051: Celebrating Small Wins with Heather Kirtland and Marissa Huber

Craft A Life You Love

In your life’s journey, it’s important to celebrate all of the successes you meet along the way. Big or small! That’s what today’s guests Heather Kirtland and Marissa Huber of Carve Out Time for Art talked about on this episode of the podcast. Heather and Marissa share the story of how they met and how this led to them writing a book together. The two share why you should use your free time to be creative. Heather and Marissa give their advice on how to find what you love to do. They also chat about finding your non-negotiables in life and carving time for those each day. (This episode was pre-recorded on March 18, 2020)

What’s in this episode:

• How Heather and Marissa got connected and decided to create a book together
• How they learned to stay calm amidst the chaos
• What they do to encourage people to use their free time to be creative
• Enjoying the process of the goals that you’re working toward
• Their advice to someone who doesn’t know what they love to do
• Giving yourself permission to do what you want
• How to stay grounded and ignore the voices in your head
• Celebrating your small wins when you have them
• What their non-negotiables are
• Figuring out what’s right for you and your family
• Their advice for adapting to the current new normal
• The process of how their book came together
• Creating external accountability to stop you from avoiding your goals
• Why you should take more chances and embrace your “badass rejections”

About Heather:Heather Kirtland, an artist, received a BFA in painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Heather currently teaches encaustic workshops and is focused on her own studio practice. She was awarded The Maryland State Arts Council Grant and was a resident artist at The Holt Center. Most recently she has become a West Elm Local artist. Her work has been exhibited throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, abroad in Italy and Wales, and has appeared in Modern Rustic magazine and Country Living UK. The Make-A-Wish Foundation and Montessori school have commissioned her work, as well as many private collectors. Heather recently moved from Baltimore to a more rural part of Maryland where she lives with her husband and two children and their dog. When she is not painting, she loves to read, run and encourage other mothers to find a creative outlet through a project she co-founded with Marissa Huber; Carve Out Time for Art.

About Marissa:Marissa Huber is an artist, connector, and creative instigator for the Carve Out Time for Art community and co-author of “The Motherhood of Art” which will be published April 2020. She works primarily in water-based mediums, digital drawing, and occasionally attempts linocut printing and silk dyeing. Her work is influenced by the colors, patterns, or plants spotted in daily life that may record a memory or fleeting moment. Her work has been featured at Brooklyn Art Library, HGTV Magazine, Design Love Fest, Minted, Create! Magazine, and Makers Movement. Her greatest joy (besides her kids) is connecting with kindred spirits over an experience, a funny story, or shared dreams and feeling positively lit up. She believes in taking her dreams quite seriously, but tries not to take herself too seriously. She lives in South Florida with her (painter) husband, two kids, and mom.

Connect with Heather and Marissa:Website | Instagram | Facebook | Heather’s Website | Heather’s Instagram | Marissa’s Website | Marissa’s Instagram

Links:The Motherhood of Art by Heather Kirtland and Marissa HuberLoving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life by Byron Katie and Stephen MitchellEssentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg MckeownThe Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level by Gay HendricksA Prayer for Owen Meany by John IrvingHarry Potter Paperback Box Set (Books 1-7) by J.K. RowlingDaybook: The Journal of an Artist by Anne Truitt

Hope you’ve enjoyed this episode! Would love to hear from you. What is one thing you can do with the wisdom and guidance you’ve extracted from this episode to make a positive and lasting change in your own life? Connect with me on social media. You can find me @amytangerine on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and pretty much anywhere. If you’re enjoying this podcast, please rate and review on iTunes, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and let your friends know about it too! The more we spread the creativity and happiness that comes from pursuing our passions, the better off our amazing community will be. Hope you feel uplifted, energized and inspired. You’re doing great. I’m Amy Tangerine encouraging you to celebrate the small wins.