Hug An Author Today

We know that writing a book is hard work—longform creativity takes patience, stamina, and an extraordinary drive to make it to the finish line.  That’s why, this week, we’re celebrating our dear friend Jenny Clift, whose new book Thriving Artist: How Musicians, Performers, and Creatives Can Use EFT Tapping to Achieve Balance, Career Growth, and Success is released on January 15. We got a sneak peek at this incredible resource for artists, and we were too sparked not to share!

Join us this week as we take a page from Jenny’s book to discuss fighting for creative freedom. We’ll discuss the process of EFT Tapping and how it has impacted our lives and work. And, we’ll analyze some of Jenny’s most helpful tactics for moving through trauma and limiting beliefs. We’re thrilled to celebrate Jenny’s achievement. But we’re even more grateful for the chance to share it with you!

In honor of Jenny—and all the hard-working authors out there–we have one thing to say: We LOVE it! Keep going! You can learn more about Jenny and her new book on her website. You can listen to the Spark File podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and directly on our website.

Chapters

• 0:00 Thriving Artist
• 9:06 Healing Through EFT Tapping
• 15:47 Navigating Chaos With EFT Tapping
• 29:09 Sparking Creativity and Collaboration

Transcript

The Spark File Podcast Transcript
Season 5, Episode 18: Hug an Author Today

Susan Blackwell:
Welcome to The Spark File, where we believe that everyone is creative, but smart creative people don't go it alone.

Laura Camien:
I'm Laura Camien.

Susan Blackwell:
And I'm Susan Blackwell. And we are creativity coaches who help people clarify and accomplish their creative goals.

Laura Camien:
Hey, you should know that just by listening to this podcast, you are joining a warm and wonderful clan of creatives.

Susan Blackwell:
But, you may be asking yourself what exactly is a spark file?

Laura Camien:
A spark file is a place where you consistently collect all your inspirations and fascinations. Every episode we're going to reach into our very own spark files and exchange some sparks, and from time to time we're going to talk to some folks who are sparkly and who spark us too.

Susan Blackwell:
And your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to take some of those sparks of inspiration and make something of your own. So, without further ado, let's open up The Spark File. Hi Laura!

Laura Camien:
How are you? Are you excited about this little gem I've got for you?

Susan Blackwell:
I’m excited for the Spark.

Laura Camien:
Ah, the Spah-k.

Susan Blackwell:
I become a Kennedy when I get excited about the Spah-ks.

Laura Camien:
Susan, I want to start this spark with a public service announcement. This PSA is on behalf of authors. Writing a book is fucking hard work, friends. It is a long process that takes determination and patience and stamina and the ability to tap into that well of inspiration over and over again. It's true of fiction, nonfiction, romance, self-help writing any kind of book represents a huge achievement, which is why I say if you know someone, anyone who has started and completed a book, gotten it published independently or traditionally, and then did the work to sell copies of that book one copy or a million copies…hug that author, kiss that author, congratulate that author, buy their fucking book, recognize the commitment. Writing a book is like running a marathon and it deserves to be celebrated.

Susan Blackwell:
I know an author.

Laura Camien:
Oh, you do?

Susan Blackwell:
Uh-huh. Look at you batting your eyelashes at me.

Laura Camien:
Listen, this park is not about me, Suze, but it is true. I know this firsthand.

Susan Blackwell:
You do know this firsthand and we have so many authors in the Spark File who are at various stages in this process. Some have already published a book or books.

Laura Camien:
Some are, some are publishing deals, Some are published, uh, publishing independently.

Susan Blackwell:
Some are in the final edit, like we have folks who are in all stages of the process to every single one of them.

Laura Camien:
We salute you. I was going to name names, but actually I'm terrified of leaving someone out, but there are so many, and we are so proud of you, so proud.

Susan Blackwell:
Long-form creativity is no joke.

Laura Camien:
It is seriously no joke, and I am. I have written a book and I am in the midst of writing a book right now, and it is real and I commend every single person who takes this on. And that is why I am especially sparked today by our dear friend, Jenny Clift, who we have had as a guest on this very podcast.

Susan Blackwell:
Yes, we have.

Laura Camien:
Jenny is a classically trained musician, violinist specifically. She's also an EFT or emotional freedom technique coach, also known as tapping. Jenny's based in Madrid, spain. She's passionate about working with musicians and stage artists, performers and creatives to help them achieve success, wealth, joy, confidence and inner peace. Obviously, we share this passion with Jenny and from the moment we connected, we knew that we were a match. We often have Jenny come in as a guest artist to share her expertise with the Spark File community as well. All of this is to say I am so excited to share that Jenny has written and is publishing her second book this month.

