5: When Joy Feels Out of Reach: The Art That Met Me in My Burnout

In this deeply personal episode, Cindy shares the story of a solo trip to Houston during the early days of her burnout. There, two pieces of art—Niki de Saint Phalle’s joyful Nana sculptures and a 13th-century painting of the Virgin Mary—revealed the emotional contrast between who she was and who she longed to be. This is a story about the weight of exhaustion, the mirror of grief, and the slow, sacred path back to joy.Mentioned in the episode:Niki de Saint Phalle – The NanasNiki de Saint Phalle: Rebel with a CauseMother of God (Byzantine, c. 13th century) at the Menil CollectionRothko ChapelMemoir excerpt from Art Is About Being WholePast episode: The Shark and the Book: Burnout, Subconscious Magic, and the Creative ProcessPast episode: Revealing the Door Into Our Hearts: Delighting in the Duality of Creative Existence with Yola MehmetiUpcoming Events:🎨 Ugly Zine Night – August 28Follow Cindy:TikTok @cindyingram_artandselfThreads @cindyingram_artandselfInstagram @cindyingram_artandself Get full access to Wrecked by Art with Cindy Ingram at cindyingram.substack.com/subscribe