind of thing. And so the

2:29

journey has been powerful and

2:29

difficult sometimes, and I

2:36

raised my two daughters on my

2:36

own. So there's also the the

2:39

added balance of having to

2:39

create, you know, a life for

2:43

them and keep a roof over. So,

2:43

you know, it never went away.

2:48

And even when they were small,

2:48

and I was working two jobs and

2:52

keeping everything, I was still

2:52

painting till two in the

2:55

morning, it just never stopped.

2:55

And that desire to make it a

3:00

main state a big part of my

3:00

life. And eventually to work in

3:07

the artistic field in some way

3:07

or another never went away and

3:10

never left. And I'm so glad that

3:10

it didn't, you know, I finally

3:14

got there. But it's been a long,

3:14

a long journey was only sort of

3:21

reflecting on that now, you

3:21

know, and I'm in my 50s now and

3:25

I kind of I'm thinking, you

3:25

know, it's only now that I sort

3:29

of realized how strong it was

3:29

how easily that little light of

3:32

creativity can be crushed and

3:32

went out and how strong it must

3:36

be in me for it to have survived

3:36

everything that it has. From my

3:40

parents, I went into a marriage

3:40

where my husband was completely,

3:45

you know, what do you want to do

3:45

that for and, and really,

3:48

actually quite a controlling

3:48

situation where it was, because

3:52

I love I'm sure like many

3:52

people, the creatives in that

3:57

art books, and before there was

3:57

so much available online as

4:00

well. I love all my art books

4:00

and all the inspiration and

4:04

having them around me and I was

4:04

very much interested in the

4:08

fashion side as well. So it

4:08

wasn't just about that it was

4:11

there were books on text. So I

4:11

wasn't drawing and painting, and

4:14

I couldn't resist it. And

4:14

they've so precious to me, and

4:16

he wouldn't have them on a shelf

4:16

on view. He's like, Well, just

4:20

we don't want to clutter up the

4:20

shelves with a load of books. I

4:25

mean, that whole the whole thing

4:25

was just like it's amazing,

4:28

actually, that I still pick up a

4:28

paintbrush, but that for me is

4:31

really it really makes me feel

4:31

proud and and really recognize

4:37

the strengths of that that no

4:37

matter what came along. That was

4:41

my saving delight. It never went

4:41

away and it felt had to fight to

4:46

get that time and, and to, to or

4:46

to be allowed to create and I

4:53

never had to not allow myself.

4:53

It was just everyone else coming

4:56

seem to want to get in the way

4:56

of it. Yeah, so I just that

5:01

whole journey is reflecting back

5:01

now. Wow. You know, it was, and

5:08

where could I have been now, if

5:08

perhaps somebody said, Wow, you

5:14

should do more of this, you

5:14

know, that's great and

5:17

encouraged it. So I hope that I,

5:17

you know, with my daughters, I

5:22

certainly always did you know,

5:22

if they wanted to try anything,

5:24

it was never too much mess,

5:24

never too much trouble, whatever

5:28

little hobby or creative idea

5:28

they had, I would go, Yeah,

5:32

let's go and get the stuff if

5:32

that's what you want to do, you

5:34

can make it let's go and get rid

5:34

of need and took a completely

5:37

different approach. And

5:37

hopefully, that's made them a

5:42

lot more free and the way that

5:42

they approach all those things.

