Stop overthinking it! A gentle reminder from Jessica Sandhu
Creative Dialogue #7
Creative Dialogues is an ongoing project to learn from fellow artists. I’ve interviewed an astonishingly wonderful variety of creative individuals about their art, creative practices, and how they make it all work (interviews are ongoing — DM me if you’d like to participate).
How it works: I send every participant a list of questions about creativity and the creative practice. They respond to the five questions that resonate most, so every interview reflects the artist’s own curiosities and interests.
Today’s interview is with Jessica Sandhu (she/her/hers). Jessica has many beautiful stories inside her heart. When we met, she was just starting to think about sharing those stories with the world through writing. Two years later, we still meet virtually once or twice a month to talk about writing, creativity, social justice, and life.
Jessica Sandhu (she/her/hers) is a yoga and Pilates teacher, somatic life coach, and entrepreneur based in Washington, DC. Her work, writings, and community help people around the world come home to themselves more empowered, authentic and grounded.
In working with clients and in her writing, Jess connects on racial trauma, healing, self-love and becoming self-generative. Her work is a response to her healing and self-discovery journey. Using personal stories and experiences weaved into her coaching and teaching, Jess helps her clients learn to be more empowered, live with purpose and have the confidence to be themselves. She compassionately guides each of her clients to harness their own internal power to access their agency and intuition.
She’s not on Substack (yet), but she shares many of her stories via Instagram.
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If you were a piece of creative work, such as a book, song or painting, what would you be? Why?
The entire Pulitzer prize winning album DAMN by Kendrick Lamar. Particularly the song FEEL from DAMN is something I feel closely related to. I’m that creative piece of work.
FEEL makes me think about our personal struggles that people outside don't know about. No one really knows what's going on in our lives, so people react to only what they see and their limited understanding of it. This song hits hard because 1) I feel like I'm constantly misunderstood, and 2) people seek me out for support, but no one is looking out for me in the way I feel I look out for others. This chorus of the song really resonates with me, "Ain't nobody prayin' for me."
I’m continuously looking for a spiritual connection with everything, including art. Everything we do is art so there is spirituality in it all!
What encouragement would you give to someone who’s struggling to get in touch with their creative self?
As someone who struggles with this as well, I know how important a reminder this is. See art in all its forms. For me, it’s mainly seeing films and listening to all kinds of good music. I try to see as much live music as possible and as many movies at the cinema as possible. If I have time, museums and stage shows. Plus, traveling is super inspiring and definitely boosts my creativity, but it’s not always possible financially or time-wise.
Connecting to art helps me to connect to the artist in their process. I love doing semi-deep dives, via Youtube or Wikipedia, on the process that led to the art after taking the art in. All of the little and big steps are intriguing to me and help to motivate my own process. The fact that they start something (anything), let something go if it’s not working, “fail” and start something new, and that they don’t give up on creating, reminds me that they are human trying things out — which is the creative process.
I find my power and courage when connecting to my ancestors and to those who helped me be able to do this work right now.
How do you replenish your creative energy when you’re feeling depleted?
In this capitalist and white supremacist society, I find I’m often working too much to keep up. And with that work output, I have a hard time enjoying or creating anything without deep rest and sleep. So resting and sleeping are what help me get back into creativity. Once rested, I can visualize, dwell in my dreams, and start creating.
What keeps you going when you feel discouraged?
Connecting to my ancestors. The fact that I’m here and able to create things when, just one generation ago, my mother struggled intensely raising my siblings and I as a single mother. Her mother (my grandmother) was in a residential school (boarding school). I cannot take that for granted. I find my power and courage when connecting to my ancestors and to those who helped me be able to do this work right now.
We are all creative beings, and we are also humans who overthink. When creating, just start. Don’t overthink things.
Which artists do you return to again and again? What do you love about their work?
Beyonce, Kendrick Lamar, and Caribou for music as they are continuously experimenting and pushing boundaries. Brett Morgen’s music documentaries are incredibly groundbreaking and visually stimulating. Inuit artist Ningiukilu Teevee makes beautiful, mythical pieces that are so unique. I’m continuously looking for a spiritual connection with everything, including art. Everything we do is art so there is spirituality in it all!
What is one thing this community can do to support you and your work?
Continue to learn about the history of Native Americans and Indigenous cultures here and abroad. You will never get it wrong as long as you continue to learn.
Any final thoughts on creativity you’d care to leave us with?
We are all creative beings, and we are also humans who overthink. When creating, just start. Don’t overthink things.
See art in all its forms.
Wonderful interview. Thank you.