Morning Mindset: Better Together - The power of creating in community
In this final "Morning Mindset" session of the week, Christie Renee Hawkins guides viewers through the spiritual and practical benefits of creating art within a supportive community. She opens with a reminder that facing negative inner voices is easier when surrounded by others, then frames the discussion around six powerful reasons why a tribe boosts creativity: faster learning, emotional support, increased fun, fresh inspiration, accountability, and healing. Throughout the talk she weaves biblical references (Psalm 133, Proverbs 27:17, 1 John 4:7, Matthew 6:10) to underline that humans were created for connection. Hawkins shares personal anecdotes about the origins of her "Tribe"—a Facebook‑based group that grew from a simple online course into a multi‑year network of artists who meet via Zoom, in‑person retreats, and card‑swap projects. She highlights real member testimonies that illustrate how the community has helped beginners become confident painters, sparked collaborative product ideas (e.g., canvas bags), and provided a safe space for emotional healing. Practical details about membership pricing, live‑teaching format, rights to artwork, and how to join are interspersed with encouragement to step out of perfectionism and comparison. The session ends with a Q&A where participants discuss how community has shifted their mindset, reinforcing the core message: creativity flourishes when we are "better together."
Chapters
Good morning, everybody. How's everyone doing today? We are here for our final Morning Mindset of the week. I hope you guys have enjoyed these. They've been actually really fun for me to do, um, with you guys too, and I think it's a great place for us to be able to to bring questions to the table, concerns that we have, and really, instead of avoiding maybe some of those negative voices in our head, just kind of facing them head-on. And we are going to wrap up today with, um, all about the power of creating in a community and why that's important and why it can help you in your creative journey instead of you going at it all alone by yourself. So we're going to talk about, um, 6 powerful reasons why creating a community, um, can benefit you so much in your life. Okay, so I am reading again from our 100 Days of Less Hustle and More Jesus, and this one is called Created for Connection. Um, remember the saying about no man or woman being an island? It's a tough one. We like having control over our little piece of the world, and who knows what will happen if we let others in? They might rock our boat. They might steal our sunshine. They might challenge us to change or hold up a mirror to something we don't want to look into. But they also might become lifelong friends who help us make unforgettable memories. We're all broken and beautiful, and that makes every relationship complex in its own way. But hiding from people because of tough stuff will surely cause us to miss the amazing stuff God has given us to experience together. We were created for connection, and his vision for humanity is not a bunch of isolated island dwellers but a community of vibrant love. I love this so much, and I love that last sentence because that is exactly how I would describe tribe. So, um, tribe sisters, if you're here watching this with me today, you can chime in on that as well. But I love this, um, we're, we're not meant— we're not meant to do life by ourselves, but instead live in a community of vibrant love. How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity. Psalm 1. I should have put my glasses on. Hold, please. I've got to go get a new prescription because I think I'm getting blinder by the day. Um, there's really small font on this. I'm going to grab my glasses really quick and hope that that helps me a little. Okay, so much better. I couldn't read what the numbers were. Um, so that was Psalm 133. 1. Proverbs 27:17 says, as iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7. And Matthew 6:10, may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And I know, like, saying that verse is, um, obviously it's part of the Lord's Prayer, and I think sometimes we just say it without really thinking about what that is saying. But when you think about, um, may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven— when you think about heaven, it's about us being together, together with him, and he means for us to be together here on Earth too. He means for us to have community. He doesn't want anyone isolated. He doesn't want anyone on their own. And I mean, that's how Satan gains power, is when we think we are alone and when we think we have no one to turn to. That's when we start losing control and he starts gaining power. And so we want to be very aware of that and, um, make sure that we are staying connected and staying not just connected, but connected to people who bring light and joy and happiness into your life. If you don't have that in your local community, then I would encourage you to make sure that you seek it out here, right? And, um, several of you who have been with me for a while, again, you know my relationship with my creative friends. They live all over the United States. We met each other in a group very similar to this. It was actually back then called Tribe, and it was a course that we had all joined to learn how to run a membership, which is obviously what we all do now. And we all met in a Facebook group just like this, and we were all creatives. And so someone made a post and was like, hey, if you're a creative, come comment over here, blah, blah, blah. And so it started out just, I don't know these girls. And, um, we started just chatting and talking and we're like, oh, well, your business is similar to mine. And oh, I can relate on that. And man, there is something about when you find people who get you and get what you're going through and get your struggles and get your wins and get your successes. Like, that matters. It matters so much. And I can tell you right now, like, as a as a business person in my, my journey, I would not be where I was without those ladies. And 7— I think it's been 7 years since we've all been friends. We are still best friends to this day. We vacation together twice a year, and it all started in a group like this. And we met for the first time in Canada 7 years ago, not knowing each other, all strangers. Staying at Airbnb together for our first big conference with Stu, and, and we've remained, and we daily talk to each other, um, just about everything that's going on. And that is the same vibe that I have created inside our tribe, inside