5:45

I love that because it's so true

5:45

about creativity, right? We live

5:49

in such a, I call it a masculine

5:49

energy world, where everything

5:55

is about it must, you know, you

5:55

must create for a purpose, you

6:01

have to be able to sell it you

6:01

have to be so if you're not

6:04

there, it's just a waste of

6:04

time, you need to make profit,

6:08

you need to, you know, put your

6:08

energy towards the almighty

6:13

dollar really is what it comes down to. Yeah, absolutely. And, you know,

6:15

being made to feel that there

6:19

was no point to it unless it had

6:19

a purpose. So why are you doing

6:24

that? So it because I need to

6:24

because I the desire to learn

6:28

the desire to get better, and to

6:28

nourish that and, and explore

6:32

this whole world of amazing

6:32

things that you know, there was,

6:36

I'm never going to live long

6:36

enough to do all the projects

6:39

that I want to do. And I

6:39

couldn't, you know, I don't

6:44

understand how that can't be

6:44

something that excites somebody,

6:47

but for whatever reason you just

6:47

made to feel like you're wasting

6:50

time because obviously when you

6:50

start something you're rubbish

6:53

at it, and that's okay. Because

6:53

otherwise, why would you keep

6:58

trying? I never wanting reached

6:58

the day when I say this is the

7:01

best thing I'm ever going to

7:01

make. Because why would I create

7:05

anything after that? Just what you're saying about

7:06

that? Start, like when you start

7:10

out and everything's sort of

7:10

crap. And then we often give up

7:13

because we're judged or we feel

7:13

judged, because you aren't in

7:18

school, we got a mark for it. Or

7:18

we were told that wasn't good

7:21

enough for, you know, somebody

7:21

said, Oh, that's, that doesn't

7:24

look any good. Or your partner

7:24

or whoever is making comments

7:29

about it not being doesn't have

7:29

a purpose. Yeah, well being is

7:33

the purpose. That's what? Yeah, yeah, um, the exploration,

7:36

the whole process, it's not even

7:40

about the end result, it's, you

7:40

know, I mean, I can remember the

7:45

first time I ever got my hand on

7:45

your hands on some charcoal.

7:48

Like that whole, it was just a

7:48

whole mess. And, but for me, it

7:51

was awesome. Because I'd learned

7:51

how to use charcoal, I'd learned

7:55

what it did on the paper, I'd

7:55

learned how it felt. And, and it

7:59

wasn't about that end result. It

7:59

was rubbish. You know, it was

8:02

really, it was incredibly messy

8:02

and hard to control. And I

8:05

didn't know what I was doing.

8:05

But I experienced it and just

8:09

made me want to experience it

8:09

more. Yeah, like, I think every

8:13

time I get a new art supply,

8:13

that's how I feel it's so it's

8:17

just as I say that all the time about

8:19

it's the process, not the

8:22

finished product, you know, if

8:22

you're selling a great finished

8:26

product, right, but But you have

8:26

to learn before you can get to

8:30

that point, and it doesn't

8:30

matter. Even if you're amazing.

8:34

You don't have to sell your

8:34

work. Even if you're amazing, it

8:37

is completely up to you what you

8:37

do with your art. And it's about

8:41

the creation. So they are you know, and there

8:42

are artists who create amazing

8:46

work, just give it away, because

8:46

of the sheer joy of being able

8:50

to do that. And like you say,

8:50

it's not if you if you create

8:55

purely for the purpose of

8:55

selling it, then I think there's

8:58

a danger of becoming stale and

8:58

burning out and always creating

9:02

things with the idea that if I

9:02

do this, particularly in

9:06

Cornwall, it's very coastal. I

9:06

mean, if I see one more

9:09

seascape, but there is a market

9:09

for it, obviously here and some

9:13

of them are beautiful, they're

9:13

amazing, but it's not something

9:16

that I really feel inspired to

9:16

do, because I feel like I'd only

9:19

be doing it for a particular

9:19

market and it isn't really what

9:24

I want to be doing so but I get

9:24

it as well you know, there is

9:29

that need to put food on the

9:29

table as well. So, you know, at

9:33

least you're doing something

9:33

that you love even if you don't

9:35

particularly want to paint

9:35

another boat or whatever. I kind

9:39

of I can see how that can

9:39

happen. But it can take over and

9:43

then you lose the freshness. You

9:43

lose the you know the well what

9:48

if I tried this or maybe I'm

9:48

going to try painting a whole

9:51

series of something else

9:51

something new. If you're

9:54

constantly creating to sell. Yeah, it's true. The whole I

9:56

mean, you have to make that

10:01

decision for your own self,

10:01

right? Whether or not you're

10:03

going to, but starting out, like

10:03

just create, just create, and

10:09

then worry about what you're

10:09

going to do with it later. You

10:12

can rip it up, you can give it

10:12

away, you can use it in other

10:15

pieces, I use some for collage

10:15

and things I paint over some.

