We recently connected with Hope Koppelman and have shared our conversation below.

Hope, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

One of the most beautiful lessons I’ve learned has come as a result of the kindness I’ve been shown when I didn’t feel deserving of it. There have been times in my life when I’ve said or done things I wasn’t proud of… things that weren’t in alignment with my highest self — and rather than scold me or make me feel bad about it, I was shown compassion. Unconditional forgiveness. It made me want to burst into tears. Here I was, feeling guilty and embarrassed for my actions, and yet I wasn’t met with reprimand, I was met with love and grace and kindness. Those moments have changed me. They made me want to be more loving and understanding of other people’s mistakes (and my own) — which is something I am practicing to this day.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a lot of things and I try not to attach to any one thing or identity. I am constantly changing. I don’t know who I will be tomorrow or where I will feel called or what will inspire me. So I like to leave the door open and not label myself as “writer” or “artist” or “dreamer” or anything. That said, I have always loved words. I love that words have the potential to point us toward the truth, illuminating deeper the things we feel and sense and know intuitively in our being. It’s been an honor to work with words over the course of my life, to see their power and their limitations, to recognize that the words we choose to speak each day are either bringing us closer to the truth or taking us further away from it. Writing for me is a practice of coming as close to the truth as I can (knowing we can never perfectly fit the abstract into the concrete)… but it is fun to try… and I believe writing is a sacred profession when we approach it that way.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

We live in a society that values results, competition, achievement. This has nothing to do with the creative path… which is indeed a path, a journey of exploration that leads to deeper exploration, deeper questions, deeper inquiry. I have found that to live a creative life, it helps to tune-out the voices of society and ignore the delusionary world. It’s not an easy task, it takes focus and discipline, tuning into what is true and turning away from what is false. There is much we have to give up, and there is much we stand to gain. I think a better question to ask might be: What can the artist/creative do to best support society? And the answer to that is devote yourself entirely to what is true. Write what feels the most alive and honest. Paint from the deepest depths of your soul. Tell the truth through your work (and your life!)… and do it unabashedly… not for praise or recognition or money… but because life is short and precious and if we aren’t expressing our honest and authentic truth, then really, what are we doing?

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I have failed at many things. Mostly, my failures have come from lack of trying. I’ve been too scared to take risks. I’ve doubted myself. I’ve held myself back from fully expressing. There’s a sadness, a grief, that comes over me at times when I think of all the ways I’ve held myself back. And yet, through that grief, there grows a tiny bud, and within that bud there is so much potential. That tiny bud and hope of what might reside inside it is what keeps me going. I imagine most of us are like that, aware of our failures, our shortcomings… yet sensing the potential for something beautiful to unfold if we allow it. So perhaps our work is simply to allow the unfolding to occur. To water that tiny bud. Give it sunlight. Give it love. Then get out of the way and let it become what it was always meant to be.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://hopekoppelman.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopekoppelman/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hopekoppelmanauthor/