the Tribe Sisterhood. It's a place where you can check in with your friends, see what everyone's working on, have a place where you know, you don't have to worry about drama or negativity or any of that. It's a place where not only are we going to be sharing art, and you can see what everyone else is working on and be inspired by that, but you also are going to find friendships. And the friendships truly can last a lifetime. And I've seen it myself, not just with me and the ladies— and, and some of these ladies are my friends too, members— but seeing— sorry, I'm trying to find my bookmark— seeing the, um, seeing the members' friendships happen and seeing these ladies really show up for each other is just something so special. Um, and it's something that I want everyone to have the ability to be a part of, you know, a group like that with this much support, this much love, and this much encouragement. So Today we're gonna talk about, um, not only that, but like how you may be wondering, or you may be thinking like, why is she talking about this today? What does this have to do with mindset? But it has everything to do with it, because you are who you surround yourself with. And so if you are not surrounded by people who bring that positivity and light into your life, it can most definitely affect your journey. It can affect your life. And we're going to talk about how, um, not only that, but if you are passionate about learning to paint and you don't want to keep doing it alone and facing the same struggles alone, most likely you're just going to end up giving up on that dream. But instead, you could be a part of a community that's going to keep cheering you on, and you're not going to feel isolated. You're not going to feel alone. So, um, we are going to start with the 6 powerful reasons why community can fuel your creativity. Um, number 1, you grow faster when you learn from others. Watching someone else's process can help you unlock new ways of thinking about your own. Um, and that's one of the reasons I teach the way that I do. Um, I don't pre-record a lot of my stuff. Every once in a while I will, but I like the, um, live teaching aspect because it allows not only you to be able to ask me questions while I'm teaching, but it also allows you to see me make mistakes. And just like we talked about yesterday, like, no longer fearing mistakes— I don't fear making mistakes live with you because it's real. It's a real moment. And then you get to see me, like, how is Christy going to fix this, right? And so, like, that's a learning moment for you. And so when you're watching somebody else's process. When you see my process, you see me make mistakes, or you just see me make choices in my art. That is some of the most helpful, um, helpful ways to help you learn. Um, peer feedback often helps you improve faster than working solo, and I'm gonna kind of piggyback on that. So not only can you obviously share your work in Tribe, and I would highly encourage you to, um, because when you may be doubting yourself or wondering whether it looks good or not— and we talked about this yesterday, like, we're all our own worst critics, right? You would be amazed how good it feels to share your artwork inside of Tribe, or even your process. Like, you may not be done yet, and to just know that there are ladies basically like waiting to cheer you on. Like, we have such good cheerleaders in this group who go in every single day and they're just looking for people that they can love on and cheer up and, and encourage. And that is why I love our community so much. Um, and their feedback is going to help you feel better about your artwork. It's going to help give you confidence. If you're not super confident right now and you're worried, I would encourage you even more so to share, because all of a sudden you're just going to feel this like team behind you of like, come on, we got this, we can do this together. And being around other creators encourages you to stretch and try new things. It makes me think about a story just from over the last year. It may even be a little bit longer than that, but one of our tribe sisters, Vicki, painted on these canvas bags one of my designs on a canvas bag that she was doing for something, and it just spread like wildfire. And fire inside of Tribe. And every— I mean, myself included, I was like, oh my gosh, that's so cool! How'd you do it? Tell us all the things. Like, what did you do? And it has become a whole thing. We have Tribe Sisters now, and I'm actually getting ready to add these canvas bags to my store. Um, I haven't done so yet, but like, it's become such a thing that we have so many Tribe Sisters painting on canvas bags, selling them in their— their stores and shows. They're giving them as gifts. I know Lori, another Tribe sister, she made them as bridesmaids' gifts for this wedding party, and the bride was so excited. Like, that's, that's what happens when you're in a community. Like, someone shares an idea, someone shares something they're working on, and then someone else is like, oh my gosh, it's brilliant! Like, why didn't I think of that? That is what happens when you collaborate. That's what happens when we all come together and we openly share ideas. We inspire each other, and that's not going to happen if you're doing this journey alone. That's not going to happen for you. You're missing out on that, that key thing that keeps the inspiration going. If you're stuck in a rut, then you can like come to the group, you can see what everyone else is doing, and there might just be that one idea, that one idea that's like lights you up, or that one lesson that I do that's like, oh, that's a quick easy win, let me do that just to get back in my creative mode again. Because I know this is, this is what happens. Life happens and we step away and we let life get busy again, and then we just keep pushing this thing off to the side, this thing that brings us joy and fills us back up again. We, we keep pushing it off. But if you allow yourself to like come in and be a part of the group and really be a part of that community, you will also be inspired by it and it can kickstart you back in to to that creative space again. Dayla said, I'm a strong introvert and need a social outlet like this. Yeah, and here's the thing, I know we have a lot of introverted people out there, extroverts, you know, it's a mix of everyone. But even if like maybe you wouldn't be a person to like go up and start a conversation like in real life with someone, but in this online community it's not as intimidating, it's not as scary as you think. And then, and I tell everyone