10:19

Don't worry about what you're

10:19

going to do with it just create,

10:21

yeah, oh, it's sometimes it's

10:21

really satisfying to paint over

10:25

something that's just been

10:25

around a while as well. Because

10:28

that when you when you kind of

10:28

when you refresh it, or you

10:31

paint over it completely, it has

10:31

like a story in there. And it

10:35

might only be you that, that

10:35

knows that story. But there's

10:38

something really quite uplifting

10:38

about it, you're letting a piece

10:42

go. But you're not throwing it

10:42

away, I find that something

10:45

really quite satisfying when

10:45

something's just been there too

10:49

long, you know, there was a

10:49

couple of plate pieces in the

10:51

house. So when I moved that had

10:51

just been they were okay, but I

10:57

would never have perhaps put

10:57

them on show anywhere. So they

11:00

were just in the house. And but

11:00

I didn't love them. So So why

11:03

are they here? Why not using

11:03

those canvases to make something

11:07

that I love. And now, you know,

11:07

they've been repainted and

11:10

refreshed and that I've done

11:10

them just for me, they still

11:13

have been the you know, they're not leaving the hospital. Now. I love them. Now I like having

11:15

them on the wall. So it's, it's

11:19

all still a process, whether

11:19

it's, you know, five hours or

11:22

five years down the line that

11:22

you you know, your carry on

11:25

working on a piece. It's part of

11:25

the journey.

11:28

Yeah, it absolutely is. So

11:28

you're you touched on this a

11:33

little bit earlier, but the

11:33

healing part of creativity, what

11:37

does that for you? What does that mean to you. Um, for me, I think without even

11:40

realizing it, and as I said, was

11:44

kind of just thinking about, you

11:44

know, speaking with you today,

11:49

before we came on here, and

11:49

hadn't even articulated it

11:53

really to myself, quite how

11:53

important it was, it is to me,

11:57

and it has been throughout my

11:57

life to be able to create and

12:01

how much that has actually saved

12:01

me. And I was reflecting back

12:06

to, I'd say, I wasn't, at the

12:06

time I wasn't even conscious of

12:10

it. I when I was pregnant, I

12:10

fell pregnant with my eldest

12:14

daughter I been with with my

12:14

partner for two years, I fell

12:18

pregnant, it was unplanned. And

12:18

he just disappeared like that.

12:23

Like he didn't take my calls.

12:23

And I think it was a small town.

12:27

I mean, everybody knew what he

12:27

done, but he just did it anyway.

12:32

And that was terrifying for me.

12:32

But some I don't even know now

12:36

how I got through it. I just got

12:36

on with it. And it was okay. I

12:41

had very good friends around me.

12:41

But one of the things I did

12:45

during that time was I took a

12:45

painting class like a problem, I

12:49

would always pay, I would always

12:49

I read every book I could get, I

12:54

would be at the library every

12:54

week, getting all the art books

12:58

and getting all that so I was

12:58

constantly teaching myself,

13:02

because I felt like I'd be

13:02

cheated out of being to do it at

13:07

school. I was I know I was. And

13:07

that was then I suddenly had

13:11

this opportunity to do it was

13:11

just a couple of hours on a

13:15

Friday morning, a proper art

13:15

class was painting in oils,

13:19

which I've never really gone

13:19

back to very much. But it was

13:23

just it was just my time. And it

13:23

was just a focus that I could

13:27

put just on myself. And I kept

13:27

going right up to I can remember

13:32

sitting in class and painting a

13:32

still life and resting the

13:36

drawing board on my belly. And

13:36

it moving because you know the

13:40

baby was reveling in that. And

13:40

I've never been so happy. And I

13:45

knew then that I just had to

13:45

keep going with that and that.

13:49

But I didn't. It's not till now

13:49

when I look back on that. And I

13:54

realize actually that was it.