Laura Camien:
It can be found on Amazon. The name of this book is “Thriving Artist: How musicians, performers and Creatives can use EFT tapping techniques to achieve balance, career growth and success.

Susan Blackwell:
Fantastic.

Laura Camien:
I just want to say, if you know, Jenny Clift, hug her, celebrate her. I don't know, actually, ask her first, get consent. She may not want to be hugged, but celebrate her.

Susan Blackwell:
Get that restraining order dropped and then—

Laura Camien:
And then move in but celebrate her in every, every way possible, because it's such an extraordinary feat and it's easy to, to simply not realize the blood, sweat and tears that have gone into getting something completed and published and then out in the world. And when you do it independently, it is, you know, on you to do every little bit of the marketing and promoting, et cetera.

Susan Blackwell:
And that accomplishment aside, it's a big accomplishment but, to put it aside, the content of Jenny Clift's work is so substantive and she is, I just feel, like…talk about… We did an episode recently about making positive change in the world. Talk about putting like your life's work being about making positive change in the world. I have seen her, Laura, you have worked so closely with her.

Laura Camien:
That is correct.

Susan Blackwell:
And we've just been so lucky to be in rooms with her where she has led us through, um, this remarkable work that she does.

Laura Camien:
Well, she does the work that you know has the ripple effect. So for every single creative that she works with and helps them to remove blocks and get their work done and out into the world. It is just multiplied. You know her impact on the world.

Susan Blackwell:
And that EFT work extends past artists. I'm sure most people listening to this podcast are creatives, but if you have people in your life who you love, who have experienced trauma like you know—

Laura Camien:
We're going to get into it, Suze.

Susan Blackwell:
Don't let me jump your spark, well.

Laura Camien:
We're starting with this topic because this particular book and this is Jenny's second book, but this one is about thriving artists. So musicians, performers, creatives, love that and she knows all about this topic because she grew up as a very talented violinist in the very strict world of classical music. She got into a top named college to continue her music studies and, instead of her dream come true, she thinks of that, those college years, as the beginning of the end for her dreams.

Susan Blackwell:
Vampire years.

Laura Camien:
Very suddenly she was a small fish in a big pond. She felt like her previous confidence, that she felt as the star pupil and the leader of her school orchestra was just shattered to bits during these years. She said she struggled and just barely scraped by to get her performance diploma. Get this, she says. When she informed her violin professor that she was quitting, he muttered “About time too.”

Susan Blackwell:
Oh vampire. Yeah.

Laura Camien:
So she took off. Literally, she fled the country. She spent a decade teaching English in Spain with her instrument hiding silently in a cupboard. How many times have we heard a version of this story, susan? A cruel comment from a teacher or an instructor sometimes well-intentioned, sometimes not or cruel comments from peers, and the project or the passion goes into a drawer or a cupboard and it isn't touched again Fuck you, Ms Johnson so many. Fuck you, Ms Johnson.

Laura Camien:
But, I remember talking to Sarah Bareilles. I remember talking to Matt—

Susan Blackwell:
Oh, Matt Vogel! Matt Vogel, yes, yes, who you know, who took first place in the school talent show and the other kids were so mad at him for beating the heavy metal band that came in second, that negative energy coming his way in association with what should have felt like a really, you know, victorious day and a celebratory day caused him to put his puppets into a drawer and not talk to them. Think about them for five  years.

Laura Camien:
And both of the people you mentioned Sarah Bareilles, Matt Vogel, who plays Kermit the Frog, Jenny Clift. Something that makes them great artists is that they are sensitive souls… so that is just like a soul punch.

Laura Camien:
It's a soul punch when you get a comment like that just oh, it's not right, and we celebrate any time a person can make their way back, you know, find a way to heal that and move on from that and make their way back to their, their creativity, that's what we're all about, as you well know, Susan. So thankfully, Jenny did just that. She stumbled upon EFT tapping and it transformed her relationship to her creativity. She says since the s there's been a rise in modalities that combine Western talk therapy with Eastern energy techniques, and EFT tapping is one of those newer techniques. EFT involves stimulating acupressure points by tapping on them while discussing the corresponding emotions and challenges that we're facing. So this reduces the stress hormone cortisol. It rewires the brain. It calms our fight or flight response. It allows the mind, body nervous system to relax. According to Jenny's book, there've been evidence-based scientific research studies showing that EFT reduces the stress hormone cortisol. It acts directly on the limbic system, which regulates that fight or flight response and the body's reaction to stress. And so much of what creatives do is any creative risk we talk about all the time. If you're taking a risk, it is activating your fight or flight response.