this, like, don't be a wallflower. Like, really, like, post in the group because the second you do, you're gonna be like, oh my gosh, I have this like whole new group of friends that I can talk to and I can share with. And like, it is just such a cool thing. So definitely if, if you are feeling like you don't have that, if you're feeling like you're an introvert, but like, it sounds amazing to like have this group of women be there for you, I really encourage you to come try it out for even a month. And see, see what you think, see what you like about being a part of this type of community. Um, let me see Joy's, uh, Jules' question. Um, so Jules asking, do I teach the business of art? I don't go deep into the business side. We have how to price and sell your artwork. I've done some, um, lessons over that that are in the vault. There's not a clear answer on that. I mean, we definitely talk about it in there, and you can get feedback from all the other Tribe sisters. As to those who do sell, what's worked for them, what hasn't. Um, I've done a training and have special guests who have done trainings on how to make business or how to make money doing, um, paint parties with your artwork, because that is clearly how I started my business. So, um, all like that information is in there, but I don't regularly teach on that because that's not what brings me joy. I don't like teaching the business side of things I like teaching the art side of things. But to answer your question, you will get feedback. You will get ideas from other ladies in the group on that as well. Thank you, Miss Toni. Has been— Toni is one of my— and I don't mean oldest as an oldest, but I would say Toni has probably been with me the longest, I think, of almost any of my Tribe sisters. Toni has said, I have been in Tribe for 6 years and can't think of not being in Tribe. So Love you, Tony. Glad you are in here with us. Hey, Miss Susan said it is such a blessing to be surrounded by all you lovelies. Um, Marcy is one of our Tribe sisters. She has also been with me for many, many years. Love her. She said, I have to admit, I was unsure of joining Tribe because I just didn't want to be in a group of negativity and drama. And when Christy assured me there is no drama and positive vibes only, I'm so glad I did it. I really had a really low time in in life. It was so healing to be in a group of positive energy and creativity. Tribe sister for life. I love that. Oh, that almost made me cry. Um, sorry. Um, Julie said, I'm putting a couple of my paintings in a local gallery for the first time. I got the courage to do it. I am good enough. You're an inspiration for sure. That is awesome, Julie. Congratulations. Hey, Miss Carolyn, glad you're joining us for the first time. Um, okay, so number 1 was we learn, we grow when we are surrounded by others because we're learning from others. Number 2, you feel supported and seen, and this is a huge one because, um, you know, I've talked to so many Tribe Sisters over the past year or so. Um, just Linda comes to mind when I talked to her. Um, we did an interview a couple months ago and she was saying how— and, and she's a great artist, um, but she was, she was doing it on her own and had taken lessons and self-taught over the years. But she was like, I didn't have anyone in like my local life, right, who, who enjoyed painting like I did, who understood like when I got excited about a new color that I made or like a new painting that I did. And You know, it can be— and I, I have felt this in my life, like, because I like get really excited when I do something that I like and I want to share it. I want other people who are as excited as me. And then like, you know, you share with your family and they're like, cool, good job, Mom, love it. Like, you know, it's like what they're like placating me, right? So I don't have those creative friends in my life like living in the same town as me. And, um, that's why I love— even though, like, I'm the leader of it, I still love getting to come to a place where I can share things with you guys. I can talk about what gets me excited about painting, or if I learn something new and I can't wait to share it with you. I love that we get to geek out together over being creatives. That makes me so happy. And I think it obviously makes Tribe Sisters happy too. So Community reminds you that you are not alone in your creative struggles. And we hit on this yesterday, huge yesterday. If you missed the mindset from yesterday, please go back and watch it. But, um, reminding you you're not alone in your creative struggles. I asked the question yesterday, like, what is it that— what is it about the fear of making mistakes that's holding you back? Like, what it— what are you scared is going to happen? If you paint and it doesn't turn out the way that you want it to, and it was an overwhelming answer of what others think. Overwhelming, like almost everyone basically in one way, shape, or form was saying, I am worried about what people are going to think about what I create. And it was like such an eye-opener for me, and I was like, guys, then we're all like, then we're creating for the wrong reason, right? And I'm not saying that in a judging way. I'm saying that in a let's, let's learn to not do this, this whole journey. Let's learn not to paint for others' pats on the back, for others' approval, for others' I love you, for how many likes you're going to get, how many comments you're going to get. Guess what? That's only going to be fulfilling for about 2 seconds. So if you're only doing art to get feedback, to get people to praise you and say what a good job you are, that you are just chasing an empty dream and you've got to get to where you can paint for you and enjoy the process of it, enjoy the journey of it. But that was powerful yesterday for that many ladies to be saying the same thing. Didn't it also feel good, even though those were all struggles that you guys were sharing? Didn't it feel good to know that you weren't in that struggle alone? Like, I think that was so powerful to know that there were so many people feeling the same way that you feel. And that you're not alone. And I think that's just really important to always remember, especially in today's day and time. It's crazy out there and we need to remember to like be here and support each other. A kind word or encouragement can make all the difference on tough days. Just showing up and being a part of the group makes you feel so good. It feels, it feels, you know, like your love bubble, if you want to say it that way. And we talk about like a kind word or encouragement making the difference for