Faith Matters “Yes, And”: Creativity as a Spiritual Practice, with Lisa Valentine Clark and James Rees
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Mar 8, 2026 James Rees, an artist and educator who studies creativity and visual journaling, and Lisa Valentine Clark, a comedian and improviser who turns performance into resilience practice. They discuss creativity as a spiritual way of living. They explore improvisation’s “yes, and” principle, vulnerability over perfection, ritual and structure as creative scaffolding, and practical practices like journaling and playful collaboration.
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Treat Failure As Required Iteration
- Reframe failure as necessary layers toward better creative work instead of final verdicts.
- James describes painting layers and covering 'horrible' attempts to reach a successful surface through practice and iteration.
Make Mediocre Work To Grow Confidence
- Ignore fear of looking foolish and give yourself permission to make mediocre work as practice.
- Lisa names social media image anxiety and taste-ability gaps as barriers; she recommends persisting despite embarrassment.
Tell The Inner Critic To Wait
- Acknowledge self-doubt then set it aside quickly so you can perform; promise the inner critic you'll return later.
- Lisa uses the improv tactic: tell the imposter voice to 'sit over there' and do the show anyway.