We were lucky to catch up with Hollis Citron recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hollis , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Looking back, what’s an important lesson you learned at a prior job?

I have been working since I was at about fourteen.  My first job was as a  babysitter. All of my other jobs ranged from working in restaurants to retail to teaching art in various settings. The most important lesson I learned from all is the value of good customer service. What does that mean?  

When you  learn to listen, have patience and problem solve issues to the best of your ability that come up with an individual it changes the whole experience for all. An example of this lesson was a retail job that I had where the customer was not happy about not getting a full refund on a purchase when they did not have their receipt.” In this scenario it was about me staying calm and allowing the customer feel seen and heard while following the store policy. It took a bit but the customer walked away without yelling and screaming which I considered a win. Everyone has their own story and you never know what happened to them prior to them coming into your space.  Regardless the persons response was not about me and that was a big lesson to learn. 

In the classroom there are many bodies in one space that learn in different ways. On top of this they have their own and have their own personal issues going on. There are a lot of things that go into understanding a persons behaviors and responses: 

• Did they eat that day
• Did they get any sleep
• Do they have a lot going on with family or friends 

This will determine how much homework they can get done or how well they can do a task. Their story is their reality. It has everything to do with how a person is able to create in that moment. Knowing how to speak to a person or not in that moment all plays a factor in a more positive outcome. 

The big takeaway for me is about listening, assessing situations and showing compassion to create better connections with others. 

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hello all my name is Hollis Citron and I am on a mission to make creativity accessible to all! I call myself a Creativity Doula. I help individuals birth their stories into the world through various mediums. It is all about planting the seed(the idea), nurturing it and getting it out of your mind and body whether it is just for you and or the world to see. 

Both of my companies, I Am Creative and I Am Creative Publishing are all about empowering individuals to feel more connection and more balance in their lives. It is about giving people the permission to do things that they enjoy and dare I say feel like happier humans. I Am Creative is all about giving people tools and space to own their voices and talents that come in so many different forms. I am here to work with individuals that want to step into their expression and voice.  

This is done one on one or in group settings Some ways to experience this is : 

• Art kits with all of the supplies needed to dive in and create in one on one coaching or group setting. 
• Affirmation deck with crystals that help people to to feel more ease and joy in their lives on a regular basis. 
• Art of healing kits that go into spaces where people going through a difficult time can use the materials to help them to get out of their heads and into their hearts. In return they feel more peaceful and greater connection to self and others. 

I Am Creative Publishing is all about community and storytelling through multi author and solo books. This space is about giving a platform to allow for expression, expansion and connection. There are multiple ways to come into the space and be able to feel supported whether it is one on one or with a community of like minded individuals.  

The mission has always been there in all of the spaces and places I have been. Being a seasoned art teacher of 30+ years I want to shout it from the rooftops that  

BEING CREATIVE IS NOT JUST ABOUT DRAWING AND PAINTING!! 

I went to art school and got a  BFA in Ceramics from the University of the Arts, and an MA in Art Education from NYU.  I have had the honor of working with individuals ranging from ages 18 months to 100 years old in various settings ranging from  traditional school settings to non traditional spaces ranging from homeless shelters to my own businesses. I am so grateful for all of the experiences and have learned so much along the way.

I did not grow up thinking I was going to be an Art Teacher or Entrepreneur. A lot of these things unfolded along the way because I was open to it. My Mom was a school teacher in the Philadelphia school system. I grew up going into the space but never knew it would be for me. I was not a big fan of school as a child. Every time I would end up working  in a school setting  I would ask myself ” Why am I here” . The answer I learned was always about wanting to create safe spaces for expression.

It all follows the mission to plant the seed, in this birthing process of life, that the person regardless of age instills in their mind and believes they they are a creative human. Creativity is in all job fields and aspects of life. It is how you dress, speak, make your food. It is all of the choices that are made in every moment. It did not exist at one time and now it does. Isn’t that incredible! 

Embracing our “mistakes” and not beating ourselves up for them is hugely empowering. Owning and  embracing the beautiful oops allows us to discover the new ideas that would never would have been discovered otherwise. Challenging ourselves to try new and recognize one’s strengths and so called weaknesses ( which can always be improved if the effort is applied) is what life is truly about. 