someone. Multiple times a year inside TRIBE, we do TRIBE sister card swaps. And this is an opportunity where you get to mail fellow TRIBE sisters cards in the mail. We divide the names out into a list and you can enter and like you get to pick whether you want to be a part of it or not. And it is just Oh, it makes me so happy, the ripple effect of what happens when we're all just out there spreading love to one another. And what better than to open your mailbox and actually have a real piece of mail in there from someone with a card that they hand-painted, with a postcard, with a note, whatever it may be? Like, that's important stuff, and I think we need to remember that. And I don't think anyone ever gets tired of getting authentic mail in the mail, right? Like, that's always a good thing. But on those days that you don't have that, you can come into the group, and you can, you can get that feeling in the group as well. Number 3, it's just more fun to create with friends. Kind of going back to what I was talking about, laughing, painting together. It brings the joy back into the process. And again, that's why I like to paint live with you guys. I love to get to talk to you. While I'm painting. And, um, you know, there are a few rare instances throughout the year where I may not be able to teach a lesson live, but 99% of them are taught live, um, unless I'm traveling. And, um, and, and that's why, because I love that we get to laugh and paint together. And then when we get to be together in person, like at my studio when I do these retreats, to see tribe sisters come together all over, um, the US And the amount of laughter that fills this space when everyone's here is really hard to even like put words around that. And these shared experiences that we, we have together, that they create powerful bonds that, like I said, this is— Tribe is so much more than just learning how to paint. That is why we've all come together. But what you're going to find is when you become a part of this, it's It's such a bigger thing than that. It is about having this new group of friends and these new powerful friendships that you're going to build in this time. And this last one, I love this. Community is able to turn a task into a celebration. So instead of thinking like, I have to do this, which you don't have to do anything, you get to choose whatever you want to do. But it becomes fun, it becomes a celebration when we're all doing it together, especially this makes me think of like the challenges that we do inside of the group. And really talk about like all the different things that we do inside of Tribe in addition to just learning to paint with me. It's, it's really much more than, than just painting. Number 4, you get inspired by new styles and ideas. Exposure to different techniques broadens your artistic toolbox. Seeing others' use of color, it helps you spark fresh ideas, kind of like we were talking about with Vicki's bags that she shared with us. Collaboration fuels experimentation and breaks creative ruts. So all of that together is exactly what I see happening again and again and again when we have, you know, some of the women who are more fearless painters, right? And they're willing to paint big or do something unexpected, and then they share in the group. And it gives— here's what happens is when you see other women just like you who were at one point maybe fearful just like you are, and you see them stepping out and like doing these big things and accomplishing these big goals— and it may be just making a bigger painting. I'm not talking about selling or ever making money with your art or anything like that. I'm talking about just creating art and stepping out of your comfort zone and stepping out of your creative rut and learning new techniques. Like, that first thing, like, constantly trying new techniques and broadening your horizon as far as, like, what you know about art, what you know about painting, and how you can incorporate all these different things into your artwork. I say it all the time, but there is not just one way to paint. There are so many ways to paint and be creative and different things that we can add into our artwork. And when you are in a group group atmosphere like this. I see it in Tribe, I see it in my masterclass when we're all openly sharing ideas and we're collaborating together, and it's a back and forth conversation between artists. And yes, you are artists. You're all painting. You don't have— sometimes people are scared of that word or claiming that word, I'm an artist, but you are. Being an artist doesn't mean you have to be super successful and make all this money selling your art. That's not what being an artist is. Being an artist is simply that— it is creating, it is making art. And each one of you are making art. And when we're sharing it with each other, then it opens the doors to even more creativity. And you learn so much from seeing everybody else's work in addition to your own. Um, number 5, you build confidence, consistency, and you are going to reach your goals faster. So, um, how many of you out there watching this are— maybe you're not in a group, you're not in Tribe, and you have just dabbled in painting, or maybe you've been painting on your own for a while? I would love to know in the comments. Um, and while I'm waiting for those to come up, we're just going to talk about how being in a group dynamic And this goes for anything. Like, how many of you have ever— and I'm just using this as an example from my own life— you've been on a diet or an exercise plan and you try doing it alone and it's really easy to fall off, fall off course when you're doing it alone. But when you do it in a group setting, you have accountability and you have this need to like want to show up. And want to follow through. And, um, whenever, like, especially like working out, even if I'm working out on my own, I'm really terrible at like making excuses as to why I can't do it. But, and, and I'm getting on Corey for this after, after I'm done with this week, because obviously this has been a crazy week for me. Corey works out. We used to work out together and we stopped doing it because life, right? But when we worked out together, we stayed committed to it. It was something we— number one, we did together, so it was good for us, right? And you guys get to do it together. It's good for you, it's good for the soul, but it's also good for consistency. And I was reaching my goals faster, I was building muscle faster, I was losing weight faster because I had a partner in it, right? I had community. I had someone to help hold me accountable. Group