THE INSPIRATION PLACE PODCAST
Miriam Schulman: Creativity is an expression of our deepest truths, and many artists experience their most profound creative breakthroughs later in life. As we age, we’re freer to create without the fear of judgment, and that helps us become better artists.
Speaker2: It’s the Inspiration Place podcast with artist Miriam Schulman. Welcome to the Inspiration Place podcast, an Art World Insider podcast for artists by an artist, where each week we go behind the scenes to uncover the perspiration and inspiration behind the art. And now your host Miriam Schulman.
Miriam Schulman: Well hey there, it’s Miriam Schulman here. Welcome to the Inspiration Place podcast. This is episode number 335 and I am so happy that you’re here. So today, if you’re listening to this, When It goes live is December 24th, which happens to be my birthday. I’ve seen so many people on the internet they like to share, like, you know, 25 things I’ve learned since I Became 25. So on this birthday, I’m actually 56. And that’s a lot of years. So instead of giving you 56 things or a certain number of things that I wish I knew when I was younger, I’m just calling what it is and this is the Crone Wisdom episode. And more specifically, we’re just going to talk about what Crone wisdom is and why I’m so happy to be at this stage in my life. So first of all, let’s talk about what it means to access higher wisdom as you grow older. Aging is not necessarily a process to be feared. I think that is why I really liked the movies, the substance, because it really was a commentary about that, that Demi Moore’s life was over when she turned 50, and the men in her life says, well, it just stops. And she’s like, what stops? And he couldn’t really say what stops. You may not have the same youthfulness you had when you were younger as you get older, but it gets replaced with something else. I remember when I was growing up, I had my grandfather.
Miriam Schulman: I was practically raised by my grandfather because my father passed away when I was five, and we moved into my grandfather’s house when I was in high school, because my mother was pretty much functionally homeless, she didn’t have her own home. She would be horrified if she knew I was describing it this way, but let’s call it what it was. We didn’t have a home. We moved in with my grandparents. That was my home from the time I was in ninth grade until I graduated high school, and then I was in college, and then I was out on my own. But my grandfather pretty much that was the main father figure in my life. And the thing he always used to say was that every age has its compensations. So even though I don’t have the youthfulness I had when I was younger, I am now able to tap into a reservoir of life experiences, intuition, and yes, creativity that I didn’t have when I was younger. My soul has evolved to a place that I didn’t have when I was younger, and I released my first book when I was in my 50s. I mean, I’m born in 1968. This book came out in 2023, so I got my book contract in 21. So I was how old? I was over 50 years old by the time I even got my contract. My first book contract. This is not something that I thought I could do, or planned on doing, or wanted to do when I was younger, and it wasn’t until I reached that age where that became possible for me.
Miriam Schulman: Let’s talk first about what is the crone and the crone archetype. So in mythology, the crone is one of the three faces of the Divine Feminine. There are three phases. One is the maiden, the mother. And now there’s the crone. The crone represents wisdom, transformation, inner knowing. The crone has lived through all of it and emerged with unparalleled clarity. Now society often dismisses women. I’m going to say woman, because that’s really what it is. Men don’t have this problem, but society often dismisses women as they age. Actually, some men do have this problem. I mean, look at Joe Biden. But society often dismisses women as they age. Just in general. And embracing the Crone archetype is not just a revolutionary act, but it is a act of defiance. It’s an act of resistance. So why the crone figure now, in our youth obsessed culture, embracing your crone wisdom, your crone archetype, if that’s you, is an amazing act of empowerment. The crone is not just a symbol of age, but of that feminine empowerment. It’s a reminder that you can reclaim your voice. You can reshape your narrative and you can continue to contribute to your community. By the time we reach our Crone years, which is roughly when you hit your 50s, it’s generally thought to be when you hit menopause or after age 50.
