Mike and Chaya sit down with Diana Stelin, an award-winning artist, educator, TEDx speaker, and founder of The Plein-Air Art Academy. Diana shares her journey and expertise on the connection between art and emotional healing, explaining how anyone can use creativity to manage burnout, connect with their intuition, and foster better confidence.

We Also Cover:

• Art therapy as an accessible tool for emotional expression.
• The creativity inherent in neurodivergent individuals
• The impact of childhood criticism on creativity and how to reclaim your inner artist.
• The SPARK Method: Stay present, Pay attention, Allow play, Release the outcome, and be Kind to yourself.
• Using creative outlets to navigate burnout, overwhelm, and life transitions.
• Shifting from seeking external validation to cultivating internal worth.
• Embracing accidents and imperfections.
• How artistic expression connects us to our inner child.

Quotes:

• "There's no such thing as mistakes in art. It's all a matter of what you turn it into... You can just switch and say there's no such thing as mistakes in life. It's all a matter of what you turn this into."
• "The main modality of humankind is artistic expression in some way... forming your personality, all that is actually a form of artistic expression because you are taking experiences, things that happened, beliefs you've built, values you hold dear, and using it to build yourself, using it to transform yourself over time."
• "The very first thing that they say to me is, 'I don't have a creative bone in my body.' ... And that phrase is almost like permission for them to be little kids again."

About Diana Stelin:

Diana Stelin is an award-winning educator, artist, and founder of The Plein-Air Art Academy, with degrees from Cornell and Boston University and a signature free-flowing painting style rooted in mindfulness and emotional expression. Her recent focus is on delivering transformative workshops for corporate teams, teens, and children, using her proprietary SPARK method to address burnout, support emotional growth, and guide participants through periods of transition. A former TEDx speaker, Diana shared her talk Creativity as Antidote to Burnout, highlighting the power of art to build resilience and help individuals reconnect with their inner clarity and sense of purpose. Her Coolidge Corner gallery serves as both a showcase for sustainability-driven art and a dynamic venue for youth programming, team-building events, and leadership retreats—helping kids, teens, and adults tap into creativity as a powerful tool for healing, connection, and personal transformation.

Connect with Diana:

• https://www.dianastelin.com
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-stelin/
• https://www.instagram.com/dianastelingallery/
• https://www.instagram.com/diana_stelin/
• https://www.facebook.com/diana.stelin
• https://www.dianastelin.com/plein-air-art-academy

Diana's TEDx Talk, "Creativity as an Antidote to Burnout": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCnQqpZlCS4

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As always, thanks for lending us your ears and keep igniting that spark!

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