Episode #5 :: The Three Wishes + Sabine Bohn

Today I’m chatting with Sabine Bohn, a painter from Germany.

Sabine  inspired me so much when she came to stay with my daughter and I for our Hardy Creatives Residency, an artist residency in our home, for three weeks last summer.
 
And then she agreed to be the first interview I ever did for my podcast! She’s a brave woman, and we had the most wonderful conversation.

Enjoy our ramble through the fairytale The Three Wishes and Sabine’s relationship with her body and creativity.

Things we chatted about in this episode:

  • the fairytale The Three Wishes: and the smartest wish of all
  • on being raised in a conservative Catholic family
  • wishes as a child to be a good person and to have a prince sweep her away
  • keeping the last wish precious, not using it up
  • wishes as an adult to be fulfilled in what she’s doing, in a way that positively affects others
  • relationship with creativity: how the path is bumpy

  • on not leaving her paintings until she feels fulfilled
  • her ugly couch in her studio, and how she deals with creative frustration
  • how the idea that is in your head can’t be reached by grabbing (like grabbing for a feather), but by learning how to sit and be quiet and wait for the right moment
  • defining creativity as a river, a non negotiable imperative to create (Janelle)
  • defining creativity and oneself as an artist and how long that’s taken (Sabine)
  • learning to claim the title of artist, and to claim a certain quality of work
  • how being on an artist residency (with my daughter and I!) makes space for exploration and play
  • relationship with body: how this has to do with your whole life
  • on the profound impact of being raised by a very Catholic mother, who was herself raised by nannies and nuns in boarding school
  • on childhood practices (like the maid waking her up at 6am for a cold shower then put back in bed, for ‘health’) that created an attitude of enduring bodily experiences
  • on unraveling body disconnection as an adult
  • saying no and listening to instinct
  • wishes for the future (you’ll have to listen to find out)

Resources from this episode:

Connecting with Sabine:

Connecting with Janelle: