We recently connected with Sarah Van Sciver and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sarah, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
About 25 years ago when I was attending Evergreen State College (known for its integrated and holistic approach to education), I was part of a program called the Fool’s Journey. It was through my explorations of creativity that the idea of a ‘soul seed’ came to me. In essence, we each have a seed within us full of unlimited potential, containing all of our unique gifts that only we can give.
During the month of January, we were asked to create a collaborative project and I chose to create an illustrated book with several of my friends. The book was called Seed of the Soul. The idea behind the project was that we are all creative beings in our own way, and that accessing this creativity is an essential part of being human and discovering our unique gift. I later wrote a second version of the book, including new poems around the idea of the ‘seeding soul.’
Shortly after creating this second version, I suppose you could say I was set upon a different course in my life. It took me many years to return to these ideas, my creative practice and to discover more deeply my own unique gifts. This eventually led me to fulfill a lifelong dream of supporting other people to tap into their creativity through becoming an Intentional Creativity® Coach in 2020.
Fast forward to the summer of 2021. My Dad had recently passed away, and I was at a loss as to where I was going in my life. Everything took a pause and I was left with my grief, my heart, my art and my simple desire to live my best life – now, not tomorrow or next year. So I gave myself time (I was fortunate enough that I could take the summer off from working full time on my business.) Instead, I rested. I slept. I dreamt. I played. I nourished myself. I painted. I wrote. And I rested a lot more…
Something magical happened with those ingredients and I started a daily art-making practice, what I called the Soul Seed Project. Everyday I gathered the seeds I had cut out of paper, my ink pen and my watercolors. Then I sat and listened and simply asked what word I needed on that day, at that moment. The jar I designated for the seeds began to fill, and with it my heart, of the gratitude I was beginning to feel for life again.
It may seem counterintuitive but doing this simple practice and leaning into ‘not knowing’ led me to know my next steps in my life, business and relationships. During this process I was able to let go of what other people might be telling me I should do, and begin listening to the still small voice within me that was pointing me in the direction of my dreams.
By the end of the summer, I was able to commit to my vision and begin creating the online courses that I had been holding myself back from doing. What is amazing to me is that creating my own personal Soul Seed Project helped me to return to my truth and to begin to more fully share my gifts in the world. In the past year, I’ve created the Soul Seed Project mini-course where people can create their own Soul Seed Project and tap into their inner knowing and gifts.
I’ve also been able to create and release my signature course, Authentic (Re)Awakening, which brings together many of the practices and teachings I’ve learned to support people to access the voice of their Authentic Self and to learn how to navigate the voices of the inner critic or saboteur, who is often trying to keep us from bringing our gifts into the world.
Throughout this process, I’ve felt re-inspired by returning to the original concepts I had written about in Seed of the Soul 25 years prior. This idea of a soul seed has become an integral part of my coaching practice and self-led courses where I support people on the path of discovering their unique gifts. I have to say that I’m humbled and grateful for my own journey and how life has helped me to more fully share my gifts in the world through this idea of a soul seed.
Here is a excerpt from the Soul Seed Project, where I talk about our soul seeds:
“Inside of you there lives a soul seed, which contains all of the wisdom, guidance and ‘inner knowing’ you need to seed your creative dreams and gifts into reality.
Your connection to your soul seed is truly one of your most valuable resources.
When you have the tools to connect to yourself, your heart, & your inner wisdom, you can know how to navigate practically anything in your life.
When you learn to come back to your inner knowing, you will begin to rely more on your own intuition, wisdom and inner gifts rather than looking outside of yourself for answers and comparing yourself to others.
And, it takes commitment and daily practice to mine the jewels of your own heart.
The Soul Seed Project gives you the tools, guidance and resources to connect to your inner knowing, receive the answers you are looking for in your life, and to walk confidently in the direction of your dreams.”
Sarah, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Meet Sarah: Passionate Artist & Writer
Entrepreneur & Intentional Creativity Coach
Art Teacher & Course Creator
Ever since I can remember I have loved creating. I knew I wanted to be an artist and writer when I was in second grade while I was illustrating my short stories.
In college I studied art as a healing modality and had the vision of becoming an art therapist. I knew that part of my path would be to inspire others to use art as a healing modality for transformation and change.
But this vision scared me and I went the opposite direction to join an ashram and become a nun instead. (Spoiler: this didn’t work out and I left after a year.)
Little did I know, I would need to embark upon a 20+ year healing journey to overcome limiting beliefs and heal from past trauma in order to be ready to share my ‘soul seed’ calling with the world.
