0:00
/
0:00
Transcript

When Slowing Down Becomes a Radical Act: Finding Freedom Through Contemplative Creativity

Episode 010 of Clear Conversations with Libby Walkup

In a world obsessed with productivity and endless achievement,

has discovered something revolutionary: the power of stopping time. As the creative force behind Unraveling, Unmoored, Libby's journey from burnout and generational trauma to what she calls "contemplative creativity" offers a profound roadmap for anyone seeking to heal through slowness and presence.

What makes Libby's story particularly compelling isn't just her academic credentials—degrees from Bath Spa University, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and the University of Iowa—but her willingness to completely reimagine what creative success looks like. After years of pushing through exhaustion and operating from a dysregulated nervous system, she made a radical choice: to put healing first and let creativity emerge from that foundation of wholeness.

Her transformation reveals something many of us desperately need to hear: that our deepest creative work often comes not from forcing or striving, but from creating space for what wants to emerge. Through practices like meditative circle drawing, morning pages, and intuitive writing, Libby has learned to become what she beautifully describes as "a state of receiving."

Show Notes

[00:00] Opening: The Art of Meditative Drawing

  • Libby shares her practice of drawing thousands of tiny circles on large sheets of paper

  • How repetitive, meditative art creates natural flow states that bypass mental resistance

  • The importance of loving your creative work at every stage: "I walk by it and say 'you're such a sexy drawing'"

  • Why forcing creativity rarely works—and what does

[08:00] From Burnout to Breakthrough: A Personal Transformation

  • Growing up neurodivergent in a small Minnesota town with generational trauma

  • The moment of recognition: working only 6 hours a week but needing 24 hours to recover

  • How traditional productivity models fail sensitive, creative people

  • The shift from "writing first" to "healing first"

[24:00] The Healing Journey: Practices That Changed Everything

  • Starting with yoga and meditation in early 20s (when it was still "weird")

  • The pandemic revelation about nervous system taxation

  • Discovering breathwork, EFT tapping, Reiki, and morning pages

  • How incremental shifts create massive transformation over time

[30:00] Learning to Trust Intuition

  • The toxic relationship that became a spiritual wake-up call

  • Developing clairvoyant abilities while learning to actually listen to inner wisdom

  • Why taking action on intuitive guidance is often the hardest part

  • Living from intuition vs. traditional planning and goal-setting

[32:00] Understanding Trauma Release

  • How healing happens in layers, not linear progression

  • Observing thought patterns shift word by word through practice

  • Why "spending days crying on the floor" can actually be progress

  • The Buddhist concept of impermanence as a healing tool

[37:00] Morning Pages as Prayer and Guidance

  • Using Julia Cameron's morning pages practice for clarity and connection

  • How stream-of-consciousness writing clears "ego gunk" and opens channels

  • Receiving answers to questions through automatic writing

  • The subtle shift when creativity becomes channeled vs. forced

Key Quotes

"It's like a state of receiving... but how to get there? We literally have to just relax and relax and relax and relax until we can allow that receiving." - Libby Walkup

"Everything that's coming forward, especially when I'm in practice, is like a layer of something being released. It makes those days I spent crying on the floor less hard... they're coming forward and they're being released." - Libby Walkup

"I think people can be creative without being aligned. But there's something that drops down... I'm being guided or receiving that thing like it just sort of takes over." - Libby Walkup

"Understanding that nothing is permanent, even when it's really fucking hard, has been really useful in this journey." - Libby Walkup

Resources Mentioned

  • Books: Brené Brown's work, Carla McLaren (emotion work), Thich Nhat Hanh, Julia Cameron's morning pages, Liz Gilbert's Big Magic

  • Practices: Zentangle drawing, morning pages, breathwork, EFT tapping, Reiki, yoga

  • Educational: Domestica.com for art tutorials, University of Iowa Center for the Book

  • Concepts: Autism spectrum awareness, complex PTSD healing, nervous system regulation

Where to Find Libby

Thank You

A heartfelt thank you to

, , and everyone who joined us live for this conversation, and to for her extraordinary wisdom and vulnerability. Your willingness to share the messy, sacred work of choosing presence over productivity and healing over hustle offers a beacon of hope for anyone learning to trust their own contemplative path.


What's Next

☀️ The Sober Creative is more than a newsletter.

It’s a movement—and now, a growing community of creatives choosing clarity.

✍️ Read the Essays (free)

Stories and strategies for building a clear, intentional, creative life without substances.

🎙️ Join Clear Conversations (free)

Live interviews with artists and entrepreneurs navigating sobriety and deep creative purpose.

🧘 Try a Guided Meditation (free)

Start Where You Are and Gratitude are short, powerful practices to reconnect with your creative voice and ground your nervous system.

🌟 Go Premium (paid)

Support this work and unlock full access:

  • Full access to my library of guided meditations

  • Exclusive live meditation sessions

  • Priority Q&A and community insights

Become a paid subscriber for $8/month

👥 Founding Members (paid)

Founding members receive lifetime access, a 1:1 coaching session with me, and the opportunity to help shape the experience and future offerings of The Sober Creative—without changing its core mission.

Join as a founding member for $240/year

💬 Let’s connect

Book a free connection call if you’re curious about coaching, community, or just want to say hey.

🧭 Feeling ready?

Explore Unfiltered Creation — a 90-day 1:1 coaching experience to align your work, sobriety, and purpose.

Life unfiltered is where the real creativity lives.

Thanks for walking this path with me.

Josh

The Sober Creative is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Discussion about this video