Miriam Schulman: So we’ve faced lots of challenges. I mean, this is like five decades of experience. We face challenges, heartbreak, triumphs, death, loss of friends either through death or not. And these experiences form the foundation of our wisdom. So think back. If you are of a certain age, no matter how old you are, even if you’re a 20 year old listening to this, what have you learned so far about resilience? Love? Forgiveness? Write them down. These are your personal teachings. These are your crone credo. So for me personally, like I said, I. My father passed away when I was five. That’s only like my first five years. I had a stepfather who was verbally abusive to us, to my sister and my mom and I, and she left that marriage when I was just about to begin high school. And that’s when we moved in with my grandparents. All along the way, I had to change schools every two years, and all those things are not necessarily things that now, at age 56, I regret. But I know that they make up who I am and they give me the wisdom that I have today. I’ve had loss of pregnancies. I had a miscarriage. I’ve raised two children which have informed who I am today as well. I’ve pivoted many times in my career. There’s a quote by a poet whose name escapes me right now. He said, I have lived many lives, and some of them my own.
Miriam Schulman: Now, if you want to tap into your intuition, whatever stage of life you’re in, intuition strengthens with age because we’ve learned to trust ourselves. The second guessing starts to fade as our inner voice becomes more certain. So you can practice intuitive exercises, some that may help. You are journaling. Journaling your dreams. If you need to meditate on your decisions, or maybe simply sitting in stillness to hear your inner guidance. One of the ways I love to practice my intuition is I like doing Oracle card readings. You may have heard that I do that with my friends. Now. I do that at dinner parties. I ask them to share a question out loud that they have. We pull a card. One of the card decks that I’m working on with right now is by this German artist. I just find her art just extremely, extremely beautiful. It’s interesting, this one. It actually has a picture of a fetus there and we all have that. So for those who are listening to the podcast I pulled from the deck, it’s called The Empress. And her dress is made out of roses and it shows an embryo or fetus inside her womb. But we all have that. Even if you don’t have a uterus, even if you aren’t fertile, even if you’re not a woman. We all have that inner child that is inside of us, that possibility of a future growth. So anyway, I like to use those Oracle cards because it helps me tap into some inner wisdom that I have about other people, and that’s why I like doing that.
Miriam Schulman: So that is one way that I strengthen my inner knowing. Well, hey, I absolutely can’t believe it’s December already. And that means 2025 is right around the corner. So I wanted to make sure you knew that I am hosting a boot camp in January, and it’s going to be the best one yet. So if you’ve never done any of my boot camps before, you can’t miss this. And if you’ve done it before, consider doing VIP. Let me tell you what’s in store for this year’s boot camp. So as usual, you get three days Stays with me. I’m going to help you walk through. What are your greatest stumbling blocks? How to make the most use of your time so you’re not spending time doing random acts of marketing and go beyond the starving artist mindset? On the second day, we’re going to cut through all the noise and tell you exactly what you should be focused on instead of wasting time on too much social media. And day three, we’re going to crystallize all of this together for you. If you sign up early, you’re going to also get an extra bonus coaching party that’s happening in January. So you want to make sure you get the most out of this experience. If you do choose to do VIP, there’s going to be three extra sessions with me where you can get valuable coaching.
Miriam Schulman: I hope that you’ll join me. To sign up, go to SchulmanArt.com/Bootcamp. All right, my friend. And now back to the show. Creativity is another gateway to crone wisdom. Many artists experience their most profound creative breakthroughs later in life. This is true of men as well, but for this episode, we’re talking about the Crone archetype, which is a feminine archetype. So we’re going to focus on women artists. So I want you to think about the artist, Louise Bourgeois, the sculptor. You can think about Georgia O’Keeffe. She had many of her breakthroughs later in life when she was on Ghost Ranch, or Yayoi Kusama, who is still alive today. She’s in her 90s. And then I would also even share one more, which is Yoko Ono, who is 92 years old. Creativity is an expression of our deepest truths. As we age, we’re freer to create without the fear of judgment, and that helps us become better artists. So I want to give you a practical exercise that you can use to help you try creating a crone collage. Gather images, colors, symbols that represent your wisdom. You can grab some of your favorite magazines. You can print out pictures from the internet. Make them into a beautiful vision board or a page, or a spread in your art journal and celebrate who you are becoming. The next part is about releasing your inner crone, so aging often comes with societal baggage.
