Podcast Summary: “Yes, And”: Creativity as a Spiritual Practice
Faith Matters Foundation | Faith Matters Podcast
Guest Speakers: Lisa Valentine Clark & James Rees
Release Date: March 8, 2026
Episode Overview
This episode explores creativity not just as an artistic pursuit, but as a fundamental spiritual practice open to everyone. Lisa Valentine Clark (comedian, actor, and host) and James Rees (artist, educator, researcher) join host Aubrey Chavez to discuss how creativity serves as a sacred means for personal growth, spiritual connection, and navigating life's unpredictabilities—especially within the Latter-day Saint tradition, but with insights applicable to any faith background. Central to their conversation is the principle of “Yes, And” from improvisational theater, reframing both spiritual practice and daily living as dynamic, creative acts.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Creativity as a Way of Life (02:00–04:37)
- Both guests describe creativity as central to their existence—manifesting in personal, professional, and spiritual domains.
- Lisa: Sees life as an act of improvisation—"nothing that has gone according to plan" (02:29).
- James: Identifies teaching, art-making, and spiritual inquiry as interconnected creative pursuits.
Quote:
"Creativity has been honed down. It's the only way I can explain anything."
—Lisa Valentine Clark (03:29)
2. Faith & Creativity: A Divine Birthright (05:10–07:48)
- Creativity is linked to divinity: God as “the Creator” and humans as inherently creative beings.
- Lisa asserts everyone is creative; it’s a “divine birthright.”
- James draws parallels between revelation and creativity: both require openness and trust.
Quote:
"Bringing into existence something that has never existed before is what we're literally doing with our lives, which is literally creativity."
—Lisa Valentine Clark (06:39)
3. Creativity as Spiritual Practice vs. Consumption (07:49–13:02)
- The conversation delves into how Western spiritual life often centers on consumption (reading, absorbing), while creativity asks for output and making.
- Creativity helps metabolize feelings, clarify spirituality, and can act as prayer or worship in itself.
Quotes:
"You don't really know what you believe and what you really think until you can express it."
—Lisa Valentine Clark (10:55)
"The creative process is a great way for people to figure things out and then share that journey with others."
—James Rees (09:19)
4. Religion, Structure & Creative Expression (13:02–18:55)
- Discussion about Latter-day Saint religious structure: perceived as rigid, but can act as a creative framework.
- Guests reflect on how spiritual constraints can inspire creativity—parallels drawn to rules in improvisation and art.
Quotes:
"There are certain rules to improvisation...but it's just a framework so that you can all come together and commune and create something together."
—Lisa Valentine Clark (14:10)
"Church can be the vessel that has creative constraints, things you push against."
—James Rees (17:00)
5. The Limits of Language & Art as a Spiritual Language (18:55–22:51)
- The challenge of expressing the divine in words—art, music, and improvisation become languages for what is otherwise “indescribable.”
- Both guests discuss how creative pursuits become ways to process and share internal spiritual realities.
Quote:
"We intuitively figure things out in art before we can cognitively kind of figure things out."
—James Rees (19:56)
6. The Role of Witnessing & Vulnerability in Creativity (22:51–25:56)
- Performance and audience participation: creativity as fundamentally collaborative, requiring presence and vulnerability.
- The fleeting, in-the-moment joy of art (theater, music) as a spiritual experience.
Quote:
"It's joy experienced in the present. And you have to be fully present to be able to have that experience."
—Lisa Valentine Clark (24:00)
7. Barriers to Creativity: Fear, Perfectionism, and Social Limits (25:56–36:37)
- Distraction, perfectionism, fear of embarrassment, and societal structures stifle creativity.
- Guests discuss the importance of reframing failure, embracing the “mediocre,” and playfulness as adults.
Memorable Moments:
- Lisa’s advice on handling self-criticism and failure in improv (33:00).
- The practice of acknowledging your inner critic, but not letting it dominate the creative process.
Quotes:
"Doing the thing is always better than thinking about doing the thing or talking about the thing."
—Lisa Valentine Clark (33:01)
"The more you do, the better. And you just have to do the amount of time it takes to get that skill level."
—James Rees (33:50)
"Creativity, a little bit more playfully and not take everything so seriously...you're playing."
—Lisa Valentine Clark (35:42)
8. Creativity and Spiritual Uncertainty: “Yes, And” in Life’s Hardest Seasons (43:31–46:24)
- Lisa shares how the practice of “Yes, And” sustained her through personal tragedy.
- Both speakers highlight the spiritual importance of staying open (“delaying closure”), reframing “not knowing” as sacred and creative.
Quote:
"When I found myself in a situation where I was literally having to recreate every aspect of my life...I was so surprised by how closely it mirrored what I had learned in improvisation."
—Lisa Valentine Clark (43:31)
9. Spiritual Practice Recommendations (48:04–51:13)
- James: Visual journaling as a safe place to process feelings and spiritual experiences.
- Lisa: Gratitude journaling—writing five unique, specific things each day—and applying “leveling up” to relationships by helping others shine, as in improv.
Quotes:
"I think it will be a great mirror about what you're feeling and thinking."
—James Rees (49:18)
"If you see in a scene partner that you want to give them the best experience instead of being in competition with them...you both raise it together."
—Lisa Valentine Clark (50:27)
Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)
- “Creativity has been honed down. It's the only way I can explain anything.”
Lisa Valentine Clark (03:29) - “Bringing into existence something that has never existed before is what we're literally doing with our lives, which is literally creativity.”
Lisa Valentine Clark (06:39) - “There is a lot of overlap between creativity and revelation, where it really relies on being open, keeping my spiritual channel open, that I could be receptive to things.”
James Rees (06:40) - “You don't really know what you believe and what you really think until you can express it.”
Lisa Valentine Clark (10:55) - “It's joy experienced in the present. And you have to be fully present to be able to have that experience.”
Lisa Valentine Clark (24:00) - "Doing the thing is always better than thinking about doing the thing or talking about the thing..."
Lisa Valentine Clark (33:01)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 02:00–04:37: Personal definitions of creativity
- 05:10–07:48: Faith, revelation, and creativity
- 13:02–18:55: Religion, ritual, and creative constraints
- 22:51–25:56: Collaborative creativity and spiritual experience
- 25:56–36:37: Barriers, failure, perfectionism, and societal limits
- 43:31–46:24: “Yes, And” during hardship
- 48:04–51:13: Practical creative/spiritual exercises
Conclusion
The episode encourages all listeners, regardless of artistic background, to see creativity as inseparable from spirituality and daily life. Through stories, practical advice, and vulnerable insights, Lisa and James invite us to say “Yes, And”—accepting what life offers and building from it. Their message: creativity is an open channel for divine connection, personal healing, and community.
Actionable Takeaways:
- Try visual or gratitude journaling to open up creative and spiritual reflection.
- Reframe failure as part of the process; avoid pre-judging your creative acts.
- Approach life’s uncertainties with “Yes, And”: accept, respond, and build onward.
- Embrace the collaborative, present-moment nature of spiritual and creative experience.
(For more resources, find James Rees’s art at jamesreeseart.com and Lisa Valentine Clark’s “The Lisa Show” wherever you get podcasts. More at faithmatters.org.)