Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Marion Ruta Segal. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Marion Ruta, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I came out of my “artist” closet recently. While growing up in the former Soviet Union, I received the message from my family, “you can’t make money with art.” My family’s philosophy was focused on financial survival, and I felt that my artistic inclinations were not valued. So, I too learned to devalue it.
When I was a sophomore in college and expressed the desire to be an artist, my college professor said, “you can’t make a living being an artist, unless you marry a rich man.” In retrospect, perhaps there was some truth in his opinion. Many of us have been affected by patriarchy and its limitations. And yet it was not a complete picture. However, his words affected me deeply when I was a young immigrant. And so, I became a successful software developer with a high paying salary. I enjoyed the creative aspects of my job, but I also numbed out by with cannabis.
Luckily, in 2001 I was laid off from my best job. After a period of depression, feeling lost and searching, I came upon a certificate program in Creative Arts Therapy at the New School University in NYC. The program saved my Spirit, because it invited me to reconnect to the imaginal side of life, which manifested through dreams, art, movement, music, and writing. I came alive, and learned to value art for its form, as well as its therapeutic value. I started working as an art gallery manager, and began hosting therapeutic art workshops. First I only invited friends, and then included the general public. I do that to this day.
I started making art on my own in 2007, for the first time since my mother threw away all of my drawings when we moved to a new home in 1990. I became enamored with mixed media art in 2011, and worked on a tiny wooden table in my tiny San Francisco apartment.
Twelve years later, while going through a storage box with my art – I saw that I had a full portfolio. Looking at the art, I realized that each piece carried a message that went beyond my conscious mind. When I shared it with friends – they felt moved in powerful ways. I knew it then that it wasn’t for me to keep my art in a box. And so, I built my website, came out of my “art closet”, and acknowledged myself as an artist.

Marion Ruta, 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 shared about my artistic journey in the previous section. At this moment, hosting workshops that combine mindfulness and creativity brings joy and meaning to my life. If find it to be a beautiful way to create community, through creativity, just lie our ancestors did. I keep discovering potent ways to restore our human roots and inter-connection. My organization is called the Heart of Us, www.theheartof.us,
In my workshops I invite people to send their critics away on an all-paid, inclusive vacation, so that we can focus on the process of creating and the personal meaning, versus the product. While I appreciate form, balance and beauty in art, I emphasize the value of emotional, raw components that, in my view, make art relatable, meaningful and alive. I invite my workshop participants to offer reflections, not critique, and only when invited. We share how we feel moved by art, and what is interesting and impactful.
I enjoy witnessing people’s reactions to my art, which can feel evocative. Most of my art emerged from shamanic journeys and healing experiences, which is embedded in a galaxy of universal themes. It inspires me to see how we can connect, affect and empower each other through authentic expression..
Many of my art pieces carry the themes of decolonization, ritual, healing, remembering ancestral practices, and empowering the feminine. I feel passionate about all of these topics. And what I mean by the “empowering the feminine” is – giving space and attention to the intuitive, receptive, imaginal, sensitive and embodied ways of being, in which I find much strength. I had to reclaim these ways for myself, while living in a culture that values progress, achievement and the logical mind.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Yes, since I was in my late teens and early twenties, I noticed the transformative power of art. I have been a fan of street art, and experienced first-hand how artistic expression can transform one’s world. Art can bring awareness to beauty, juxtaposition of opposites that coexist in human reality, as well as expose that which needs seeing, tending and healing in our society.

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 don’t think non-creative people exist. I believe that our culture and family conditioning can shut down the creative streak or inspiration – with criticism, judgement, comparing, and devaluing. I always dreamed of going to art school, but in retrospect I feel glad that I didn’t. The ‘critique” could’ve shut down something raw and wild in me, and I know many creatives who felt shut down. Creativity can feel vulnerable, like a new growth of a seed, and needs a supportive environment. Skills are important too.
I’m self-taught in art, and it took over a decade of regular practice and experimentation to get to a place where I feel at ease with my skills. I find that it’s also important to let go of any attachment to the outcome, and just let something come through. Mistakes are a part of learning. I believe that’s the way to maintain the innocence of a creative spark, which may carry a genius in it. Our culture objectifies art, but what if we don’t?
I see many people comparing themselves to someone famous or better than them and say “Oh, I’, not creative” or “I’m not really good at it, what’s the point.” And yet, people are creative in so many ways – by inventing new recipes, dressing up in fun ways, gardening. To each their own, and it takes practice and passion. In my mind, redecorating a home, building a piece of furniture or writing a birthday card are all channels for creative expression. Even doing taxes can be creative. And if we only let ourselves try, let go of judgement, and set aside some time for creativity and learning a craft that is uniquely ours – anything is possible.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.theheartof.us/myart
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.heartof.us/