Latest / Your Creative Chord Podcast / Grief, Loss & Creativity Pt 2: Using Creativity To Reduce Isolation & Forge Deeper Meaning | Ep 90
Transcript
- 0:03Speaker: Welcome to Your Creative Chord Podcast, where host Jenny Leigh Hodgins, author and educator, shares unique insights dedicated to empowering your creative flow and inspired living.
- 0:13Speaker: Through solo reflections and dialogues with creators and wellness experts, Jenny Leigh shares holistic wisdom influenced by her Buddhist practice, alongside poetic insights and practical strategies for living authentically.
- 0:27Speaker: This podcast helps you overcome challenges and unlock your full creative potential.
- 0:37Jenny Leigh: Welcome to Episode 90 of Your Creative Chord, Part 2 of our three-part series on Grief, Caregiving and Creativity.
- 0:52Jenny Leigh: I'm Jenny Leigh Hodgins, creative empowerment coach and host of Your Creative Chord Podcast.
- 0:57Jenny Leigh: In this series, we're exploring how creative expression can help reduce isolation, process difficult emotions, and connect us to meaning in our lives.
- 1:09Jenny Leigh: This episode also marks the two-year anniversary of publishing my books, "Kaleidoscope of the Heart," a collection of poetry and lyrics, and "Start Piano What You Need for Successful Learning." So I'll be sharing poetry, original songs, and piano pieces that have helped me navigate grief and loss.
- 1:27Jenny Leigh: In Episode 89, we began this series with poetry and music as tools to reflect and process grief.
- 1:35Jenny Leigh: Today we'll continue that exploration through meditative musical moments, reflection, and creative expression to help you connect with your own experiences and the people you love.
- 1:48Jenny Leigh: Today we'll start with a music listening experience.
- 1:51Jenny Leigh: Before we hear this piece, take a moment to settle in.
- 1:56Jenny Leigh: I understand that sometimes grief and the complex emotions that arise with that experience may at times feel intense.
- 2:05Jenny Leigh: So please take a break, pause, or come back to this episode and anything within this special series whenever you need.
- 2:13Jenny Leigh: And if you need greater support, please do not hesitate to call a therapist or a qualified grief counselor.
- 2:20Jenny Leigh: I wrote a song called "If You Were Here" as a conversation with my late brother after his sudden death in a car accident in 2004, 10 days before his 29th birthday.
- 2:34Jenny Leigh: Creating poetry, songs, and music has been a lifeline for my grief journey.
- 2:40Jenny Leigh: The song "If You Were Here" is an expression of my grief, my love, remembrance, and the way my brother John's spirit continues to inspire me to live.
- 2:53Jenny Leigh: He lived adventurously and with bold confidence in himself.
- 2:58Jenny Leigh: As you listen to my song, let any feelings, memories, or images naturally emerge from within you.
- 3:06Jenny Leigh: There's really no need to fix or analyze anything.
- 3:10Jenny Leigh: Simply allow the song to carry you into your own reflections and connect with whatever comes up in your heart.
- 3:46Jenny Leigh: [music] [When I'm all alone in a quiet space, my heart reaches out for you. But you've gone away to a distant space. Left me nothing but an empty view. I know you would crack your smile. I know you'd go an extra mile.
- 4:17Jenny Leigh: I know you would tell me to dig your heels in what you believe in. I know you would shake my fears. I know you would dry my tears if you were here.
- 4:36Jenny Leigh: Over time I thought that the pain would fade, but it's always there like you. So I feel this rain pouring out my heart, looking for the sun to shine through.
- 5:05Jenny Leigh: I know you would crack your smile.
- 5:22Jenny Leigh: I know you'd go an extra mile. I know you would tell me to dig your heels in what you believe in. I know you would shake my fears. I know you would dry my tears if you were, if you were, if you were here.
- 5:50Jenny Leigh: I know you would crack your smile. I know you would go an extra mile.
- 6:16Jenny Leigh: I know you would tell me to dig your heels in what you believe in. I know you would shake my fears. I know you would dry my tears if you were, if you were, if you were here.
- 6:40Jenny Leigh: If you were here.
- 6:55Jenny Leigh: As we continue exploring creative expression and grief, I want to share a poem from my book, Kaleidoscope of the Heart, called Lifelines.
- 7:14Jenny Leigh: Before we begin, take a moment to notice your own breath and any emotions that might be present. You may want to place a hand on your heart or rest it on your belly for a sense of calm and comfort.
- 7:26Jenny Leigh: Lifelines.
- 7:34Jenny Leigh: Silence breathed in between songs I play, with devoted touch of fingertips to piano keys, like a gardener singing softly to her lavender and lilies. Music brings me the sounds of love today.
- 7:53Jenny Leigh: Moments of sweetness in each tune, balanced with the beat of rests in between.
- 8:02Jenny Leigh: The rise and fall of all I have seen cries out the song of a goodbye too soon.
