I am Karen Palmer, Soul Artisan of Artemystic Studios.

How This All Began

When I look back at my life, I am grateful for all of it… the good, the bad, the ugly. It has ALL been of service in creating everything of who I am today. I understand what it feels like to be to be “creatively dead”... AND… to come home to myself, loving ALL of who I am, with full permission to express it!

As a child, I loved to color in my coloring books. Oh boy!... the best gift was a brand new set of the big 64 box of Crayola crayons, with the sharpener on the side of the box! And… a coloring book… where… praise was given for “coloring within the lines.” And so it began… “creativity” was about drawing within someone else’s lines, aka “rules.”

My parents were German immigrants. They grew up in a war-torn period where free expression and feelings were a matter of survival, life or death. So, you can imagine that the tolerance for any expression or feelings was controlled… at best. Even too much joy could be punished. I’m not suggesting that it was a bad thing, but...it was at the cost of any individual expression… or creativity in my case. However, I remember as a child that there were a couple of paintings on the walls of my house, that were painted by my father. I loved these paintings. I never saw him paint, doodle, color… ever. I remember asking him why he never painted anymore. All he could say was, “I don’t know.” He never painted again, even with some encouragement. And I still feel sad about that.

The belief that I was not creative continued to be reinforced by my 6th-grade art teacher who criticized one of my drawings, of course in front of the whole classroom. I remember feeling humiliated, devastated and vowed never to put myself in that position EVER again!

Well, Then…. How DID I Arrive Here?!

I went to college, got married (still married to the same wonderful man), and became an accountant. I was obedient, did what was expected of me. College, check. Married, check. Good job, check. Owned a house, check. Drove a fancy car, check. So far, so good… well, sort of…

My husband and I never “planned” on having a family. It was one of those ”eh… if it happens, well okay then,” kind of things. As I was well on my way up that corporate ladder, the unexpected happened! I became a Mother… to a beautiful baby girl. It was the first time in my entire life I had experienced unconditional love! And yet, I felt incompetent beyond words. I could balance a budget but had never changed a diaper! Oh, and babies cry by the way. Aaaaahhh… I was so far out of my comfort zone! Feelings everywhere!

I really struggled. All I knew was obedience and punishment. And yet, this little girl invoked such love inside of me that I was constantly conflicted on how to respond to little things like when she would cry when I would brush her hair!

And so it began…

It occurred to me to look at myself in the mirror and do some serious searching. I realized I didn’t like what I saw. I asked myself the question, “how could I be so competent in all the other areas of my life yet, constantly feel like a failure when it came to motherhood?” I noticed how critical I had been of myself. How obedient and expressionless I had been living. How vulnerable it was, and still is,... to LOVE unconditionally. My beautiful precious daughter, creative, free spirited, full of life…I had been trying to squelch it… just like it had happened to me.

I began a path of awakening and consciousness. I went to workshops, retreats, read books, went to therapy, counseling, meditated, danced, and PAINTED (my favorite)! I wanted my daughter to love herself, and I wanted to teach her how. I learned about compassion… for others and MYSELF!. I learned to grieve. I allowed myself to have feelings. I learned to cry and how to express my anger in a way that is not destructive. I learned that I am so much more than just a daughter, wife, mother, accountant, manager, sister. I eventually learned to be able to have a kind and loving relationship with the person in the mirror. I learned to LOVE MYSELF!

Unlike my father, I PAINTED! And painted, and painted and danced, and sang, and painted some more. I think perhaps, this brought him happiness. It was as if I had begun to heal my lineage of ancestors, who needed to be creatively dead for their own survival. I felt FREE.

My “Job” As Soul Artisan

Through all of this, I remembered what a MIRACLE I am… There will never, ever, be another me. And,... there will never, EVER, be another you!

One of the ways I love to do this is through Intuitive and Expressive Arts! It has been and continues to be one of the best ways I have personally explored the vastness of who I am.

As a Soul Artisan, my “job” is to walk with you as you find your way home to your Self!.

I will love and honor your uniqueness.

I will shine a flashlight when you cannot see.

I will hold you in your vulnerability.

I will be a mirror for your greatness.

I will have compassion for wherever you are.

I will remind you that you are not broken.

I will remind you that YOU ARE A MIRACULOUS UNIQUE HUMAN BEING!!!

All through Art? Yes! Even Doodling!

All The Other Life Credentials Just In Case

For those of you that like this kind of information, here are some other credentials:

Master Facilitator of Intuitive Painting and The Expressive Arts received from the Wild Heart Expressive Arts Teacher Training Program

Certified Life Coach focusing on helping people manifest the desires they long for, such as professional goals, relationships, spiritual practices, and more.

Pathways Institute Teacher for the “Stand and Deliver” Program including the creation of a new community in the Southwest.

Certified Enneagram Practitioner

Mystery School Graduate - Pathways Institute 2003

B.B.A. Accounting - University of San Diego

Corporate Experience includes successfully leading teams in various corporate environments. I am considered an expert in the creation and development of Shared Services for companies, most recently in the hospitality industry. I have been a speaker at industry conferences.

Oh… and yes… I make fabulous jewelry and am pretty good at Candy Crush!