13:54

That was a really, really

13:58

trying. Terrifying, lonely time.

13:58

My heart was broken. I didn't

14:02

know where I was going to live,

14:02

none of those things. And yet, I

14:07

was going to this class once a

14:07

week and I was blissfully happy

14:11

in that time. So kind of I

14:11

gravitated to that without

14:15

thinking I should go make some

14:15

art because I'll feel better. I

14:19

just did it. And thank goodness

14:19

for that. You know, there was

14:24

probably a huge amount going on

14:24

in that time. Emotionally, which

14:28

I wasn't even aware of. It was

14:28

an escape. And I was I was

14:32

feeding myself, you know, my

14:32

inner self and healing without

14:36

even realizing that was what I

14:36

was doing for myself. I just

14:41

went along because my friend

14:41

said oh, there's this art class.

14:45

You know, just fancy going. So I

14:45

did. So important, so important.

14:50

It really is and I think so many

14:50

people don't recognize how

14:54

important it is because they're

14:54

critiqued or they're told it's

14:58

not important or they You know,

14:58

they feel better. But there's

15:01

other things to do other people

15:01

to look after, and I'm talking

15:04

about you women, I'm talking

15:04

about women, and I'm talking to

15:08

you all women, because we often

15:08

put other people first. And so,

15:15

you know, if we're told that's a

15:15

waste of time, and all of those

15:18

things that our society or

15:18

culture deems it, unless you are

15:23

amazing at it right? And amazing

15:23

is subjective when it comes to

15:27

art completely, you know, unless

15:27

you've made it, you are, you

15:31

know, hanging your art in a

15:31

gallery, or after the movie or a

15:35

musician on the stage. We don't

15:35

deem it important, but how do

15:39

you get there? How do you get there? And who is

15:41

to define that, you know, well,

15:45

that's just a little hobby, or

15:45

whether it's actually a passion.

15:50

Because I'm like, you know, I

15:50

don't want to be negative, there

15:54

are loads of amazing men out

15:54

there. And I don't, I'm not a

15:58

bit of that whole kind of that

15:58

sort of patriarchal view and the

16:02

way that things are structured,

16:02

when, when a man for example,

16:06

and I am general, I've seen

16:06

anybody, but if, if a man is

16:10

passionate about going fishing,

16:10

or playing golf, that's given

16:15

priority, certainly, we can't go

16:15

to dinner on Friday, because I

16:19

have a golf meeting. We can't,

16:19

you know, I won't be around on

16:23

Sunday, because, you know, I'm

16:23

going fishing with so and so.

16:27

And it's given a priority within

16:27

lives, Shared Lives. Whereas if

16:32

you said, I don't want to go to

16:32

dinner, because I want to finish

16:36

knitting this jumper, which is,

16:36

ie, equally as important to you

16:40

for your well being and your

16:40

creativity. Somehow that's like,

16:45

what you know, you couldn't

16:45

possibly ask for that time to,

16:49

to dedicate it. And it when you

16:49

try I in my experience. So you

16:53

know, when I tried to sort of

16:53

take that time, it can actually

16:57

be actively sabotaged by the

16:57

people around you, the people

17:01

who should be encouraging you

17:01

to, to take that time and to

17:05

give yourself that, that chance

17:05

to express yourself and to

17:09

create, it's not just dismissed,

17:09

it's actually sabotage to the

17:13

point where they will take the

17:13

opportunity to do that the

17:17

freedom to do that away from

17:17

you. And that's it's very sad,

17:21

but it is, you know, sort of

17:21

touched on this a little bit we

17:25

are that is a very sort of

17:25

patriarchal view on things that

17:29

you have to succeed. And you

17:29

have to be, you have to have

17:33

made it for it to be important.

17:33

And it's just not true. Yeah.

