In this rich returning conversation, artist and former creative director Jason McDonald shares the lived spiritual practices that shape his creative process. From studying Buddhist philosophy and living alongside monks in India and Thailand to completing a three-month silent retreat, Jason describes an ongoing “excavation of self” that continues to deepen his sensitivity as an artist.

We explore how his work is guided by a felt relationship with what he calls the creative field of intelligence — a living energetic presence that can inform artistic decisions beyond planning or technique. Jason speaks about entering a listening state while working, sometimes responding intuitively to subtle energetic impressions, and at other times following precise inner prompts that guide geometric forms and compositional structure. For him, the orientation toward something sacred allows artistic expression to become a conveyance of truth, goodness, and beauty in culture.

Our dialogue also reflects on the idea that the artist’s sensitivity is not simply personal but relational. Through presence, humility, and a willingness to move beyond ego-driven control, creative work can become a partnership with a deeper intelligence. We discuss his evolving concept of “levity energies,” the importance of listening to the field rather than focusing on materials or outcomes, and the role artists can play in transmitting inspiration in a complex world.

The conversation closes with reflections on parables, storytelling, and shared spiritual inquiry — exploring how creative language and symbolic imagery can help people remember an inner connection they may have forgotten. Ultimately, this episode is about meeting one another in sensitivity and discovering how artistic practice can become a reverential exchange with the intelligence that moves through all of life.

Want to learn more about CJ Miller? Check out his Spiritual Artist Retreats, 1:1 Personal Coaching, and Speaking Engagements at www.spiritualartisttoday.com. His retreats are designed to help you reconnect with your Creative Intelligence and express your true artistic voice. You can also find his upcoming schedule there, and his book, The Spiritual Artist, is available on Amazon.

What if the tension you carry every day is not random… but communication?

In this deeply personal episode, CJ shares his journey through unexplained physical pain and the surprising realization that the body holds its own intelligence — one that speaks not through words, but through sensation. After months of medical tests and treatments that offered little relief, he began to recognize a deeper pattern: chronic tension caused by living in a constant state of urgency.

This talk explores the powerful distinction between what CJ calls “run mode” and “rest mode.” In modern life — shaped by social media, nonstop news, and pressure to achieve — many of us rarely allow the nervous system to return to a truly restorative state. The result can be fatigue, anxiety, creative blockage, and persistent discomfort.

Through simple practices like body scanning, mindful walking, improving sleep, and learning to be present in ordinary moments, CJ invites listeners to rediscover a calmer rhythm of living. He reflects on how creativity, healing, and emotional clarity often emerge not through more effort, but through intentional restoration.

This episode is both a reflection and an invitation: to listen more carefully to your body, to question the cultural obsession with constant productivity, and to experiment with spending more time in a state of ease. Because sometimes the most profound creative breakthrough begins when we finally stop running.

Want to learn more about CJ Miller? Check out his Spiritual Artist Retreats, 1:1 Personal Coaching, and Speaking Engagements at www.spiritualartisttoday.com. His retreats are designed to help you reconnect with your Creative Intelligence and express your true artistic voice. You can also find his upcoming schedule there, and his book, The Spiritual Artist, is available on Amazon.

In this short, reflective episode, CJ shares a personal memory of traveling alone to Santa Fe during a stressful season of life and studying with his mentor, abstract painter Virginia Cobb. What remains most vivid is not a technique or critique, but a quiet moment on a patio — coffee in hand, mountains in the distance, and a teacher who asked for nothing but presence.

Through this story, CJ explores how the practice of simply meeting each moment has gradually reshaped his life. He reflects on learning to recognize the body’s signals, releasing the pressure of constant achievement, and allowing thoughts about the past or future to soften. This episode is an invitation to slow down, listen inwardly, and discover how clarity can arise when we stop pushing and begin to be.

Want to learn more about CJ Miller? Check out his Spiritual Artist Retreats, 1:1 Personal Coaching, and Speaking Engagements at www.spiritualartisttoday.com. His retreats are designed to help you reconnect with your Creative Intelligence and express your true artistic voice. You can also find his upcoming schedule there, and his book, The Spiritual Artist, is available on Amazon.