In this episode, you’ll meet my good friend Katrina Sather.
Katrina is a coach and collaborative artist who I met through the Playing Big Facilitator's Training and who has been on the winding journey of this podcast since day one.
During our conversation, Katrina and I talk about connection, her values and how they show up in her life, and about her journey of her life and how she leans into the process and "the messy middle' in her work and life.
"It’s the process, and I hope that I never lose that. I think it’s part of why people are comfortable working with me. It’s the messy middle. It’s getting there. It’s just allowing yourself to spend moments in creativity."
-Katrina Sather, Coach & Collaborative Artist
Katrina shares about the origins of Collaboration on Canvas and how art can be facilitate equity by breaking down social hierarchy.
She also talks about how she came to coaching, how she weaves it into collaborative art, and the role that strengths play in her work with her clients. She sees your strengths as "little buckets of your talent" that help you to see yourself.
Katrina shared about the gifts that have arisen from unexpected changes with Collaboration on Canvas that led to unexpected connection.
I cherished this conversation with Katrina. I hope it touches you in some way.
If anything from today’s episode spoke to you, please share it in the comments on Substack. If you haven’t subscribed, please do. Your paid subscription allows me to keep doing this work—every subscription helps.
You can learn more about Katrina Sather and her work at:
https://www.collaborationoncanvas.com/
You can learn more about me and my work at:
https://www.joannazaremba.com/
My process and what’s helping me to keep going
Alongside releasing each podcast episode, I would like to share a bit of my process from behind the scenes.
Katrina and I recorded this conversation during the pandemic in early 2021. It was the first podcast episode I recorded, and the quality of the recording made editing a challenge.
I spent countless hours trying to salvage the recording, and in the end it worked out. Despite the struggle, I don’t regret jumping in and taking messy action.
If I’d known more about recording audio, it would have been simpler to edit. But, if I’d done endless research on podcast recording, I’m not sure I would have started.
Sometimes you need to jump in before you’re ready. (If you’re like me, you might never be ready.)
There’s really no substitute for taking action. I believe in the doing we learn.
The process of recording, editing, and launching the podcast has involved so much messiness and vulnerability. I’ve faced fear and kept going. I’ve faced fear and the questioning voice of my inner critic, and I’ve stopped working on this project because it was too much.
But, like all callings, this one isn’t going away. It will keep tapping me on the shoulder until I allow it to come forth.
As I keep taking steps forward, I confront these same fears again and again. The same voices of doubt.
Can I do this? Who am I do do this? Will anyone listen? Will anyone care? What if people attack me? The "what ifs" can go on and on.
The other day, I listened to a Science of Happiness podcast about Elissa Epel’s book, The Stress Prescription. I stopped the podcast as soon as I heard the practice from Day 2: "Let Go of What You Can’t Control: Stress Inventory."
I pulled out a notebook and made two columns—one for what I can control and one for what I cannot control.
I quickly saw a pattern that I couldn’t recognize until I wrote it down.
Most of what I can control—or I would say influence—has to do with myself…things I choose to do, where I focus my attention, etc.
Most of what I can’t control has to do with other people…what they do, how they feel, how they respond, etc.
I knew I’ve carried an unhelpful belief that I am responsible for other people’s responses, but making this list was liberating.
In theory, I understood that other people’s responses/feedback have to do with them, not me. Thank you, Tara Mohr and the Playing Big Facilitator’s Training for that aha!
Even knowing that, I still kept getting hooked by criticism and feared criticism. It’s one of the biggest things that has held me back.
Somehow by writing down all of the ways I cannot control other people, I understood Tara Mohr’s concept better.
No, I cannot control other people. I am not a wizard. Controlling…or influencing...my own behavior is hard enough.
But, this list put me squarely in front of what I can do. It’s me. I can sit down and write this and finalize edits to this podcast episode. I can hit send. I can cultivate contentment with it being good enough and say yes to the messiness of it all.
Because, that’s the other thing—I can’t control the messiness of the creative process or of life.
And, if I’m honest, I don’t want to. I don’t want that power. I prefer the mystery and magic of not knowing how it will all play out.
I’m curious what’s helping you to keep going, to move forward, to embrace the messiness and uncertainty of creativity and life. Hit reply or comment below and let me know.
Thank you for joining me on this experiment in taking messy action, trusting the process (wherever it takes me/us), and allowing creativity to come forth.
Warmly,
Joanna
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