Authentically Teresa Funke – Never AI
Have You Listened to Your Inner Coach Lately?
My brilliant friend Sandy Scott recently sent out some great advice in her newsletter about ignoring your inner critic and focusing on your inner coach. She describes the qualities of the inner coach as curious, quiet, connected to the head and heart, generating new thoughts, full of love, etc. Pretty much the opposite of the...
Finding That Common Ground
The other day, I was sitting at the dinner theater where the seats are very close together. Before the show started, I heard the couple next to me talking with the waitress about whether they should buy season tickets again. After all, a few of the shows in the last few seasons were a little...
So You Say You’re Not an Artist
You say you’re not an artist, then you cut a perfect leaf into the top of the pie crust. You say you’re not creative, but you make up puns on the spot. You say you’re not inspired, then you carefully write the perfect encouragement into that graduation card. You say you’re not inventive, but your...
Art and Gratitude
This year, it’s really simple: I’m grateful for all the art in my life. The art I produce, the art you produce, the art we love, and the art that challenges us. The art that spurs conversation and the art that settles the soul. The art that comes from our hands and our voices, but...
What Should You Tell Your Younger Self?
This week I attended a networking event in which a local business owner was given an award. The host of the evening, Nancy, conducted a short interview with the winner, whose name was Trish. One of questions Nancy asked was, “What would you go back and tell your younger self?” Trish gave a long pause....
Being the Best
The other day, I experienced a little disappointment in my business. A contest I expected to place in, and didn’t. It wasn’t a big deal, really, but for some reason, it got me down. In trying to figure out why I felt so bad, I had a realization. I told my husband, “When I was...
How to Doodle Your Way Out of Stress
I heard reference to a study that said many of us spend 70-80% of our waking hours stressing about something. We stress about our jobs, our families, our health, our friendships, traffic, the environment, climate change, gun violence, world conflicts, upcoming elections, and so much more. And there is no longer a cultural attitude toward...
That Is Not My Art, And That’s Okay
It’s almost Halloween, my least favorite holiday of the year. It’s not the dressing up in costumes or the handing out candy or the parties that bother me, it’s the dark, scary, ugly, gory images and stories, and the fascination with evil and cruelty they sometimes encourage. I’ve always been easily scared. I can’t even...