I am passionate about freeing individuals from this concept of,” I Am Not Creative “which basically means that I do not have anything to offer others because I have nothing to say or that makes me unique. I truly believe that once we get out of our own way, there is so much magic that  guides us and allows us to stand up straight and say “I am here and I have something to offer the world”.

Creativity is your unique and original exploration, expansion, expression of your imagination. Even if you are not “an artist”, yes, you are creative. You are creative because you are the only person that can add your gifts to the things that you create. You are creative because only you can express your ideas and greatness with the world.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Yes, thank you for asking this. I realized as a young adult one of those life-changing moments that taught me so much and has affected how I work with individuals and groups to this day. It happened during freshman year of Art School. It was in a foundation year drawing class. As freshman we had to take core classes, 3D, graphic design and drawing to experiment and see what direction we would want to go into for a major.

Drawing has never been my thing so there was not a lot of confidence there. We were drawing from a model and I asked my teacher to show me how to draw something.

The teacher came over and started drawing directly onto my paper. I had felt like it was not really showing me at the time how to do it she was just fixing it for me. This was not a one time thing, she did this all of the time. I worked up the guts with a lot of fear behind it to advocate for myself and asked the teacher if she could please show me on another piece of paper how to do it so I could do it on my own. Her response was ” I don’t think that you are good enough to do it on your own. ” I responded with purple cheeks and a shaky voice saying ” I did not ask you if I was good enough, I just asked you to draw on another piece of paper”.

After that interaction I left the room shaking and upset. Other students came out and said ” Good job for standing up to her”. I asked where they were in that moment. Obviously I was not the only one experiencing that feeling. I got a D in that class. Grades never really mattered that much to me honestly it was always about how I felt in the space and what I got out of it.

This stands out as a pivotal moment to me because as a shy girl who blushed when you looked at me, I still had the ability to stand up for myself and express how I felt. As I have aged I have continued to learn and feel more comfortable in my skin to speak my truth and not let people and their low opinions get in my way. As a teacher  in whatever space I am in I am very aware never to make a mark on another’s paper or creation without asking permission first. 

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

This lifetime has definitely been about believing in myself and recognizing my talents. This is why we do what we do right, because we do not want people to go through what we have or learn the lessons without having it take so long for their light bulb moment. .

I alluded to before in my freshman drawing class story that I was very shy. Funny how you see yourself and others perceptions. As an adult I spoke to some people from my high school class and they said that they did not remember me that way. Since this is about my version of the story and how that affects all of the decisions and how I show up in the world this is my perspective, which in our personal worlds is everything.

I would turn purple if I felt nervous in any situation ranging from liking a person to having to make a presentation. It was not a nice rosey shade of purple,  it was blotchy and spread like wild firethrough out my neck and face. Of course when this would happen all I could think about and focus on was  was the nearest exit and make up an excuse that I needed to be somewhere or just disappear. This is not a great way to go through life.

As life moved on and I was called to teaching I questioned how I would get up in front of people and be the center of attention. With hindsight and experience I can say that as a person standing in front of the room you are a leader and how you present yourself with body language and voice makes a big impact on if people will listen and take instruction. I got more comfortable in front of kids first. When I began working with adults that mantra and questioning and turning purple jumped right back in with force.. 

One pivotal workshopI stood was in front of 30 teachers both classroom teachers and art teachers leading hands on workshop about storytelling and visual art. I always liked to keep talking to a minimum because of my own comfort level but you know that you only have a brief amount of time before you lose the groups attention. The first 10-15 minutes were spent with opening, explanation of the objective and questions. 

As I started I felt the wave of pink to red to purple taking over. I laughed and just cleared the air by stating ” If I turn various shades of red or purple I am not going to pass out it just happens”. People just laughed and we moved on. This was huge and so freaking freeing.

At this stage of life at 56 years old I am done with all of that shyness. I am on a mission and want to reach as many people as possible to help get them out of this negative vortex of thinking that they are not creative. Give me a camera or microphone and I am happy to speak, show up and be there for people to spread positivity and real steps to open up their ability to expand their thinking and create safe spaces for them to express themselves and be happy humans and feel the freedom of authenticity. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.iamcreativephilly.com/iamcreativepublishing
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamcreativephilly/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hollis.grosscitron/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hollis-citron-a345126/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTs1wZk9sGbzwcHxB_GbfqQ
• Other: Podcast: https://www.iamcreativephilly.com/podcast

Image Credits
picture of me in the orange shirt was taken by Laura Harstad