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2012 Twenty Questions Interviews : Juliette Jeanclaude

20 Questions Interview with Juliette Jeanclaude

Dancer, Painter, Self-Expression Facilitator

 

Juliette Jeanclaude

1. What's your name?

Juliette Jeanclaude.

2. Where are you from?

I’m from France living in London, UK.

3. Who are you today?

I am a woman, a dancer, a painter and a self-expression facilitator.

4. What do you do? (Elevator speech)

I help women break through their creative blocks so they can be the artist they want to be. Day by day.

5. What's your story (how did you get here)?

I was creatively blocked. Three years ago, I couldn’t sing without crying, I was painting to prove I could make it and I was too shy to say I want to perform on stage. Until I discovered "Le Journal Créatif" by Anne-Marie Jobin and started my recovering journey. One the way, I met Julia Cameron and "The Artist’s Way", worked with Kath Burlinson and her Authentic Artist method, Paul Oertel and Nancy Spanier, my greatest mentors. Today I finally find pleasure when painting, I write poems on the bus and I’ve started creating a choreography with 5 dancers and 3 musicians called "On the Edge of Love."

6. Why is creativity important to you?

I wrote my shortest poem about it:

"Why wake up rather than sleep?
I don’t know until I have danced."

7. When/how did you realize you had a creative dream or calling to fulfill?

Since I was a child, I always had this dream to be an actress, perform, express, write, dance, paint, make a movie. But it’s only when my art mentor Kath Burlinson told me: "All your desires are welcome. You are a multi-disciplinary artist", that I finally opened up and started making it happen in the world.

8. How did you embrace it?

As I said above, finding a mentor and also surrounding myself with people pursuing their creative dream really helped me to feel that my quest was worthy.

9. How did that feel?

It felt very moving. Saying "Yes" to my creative desires is saying "Yes" to myself.

10. Where has your journey taken you?

I have reached places in me I couldn’t imagine touching: my deepest ugliness, the witch, the rotten, the ferocious in me, as well as the divine, the fairy, the child. In a creative framework, all aspects of me are welcome. And now I can welcome all aspects in people.

11. What challenges have you faced?

Jealousy. Comparing myself to others was my biggest block. It prevented me to love who I am right now. And it’s a shame because I’m a pretty amazing person.

12. What worked for you?

Do it. Express a creative desire and do it straight away in a safe and nurturing environment such as the one Kath Burlinson or Paul Oertel offer, and the one I offer now to women through Healing Creativity workshops.

13. What didn't work for you?

Getting advice from people who are not artists.

14. What three tips can you share with those starting on a similar path?

  1. Plan a creative time in your diary and start.
  2. Dare to get support from a mentor.
  3. 5 minutes of creative time a day can change your life forever.

15. What are you working on now?

I’m painting a couple dancing in a garden in collaboration with a painter friend of mine Osita Nwankwo.

16. What's coming up for you in the next year?

I’m going to run workshops to offer the Healing Creativity method to teenagers and open them up to their artistry. Also writing an ebook on creativity and developing "On the Edge of Love" a dance piece on desire combining dance, painting and poetry.

17. What else do you desire/dream to do?

A movie.

18. How will you make that happen?

Step by step.

19. What question would you like to be asked (or are just itching to answer) that's not on this list?

How come you don’t give up in face of challenges?

I have made a commitment to myself: "I’m committed to my own self-expression and the self-expression of all beings at all levels." Learning never ends.

20. What's your Web site addresses?

8/7/12