Laura Camien:
And it is simply our job to manage and regulate and understand. That's what's going on in my body. But I'm perfectly safe. I'm going to proceed to this audition or this performance or this creative act. This performance or this creative act, but EFT tapping gives artists an actual tool to use to help them regulate their nervous system. So it's phenomenal.

Laura Camien:
Jenny also writes. This always makes me giggle, but Jenny talks about how we all have our own personal belief system, how we all have our own personal belief system, which she calls BS, and I love it, because isn't that so true? The stories that we tell ourselves and we have Susan. We have told ourselves every story in the book and our clients have told themselves every story in the book about why we haven't done it yet, or what we need to work on first, or what needs to fall into place, or just how the world is.

Laura Camien:
So this BS or belief system, Jenny says, we all have one. We've worked out our stories and tell ourselves the right way to do things, and it's all based on how we were taught to understand the world, our given circumstances and the people in our lives. So we all have it. We have our own unique set of stories, but telling ourselves to simply stop believing our thoughts. It doesn't work. It can even backfire, because when you just simply tell your brain to stop thinking, that a part of your brain will, like, dig in our heels and think it even stronger.

Laura Camien:
That's that whole phenomenon what you resist persists. I think I've mentioned it before, but this is one of the reasons why I've loved working with Jenny and why I think EFT works so well for me, because the whole process makes room for those voices within you to be heard.

Susan Blackwell:
Yes! Yeah.

Laura Camien:
Yeah, I did years and years of Pollyanna, like attempting to like smack on top of whatever I'm feeling, put on a happy face, put on a happy demeanor, everything is fine and that felt so inauthentic to me and it was very, very hard. And finally my life started to change when I realized oh, the goal is not to deny that these feelings exist. Give them a voice, let them be expressed and move through you. So with EFT tapping, you're not trying to deny a negative feeling or trying to feel something else. You're allowing the energy and the emotion to move through you, speaking it out loud, giving it a space and just moving it right on out.

Susan Blackwell:
So, Laura, if this is jumping your spark, just let me know, but if it's not, can you give us an example of what that sounds like? What is it? What are you saying when you're tapping? That acknowledges how you're feeling and then acknowledges the? Well what's the alternative?

Laura Camien:
Yeah, so one of the very first things that you do in tapping is you start by tapping on, like the side of your hand, and you will say a phrase that addresses however you're feeling in that moment, followed by, “I deeply and completely love, honor and accept myself.” So, for example, you know, yesterday, Susan, I was feeling like I should sequester myself from the world. That no living being on this planet deserved the misery of being around me. Yesterday.

Susan Blackwell:
You were just having a tough day.

Laura Camien:
I was having a tough day. Remember it started like right from the beginning of the day I was attempting to text back to. We have a couple of different text threads and different topics. And I kept texting the wrong answer to the wrong thread and I was just like just put the phone down. Just not today. Just uh, just stop what you're doing.

Susan Blackwell:
Was yesterday, also the day when we received a notification that our central password had been like…somebody was trying to log on to our central password in Indiana and I was like…I must change the passwords immediately, and you were then bounced out of all the accounts by workspace. Yes, yes, mid-sentence–

Susan Blackwell:
We got you going good and early.

Laura Camien:
Well, by the end of the day, it was just like that's how the day was going to go by the end of the day, it was just like that's how the day is going to go by the end of the day. I looked up on the zoom screen and the look on my own face. I was like, oh, what is that expression? And no one, no one, deserves it. So on a day like that, I might tap and did yesterday. But even though I'm irritable and difficult to be around, I deeply and completely love, honor and accept myself. And then you repeat that three times and you can change it slightly so you can like get out the worst of it, like, even though I'm absolutely, absolutely, like, unable to be around humans, I'm just the worst. I deeply and completely love, honor and accept myself. And that's the kind of thing that you again you're not trying to deny that some voice inside of you is saying like oh, why are you so terrible?

Susan Blackwell:
It's not just serenity now, it's not serenity now.

