Jan Phillips

Photo of ()\

Jan Phillips is an evolutionary artist, author, workshop director and social activist. She is the cofounder and executive director of the Livingkindness Foundation, a global network of grassroots philanthropists turning creativity into compassionate action. She is also cofounder of Syracuse Cultural Workers, publishers of artwork for social justice and global consciousness.

Jan has taught in 23 countries, made a peace pilgrimage around the world, produced two CDs of original music, and created several videos on the power of creativity to transform consciousness. Her books include No Ordinary Time, The Art of Original Thinking, Divining the Body, Marry Your Muse, God Is at Eye Level, and A Waist Is a Terrible Thing to Mind.

As a performing artist/speaker, Jan brings music, poetry, and images to all her audiences, using the arts to inspire as well as inform. Blending East and West, art and activism, reflection and ritual, Jan’s transformational presentations provoke original thinking and evolutionary action. With stories, humor and cutting edge creativity, she connects the dots between science, spirituality, and social action.

Author photo © Ruth Westreich


Listen to Tami Simon's interview with Jan Phillips: Creativity as Faith in Running Shoes

Also By Author

Creativity as Faith in Running Shoes

Tami Simon speaks with Jan Phillips, an award-winning writer, artist, photographer, and workshop leader. Jan is a cofounder of Syracuse Cultural Workers, and is the author of the books God Is at Eye Level and Marry Your Muse. With Sounds True, she has produced the 12-session audio learning program, The Marry Your Muse Workshop: Making a Lasting Commitment to Your Creativity. In this episode, Tami speaks with Jan about the Artist’s Creed, a manifesto she wrote to support aspiring writers when they confront their blocks and fears. She also speaks about the connection between creativity and leadership, and why Jan believes creativity is the ultimate act of faith. (49 minutes)

You Might Also Enjoy

Mirabai Starr: Your Life Is Holy Ground

To the mystic, every moment is sacred—and every step is taken on holy ground. Mirabai Starr, the celebrated author, religious scholar, and “translator of the mystics,” has devoted herself to sharing the insights of beloved figures including Teresa of Avila, Saint John of the Cross, Hildegard of Bingen, and others. In this podcast, Tami Simon speaks with Mirabai Starr about her new book, Ordinary Mysticism, and how we can each open ourselves to the direct experience of divine union—and become agents of change for our troubled world. 

Listen now to this inspiring discussion of: spiritual transmission and communicating mystical realization to others; the power of ritual; setting yourself up for “an encounter with the beloved”; the willingness not to know; collaborating with your muses; Natalie Goldberg’s writing practice methodology; a commitment to beauty; mystical seeing; four gateways to the sacred; freeing yourself from the brain’s default mode network; how meditation expands your capacity for awe; tending the seeds of wisdom; interspirituality; avoiding cultural appropriation; grief as a gateway to the sacred, and letting the darkness have its way; the dark night of the soul; the paradox of “surrendering and showing up”; and more.

Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.

Lee Holden: Go Slow. Enter Flow.

The counterintuitive approach to life that Lee Holden calls the Slow Method has an immediate power to decrease your stress levels, boost your energy, and improve your overall health and well-being in remarkable, seemingly miraculous ways. But why is it so hard for us to slow down, even when we understand intellectually how ineffective and miserable it is to live at warp speed? 

In this podcast, Tami Simon speaks with the internationally celebrated Qi Gong master and author about his new book, Ready, Set, Slow. Give yourself “the gift of slow” and tune in for this illuminating conversation about: the link between slow and flow; becoming more receptive to the energy that’s all around you; a brief history of Qi Gong and tai chi; a simple awareness practice—“Where am I?”; the coherence of energy and mind that defines the flow state; prioritizing “bliss over busy”; active relaxation; shifting out of stress and into the open space of the heart; how compassion, gratitude, and appreciation help heal the nervous system; mindfulness and an embodied experience of the present moment; liberating ourselves from our conditioning around survival; accessing the inner treasures of your energy system; applying the Slow Method when enjoying a morning beverage, at mealtimes, and in other situations where we tend to be on autopilot; finding your personal motivation for slowing down; breathwork; slow relationships; the Microcosmic Orbit practice; and more.

Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.

Cortland Dahl, PhD: The Energizing Force of Compassion

Imagine how our world would change if all of our actions were rooted in love and compassion. Is that even possible? In this podcast, Tami Simon sits down with Dr. Cortland Dahl, the renowned Buddhist scholar, translator, scientist, researcher, and author of several books including his newest, A Meditator’s Guide to Buddhism, to discuss how compassion can become the energizing force that motivates you and inspires you each and every day.

Listen now for their insights on attuning to the intelligence of your heart; a neuroscientific approach to healing anxiety; the exciting research and new modalities emerging from the study of contemplative practice; how quickly we can begin to enjoy the profound benefits of meditation; the four pillars of a healthy mind: awareness, connection, insight, and purpose; appreciation and noticing the positive; living life in a meditative way; bringing your innate compassion up to the surface of conscious experience; doing the dishes as an act of love—how every action can become a gift; generosity, the inner richness that can never be exhausted; how empathy and compassion activate the brain’s “care network”; compassion in relationships; the universal longing for meaning and purpose; transformative pain, and why physical discomfort does not equal suffering; dealing with uncertainty; unlocking the insights of our emotions and finding the beauty in difficult experiences; a pith instruction: look at your mind; and more.

Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.

>