5: When Joy Feels Out of Reach: The Art That Met Me in My Burnout
In this deeply personal episode, Cindy shares the story of a solo trip to Houston during the early days of her burnout. There, two pieces of art—Niki de Saint Phalle’s joyful Nana sculptures and a 13th-century painting of the Virgin Mary—revealed the emotional contrast between who she was and who she longed to be. This is a story about the weight of exhaustion, the mirror of grief, and the slow, sacred path back to joy.
Mentioned in the episode:
Niki de Saint Phalle – The Nanas
Niki de Saint Phalle: Rebel with a Cause
Mother of God (Byzantine, c. 13th century) at the Menil Collection
Memoir excerpt from Art Is About Being Whole
Past episode: The Shark and the Book: Burnout, Subconscious Magic, and the Creative Process
Past episode: Revealing the Door Into Our Hearts: Delighting in the Duality of Creative Existence with Yola Mehmeti
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