- 8:10Jenny Leigh: Alone, I go deep within to hold all those memories of you and me. I find them all most usually when my guard is down and uncontrolled, as in the pulse of rich piano chords pouring from me like rivers flow and melodies that seem to know exactly which way sings forwards.
- 8:36Jenny Leigh: Or in the quiet softness of morning dew, while carefully planting sunflower seeds, nature knows well just what I need to hear and feel remember you.
- 8:52Jenny Leigh: When I'm lost and nearly incapacitated, in desperate need of consolation, I trust in music and nature's vibration.
- 9:09Jenny Leigh: I feel how these lifelines are related to my heart, my soul, and the outside world.
- 9:12Jenny Leigh: So I give myself to this all-encompassing place, raise my tender hopes to this divine grace, while the pain of loss, regret, and sorrow still swirl like angry bees around my lowered head. But push on through, in the garden of my muse, I know it is the time I cannot refuse to face this misery my heart has bled.
- 9:45Jenny Leigh: As usual, I have said too much, I spin around in dizziness, confuse myself with busyness, my words defy me like a crutch. So, back to breathing, let stillness be my healing, hope, and path to rescue. Yet, never will I ever forget you, for you inspired the best of me.
- 10:15Jenny Leigh: Now I want to share another poem from Kaleidoscope of the Heart titled "My Wheels," which is a tribute to my brother and the ways he inspired me to keep moving forward through my grief. In my last conversation with John, he actually encouraged me to buy a road bike and start riding the Lexington, Kentucky trails. And after he died, that's exactly what I did.
- 10:39Jenny Leigh: And riding my bike is still a way to connect with my brother's spirit, his love of nature, and was the catalyst for my own nature photography hobby that is now part of my brand and my business.
- 10:51Jenny Leigh: So here is "My Wheels:"
- 10:57Jenny Leigh: Cherishing the slap of the wind against my face, as I ride my wheels through the bike path, I feel your spirit next to me, embracing fresh air, marveling at gorgeously green leaves, cute quick bunny rabbits, graceful birds in the sky, frothy waves crashing on a quiet beach.
- 11:17Jenny Leigh: I ride alone or with a new friend by my side, but always you are there with me, like the skateboarding youths on the other side, or the red-haired boys eating ice cream, or diving into the sandcastle walls on the shore. I feel your energy pushing my petals, steady to the beat of my own breathing. There you are, your voice providing silent commentary on the exhilaration of the outdoors, laughing at the joy of moving fast under the warm sun to the sound of bird language or crumpling leaves underneath, the thrill of rolling wheels down a steep hill, the silence of the blue on the water's waves, the golden farewell of an inflated beach ball sun rolling beyond the horizon of a vast ocean.
- 12:16Jenny Leigh: You are there in the air, in the floating clouds, drifting far away above me, and yet at one with me. Sometimes I can feel your big arms around me, bear hugging me from your invisible seat in the universe, or hear your cocky laughter in my ears when the memory of one of your silly antics crosses my mind as I remember our moments together in this life, before I started riding my bike to be with you again, to make quality time with your spirit. Because I know you would love my wheels and the distance I have pushed myself to go on for the sake of our bond, my dear brother. Let's go ride on.
- 13:07Jenny Leigh: Take a few moments now to sit with whatever feelings or images have surfaced.
- 13:12Jenny Leigh: Allow yourself to simply be present with them, and feel free to pause this episode for a few moments and come back to it. Creativity can be a way to honor our loved ones through something original, a performance, or a heartfelt dedication.
- 13:31Jenny Leigh: After driving up from Florida to Kentucky in 2014, my father passed away from cancer. I spent the next three days driving through ice and snow covered roads to practice on my sister's baby grand piano, quickly relearning my father's favorite Debussy piece, Claire DeLune.
- 13:49Jenny Leigh: I performed it at Dad's memorial as my sincere tribute and offering of my love, respect, and gratitude. As you listen to that performance, allow the music to gently meet whatever is in your heart.
- 20:15Jenny Leigh: I composed a song to honor my dear late friend Linda, who passed away very suddenly from cancer, literally within two months of a diagnosis. Her loss was another unexpected shock, and it came at a time when I was deeply involved as a music educator directing 80-member children's choruses and teaching 600 kids a week.
- 20:39Jenny Leigh: After her passing, I was asked to lead a local Relay for Life team, supporting those affected by cancer and raising awareness. I wrote the song called "Every Step is for You" as a tribute to my friend Linda's life and spirit, and it became a choral performance piece that my students sang every year at Relay for Life events. The song reflects how grief and loss can inspire us to honor others, take action, and live with stronger purpose.
- 21:11Jenny Leigh: So here is that song, "Every Step is for You," with the lyrics from page 161 of my book, "Kaleidoscope of the Heart:" [music] Hearing dreaded words of diagnosis ringing out in your darkest hour.
- 21:33Jenny Leigh: On your own you faced the demon of a sickness raging to devour.
