Do you wish you had taken (or stuck with) music lessons as a kid? Or maybe you didn’t have the opportunity for lessons and now wonder if it is too late. In this episode, I talk with Elle Littlefield, an entrepreneur and classical music lover. Elle Littlefield grew up playing violin through the Suzuki method. But like so many of us, she put music aside for other things. Now she is returning to the instrument as an adult, playing alongside her kids. Elle and I sit down to talk about her relearning classical music as an adult, music and brain health, and so much more.

About the guest:

Elle Littlefield is the founder of CareerWell, a company that teaches job seekers how to master their job search to promote career growth and reduce career stress. She holds a Bachelor of Arts cum laude from Columbia University. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Columbia Alumni Association, the university-wide association across all 18 schools, where she also chairs the Mentorship and Networking Committee. Elle is a lifelong lover of violin, which she has returned to playing in adulthood.

Music in this episode: La Campanella by Paganini.

Links:

International Suzuki Association: https://internationalsuzuki.org/method

Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Saves Lives by Daisy Fancourt: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250364531/artcure/

Interview with John-Morgan Bush, Dean of Juilliard Extension School: https://youtu.be/m-6R15awqJM?si=lrpF_E3wzqyOf15X

Columbia School of General Studies: https://www.gs.columbia.edu/

Learn more about Elle Littlefield https://mycareerwell.com/about

Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts. And see more about Betsy Bush and her guests at www.yourcreativemidlife.com. Are you on your own artistic or creative journey? We want to know about you! Please contact us through the website. Dare to follow your muse!

There are many reasons to write a memoir. You may find it cathartic to “get it all out there” or maybe you have a life story that you think readers will find entertaining. Either way, says memoirist and writing workshop leader Sarah Saffian, there is a difference between therapeutic writing for its own sake and writing for publication. Working through these distinctions in a workshop setting with an experienced teacher can help you get your memoir writing to the place you want it to be.

Covered in the podcast:

• How Sarah Saffian helps students craft a compelling story that will engage an audience.
• Approaching your life story with necessary emotional distance and perspective
• Receiving and giving feedback in a workshop setting is a valuable learning experience that helps writers improve their own craft.
• Why it's important In a workshop to "critique the work and not the life” to keep the focus on the craft of writing
• Why Sarah encourages students to read extensively in the memoir genre to deepen their understanding of the craft.
• Sarah's strategies for managing concerns about family members, should your memoir be published.

Sarah Saffian is a licensed clinical social worker, therapist, and author. Her memoir, "Ithaka: A Daughter's Memoir of Being Found," about her experience as an adoptee reconnecting with her birth family, has been called a classic of the adoption genre. She teaches memoir and profile writing at the Iowa Summer Writing Festival and uses a "Therapeutic Writing" approach that combines her expertise in psychology and creative writing.

Links:

saffian.com

https://www.sarahlawrence.edu/writing-institute/courses/

https://www.writerscenter.org/

Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts. And see more about Betsy Bush and her guests at www.yourcreativemidlife.com. Are you on your own artistic or creative journey? We want to know about you! Please contact us through the website. Dare to follow your muse!

In this episode, I reflect on my trip to The Art Students League and how it influenced my friend and podcast guest John Kneapler’s journey as an artist.

The Art Students League has been making art education and studio space accessible in New York City. This kind of community is important for making art and also for improving our health. In her book Art Cure, Daisy Fancourt says social prescribing as the practice of referring patients to “community-based activities that can support their health, with arts being one of the most popular.”

John Kneapler is an artist who grew up in Miami, Florida, with an early talent for art. Discouraged by his parents from pursuing fine art as a career, he studied at Pratt Institute and founded John Kneaper Design, a prominent graphic design and branding company in New York. His firm worked with high-profile clients such as MoMA and Citerella. Following significant life events, including the loss of his parents and the closure of his business during the pandemic, he retired from graphic design to pursue his lifelong passion for painting. He serves on the board of the Art Students League in New York City.

Links:

Full interview with John Kneapler: https://youtu.be/V2OwR--129U?si=SBj224Ac3aV9jeQM

The Art Students League: https://www.artstudentsleague.org/why

John Kneapler’s website: https://johnkneaplerpaintings.com/

Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Saves Lives by Daisy Fancourt: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250364531/artcure/

Webinar on social prescribing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocnv9rzJeYY

Please rate and review on Apple Podcasts. And see more about Betsy Bush and her guests at www.yourcreativemidlife.com. Are you on your own artistic or creative journey? We want to know about you! Please contact us through the website. Dare to follow your muse!