accountability helps you keep showing up. You are more likely to commit to something and actually finish your goal or finish a project when you have support instead of doing it alone. And then, then you get to celebrate. Then when you've reached those goals, you get to celebrate. And then it keeps that motivation going because that feels good, right? Like, that's like releasing our endorphins. And we're like, now my friends are happy for me and they're proud of me. And that feels so good. I want to do it again. And so it builds. It built your confidence. It boosted you up. It gave you that boost that you needed. It helps you with consistency because you know the more that you do it, the better you're going to get. And it helps you reach your goals faster because you're not doing it alone and you have this like group of ladies behind you supporting you and driving you forward. Um, Lorena or Lori said, painting on my own with some tutorials Sandra said, I'm a dabbler. Beth said, I'm a dabbler wanting to grow. Um, Carolyn said, what if you're a beginner and you never do anything like this? Perfect. So I think there, there is a thought in some of y'all's heads thinking, if I haven't ever done this before, then I have to like get to a certain point and then I can join Tribe. And that's not at all what it is. We literally have absolute beginners in there. Mo— I will say most are beginners. And then we have some ladies who have, you know, I would say like intermediate level. They've been doing it for a while, have done several tutorials, been painting for a couple years. And then we have some ladies who've done it their whole life. All, all levels in there. And every— just like this week, everything that I teach is broken down step by step. Step by step. You don't have to have any zero experience before being a part of this. And I'll tell you, actually, if you are brand new to painting, if you are a dabbler like some of you guys have said, I can't think of a better place for you to start. When, when I started learning how to run a paint party business, I figured that all out on my own. I built this business all by myself. I didn't have a coach. I didn't have a group of friends. I figured it all out alone and it was so much harder. And now I was just talking about my friend Heidi who teaches paint parties and I'm like, man, what I would have given for a Heidi back in the day. Like if I had someone holding my hand, taking me along that journey to help me know how to do my paint party business, that would have been amazing, right? But now I'm like talking to those of you who are wanting to learn how to paint, not build paint party business, but you want to learn how to paint. I would have loved to have found someone like me back in those days when I was trying. Like, I had stepped away from college, I became a mom. I was like getting back into my— like doing art again. I ended up going back to college, um, but I would have loved to have found someone to just jump in with and to be a part of a community. Because just like I said, why, why struggle? Why go through dabbling? Why go through searching YouTube? Why go through scouring the internet trying to find ideas and techniques, and I don't know what supplies to you. Why go through all that struggle when you can just come to one place and you're going to have all that? You're going to have all of that plus community. It's going to make everything so much easier for you if you are new to this entire world of being a creative. Um, Nancy said that's a perfect analogy, another example of better together. Yeah, the analogy of working out for me, like, that is like Very, very much how I, how I view it. Christine, I'm going to pull your comment up and share your story. Christine said, welcome to all our new tribe families. She is fairly new. She joined in October and she said such a growth time, positivity restart, making friendships since then, like a new hope for the future. I love that. Zoom paint parties are great. Relearning or learning something new every day is wonderful. Being around or in community with faith-filled sisters has helped— has been helpful for me as well. So truly thankful to find Christi and the Social Easel Tribe artisans. That's awesome. I love— thank you for sharing that. Angie said, I've been painting alone since 2019, hosted my last paint night class before Christmas, and wasn't able to open again that following spring. I miss it, the painting with others and having fun. Going to open up again soon. I think it's been long enough. You helped convince me. I love that. Yeah, get back into it. There is something about the energy of, of painting together, like live painting together, too. I love that, Karen. She's in a group and she said, we Zoom every Thursday, we take a retreat every year. Yeah, it's such a blessing to find your people. Um, Laura, um, is the Tribe sister as well. She said they are fantastic. I've been away since October building up my health, was just packing up my art studio as we relocate from San Diego to California. Was a novice when I began with Tribe and have learned so much, so thank Laura said, and I do introduce myself as an artist. Who knew? I love that. Hey, Cheryl said, I joined this week. I'm impressed with the actual teaching that is shared. Thank you. Tony said this is where she started her art journey at 54, and she's about to be 61. Um, and so like to go back to, um, you know, the previous question, like, what if you're just a beginner? Then literally, absolutely. Like, you are— you're going to grow so much faster, um, if you are a beginner. Susan said, I joined a year ago, still feel like a beginner, but I've learned so much with Christy and the Tribe sisters. Yes. And here's the thing, like, there's no— there's no deadline, you guys. Like, it is just about continual learning. Like, it's not about reaching a goal and then saying, like, okay, that's enough. Like, I know how to paint now on my own. You can definitely do that. But I will tell you, from someone who's painted solo for many, many years, and someone who now paints with a group of people, it is so much more fun to paint with a group of people. Jules said, how often do we meet in the Tribe group, and is it Zoom each time? So no, if you haven't— Jules, I don't know if you've been to the page yet where you can like read everything about Tribe. It lays it all out there for you of what we do. But I, we only, I think, usually do one Zoom paint party a month. So I teach live twice a month, and I don't have set times. I don't have set days. I don't run like that. I'm a creative. I have to have my freedom. But you guys get a