Laura Camien:
It's not serenity now, and you know, what's so wonderful is to be able to say those words out loud and be like yeah, so essentially what you're saying is like you're a full, well-rounded human being and on some days, you know, you're irritable, or some days you're grumpy, multi-dimensional, multi-dimensional and always still worth loving and respecting and honoring. And so that was revolutionary for me, because I just, like I said, like I really grew up on positivity, which I don't, I'm not mad about that, but what I didn't have was that balance of like. That doesn't mean you have to be ultra positive all the time, because that's just not really true.

Laura Camien:
Right yeah, it's inauthentic, it's inauthentic, it's inauthentic yeah, so because EFT tapping is all about clearing the emotions, subconscious blocks and limiting beliefs that stop us from improving and growing and learning and expanding. Its uses are unlimited. Like you were saying before, Susan, in this book, Thriving Artist, Jenny really focuses on the things that may be keeping creatives from truly living the dream. Oh, that's another thing. She talks a lot in the first chapter about the irony of how, like when an artist tells other people that they're creative, they play music, they make art, they write or they perform for a living people often jump to…wow, you're just living the dream! Because we're all taught that if we're lucky enough to pursue our passions, we must be living the dream.

Laura Camien:
But Jenny goes on to address so many of the reasons why it might not feel so dreamy: the anxiety, the perfectionism, the performance nerves, the self-judgment and on and on. If we don't have a handle on how to manage those things, it doesn't feel like a very dreamy existence. And then you pile on sort of that guilt of like. I have known people who've made a living performing have been miserable at times and been like but I shouldn't be miserable, because look at me, I'm making a living as a performer. And then the cycle goes on and on. So in the third section of this book Jenny includes many specific scripts. So I know I just gave you, like, really off the cuff little example. But in this book—

Susan Blackwell:
This is gold, this is gold!

Laura Camien:
It's so gold, and Jenny is so generous. I can't even know…I can't even express. There are so many scripts in this book, but also videos, audios. She has a YouTube channel. It's all free. They're for different situations, Everything from the feeling of like waiting in the wings, like when's it going to be my turn to I don't feel good enough, bad performance feelings, time and money worries, rejection, facing a tough crowd, how to change your money, thoughts, angry authority figures and the rude things they say. She includes links to YouTube videos throughout the whole book, throughout the whole book. You can use these just so easily, Like in the next  seconds you could be on to using a video to address whatever it is you're feeling, and thank you so much for that, Jenny.

Susan Blackwell:
Amazing.

Laura Camien:
Amazing. For all of these reasons, I think Jenny Clift, her book, her YouTube channel, her coaching they're all such incredible resources for creatives of all kinds. But then I got to thinking about a small shift in topic, but it's exactly what you pointed out at the beginning. It isn't what Jenny covers in this book, perhaps a future book. But I got to thinking about how I plan to use EFT this year and it has everything to do with not just my creativity but how uncertain the world feels right now.

Susan Blackwell:
Yeah.

Laura Camien:
Because EFT tapping can bring down cortisol levels and calm the nervous system. It is the best tool I know to arm myself with as we move into one of the most chaotic political times in our country's history. And I'm not saying that just because I feel like things are uncertain.

Laura Camien:
I'm saying it because, as we've talked about before, we know that chaos is the strategy being used it's intentional and it is meant to keep our heads spinning and to keep our nervous systems on high alert and to keep us pointing fingers at each other. You know I'm opting out of that. I can't do it. My nervous system will not survive another four years of constant shock and drama and outrage. And yet I don't believe that I can or should check out completely. That wouldn't be responsible.

Susan Blackwell:
Of course, yeah.

Laura Camien:
So how to stay engaged in the world without riding a roller coaster of emotions every day. The answer for me in addition to making change, and all of the good stuff you shared in last week's episode, Susan, the answer for me when my nervous system starts to rise and I'm feeling shaky, the answer is EFT tapping.

Susan Blackwell:
Yeah.

Laura Camien:
Did you know? In fact, when Jenny listened to the moral distress signal episode of the podcast, where I described how I learned the term moral distress and why so many of us feel it right now? It has to do with knowing what is right, what is the right thing to do, and feeling powerless to make it happen. Well, Jenny heard that episode and developed a tapping script to help with it. She shared it with all of her readers. You can find it on YouTube, where she has all these other free videos.

Susan Blackwell:
Oh my god!

Laura Camien:
I know it's incredible. It's incredible and Jenny is @ JennyCliftCoaching EFT on YouTube. Please, if you have any interest in EFT tapping, go check it out. She has tapping videos for anxiety, resistance, clearing money, fears, procrastination, goal setting, everything.

