The Inner Dive

Esther Sharp
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Personal Journals

Contemplating works in progress (including our selves) followthepaint.substack.com

  1. Another turn of the novella

    10/29/2025

    Another turn of the novella

    introduction to this story: followthepaint.substack.com/p/episode-8-three-turns-of-the-novel gallery of selected art: esthersharp.com/gallery video channel: youtube.com/@inksmudgestudio Get full access to Follow the Paint at followthepaint.substack.com/subscribe

    10 min
  2. Culmination isn't always celebration

    06/11/2025

    Culmination isn't always celebration

    An audio log to mark the completion of my novella. Visual version of this episode available at Ink Smudge Studio Intro music: “Bright Waking Moon” by Ethan Sharp, full song and album available here You can subscribe to my written field notes on Substack and find more of my work at esthersharp.com Three Turns of the River available Fall 2025 Get full access to Follow the Paint at followthepaint.substack.com/subscribe

    10 min

  3. 05/21/2025

    The second chorus of brood XIV

    In this piece I share readings by and about Mary Oliver. Mary is one of the portraits in my personal pantheon, available now as part of the Art-chetype Series in my shop. The music at the beginning of this episode is Bright Waking Moon, written and composed by my brother, Ethan Sharp, and used with his permission. You can find the full song and buy the whole album (The Kith: A Lunar Calendar) inspired by my fantasy novel-in-progress here. The music at the end of this episode is by cicada brood XIV, recorded in May 2025. All rights reserved to them. Get full access to Follow the Paint at followthepaint.substack.com/subscribe

    7 min

  4. 09/27/2024

    Episode 12: Re-Sourcing Our Selves

    In this double dive, Emma and I swim through our usual wide range of waters, including the limiting effects of metrics, where our true resources are (accessible to all), and the medicine of basking in blessings (not just counting them). We also dissect my ongoing break from Instagram and how social media can affect our creative output and sense of self approval—AND how it doesn’t have to. This call was recorded while I was sitting in my backyard and Emma was camped by a river thousands of miles away—hurray for technology! That said, you may notice a soundtrack of birdsong, cicadas, an occasional breeze, and the return of some dog ASMR. Special guest appearances by hummingbirds. Intro music from the “The Body, The Sound” written, performed and recorded by Emma Liles (all rights reserved to her) Our writing on Substack: FOLLOW THE PAINT by Esther Sharp TRUE NATURE by Emma Liles Get full access to Follow the Paint at followthepaint.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 25m

  5. 02/09/2024

    Episode 11: Holding the Tone

    The first double dive of this year was actually recorded last year—we trust it’s on wizard’s time, and is arriving precisely when it means to. Join us for what Emma calls, “An open-ended conversation on what it means to be a creator.” Hey Tony! We’re toning here! In this episode… + the one wrong thing + an economy of feeling tones + no gatekeepers, no gates + blessings of dissatisfaction + how we bring hierarchies with us + welcoming Gene Keys and the flies in our own eyes + vibrational families + allowing the mutation of the transmission + the inner plateau + what tone do we want to be toning? + a horse with no name (aka Instagram) and how it’s gotten us into and out of some deserts Emma on Instagram (solpothecary) and Substack (True Nature) Esther on Instagram (followthepaint), Substack (Follow the Paint), and her site Podcast on Instagram (theinnerdive) Intro song from “The Body, The Sound” written, performed and recorded by Emma Liles (all rights reserved to her) Get full access to Follow the Paint at followthepaint.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 16m

  6. 12/08/2023

    Episode 10: The Spark is the Thing

    A solo dive into a preoccupation from my childhood turned disillusionment turned career calibration. (There’s also a cryptic writing update.) The new intro music is from a song written and performed by Emma Liles—used with her very kind permission. (All rights reserved to her.) @ theinnerdive @ followthepaint esthersharp.com Get full access to Follow the Paint at followthepaint.substack.com/subscribe

    22 min

  7. 10/26/2023

    Episode 9: Centering the Clay

    Emma Liles (the birch to my doug fir) returns for our monthly double dive, and true to the impromptu pottery theme, we begin with blobby lumps and develop them into various useful or pretty pieces. HIGHLIGHTS: * the yinward turn * we discover a new mutual interest that sparked the same insight * I rave about a pottery show (and the crying featured on it) * the orange hand towel aka the wisdom of the napkin * feeding (or subconsciously dosing) ourselves the colors we crave * Chiron in the realm of communication * being the clay * a dose of serenity (my unusual takeaway from the film “Titanic”) * the resonance of basins, guitars, and truth * sunrises and sunsets as energy packs * “straight up whale time” * integration of the material * forest communication (the importance of diverse feedback) * two kinds of silence * “all strings resonance” * Emma shares her pottery song!! (53:15) * allowing the wheel to turn * the lie of fear being wisdom or a safety feature * detoxing from worry * walking ourselves back from the extremities of our own psyches * my Jenga tower analogy which “eventually breaks down” (pun not intended) * finding the essence in different places * the root of all suffering (two translations with the same core) FOOTNOTES Amongst other things, we reference the teachings of Abraham Hicks, Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg, and The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben Also I misspoke regarding Chiron, which stays in a sign for 1-9 years—not as long as Pluto does. Emma on Instagram: @solpothecary Emma’s weekly publication: TRUE NATURE Me (Esther) on Instagram: @followthepaint My short story: THE JADE ROOM Get full access to Follow the Paint at followthepaint.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 21m

  8. 10/12/2023

    Episode 8: Three Turns of the Novel

    In this solo dive, I discuss the new format (2x/month), announce my recurring guest/cohost, and then tell you the epic back story of my longtime novel, including… * finding my voice in a river * quilting the pieces together in England * “hard-won holiday attention” * how I took a 3/4 win and made it into a loss * how Now Me sees Past Me * writing a life raft * no one had crowned me * how The French Dispatch (and Wes Anderson in general) sparked me to be myself * “We let her do what she wants” As usual with my solo eps, there’s dog ASMR (namely sighing)—sorry/you’re welcome. Get full access to Follow the Paint at followthepaint.substack.com/subscribe

    30 min
See All (15)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Contemplating works in progress (including our selves) followthepaint.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Esther Sharp
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Esther Sharp
  • Show Website
    The Inner Dive