Miriam Schulman: In other words, we have a lot of beliefs about what we should or shouldn’t do. But the crone, your inner crone, knows that it’s time to let go of these restrictions. So ask yourself, what rules am I ready to break? What parts of myself am I ready to embrace fully? Now? The Crone archetype is unapologetic. I know I am. My style has always been unapologetically confident. I wouldn’t say it’s always been that way, but it’s certainly been that way for quite some time now. Has it been that way since I turned 50? For sure. Was it that way before? I don’t think so. This is the stage of life where you can share your stories, mentor others, and advocate for causes that matter to you. I think that is why I am so deeply called now to write books and to coach others in the business of art, not just create art, but to mentor and coach and write and share that crone wisdom that I have. Now let’s talk about rituals for accessing Crone wisdom. Here is an exercise I want you to try. Start with a morning reflection. Bring your day with gratitude and question. What wisdom will I share with the world today? Now write down your thoughts or record them as voice memos to track your evolving wisdom. I prefer the written word. I prefer doing that in journals. That’s why I have kept all my journals.
Miriam Schulman: This one is from 2023 and 2024. I am almost done with and I’m beginning to start 2025. It’s so exciting and I’m so grateful that I have all these journals here. So you have the morning reflection as a ritual, and you can also have a nighttime ritual. I’m going to call that the moonlight ritual. So under the light of the moon. Or it could be of a starlit sky. Or if you live in the city like me, or if you don’t see the moon or the stars, but we know they’re there. Reflect on what you’ve learned in the past month. Burn a list of things that you’re ready to release and journal your intentions for the future. Now, I know for everybody listening, it may not be your birthday, but we are ending this year. And I always call that time between Christmas and New Years. The time between the years. That’s a phrase I learned from a German friend. Historically, the time between the years refers to the liminal period between the end of one cycle and the beginning of another. Now, this concept resonates very much with this crone archetype, because it’s the wisdom and stillness found in transitions, this liminal period. That’s what old age is. It’s the period where you have this deep wisdom between a life very well lived and perhaps the next life. So often this time between the years is tied between this winter solstice period that we’re in right now, the days between Christmas and New Years.
Miriam Schulman: And it represents a sacred pause time to reflect, release and prepare for what’s next. Now, in terms of the historical and cultural roots in pagan traditions in ancient European cultures, this period was seen as a thin time when the veil between the worlds were lifted, and that was a time for introspection, divination, and honoring the ancestors. The Norse celebrated the Yule, which is the 12 day festival when fires were lit to invite the return of the sun and reflect on the past year. The Celts believed that the time between the old year and the new year was a space to connect with the divine, particularly with the crone. Goddesses like I cannot pronounce this, but we’re going to just give it a try. Calliope. Calliope, I’m going to spell it. C a I l l e a c h. Who ruled over winter in death. Bringing wisdom and endings, and the modern interpretations that spiritual seekers see this period as an opportunity to slow down, honor the lessons of the past, and plant seeds for the future. This is where the Crone archetype thrives in this space of deliberate, sacred pause. So let’s talk about a few more rituals for this time of year. Ritual number one is the mirror ritual. So for this, use a hand mirror, a candle, and a quiet space. Sit with the candle lit before you and look into the mirror and ask yourself, what wisdom have I gained this year? What am I ready to leave behind? And how have I stepped closer to my authentic self? Speak the answers out loud, write them down and thank yourself for the lessons.