I had to hit rock bottom before I realized that one of the only things that would save me would be my own soul’s longing to express my creative gifts in the world.
In 2020, I answered the call of my soul seed and began teaching mandala drawing classes that drew hundreds of people seeking a way to connect to their creativity and soul’s gifts. I also made the leap to become an Intentional Creativity® Coach that year, fulfilling a lifelong dream of mine.
Today I’m honored to be supporting my clients and students to tap into their inner wisdom & creativity in order to uncover their gifts and gain the courage to share their unique vision with the world.
A few of my gifts which contribute to my work include high sensitivity, intuition, empathy and creativity. Stemming from a life-long healing journey of the heart, body and soul, I’m able to create a space of possibility for people to heal and transform through connecting with their innate body wisdom and creativity so they can discover their unique gifts, know their soul’s purpose and live a life in alignment with their truest and most authentic self.
I’m passionate about working with creative, highly sensitive and empathic souls who may feel held back from being who they truly are in this world and sharing the unique gifts they have to give.
Through my coaching practice and self-led courses, I am able to weave several modalities together to create a unique and embodied process for healing. For over twenty-five years, I have studied several types of healing including kriya yoga meditation, Expressive Arts Therapy, Sufi Healing, Five Element Acupuncture, Facilitated Equine Experiential Learning, and Intentional Creativity® Coaching. Most recently, I have been learning the ancient healing practices of the Nature Priests of the High Andes, whose lineage dates back to the Incas.
Through this process, I’ve been able to step into my life’s work as a passionate artist, FEEL Practitioner, & Intentional Creativity® Coach. You can find me painting in my studio, creating soul-inspired classes and courses, and coaching women in my 6-month Be Courageously Creative Program. You can learn more about these services at https://www.theuntetheredmare.com/
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
As I have mentioned, I went through a period of healing from trauma in my life. I had struggled with symptoms of depression and anxiety for much of my late teens and into my 20’s. When I gave birth to my son in 2007, these symptoms intensified and I spent much of the early years of my son’s life trying to find a reprieve from chronic anxiety. In 2014, I found myself cycling between periods of depression and anxiety for many months, all the while trying to look ‘normal’ and be present as a mom to my son. After being misdiagnosed with bipolar 2 and still feeling hopeless, I was led to a herd of horses who would eventually help me to heal in ways that I never could have imagined.
After years of wondering what was wrong with me physically and emotionally, I was finally able to begin to heal from the effects of trauma in my childhood and adulthood through deep and meaningful connections with the horses. I also began to honor myself as a highly sensitive and empathic person and to use these gifts instead of feeling burdened by them. From this place of connection with myself, I also began to feel my intrinsic connection to all life and my place in the world.
After working with the horses consistently for over a year, I was drawn to become a FEEL Facilitator (Facilitated Equine Experiential Learning) through Horse Spirit Connections in Ontario, Canada. This training was life-changing for me and gave me the courage to begin to live my life more fully from my authentic self. I returned to my passion for art and painting, began my FEEL practice, and eventually became an Intentional Creativity® Coach, which was ultimately fulfilling the dream I had in college to use art and creativity as a healing modality to assist others to connect with their most soulful essence.
I truly believe that my journey of healing through trauma taught me how to become resilient, be able to lean more into vulnerability, and take more risks through following my heart on a daily basis. Even if life doesn’t always turn out how I expect or would like, I have a deep knowing and experiential awareness that I will be okay, no matter what life throws at me.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Yes! A big part of my mission is to support others to know that they have a gift inside of them that begins as a tiny soul seed, yet is full of unlimited potential and creativity. So much of what we are taught about creativity is simply not true: it’s not reserved for just artists, it’s for everyone. Creativity is a way of life that gives us the freedom, curiosity and flexibility to grow into who we are meant to be.
Nature is one of my biggest teachers and I hope to continue to share the wisdom and teachings that have been given to me in order for our world as a whole to heal and grow. We are ultimately all part of making this a world a better place and it’s up to us to discover what our contribution is. This can take a lifetime but I believe there is no better use of our time while we walk this Earth. In my heart, I pray daily that what I offer to this world can be a source of healing, growth and love.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theuntetheredmare.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theuntetheredmare/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theuntetheredmare
- Other: Medium: https://medium.com/@untetheredmare Alignable: https://www.alignable.com/baltimore-md/the-untethered-mare
Image Credits
Patty Iammatteo took the 2 photos of me in the trees.