17:38

Also the crafts that are

17:38

considered women's crafts, like

17:41

the sewing and the knitting and

17:41

the cooking and all of those

17:46

without those things. What would

17:46

we so important, and it has huge

17:50

value, and yet somehow it's

17:50

become undervalued. Yeah, and

17:54

dismissed and derided as well,

17:54

you know, what, what do you

17:58

mean, you like knitting? Isn't

17:58

that what grannies do? And it's

18:02

like, that's not how it works,

18:02

you know, because all of these

18:06

passions, if that's your

18:06

passion, if that's your thing,

18:10

if that's what you do, to create

18:10

and soothe yourself, that it's

18:15

important, it shouldn't be

18:15

derided. And it doesn't have

18:18

limitations. It's not it's not

18:18

an ageist thing, or a feminine

18:23

or masculine thing. It's just

18:23

creating. Yeah.

18:26

Which we all need. Yeah. And I

18:26

love what you said about, you

18:31

know, because I've been delving

18:31

into the masculine and feminine

18:36

energy and the patriarchy lately

18:36

with our new program awakening,

18:40

and, and the energy around that,

18:40

and I'm not talking about men

18:43

and women, right? We all, we all

18:43

need the balance. I'm just

18:47

talking about. Yeah, yeah. But

18:47

creativity is, is that feminine

18:53

energy. And we all need that. We

18:53

need that for the balance. And,

18:59

and we do we put our society our

18:59

culture will put down men who

19:03

knit or sew, things like that.

19:03

You know, I mean, women get put

19:08

down enough, because it's a

19:08

waste of time. But then if a man

19:11

does that, then it's even worse.

19:11

Right? But yet, you're right

19:13

fishing and going golfing. And

19:17

that's not divided or considered

19:17

a waste of time, even though you

19:22

know, I mean, a man can spend, I

19:22

can remember my own dad would go

19:26

fishing, and you know, we wouldn't see him for the whole weekend. And he kind of did you

19:27

catch anything? No, but it was

19:31

never considered a waste of

19:31

time. For him to do that, and

19:36

just leave the rest of us to get

19:36

very double standards.

19:44

Oh, we could do a whole thing on

19:44

that, but Well, I think we've,

19:52

we've definitely given people

19:52

some food for thought. Is there

19:55

anything you'd like to add that

19:55

we maybe haven't had a chance to

19:58

talk about today? I just just to to create that

20:00

would be like, you know if I was

20:04

going to say anything to

20:04

listeners today, so don't be

20:07

afraid of it. Don't feel like

20:07

you have to be good. Don't show

20:12

anybody if you don't feel like

20:12

you've got people around you are

20:15

going to support and encourage

20:15

you you don't have to share it

20:18

art is that you do your art for

20:18

you. Or your creativity for you.

20:22

It doesn't have to be art, maybe

20:22

it's writing, maybe you just

20:25

need to sit down and write every

20:25

day. We give that to yourself,

20:28

you can't possibly harm yourself

20:28

by doing that. It can only do

20:32

you good. Regardless of the

20:32

results or what other people

20:37

think about it. It can only ever

20:37

be good for you. So just do it.

20:41

Jump in. Just do it. Yeah, I love that. And

20:43

you've got a gift for our

20:47

listeners. Is that right? A free

20:47

class?

20:51

Do you Yeah, I just I tried to

20:51

kind of put up like a little

20:57

free class for people who've

20:57

never perhaps tried online

20:59

classes or a little bit wary of

20:59

mixed media. So try to do

21:04

something each year and this was

21:04

my latest offering was moonlight

21:07

whimsy is a it's really

21:07

accessible to anyone whether you

21:11

have an experience are not

21:11

completely free just jump on

21:15

enroll, you can do it in your

21:15

own time. You've got lifetime

21:18

access it no different to any of

21:18

the other paid classes. It's

21:21

just this is just a gift out

21:21

there for you for you to try and

21:25

get creative. Try it and get creative. I love

21:27

that. I love that. I want to

21:30

thank you so much Sue. Absolute pleasure. Always love

21:32

to speak to you.

21:36

To our listeners. We will see

21:36

you again next time and in the

21:38

meantime, I wish for you

21:38

amazingly creative days.