Miriam Schulman: And then extinguish the candle. Ritual number two writing the year’s eulogy. So this honors the passing of an old year. So in order to perform this ritual, write a year in review describing its highlights, challenges, and lessons learned as if it were a story with a clear beginning, middle and end. And then end the story with a note of gratitude. And if you wish, you can burn the paper to symbolize its release. Ritual number three inviting the new or seed planting ritual. For this, you need a small bowl of soil. Seeds which are real or symbolic, and water. Hold the seeds in your hands and set an intention for the coming year. Plant it in the soil. Visualize the growth of your goals and water it as a promise to nurture your dreams throughout the year. Ritual number four is called the Crones Walk. Find a quiet outdoor space, preferably in nature. Take a walk in silence, observing the stillness of winter and allowing your thoughts to flow freely. Now, with every step, imagine releasing old burdens into the earth. Collect small objects that you see stones, leaves, twigs to symbolize your commitment to moving forward with wisdom and at the end of your walk, place them all before you in the ground and make a pattern and set your intentions for the coming year.
Miriam Schulman: Hey there! I’ve been talking a lot about what’s in store for 2025, and now that we’re in the age of AI, I know it’s more important than ever to have personal connections. And that’s why my Artist Incubator coaching program is in more demand than ever, and especially the inner circle part of it, because those artists get hands on help from me on a regular basis, which really live is what makes their business thrive. So the live access to me, the ongoing support, the how to make the strategies work for them, this is everything that they get. And so this is why they’re able to get such great results. One of my star students, Lynn Sammis, has made over six figures this year, which is ten times what she made last year. And she is not alone. I’ve done this for countless other artists. Priya Ghori went to six figures. Elizabeth Madansky passed her income goal and many, many others. So if you’re looking to get more help from your art business, from a business coach who has a proven success track record, I would love to invite you to join my world. Right now, I only let people into the inner circle who are also part of the incubator program. So when you join the inner circle, if you’re not already part of the incubator, you’ll get that as well. I personally interview everyone who is invited to join the incubator, and that is for your benefit to make sure it’s the right fit for you.
Miriam Schulman: So applications are open. The next cohort is beginning in February, and I will be interviewing applicants all month long in January. I hope to see you there. I would love to help you make 2025 your best year ever. So to get started, go to SchulmanArt.com/BIZ. Fill out the application and we will talk about the incubator and the inner circle. All right, my friend. So that’s it for now. Let’s get back to the show. Rachel. Number five, ancestral candle ceremony. Take a candle for every ancestor you wish to honor. Light each candle and name out loud each ancestor, thanking them for the lessons and traits they’ve passed down to you. As the candles burn, sit in stillness and invite any messages or feelings of gratitude they may offer. And I have two more rituals for you. So there are seven rituals in all. So ritual number six is the crones tea ceremony. Bring a calming tea blend. This could be camomile. It could be elderflower. Brew your tea with intention, stirring clockwise to invite new energy and counterclockwise to release the old. As you sip, meditate on what you’re releasing and what you’re inviting into your life. And our last ritual. Number seven. Because seven is the most magical number. Ritual number seven is dreaming the future.
Miriam Schulman: Before going to sleep, place an object under your pillow that symbolizes your intention for the coming year. Now alternatively, when you did your walk in nature, your crone walk. You could bring these objects with you and put them under your pillow. But they could be other objects. It could be a key to represent, a key for opportunities. It could be a feather to represent lightness. It could be something else. Ask your subconscious for clarity on the path ahead. And when you wake up, journal your dreams or your insights. All right, my friend, I would love to hear from you. Which of these resonated with you? Are you going to be doing any of these exercises or actions to honor the passing of this year and welcome the new one? If you loved this episode, please share it with your friend who might need a reminder of her power. And don’t forget that my boot camp is coming up in January. Go to SchulmanArt.com/Bootcamp because it’s absolutely free and you don’t want to miss out. Schulmanart.com/Bootcamp. We do have a workbook for you that goes along with today’s episode, which will sum up all seven of those rituals for inviting more wisdom and creativity into your life. All right my friend, I hope you have a beautiful holiday season and time between the years. That’s it for now. I’ll see you at the same time, same place next week. Until then, stay inspired. Bye for now.
Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to The Inspiration Place podcast. Connect with us on Facebook at facebook.com/schulmanart, on Instagram @schulmanart and of course, on SchulmanArt.com.
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