Off the Canvas with Jenn Van de Vooren

Jennifer Van de Vooren
Off the Canvas with Jenn Van de Vooren Podcast

Please join me and my friends as we take a deep dive into the magic of art-making and all the life-lesson gems it provides. This art show isn’t just for “the artists”…it’s for all the people, especially kids, who could use more ways to build self-esteem, authenticity, agency, and autonomy. (Hot Tip - you ARE an artist! Yeah!) It’s about celebrating who you are right now and who you’re becoming, all through the lens of art. It’s a whole lotta new perspectives, art techniques, inspiring art makers and most importantly: Expressing your authenticity!

  1. Don’t Put Artists on a Pedestal

    18/04/2022

    Don’t Put Artists on a Pedestal

    Don’t Put Artists on a Pedestal. Episode 11 of Off the Canvas with Jenn Van de Vooren Does this statement about artists and pedestals give you some kind of reaction? About art and artists? Or about me? Or about yourself in relation to that statement? What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts about my thoughts on why we shouldn’t put artists on pedestals because it is t good for anyone! It just creates more separation and reinforcement of an old myth that artists (of any form or medium) are born as artists and then there’s everyone else. So not true! Everyone is an artist in their own unique, perfect way. The artists “we” turn into celebrities just have more people who enjoy their work than artists who have fewer followers, that’s all! And there are just as many (if not more) people who dislike their work. So, there really isn’t a clear answer or standard of which artists should be given the pedestal anyway. Sometimes artists aren’t even given much recognition until after they’re dead! So, their work was the same when they were alive but it’s just the amount of eyes on it that elevates it’s status. I am 100% in favour of encouraging, supporting, and appreciating artists and their art. Of course, I am! Art is magnificent in every way!! I just don’t support the idea of viewing artists as genius or superhuman or having answers on how others should live life and be successful. They are artists making art and sharing their beautiful gifts and ideas… please allow their art to touch your heart and resonate with you. Hopefully it inspires you to make your own art and be more of who you really are, rather than make you feel inferior because you don’t “measure up”. I also hope “successful” artists don’t make you want to abandon your own true art and copy theirs because you love it so much. I would love to hear your thoughts or stories about this topic or any other art-related subject. Please drop me a line. Thank you for joining me on this episode of Off the Canvas. Onward, Beautiful Soul! xoxo Jenn Jenn Van de Vooren Artist & Creative Guide Jvandevooren.com Instagram: @jennvandevooren

    33 min
  2. Can Joy and Art Exist with Sadness and Turmoil?

    05/03/2022

    Can Joy and Art Exist with Sadness and Turmoil?

    Can Joy and Art Exist with Sadness and Turmoil? Episode 7. Off the Canvas with Jenn Van de Vooren This episode has been tugging at my heart with the state of the world these days... so much polarity, sadness, grief, aggression, isolation, heaviness. I've been feeling like, "who am I to carry on with my happy life, making art, speaking freely, creating podcasts, sharing joy while so many are feeling oppressed, scared, sad, lonely, hopeless?"  Recording this episode and thinking of these polarities through the lens of art helped me reconcile if it's OK to make art and carry joy in my heart while also carrying sadness and grief.  SPOILER ALERT: You probably guessed it but I landed on the conclusion that not only is it appropriate for us to share our joy, light, and art during hard times, but those things are needed more than ever. Creating light in the world does not add to the suffering, and oppositely, dimming our light and being mired in sadness and depression in solidarity with those who are suffering, does not help alleviate those situations. Leading with love is always the answer and our hearts are big enough to carry it all... empathy and inspired action for those who are suffering while we continue to share our gifts more than ever to flood the world with goodness.  Onward beautiful soul. If you ever needed a reason to start creating art and shining your light, it's to help uplift the world. If not now, when? Quotes that are resonating with me now: "Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." - Howard Thurman "Art has the power to render sorrow beautiful, make loneliness a shared experience, and transform despair into hope." - Brene Brown "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." - Martin Luther King, Jr. "Art is a wound turned into light." - Georges Braque "The arts empower. The arts give a voice to the voiceless." - Robert L. Lynch "Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." - Pablo Picasso As always, I'm so grateful to share this space with you. Sending you light and love. Shine bright beautiful soul! ~ Jenn Van de Vooren www.jvandevooren.com @jennvandevooren

    14 min
  3. Challenging Expectations, Defining Success, and Letting Joy Lead (in art and life).

    08/02/2022

    Challenging Expectations, Defining Success, and Letting Joy Lead (in art and life).

    Episode 4 February 7, 2022 - Challenging Expectations, Defining Success and Letting Joy Lead (in art and life). Off the Canvas with Jenn Van de Vooren Today I'm taking things in a different direction! As a beginner podcaster I'm learning new technology and work flows as well as what I like and don't like about this process. I was finding that I love sharing the messages from my art experiences but I wasn't loving the editing and intros and outros and music overlays etc. I'm not a technical wizard and that part was just bringing me down. So, in this episode I decided to do things differently. I took a look at what success means for me and what contributes to that and what takes away from it. (This is relevant as we make art and in life in general! See how that works!). I want to share with you the journey I'm on and not give the impression I've got it all figured out and it's smooth sailing from start to finish in every way. Nope! Life (and art) don't work like that so I'm definitely not going to pretend that my workflow is like that either.  I tried making one video recording with audio that I'm not editing. It's all real and was much easier than striving for the perfect radio show. Instead of using stock music I'm inviting aspiring musicians and singers who want to share their music to contact me and we'll see if it's a good fit for the show. I want to share the abundance that art provides and lift others as much as I can. No one is competition! We're all in it together and we're all connected. :) So, the takeaways from this episode are: Identify what success means to you. Start having awareness of when you're doing things on autopilot because of expectations and conditioning. Have awareness of how you're feeling and do more of what feels good. Things don't have to be so hard! It's OK to let them be easy and successful. Expect things to not happen in one straight, short line from start to goal. It's OK to change your mind and do things differently. Success is showing up! Celebrate that often! Persistence over consistency still makes progress. Links mentioned: Music for Young Children Program Onward beautiful soul! Create your own success by your own definition - on and off the canvas. xoxo Jenn Jennifer Van de Vooren www.jvandevooren.com Instagram: @jennvandevooren Join the Off the Canvas party with the pod squad in our Facebook group:

    1h 5m

About

Please join me and my friends as we take a deep dive into the magic of art-making and all the life-lesson gems it provides. This art show isn’t just for “the artists”…it’s for all the people, especially kids, who could use more ways to build self-esteem, authenticity, agency, and autonomy. (Hot Tip - you ARE an artist! Yeah!) It’s about celebrating who you are right now and who you’re becoming, all through the lens of art. It’s a whole lotta new perspectives, art techniques, inspiring art makers and most importantly: Expressing your authenticity!

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