Today we’d like to introduce you to Margaret Moody.
Hi Margaret, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am a survivor of narcissistic abuse, from childhood, and marriage. After my divorce, I was struggling with everything. Narcissism is a word that is thrown around a lot now, but if you have been raised by a person with Narcissistic Personality Disorder, or spent time in a long term relationship with one, you know that it leaves you depleted. When you leave someone with NPD, you are left with heaps of self-doubt and confusion at the least.
My art began with therapy, and ended up being a hidden talent. My therapist had suggested neurographic art as a form of meditation when my mind was overwhelmed. The next thing I knew, my friends were asking to buy my meditation sessions and my art business was born. I currently teach art therapy to children in a therapeutic school and offer sessions for creativity coaching for those who feel stuck in life. It’s my way of giving back. Beyond everything, art has given me my life back, and I am forever grateful for that.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road back from PTSD is never pretty. Every step of the way is an emotional roller coaster of self-doubt. All my life, I had been told that my creativity was a deficit, not a talent. I was made to believe I was different, or crazy. I had completely succumb to the pressure to conform, and the thought of being a working artist was a distant pipe dream as far as I was concerned, but then things started to align, and there was no doubt that I found my home in art. Once I let the creativity out of the cage, my life became overwhelmingly good.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As a creativity coach, I teach people how to tap into their own creative well and together we find creative solutions to everyday problems. In my conformity I thought I had abandoned my creative ways, but when I looked back on my life, what I realized is that I had just found a way to put creativity in everything I do. In my job as an analyst, I was always the one who found the out-of-the-box solution to the problem at hand, and now, I help people do the same. My expertise lies in helping neurodivergent people find solutions to help them create a balanced life and achieve their goals whatever they may be. Sometimes it’s learning to communicate their ideas, finding a way to make them shine for the big promotion at work, or just coping with the day to day struggles of living life in today’s society. I can assist with anything from creative budgeting to maintaining your family household while living with chronic pain. My unique life experience has left me with a gigantic toolbox. When I went back to school to complete my bachelors in psychology, it tied everything together. It may look like art, but the changes it can make to your life are infinite.
In my work with children, it’s much the same, but we are finding creative solutions to big feelings. Together we find ways to regulate and create that allow them the focus and energy to succeed in the rest of their lives. Neurodivergence is a spectrum, but there’s an activity for each child that acts as a center, sometimes it’s just harder to find that, even more, the activity can be disruptive to those around them. My focus is teaching them how to balance comfort with less disruption.
I also offer Mindful Art Discovery sessions. Think paint and sip with a mindful twist. I guide you and your friends through activities that help you unwind and loosen up. You bring the friends and beverages, I bring fun that will teach everyone how to let go of their stress through art!
How do you think about happiness?
“What makes me happy?” is a trick question. I chose happiness. I know it sounds trite, but no matter my situation, I chose to find the silver lining. Our brains are programed to find the wrongness in everything. This can lead to anxious spirals and overthinking. I have trained my brain to find the good in every situation. If not when it’s happening, then when I am Monday morning quarterbacking the situation. It’s like when you have really embarrassing moment, but you tell all your friends because story because it’s so ridiculously bad that you have to laugh? Life is always going to be hard, but when you focus on the good, those struggles seem like nothing more than a commercial break in a really good movie. That’s all the bad times are. Find the thing you will laugh at later and just keep moving.
Pricing:
- My coaching sessions start at $60
- Mindful Art Discovery Sessions start at $100
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mmoodycreative.com/
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/moodymagpiecreative/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559549753182