- 21:46Jenny Leigh: Pulling courage from your heart You have pushed beyond extreme Let us rise up here beside you now Hold your hand and be your team Every step is for you Every breath for your cause Everything that we do We do just because We fight for your survival We fight for your dreams We walk for your honor And we know what that means Every step is for you Every moment within is is a battle we all know is one we must win You have suffered enough in one lifetime Enduring agony and pain But no matter what you've been through Your dignity will always remain Pulling courage from your heart You have pushed beyond extreme Let us rise up here beside you now Hold your hand and be your team Every step is for you Every breath for your cause Everything that we do We do just because We fight for your survival We fight for your dreams We walk for your honor And we know what that means Every step is for you Every moment within is is a battle we all know is one we must win Every step is for you Every breath for your cause Everything that we do We do just because We fight for your survival We fight for your dreams We walk for your honor And we know what that means Every step is for you Every moment within is is a battle we all know is one we must win One we must win I also composed a piano piece called Simply You to represent having a heart-to-heart dialogue with my late friend Linda.
- 25:24Jenny Leigh: And I performed that piece at her memorial service with a backdrop of a movie collage of photos of her that I put together and all of her loved ones while I performed that piano piece live.
- 25:37Jenny Leigh: So using music, dance, art, poetry, and spoken word are various ways we contribute and appreciate our loved ones.
- 25:45Jenny Leigh: As you listen to Simply You, the piano music, you might notice a memory, a sensation, or maybe nothing at all, and that's okay.
- 25:54Jenny Leigh: You may want to listen to my music as a backdrop as you journal notes or verses or even doodle some artwork.
- 26:01Jenny Leigh: Here is Simply You. Enjoy:
- 26:07Jenny Leigh: [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music]
- 30:34Jenny Leigh: As you listened, what feelings, memories, or images came up for you?
- 30:39Jenny Leigh: Allow yourself to reflect on the ways loss can transform us, how it can inspire action, tribute, or a deeper connection to the people we love and the causes that matter.
- 30:52Jenny Leigh: There's no need to analyze anything, just simply sit with whatever emerges and honor it.
- 30:59Jenny Leigh: And now I'd like to close out today's episode with another original piano piece I composed called "From My Heart to Yours." I composed this as a dialogue with and tribute to my late brother after he passed, as a reflection of love, remembrance, and our eternal bond that continues beyond his passing.
- 31:22Jenny Leigh: One thing I have learned is that grief continues, as does my bond with my late loved ones.
- 31:29Jenny Leigh: It's not something I've closed the book on or moved on from. It's part of who I am, and it's how I approach my life right now.
- 31:37Jenny Leigh: I honor my bond with my brother in this piano piece, and I appreciate that he feels as present in my heart now as he ever did.
- 31:45Jenny Leigh: That is part of the miracle of the eternity of our bonds with our loved ones. They literally transcend time and space.
- 31:54Jenny Leigh: As you listen to my piano piece, allow yourself to simply be present with whatever feelings arise for you.
- 32:02Jenny Leigh: Let my music guide you to a gentle space within your heart. There's no need to change anything, just notice your emotions, your memories, and the quiet spaces that they leave.
- 32:14Jenny Leigh: Or simply be present with the stillness, with a music, and breathe.
- 32:19Jenny Leigh: Take this time as a musical meditation, a moment to honor your own experiences of grief and loss, connect with the spirit of and memory of your loved ones, and to offer yourself gentleness, compassion, and presence.
- 32:36Jenny Leigh: Here is "From My Heart to Yours:"
- 32:44Jenny Leigh: [music] I invite you to explore your own reflections and responses, noticing how creative expression, through music, poetry, or any form, can help process feelings and bring clarity.
- 34:58Jenny Leigh: Today's episode also marks the two-year anniversary of both my books, "Kaleidoscope of the Heart," a collection of poetry and lyrics, and "Start Piano," what you need for successful learning.
- 35:10Jenny Leigh: And you can continue exploring these works and the inspiration behind them at yourcreativechord.com/books.
- 35:18Jenny Leigh: Join me next month in episode 91 when this series will conclude in a heart-to-heart conversation with my guest, Chris Mamone, acceptance coach from the "Grief Empowerment Journey" podcast, sharing practical ways to face grief, find meaning, and move forward with clarity.
- 35:36Jenny Leigh: Until then, please take care of yourself.
- 35:43Jenny Leigh: Allow yourself space, time, and gentleness as you go through the grief experience.
- 35:47Jenny Leigh: May our journey together bring comfort, peace, deeper meaning, and presence to your life now.
- 35:56Speaker: Thank you for listening to Your Creative Chord podcast. If you found inspiration in today's episode, please leave a review and subscribe to the show.
- 36:04Speaker: Your support helps spread the message of creativity and inspired living.
- 36:09Speaker: Stay connected with Jenny Leigh and a vibrant community of creatives and curious minds. Visit yourcreativechord.com for more resources.
- 36:18Speaker: Remember, daily life is where your creative flow begins. Embrace the journey.