Life As Art & The Road More Punk
Art is not an industry or a game; it is a practice. And over and over again, it is your artistic faith that will save you; the unflinching belief and constant recommitment to your singular gifts and your own unique timing.
… I’d tell her it’s kind of punk to take the long road. That it’s her job to tell the truth … to feel everything, see everything. … I’d remind her that two artistic careers will never be the same, and that numbers do not matter. What matters is how you make people feel. ~ Maggie Rogers
When I read (and then watched) these excerpts from Maggie Rogers’ NYU Tisch commencement speech, it proved yet again why she has been my spirit animal since discovering her several years ago.
When I was in my early 20s, I wrote in my journal that I was to “live my life like an artist.” It was an odd thing to do, since I was never considered one — whether visual or performing — but I have always had a creative nature and been a producer, writer, director and choreographer in various forms. As an adult, my nonprofit The Women’s Mosaic, my PGG essays and book, my affirmation book, my IG posts and stories are all forms of my art. When I dance, that is my art in the moment.
But mostly what I think I meant was that I would not follow a more traditional career and life path envisioned by well-meaning Long Island parents (get a job, in an office, until you get married, preferably to a nice Jewish doctor — even though I am not Jewish — and have kids). Oy vey, did I take the road less traveled!
For me, living the life of an artist is creating one that is authentic to me and my own becoming. It’s one that is aligned with the heavens, allowing myself to express and unfold in the way that Nature/God/Universe designed and intended me to be, not our culture.
And that requires a tremendous amount of courage, faith, risk. It means being comfortable in the unknown and often going against societal norms. It means changing when change arises no matter how scary that might be. It means stepping out with ideas, creations, offerings that might not be well-received, but it doesn’t matter because there is much learning and many gifts in the giving of it. It means a lot of tears and time curled up on the couch or crying on the floor.
I was recently gifted the opportunity to see a phenomenal new Broadway musical called Redwood, which (sadly) closed after a short run. Was the show perfect? No, but it touched people (including me) in a way that I have not experienced as an audience member in the longest time. When you hear a room full of collective sniffles, a roaring standing ovation and random strangers outside the theater bonding over how much they loved it and lamenting with bewilderment why it was closing, this piece of art clearly delivered on one of its intentions to make us feel more connected.
Tina Landau, the co-creator and director gave a speech the final night of this truly original show (most shows these days are adapted from existing content). She quotes from a note that actor Wade McCollum sent her saying it’s possible “a tree’s destiny, perhaps like your show’s, is to gather as much biomass as possible during its life, and that only in its death it may truly fulfill its destiny.” She then expressed her hope that “our Redwood becomes part of a foundation for others to make new work — new works based on nothing but an original idea, or a dream, or our own lives.“
Redwood was a bold, brave and complex idea to manifest, and a huge risk on many levels. As humans, whether conscious of it or not, we are all artists creating the fabric of our lives, and we each have our own tolerance level and courage in putting ourselves out there. For most of my life I have been the hiding, hang-in-the-background kinda gal but I have been on quite the journey (at least three decades of baby steps …) to emerge from that old story, and I am now at the threshold of yet another evolution in my expression and service. (The above picture was a moment I documented in the caption here.)
In that closing-night speech, Tina Landau also talked about how “like the redwoods, may our heartwood carry who or what has been lost inside of us; we’re all made up of the bits and pieces of everyone who’s come into our lives, and while things or people or a show come to an end, they’re also never gone.”
This speaks to how each of our lives, our inherent works of art, touches all who you come into contact with, whether in life or death, it is all one big tapestry of energy. It also speaks to what is coming to light more and more in my work with people — tapping into a truly holistic and core-level approach, which can include connecting them with their past lives and/or people who have passed on to the other side of the veil, and the profound benefits and healing as a result.
Yes, you read that correctly.
In last month’s popular essay Of Wonder, Woo & WTF?!, I talked about how I am “starting to slowly come out of the closet with the extent of woo in which I live and operate.” I’m not quite up to making any sort of big, bold official announcement (or if I even will), but if you’d like a sneak peak to what this all means, I posted this 15-minute video on my IG that starts to share a bit of how my soul’s work is evolving to help you with yours. It may sound a little far-out for some of you, especially if you’ve never worked with me, but as the kids say, I have receipts. (Watch in full on YouTube here).
And I have observed and am trusting that more and more people are ready, open to and looking for this kind of insight and communication. With nearly 18 years and hundreds of client hours of professional career and life coaching behind me, I believe this just gives you “more bang for your buck” and sets me apart from many other practitioners out there. In other words, I skew woo, but with the practical, down-to-earth flavor that I very much embody.
I recently heard Deepak Chopra say that “liberation lies in knowing yourself; it’s beyond self-improvement.” Living and approaching your life as art is one of the best ways to fully know and express yourself; to me that is the definition, or at least the means and making, of a spiritual life. Stay tuned if that is something you are interested in exploring as a group …
Back to Maggie. She’s only 31 but is both a rock star and a graduate of Harvard Divinity School because she acknowledges the relationship between art and spirituality — this is the stuff of life. (Her thesis was on the spirituality of public gatherings and the ethics of power in pop culture.)
Conscious creativity is the innate ability that separates us from the other sentient creatures of existence. Only Nature/God/Source/Universe and humans, in my belief, as an extension of that force, can create from the heart, which is what organically connects us to all that is.
So what are you creating? Who are you becoming?
Whether you work with me or not, I hope that sharing all of this lights the spark of your own divinity and inspires your unique expression. I hope it gives you the courage to step out of whatever closet you have been hiding in, because the time is NOW.
Like another amazing recent performance I attended, this time a stunning orchestral and choral concert of Brahms Requiem by Musica Viva, we each have our individual part to play in the symphony of life we are collectively creating. More than ever, the planet needs each of our instruments to be ignited; our brilliant flames must fuel humanity in reimagining and building a world of rich, beautiful harmony and deeply felt connection. There’s no app — or AI — for that.
(Originally published via my PGG Newsletter May 30, 2025)
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Kristina Leonardi is a nationally recognized career and life coach, speaker and author who for over 17 years has empowered individuals to make lasting professional and personal changes aligned with their true passions and talents while fulfilling their role in the world at large.
With a holistic and personal growth-oriented approach, she has helped hundreds of men and women improve their job performance, enter or re-enter the job force, change careers, better manage their time and stress, and live happier, more meaningful, balanced lives.
Her specialty is working with people who feel stuck or are in transition and can help you clarify exactly what you want to do, identify blocks, issues, and patterns in your way, and offer proven ideas, resources, and action steps to get you there.
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