Susan Blackwell:
That's one of the most amazing things about watching her work and also being the beneficiary of her work is…so, for instance, she'll come into one of our classes as a special guest teaching artist. She will hear from people what is tripping them up, what is spinning them up, and she'll just hear from people and the whole time she's just like hands moving, taking notes, and then she presents a customized tapping script.

Laura Camien:
A synthesis of all of it, yeah.

Susan Blackwell:
She's an amazing person and I'm just knocked out that she heard the moral distress episode and responded to it. Talk about making change using your superpowers. She's really. She's very special. She's very special—

Laura Camien:
Yes she really is.

Susan Blackwell:
And you know this. It's funny because hearing us talk about this, maybe if I was an outsider hearing this, I might think that this is sort of in the woo zone. It's actually very, not woo.

Laura Camien:
It's very not woo.

Susan Blackwell:
It's like it's very, to me, very practical and very not mysterious. It's really effective.

Laura Camien:
When you experience it, you know it's almost like you can't deny, like energy is moving through you. You can say that's woo. But we are energetic beings. Thoughts are energy, all of it. We can, if we're tapped in at all to how our bodies feel. We understand that and when you have a session of EFT tapping, you feel one way when you start, you feel another way when you finish and that's just the energy moving through you.

Susan Blackwell:
Yeah, she's really special.

Laura Camien:
She's really, really special. Here is a fun fact. In full transparency, I actually wrote a review for Jenny, and it's in the book. So did Hunter Bell, so did Lisa Marie Newton.

Susan Blackwell:
Sparkfilers galore!

Susan Blackwell:
That's right.

Laura Camien:
There have been so many friends in the Sparkfile world who have used EFT tapping to address and release old narratives, BS stories, remove blocks and clear the path to balance and career growth and success. And simply more peace, just inner peace.

Susan Blackwell:
Yeah. That's great.

Laura Camien:
When you combine EFT, tapping and other like inner work, therapy things that you're doing alongside the outer real world action like it doesn't take the place of practicing your audition material, it doesn't take the place of like doing the work but it helps you manage those feelings associated with some of the risk-taking.

Susan Blackwell:
Correct.

Laura Camien:
And when you combine doing the work with EFT tapping, you can really embrace the creative risk-taking and learn to enjoy living the dream. Because, what is the point of living the dream if we are not enjoying it? Am I right, Suze?

Susan Blackwell:
Am I right, ladies? Its true.I love this so much, Laura, because I really…I adore Jenny, I really believe in her work and I love that you have fashioned it into a spark. I love it.

Laura Camien:
Well, I'm very sparked by it. And this leads me back to all of our authors out there.  Yes, Jenny is on fire. She's already on to her next book, which will be a companion to this one.

Susan Blackwell:
Oh my God, Jenny!

Laura Camien:
Yes, if you are an author out there working on a book—fiction, nonfiction, children's book, self-help, YA, romance, erotica, politics, history—whatever you're writing about, we see you. Keep going!

Susan Blackwell:
Keep going.

Laura Camien:
You can do it. We have seen it done over and over and over again. It is possible and we commend you for taking on the project. We know what an enormous undertaking writing a book is and we are celebrating you. That's it. That’s my spark!

Susan Blackwell:
I love it. I'll take it. Friends, this episode of the Spark File was made on the lands of the Lenape and the Mohican people and, as always, we hope it put another bunch of sparks in your file. Listen, if there's a spark that you'd like us to explore, or if you'd like to learn more about how to coach with us to accomplish your creative goals, email getcreative@thesparkfile. com or reach us through our website, thesparkfile. com.

Laura Camien:
And you know what, If you have feedback for us, we'll happily take it. But you know the price of admission. First you have to share a creative risk that you have taken recently.

Susan Blackwell:
You can follow us on social @  thesparkfile, and be sure to subscribe, rate and five-star review this podcast. It really does help other listeners to find us. Also, if you like this podcast, we hope that you'll share it freely with people that you love. And if you didn't like it, go to abetterlifetapping. com. Visit Jenny Clift's website and tap on your feelings about the Spark File podcast.

Laura Camien:
Oh, so good. If something lights you up, gets your creative sparks flying, we're writing you a forever permission slip to make that thing that's been knocking at your door. It's your turn to take that spark and fan it into a flame.

Susan Blackwell:
You know you gotta take it and make it and make it. Even though sometimes we are ding-dongs, we love, honor and accept ourselves completely. Yes, we do.

Laura Camien:
Yes, we do, Well done.

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