Want to improve your artwork? It might be time to look beyond your brushstrokes—and into your mind. In this episode, CJ Miller explores how the thoughts you carry into the studio directly affect your creative process, your confidence, and even the final piece.

Drawing inspiration from The Spiritual Artist, Eckhart Tolle, and contemplative wisdom from Father Richard Rohr, CJ shares practical tools to help you monitor your thoughts, practice presence, and awaken a deeper connection to your art.

You’ll learn:

• How being present in the studio improves flow
• Why watching your thoughts is the first step to creative clarity
• What happens when you stop judging and start observing with curiosity
• Breathing and body awareness practices that anchor you in the Now
• How to start a parking lot journal for mental clutter

Whether you’re painting, sculpting, or simply navigating life as a creative, this episode is a gentle reminder that your mind and your art are deeply connected.
The Spiritual Artist learns to listen—before the brush ever hits the canvas.

In this episode, CJ shares a recent experience of true connection after being invited to a student’s home for an artist playdate. Surrounded by different materials and supplies, they created art, exchanged ideas, and rediscovered the joy of in-person community.

But why is this kind of gathering so rare today? CJ explores how social media, the “junk food of social life,” gives the illusion of connection but leaves us feeling empty—much like a fast-food meal that satisfies in the moment but lacks real nourishment. From doom-scrolling to quick-click interactions, we’ve replaced deep relationships with fleeting digital moments.

Where are the bookstores, cafés, and gathering spots where we once met new people? Instead of engaging in real-world community, we isolate behind screens. But there’s hope.

CJ announces his new Creative Spirit Community program, launching this August at Unity Church of Dallas. Meeting on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month, this gathering will include a talk, meditation, and small-group discussions to foster genuine connection.

Want to start building community today? CJ is offering five free copies of his book to anyone who hosts a book club at home. Or, if nothing else, just pick up the phone and make lunch plans with one friend. Real relationships start with small steps.

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What calls you?

We spend so much of our time wrapped up in what we should do—clean the house, pay the bills, check off the endless to-do list. But what if we set aside the “shoulds” for a moment and listened to what truly calls us? What if Spirit speaks, not through obligation, but through excitement?

In this episode, I explore the powerful concept of the Daimon, as introduced in James Hillman’s The Soul’s Code. This inner guide—your unique blueprint—has been with you since birth, nudging you toward your true destiny. I share a personal moment of realization, where a simple painting reminded me of my own creative calling.

What brings you joy? What sparks that deep inner yes? In my book, The Spiritual Artist (available on Amazon), I call this your Intelligence of Being—the unique code within you that guides your creative and spiritual journey. Today, I challenge you to listen to that voice—the one that knows your path better than your to-do list ever could.

When you hear the calling, what will you do?