I’m Lindsey Jo (two first names!) and I am an artist, designer, illustrator, writer, and creativity guide.
I’ve been writing and making art for as long as I can remember, and I constantly return to creative practices as a through-line, a stabilizing constant in my everyday life and through transition and hard times.
This is my story.
The beginning
I grew up a 90s kid in the midwest, the oldest daughter of eight children in a Christian fundamentalist home. I worked really hard to live up to the pressures and expectations of my family and the church.
Because of this, I lived in a constant state of fear and shame, but became quite skilled at achieving success to prove that I was okay, that I was good.
In school, I was called “smart girl,” and at home, my nickname was “strange.”
Despite working really hard to fit in, I didn’t feel like I belonged anywhere. I was a misfit, an outsider.
Creativity became my safe space
As a child, I found friends in books and solace in my silver-glitter journal that had a lock and key on it, and stayed in a place hidden beneath my bed where I swore no one would imagine searching.
I filled the journal with musings of life at school and home, and wrote short stories with imaginary characters created from scratch-and-sniff stickers and magazine clippings. I drew pictures of myself when I felt floppy, and too tall, and designed colorful outfits for my hand-drawn misfit monsters with funny names.
My journal was my sacred space, the home inside myself.
I know what it’s like to feel lost
In 2009, I started unraveling. I dropped out of art school (where I was studying Graphic Design and Photography) to teach English in the Dominican Republic, and also to dance in the sun and dream about what my life could be.
When I returned to the United States, I faced some of the hardest challenges I’ve faced involving a time during which I felt covered by darkness, as if I were in a deep pit or dark cave.
My therapist mentioned complex PTSD and my doctor mentioned depression but beyond that, I knew that I felt alone and overwhelmed and, despite my desperation to escape, I felt like I couldn’t get out of myself.
I often felt as if I was watching a movie of my life from the outside.
My notebooks became my safe space
In therapy, I started writing again and I remembered the safety and joy of my sketchbook. On my lunch break at my office job, I would drive to the nearest park and sit outside by the water, drawing and writing my way back to myself. For the first time in a long time, I saw myself free.
In my notebooks, I could be anyone, I could say anything, and I liked the person I saw on the page.
I even started to dream about being an artist again, and I eventually quit my office job to return to art school.
As an older return student, I felt more free from the burden of perfection and expectations. I took painting classes and printmaking and made art that mattered to me.
I completed a thesis project exploring the lessons we can learn about life from creativity and contemplative spirituality and painted over 20 paintings that were a reflection of this research.
I’m still on my way back to myself
In the time since then, a lot has changed. I moved to a new city, moved back to an old city, got married, and have had many stops and starts in corporate/ non-profit/ journalism/ barista/ fitness instructor career attempts.
Now, I write and make art about what I’m learning in life, about belonging to myself, and about healing and creativity.
My life experiences have been my best teachers.
I’m here to support you on your journey
Beyond art and writing, I believe my real work in this world is, as Mary Oliver has said, to “mostly stand still and learn to be astonished.”
I am motivated to pay attention and to share what I am learning and have learned because I believe this is how we help each other make sense of what is happening, come alive, and connect to the beauty of being.
Through my own experience - and from what I’ve learned from countless others - I have come to believe that creativity is our true nature and I’m here to help us remember.
My work centers around topics of self-acceptance, interconnectedness, and presence, focusing on the belief that when we awaken to our individual and collective magic, we make the world a better place.
“The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.”
― Joseph Campbell
Still reading? Here’s a bit more about me.
✸ I currently live in Akron, Ohio and my favorite part about this place is defintiely the access to nature. I love hiking in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, biking the Towpath, or hanging out at the beaches along Lake Erie.
✸ I come alive with a cup of really good coffee, bicycle rides, jazz music, reading by the water, vegan cooking, traveling, and visiting new places.
✸ I’m married to Brad, who is a high school educator, and together we like to adventure with our fur girl, Tiger cat (@tigertheadventurecat) - she’s the coolest and is totally my emotional support friend.
✸ If you want to hear a good story, ask me about my trip to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
✸ In another life, I was training to be a professional ballerina and I still very much love dancing (!!!), especially salsa dancing and bachata. I still find performing thrilling and my brain thrives while learning choreography.
✸ My secret skill is that I’m really good at remembering birthdays and love to help people feel seen and celebrated.
✸ I am highly sensitive and this is my superpower. I easily see into and understand others’ experiences with great intuition, empathy, and respect. I can quickly tap into the emotions of other people.
✸Science-y and spiritual stuff:
Myers Briggs: INFP
Human Design: 3/6 Splenic Projector
Astrology: Scorpio sun, Leo Moon, Sagittarius Rising
Enneagram: Self Preservation 4w5
Official Bio
Lindsey Jo Scott is an artist, writer, and teacher who offers a soulful approach to creative living beyond fear. Her work is informed by her studies of mindfulness and is rooted in vulnerability, spirituality, and her own journey of healing and self-discovery. Lindsey Jo is a gentle guide for others on the path of creative recovery and her teaching is centered on building a connection back to self-trust and self-love through creative practice. Her bright, illustrative artwork is available as art prints and gifts that serve as an invitation to dream big, be bold, and step into the spotlight of who you are.
✸ LET’S BE INTERNET PALS! ✸ FOLLOW ME @LINDSEYJOSCOTT
