[Creator Briefing] What we feel compelled to express
A Q&A with Claire Venus.
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⏪ Last time, a guest piece by
on setting intuitive business goals. That's here.⏩ Today,
sits down for a Creator Briefing Q&A.What does it mean to be creative?
Is it the ability to paint a masterpiece, compose a symphony, or write a bestselling novel? Or is it something more subtle, something that touches every aspect of our lives, especially how we express ourselves?
For
, creativity is at the core of who we are.She describes herself as “a creative who also likes to write” and is the beacon of inspiration behind the bestselling
, where she supports others in exploring their creativity and unique gifts, and , where she shares more on personal creativity, the slow-lived life, motherhood, earthkeeping, work/life balance and spirituality.As an arts engagement consultant and a mentor for creatives, Claire’s publications are creative hubs for community connection and inspiration, teaching others how to stay creative and grow joyfully on the platform.
Her writing offers a unique blend of wisdom and warmth that makes her work stand out. And today, Claire joins the Creator Briefing with more on her journey, the magic behind her Substack presence, and what inspires her to keep creating in a way that resonates.
You share your love for creativity and living a creative life through your publications. You even describe yourself as “a creative who also likes to write.” What does creativity mean to you?
Creativity (for me) is about self-expression. It’s about pulling back the layers of conditioning and rekindling a deep understanding of ourselves in flow.
It’s also the desire to take up space. I feel (and always have felt) compelled to express this part of myself and share it—with paint and paper, with my journal, with the entire internet. It’s really a calling. I’ve always known this is what I’m meant to be spending my time doing.
You’ve said there was a younger version of you that longed to be able to write the way you do with ease now. How did you find your voice?
I love this question. There’s a distinct timeline in my mind. In 2017, I burned out with one of my arts development commissions (again). I knew that the only way out of the cycle was to start something just for me. I started a newsletter in Mailchimp called “Notes from the Sea.”
I set parameters for it and a creative structure. I wrote every month at the start of the month, included a photo from our local beach and an inspirational quote from a writer/ thinker.
I shared something about life, work and love. It was simplistic and I had no clue how to grow it, really, but I loved to sit and write it. I found the whole experience took me from a place of feeling vulnerable and battling with the patriarchal voices in my head to a place of embodied expression through a place of deep healing.
What is your creative process today? Where do you most often get content ideas? How do you move from idea to published post? And how does Substack fit into your overall content or business strategy?
I’m a real co-creator so I create from a place of reflecting on the words of my subscribers for Sparkle on Substack (my Substack education space).
I also reflect on my own two-year journey and connect to those earlier parts of me that struggled with the same thing my audience does now.
On Creatively Conscious (my whole-hearted business newsletter), I give myself complete freedom. At the moment, I’m writing about work/life balance, digital detoxes and creative systems that enable me to work part-time. I think this will be around a 10-part series. This is inspired by me feeling like I couldn’t “keep up” with notifications on Substack and questioning how “plugged in” I wanted to be for work…
I’m also interested in creative legacy and how we spend our time consciously. There are always going to be 1,001 distractions.
The world turns so beautifully when you look up from your laptop. I needed more pockets of time in the garden. It’s really as simple as that. Tuning into knowing what you need and balancing it with wholehearted ambition—that’s the key, I think?
How do you approach mentoring creativity? What is your best advice for someone wanting to better embrace their creativity and voice?
I have so many tools with this. My mentoring is person-centered and holistic. I don’t think we end up spending our working hours doing what we do by accident. We start there and we explore what has been shut down and why. It’s deep work and it’s very purposeful. My aim is to bring all the authentic parts of creative expression back together, merge it with strategy for business and enable my clients to paint with a full rainbow of color, not forgetting the spray of sparkles!
What are you currently feeling inspired by?
I am inspired by expansive spaces, by seascapes and being in the forest. I love to go the galleries too and walk by rivers…I like to spend time just listening to nature. Our gardens here allow for that. I can hear at least seven birds chirping as I type this.
People inspire me too—I’m inspired by people on Substack like
, and my friend . I’m reading ’s book called “The Giant on the Skyline” right now and it’s a giant permission slip for falling (back) in love with your surroundings.For more from Claire Venus, subscribe to and . AND! Claire has a special offer on her Diamond Membership, which offers bespoke strategy and advanced Substack teaching; see more here:
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Thank you! I pour a lot of love into this space and I hope you can feel it. It wouldn’t be the same without YOU!
Finding my writing voice, as they say, has always been a little elusive. But I just keep writing and as I do I see my voice repeated in my work. It’s emerging as the essence of who I am.
Thanks for inviting me to chat with you Christin. I'm so excited for the summit and my session on engagement. ✨