We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alice Shepherd Erlac. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alice below.

Alice, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I recently made a mindful colouring book, and it was the first time I made something slowly, lovingly and really aligned with my energy and the season.

I’m someone that historically pushes through, that fixates on set outcomes, and feeling in control.

But this wasn’t working as my own boss in my biz Creative Tea Breaks. I was glued to the computer, working too long days, not taking breaks, obsessing over content and copy rather than my passion, which is facilitating and art, and I was being very self-critical about my success and self-conscious about pricing.

This was not a cocktail for success, especially as CTB is all about making art just for you, for fun, slowing down, self-love, relaxing, connecting with your inner world, and moving towards the person you want to be.

I really believe in this work for everyone, but I wasn’t giving myself permission to receive the same love and fun I was promoting as a facilitator.

In October last year, I invested in a healing journey with Sherisse Bisram (intuitive healer and inner power activation leader) because I felt stuck and like the future I wanted was completely out of my reach. I was driven by a strong calling from within that I didn’t understand but trusted.

Over the few months working with Sherisse, I became aware of the patterns I’d fallen into, why they were happening and what they were rooted in. My inner child felt unsafe by my constant pushing, trying to force control, trying to go, go, go. And I needed to really listen to myself, assure my inner child and inner critics that we were going in the right direction, and to trust that I too deserved art, rest, self-love, and success.

This lead me to a brand new way of running my biz, which starts with self-care: breathwork, stretching, gratitude, and art every morning BEFORE work; regular movement breaks and play; leading my business with the joy that I bring to others!!

My colouring book was born out of this space, and I think its the most beautiful thing I ever made because it’s made with kindness, passion and love; it inspires the same, and it’s a grabble, tangible real thing that makes people lives brighter in dark and scary times, reminding them of their power and influence–something we really need to know and feel going ahead.

Alice, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Alice, mindful art, meditation and manifesting facilitator.

I got into my business Creative Tea Breaks after moving from England to Slovenia and not being able to find work I enjoyed or could survive on.

I studied Creative Writing at uni in London, so I started CTB here, leading creative writing workshops at Maribor University whilst teaching English.

Then me and my husband bikepacked from Slovenia to England in memory of my dad in 2023, ten years after his death. It took us a month to cover just over 2000km and we had a pretty wild time with very ugly and constantly changing weather. It was an awesome ride and personal experience for me and Žiga and it taught us a lot about making decisions in life and following what feels right. I had a kind of epiphany where I realised I really didn’t love teaching english but I do absolutely love art!!

Then I found the poet Laurie Bolger, the organisation 64 million artists, and the book ‘Your Brain on Art’ and my practice kept expanding to make more immersive and varied workshops at the uni, also holding space in my local tea house Čajnica pri parku, in Maribor, and facilitating online.

At this time, I also start meditating and breathwork.

I listened carefully to how this combination of practices made people feel, and gradually, gradually, developed my unique mindful art sessions and courses.

I want to start a family and grow how CTB impacts people in the day-to-day, so I expanded the universe past workshops, developing my creative membership called the Tea House, where we’re devoted to living more creatively every week! A 1:1 programme where you work with me in a very intimate way to get your creativity flowing and help you figure out what changes, deaths, and new rituals you need to overcome lack of inspiration or creative blocks. I made my first colouring book for curious adults!! And co-created the Joy Experience with an amazing fellow biz friend Asheligh Harvey, where we combine art, self-expression, creative writing, breath work, and acting techniques to help business owners re-align with their purpose, values, intentions, and to just let go and have fun too!

With all these services and products, I help people feel more inspired, connected with themselves, aware of and able to sit and commune with their shadows, and provide a solution to getting sucked into screens, scrolling, TV, consuming, grasping for control, and all the things that are numbing us and making us unhappy in society today.

I’m most proud of the conversations I have with people after working together and the immediate shifts they feel in my sessions. Me and my inner child are very proud of helping others to say f*ck this way of doing things and feeling blue, we’re choosing the paths of wisdom, colour, light, and positive impact!!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn leading with my divine masculine and to learn to trust my divine feminine energy.

As an ex-professional athlete and secondary school teacher, my life until my late twenties was totally driven by rules, schedules, targets, achieving, excelling, following set models of success.

I was also quite punk in my twenties–so there was a battle in terms of existing in one rigid system (education) and feeling strongly anti-establishment. Punk vibes are also very masculine and defensive.

When I moved to Slovenia, I felt powerless and vulnerable. I couldn’t do my job. I couldn’t do basic things like banking, doctors, residency appointments etc. I couldn’t see my friends and family like before. And I felt completely out of it when surrounded by the new language and cultures.

I really shut down into hyper control , survival mode–doing work that was boring and feast famine-y, not making new friends out of fear; not using my voice, brain numb.

But at the same time, my husband was teaching me to snowboard. If you’re an adult that learnt to snowboard, you’ll know it’s pretty devasting for the ego. At least, it definitely was for me. But this taught me to let go, not take myself so seriously, and to accept help.

Covid was a real wake up call. I realised how isolated and unhappy I’d made myself and I made an effort to open up, meet new people, move towards work I love, etc. But I was still grasping for control, limiting myself by set ideas and not letting fluidity lead.

Last year was a massive year for me where all of this shifted. After our 2024 bikeride from Slovenia to the UK I really appreciated how fleeting and precious life is. I didn’t want to carry on running my business in the old way, doing work that didn’t light me up. I wanted to use this life to lead with meaning, purpose, fun, and creativity.

I had to let my old ways die. It was time to give myself permission to be fully what I want to be. And when I did, I found out about creative flow, divine feminine energy, about slowness, my inner world, inner child, moon rituals, manifesting, and all the magical creativity and big ideas that flow from this place!!

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I didn’t have a plan and my business is changing all the time. But I had trust and a willingness to let that trust lead. THAT is what creativity is. It’s not a painting or a song or a skill level. It’s letting yourself explore, be curious, and trusting that it will take you somewhere cool.

We are ALL creative. Creativity is in our blood and bones and is undeniable.

The only difference between people who think they’re ‘creative’ or ‘uncreative’ is fear of looking silly or not knowing where they will end up.

If you stop grasping and trying to look like an ‘adult’, you’ll find a world of emotions, lessons, creations, laughter, and joy waiting within you.

You were made to express yourself and play. Let yourself!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://creativeteabreaks.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creative_tea_breaks/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-shepherd-erlac/

Image Credits

My husband: Ziga Erlac Shepherd
https://www.instagram.com/zigaerlac/