monthly calendar, and I'm gonna go all over this at the 1 PM class today. But we do a Zoom paint party. We do the 2 live lessons with me. I do a devotional each month. and then I do a critique or a live Q&A, and that is Tribe Sisters' chance to either submit artwork to me, to ask me questions that they have. We talk about struggles, we talk about overcoming those struggles. Again, all things that like help in that community aspect where you're, you're not having to figure things out on your own. That's what this is all about. That's why I created this community, to give everyone a place that you can come to, to ask your questions, to get the help you need, to grow together. Like, that is, that is the point of doing this as a group. Um, okay, let me see. Okay, last one, and then I have some questions that we can kind of go over like we did yesterday because that was really helpful, I think, for a lot of people. Um, so we'll do that for a couple minutes here at the end. So number 6, is to remember that you're not alone in your journey. Um, art is personal, but healing happens in shared spaces. And I can't— and I don't want to share people's personal stories on here, but I can tell you, um, after leading this group for so many years, the amount of, of healing that truly happens. And I've heard stories over and over again from people who have been able to use art and use painting not only to heal themselves, but to be a part of a community that has helped in their healing. And Cassie is one of them. She's one of my Tribe sisters, and I feel okay sharing a little bit of her story because she, she has shared it openly to the public in an interview with me. And you'll see her story actually on the, the page all about Tribe. You can scroll down and see Cassie's beautiful artwork and see what Tribe has done for her. But she came from a lot of, um, hurt and damage, and she found, number one, that art was very healing for her and her journey, but also having a place where she had community, where she had a safe place to go, and she was surrounded by like love and the light and the joy, and it brought her back to life. And I don't take that lightly. And that's kind of what I'm like. That's what I'm getting to. Like, this is much more powerful than just learning how to paint. Not only can obviously art be healing for you, and it is a personal journey, and I talk about that a lot again, like, let's focus on doing the art for you. But it can be so healing when you allow yourself to open up like that, and then you have a place where you can share that vulnerability as well. Um, and just like we were talking about yesterday, how powerful it was to hear that, um, so many people were feeling the same thing, hearing that like, me too, I felt that too. It helps dissolve like that fear and that isolation. You, you realize like you're not alone in this journey, and that is powerful as well. We don't have to create silence around these things. The community can, can bring light to it, and we can discuss it openly, and then we can heal and move past it. Um, so that's a, that's a beautiful thing that can happen within this community. Tricia said, I never considered myself a painter, but it started for me doing kindness and happiness rocks. I love that, by the way. I like doing those too. And leaving them for others to find, it sparked the love for painting in me. So fun. Tony said it has helped with her anxiety and depression. And I mean, I have been very open about that. I've struggled with anxiety and depression most of my life, and, um, painting is definitely one of the ways that I process and one of the ways that I deal with that. So if you struggle in that area as well, I very much encourage you to jump in and do something that can help you, allow you to process those feelings as well. And Carolyn said cost. You have two options, Carolyn. It's $47 a month and you can cancel at any time. There's no commitment there. Or you can do a one-year renewable contract for $470 for the year, and that's the equivalent of getting two months for free. So you have two different options, um, as far as joining. Thank you, Tribe Sisters, by the way, for sharing your stories. I think it's super helpful for the other ladies to, to hear from you, um, as well as from me sharing your stories. And Mary's been in Tribe since 2021. I call myself a born-again artist. I hadn't painted in over 30 years when I saw a Facebook ad for the Social Easel. I painted that week, joined Tribe, and never looked back. Tribe is my lifeline, my peace in a stressful world. Man, you guys are gonna make me cry. Um, best decision I ever made. Even when I fall behind and begin to be overwhelmed, I know everything is still available to be used when it's convenient for me. Love you too, Mary. Um, thank you for sharing that. And I think it's important to remember, like Mary said, even when I fall behind— first of all, Mary, you know you're not behind. There's no such thing as behind. There's not one person that's done everything I've ever taught inside of it. There's some that have been close, but there's no such thing as behind. You, you do it at your own pace and you get what you need out of it. So important to, to remember that. Sherry said, I'm 77 and I joined 2 years ago. I'd never even picked up a paintbrush before. I'm amazed by how the painting— by the paintings I turn out. Struggling with reading this morning, you guys. At first I hesitated joining because I wasn't sure I wanted to paint that type of paintings that Kristi teaches. I do many of her paintings, but I also paint a lot that does not come from the Social Easel. However, all of the skills I learned to do these paintings came from Kristi. Okay, sorry. I got that out. Um, yeah, and listen, you can— it doesn't matter that, you know, that Sheri is doing paintings from other people. I mean, by all means, I still take courses from other artists. I'm always learning and growing, and I think, I think everyone should. Um, but like, thank you for saying that you learned the skills from me, and ultimately, like, this, this is my goal as your art instructor is not for— you don't have to love every painting that I do. I don't expect everyone to love everything that I make. I don't even love everything that I make sometimes. That's okay, right? But my goal is to teach you the skill sets. My goal is to teach you how to paint, not necessarily what to paint. I'm giving you step-by-step instructions to these paintings, but I'm also fully going in on technique, fully going in on color theory, composition, design. I'm always teaching you those extra things when I'm teaching you the step-by-step to a particular painting. And so I tell Tribe Sisters this all the time. Don't just say, like, let's say, uh, whatever, like, where's my painting that I just held up the other day? Okay, here's an example. This is a Tribe painting. You may look at this and think, I don't ever want to paint that. That's okay. Here's what I would say to you though. I would encourage you to paint it anyways because you're going to learn skills in this, and that's what continued lessons are doing for you. It's not about like, I want to paint that because I want to hang it in my house. I want you to want to paint it because you're going to learn skills. What are you going to learn in this? You're going to learn blending. You're going to learn how to tackle clouds. You're going to learn how to make ocean water. You're going to learn how to do reflections. Like there are things that you will learn in this painting. Even if this maybe composition or this painting itself doesn't do it for you, it is going to help build those skill sets. And then you can take the skills that you learned from this painting and you can make your own piece of art with it. And you can take those skills to another painting lesson, and then you'll be like, oh yeah, let me go back to, okay, when she was doing the ocean scene and we did the blending, this is what she did. Okay, I want to add clouds in this painting. How do I add clouds? Let me go back to that lesson where Christy taught clouds. By the way, there's several lessons where I teach clouds, and all of them in different ways, because guess what? There's not just one way to paint clouds. Okay, do you see what I'm saying, though? It's about learning those skill sets. It's about giving you that power to then be able to take what you've learned and make it your own. Can I use a painting this week for a class? Andy is asking about— oh, someone else asked that too. Hang on, I'm gonna answer both your questions at the same time. Now I have to find it. I think someone was asking basically about the rights of the paintings that I teach. So as a, um, as a tribe sister, you have rights to all of the designs that I teach in there. You have rights to teach them at in-person paint parties. You cannot do anything online with them, teach them, show videos of you painting step by step. You, like, you are not allowed to do any of that with any of my artwork, but you are able to teach in-person classes with them. And yes, anything that you did from, um, Angie, from this week's class, you can teach in person. You just, again, you can't do anything online with it. Hey Beth, that I'm new, how do you join Tribe? So the, um, link is in the description of, um, this live, like, so it's up above. Pauline said, I have been with Tribe for over 5 years. No regrets. I've gained so much in life— friends, joy, peace, closer to Jesus, and the best teacher ever. Thank you. My painting has progressed and continues today. Being positive has allowed me to transcend all— in all facets of my life. Trusting, getting rid of fear, all this in painting came from Christy, and learning even more In the masterclass, I know I was directed to Christy and Tribe and so blessed. I love her and I love Tribe. $47 is nothing for all that I've gained. Thank you for sharing that. And, um, Pauline, love— she does, she loves her Tribe. She's one of the biggest cheerleaders, um, in our group, and you will meet her very quickly when you become a member, and she will be right there to cheer you on in your new journey. Um, so, but this is— you, you're hearing from some of these Tribe sisters and they're sharing their stories with you, and this is exactly exactly what it's going to be like when you step inside. And Karen said, how many artists are in your paint live? So the ones I do in studio, I really like these to be more small and personal. So these are only 24 participants at the ones that I'm doing here at the studio. Sandra said, I can already see a difference in my painting with the skills I've learned. It's quite amazing. How Christy teaches them. She's so patient. Thank you. Well, thank you so much, Sandra. I'm glad to hear that, too. Yes, Angie, always, always best to ask the artist for permission. Absolutely. Pauline said, oh, also, I did not plan this, but I started to sell. I got brave, do small paint parties, commissioned. Last fall I did 2 small parties and made $600, enough to pay for my membership. And I love using Pauline as an example and sharing her story because that was never her intent when she came in. She just wanted to learn how to paint and build her confidence, which is probably what many of you are thinking right now. And here's the amazing thing that happens, and that I love how God works through us when we're willing to step out and try new things and change our life. He's gonna show up and he's going to show us what's next, right? Just like I shared my story yesterday, and throughout the week you've heard a little bit about my journey. I mean, most of that, most of my path is God-driven, God-led. I didn't— I knew I wanted to teach painting. I didn't know how, I didn't know where, I didn't know when, I didn't know what that looked like. And he showed me each step of the way. And so just like Pauline saying yes to this and coming in not knowing what to expect, but being open to what happens, right? And you just don't know what possibilities are out there for you if you're not willing to take that leap of faith and step out and try something new. And I said this yesterday, but I'll say it again: if you keep doing what you've always done, you're going to get what you've always gotten, right? So if you want a change, if you want transformation, if you want to become a better artist, if you want to build your skills, if you want these types of friendships that we're talking about and being a part of this community, that's up to you. Only you can decide if you're willing to make changes in your life. Only you can decide if that is what you want and if you're willing to step out, maybe in fear. But I would say step out in fear and trust. Like, trust— know that you're coming into an amazing supportive community. And what you have learned from me this week. This is who I am month after month after month inside of TRIBE. This is who you get as an instructor. These ladies showing up in the comments, this is who you get as TRIBE sisters. And so that's why we do these paint weeks, because I— there's no better way for me to show you a glimpse inside of TRIBE than letting you hang out with us for a week and seeing how I am as an instructor, seeing how our TRIBE sisters are as a community, um, and seeing what paintings I do, how I teach, um, and, and, you know, I do it all the time, and I constantly helping you guys and giving you confidence to step out and make choices on your own in your artwork too. So, um, let's go to some questions really quick. Um, let me see here. Um, Jules Says, um, when we join TRIBE, can we participate in person or is that a separate group? So those are paid event, obviously, like they're paid events, like you would have to sign up and pay to come to the retreat. So that is completely separate from TRIBE. Those are just in-person meetups that we make available and TRIBE sisters get early access to those spots before we open it up to the public. So, but then like when you become a tribe member, you are put into our Tribe Sister Facebook group. So that is the community, the online community that you become a part of. Okay, so let me go over some of these questions. There were a couple that I thought would be fun for us to, to share your, um, your stories in the comments with these. We have just a couple minutes here. Um, Okay, this, this is a good one for, for those of you that are in, um, the Tribe Sister community already, or maybe in another community, um, and how it's helped you. How has community helped me move past comparison or perfectionism? I think that's a really good one to kind of end with because based on the answers that I've gotten throughout this week on what people's biggest struggles are. One is perfectionism, and two is comparison. And comparison is the thief of joy, and perfectionism is also the thief of joy. Both of them steal our joy away from us, and both of them are really unattainable. We shouldn't be comparing ourselves to others because it's not about them. It's about you. And if you're chasing perfectionism, you're chasing something that doesn't exist. So, um, once you can get away from those, then you're going to start growing, um, not only in your art but also in your life. So, um, for any of the sisters out there, how has community helped you move past comparison and perfectionism? Um, Tony said, by encouraging others reminds me to do the same. For myself. I love that, because isn't it— it's so easy for us to cheer other people on, right? But just like how I said, like, we are our own worst critics, we're also not our own biggest cheerleaders. But you're right, like, when you start encouraging others, you're like, right, well, I deserve the same encouragement that I'm giving them. And we start to learn to not be so hard on ourselves, right? Rebecca said, learning to say it's okay if I mess up and trust the process and move forward and let go. I love that. That's so good. Tanya said, where do we find information about the retreat? So I've got it on the website, but I will also drop the link here. If you go to thesocialeasel.com, there is a— and that's where anything you want to know about The Social Easel, about TRIBE, about anything that I do, it's gonna be on our website. So when you go to thesocial easel.com, at the top there says Paint With Me, and you have a link to becoming a tribe sister to this paint week. Yes, Patricia, you are right, we should give ourselves the love that we give others, and sometimes that's hard to do, but you know, being in a, being in a group can help you, help you do that. Um, so this next question is, what goals have I reached because I wasn't doing it alone. I'm going to give you guys a chance to answer if you want to, but it's for me. I immediately thought of Lori, who's one of our tribe sisters, and for many, many months she was the caretaker for her elder— elderly mother, and she did not have a ton of time to paint. She painted when she could, and it helped her through that time. Um, but she was consistently a cheerleader. Even on the days that she couldn't necessarily paint, she still came into the group and cheered each other on. But what I've seen transform with Lori over these last couple of years is starting out like that, then, you know, getting the time to start to paint more. And every time she painted, I saw her confidence grow, and each painting became better and better and better. And she just posted um, a new one that she had done not that long ago, and she did like the big bold blooms, and it's just this huge painting. She's like, I would have never attempted to do something like that on my own. Like, it was because of her journey, right? Step by step. That was not immediate. She didn't come in and make that week one of being a Tribe Sister. She built her confidence slowly over that time through the lessons, and then she was brave enough to tackle a huge canvas. And she— you can see it in the photo. I'll have to find it later and share it, but you can see it in the photo. Lori is so proud of her painting. I mean, she is just grinning from ear to ear holding this thing up. And as her teacher, like, that just makes me so happy. That fills me up in every way. And to see her coming— and again, those of you who are like, I'm a beginner, I don't know anything— Lori was a beginner. She never painted before, and now she's painting all the time. She's also the one I was talking about who made all the bridesmaids' bags, and she hand-painted each one of those. And it's just like, you guys, there's so much out there if you're just willing to step out. Like, your life can be so much bigger and grander and filled with so much more joy than what it's filled with right now, but you have to be willing to step out and take that leap. To experience these wins that these tribe sisters are experiencing. So I love it, and it's so exciting to be a part of. Yes, Kalita said unity and strength. April said positivity is contagious. It is, and so is negativity, right? So we have to be careful what we're surrounding ourselves with. I want you to do like a check on your life right now. Do you feel like you're surrounded by more positivity or negativity? And then make that shift if you need to. But I can tell you with 100% certainty, you will only be surrounded with positivity and encouragement inside of Tribe. And this, I call it a safe haven. This is more than just a Facebook group. This is more than just a community. It is a family. It is a place where you can come and feel loved on and encouraged, and it's a safe place for you to share, for you to be vulnerable, for you to say, you guys, I'm really nervous. I'm new here, and this is my first post, and it's my first painting. And guess what? You are going to just get showered with love and support and encouragement. And that is so much better than doing it alone, because we are better together. So thank you guys for joining me this morning. Bye.
