Meet Nancy Linsley of Art Drenched Life in Boulder

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nancy Linsley.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Nancy. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. In my early adulthood, my first husband and I owned several travel agencies in the Kansas City area and traveled extensively. We ended up selling to a national chain and moved to Newport Beach, California. Soon after moving, we got a divorce and I started doing lots of self-help workshops- on a journey of self-discovery. During one of those self-help retreats, I started making jewelry, mostly earrings and ended up starting my own business called Ears To You. It was so much fun- doing “art” for the first time in my life (after hearing from parents and teachers that I had no artistic talent!). That business lasted several years, then I got this “need” to do more with my hands, so I started playing with clay. Soon after I met my husband, who happened to have been working with clay for many years, and eventually we created a business called Art Drenched Life, specializing in architectural art. Without taking any ceramic classes, I have taught myself how to make tiles, and have discovered how much I truly love the process. 

Meanwhile, I had chronic back pain for many years that really affected everything I did. I went to many doctors, had X-rays, MRI’s, explored all sorts of modalities, but nothing was helping. After spending many years searching for someone/something that could help, I was introduced to The Feldenkrais Method of Movement Education. After my 1st or 2nd session, my pain was completely gone! It felt like a miracle. With the Feldenkrais practitioner’s help, I discovered unconscious habits I had of holding many of my muscles tight- constantly. Once I learned to release them, my pain went away. I was so impressed with the Method I decided to do the 4-year training to get my certificate- which I started at the age of 50. I had no intention of making it a business; I just wanted to feel better and help my husband feel better. As the training went on and I practiced with hundreds of people, I realized how much I love helping people become their best possible selves. The satisfaction and joy I got out of watching people discover new ways of moving, thinking and feeling was addictive. I have created a fusion of the principles of The Feldenkrais Method of Movement Education® and Bones For Life®- which is another movement modality, developed by one of Dr. Feldenkrais’ original students- that focuses more on building and strengthening bones and improving posture and vitality. I use intention and attention, along with movement, to explore and discover what habits we have that are keeping us from being our best, and find options that are easier, more comfortable, more efficient and pleasurable- not only habits of movement that cause pain but also habits of thought and behavior, that aren’t necessarily serving us anymore. I’ve been teaching for 18 years now. I’m going to be 70 in November, I dance seven days a week, I hike every day and I have no muscular pain. I move better than I did when I was in my 30’s and have a lot more energy. The Feldenkrais Method is all about developing awareness, so you can move better, think better and feel better. It works with the brain, building new neural pathways. I even am remembering things better than I did when I was in my 50’s. That’s pretty exciting! My purpose with this work is to empower people, giving them the tools to improve their bodies, their brains and their life.

My husband Michael and I moved to Boulder, Colorado in 2011 (2 of my four grandchildren live in Denver) and bought magical land in the foothills to build our dream house. We worked with an amazing architect- David Barrett- to design our home that is filled with beauty and art. We’ve actually been featured in Boulder Home and Garden Magazine and Boulder Lifestyle Magazine. I can’t imagine living anywhere else!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Regarding Art Drenched Life, I think it’s fair to say that the concept of architectural ceramic art is a new idea. So when we meet with architects and designers, thinking we might find synergies and co-creative opportunities, we’ve been met with politeness, but not necessarily commissions. Another good example is miscategorization in the area of search engine optimization. For example, when we search for custom ceramic tile on Google, we’re directed to tile manufacturers and flooring companies. And that’s not what we do. We create installed artworks as part of the living environment of a home or business.

Regarding my Feldenkrais practice, there are many challenges in explaining the subtlety of the Method. Many people are accustomed to using force and to the idea of “no pain, no gain”. Feldenkrais, by contrast, uses a “less is more” mentality, where movements are very gentle, small and slow, and pain is a message from your nervous system to stop what you’re doing. Often when I’m teaching a class, I instruct students to make their movements even slower and smaller in order to learn what’s easy and comfortable. I frequently see them going back to their habits of making large movements quickly and testing their limits. Another difference between The Feldenkrais Method and other modalities is that I do not “fix” my clients/students. Instead, I teach them to utilize awareness to change their own behaviors and learn how to help themselves.

Art Drenched Life – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Art Drenched Life, the architectural art company my husband Michael and I own, specializes in one-of-a-kind, custom made tiles for fireplaces, showers, backsplashes, wall art and whatever our imagination can come up with. We love to work with lamps and lights, as well as outdoor sculptures called Kaleidosculptures. We make custom sinks as well as fine art/interior design pieces. We are most proud of being unique in making all our tile projects fit exactly to the space- there is no cutting down to fit. It takes a lot of engineering and math to make it work and it makes a huge difference in the finished product. You can see our architectural work on www.artdrenchedlife.com and our interior design pieces on www.linsleystudios.com

Please tell us more about your work.
With my Feldenkrais practice, I really love working with women, especially those on their path of personal growth. My passion is helping people discover the habits they have- that they don’t know they have- that keep them from living the life of their dreams, whether physical, emotional, mental or spiritual. Before COVID 19 struck, I offered a unique, experiential women’s retreat called I AM Retreat- Intention, Awareness, Movement. The retreat comprises Feldenkrais lessons in my studio, community building, forest bathing and a profound connection amongst the participants. I look forward to doing this again when I can.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
One of our proudest commissions for Art Drenched Life was a new senior living facility in Longmont we did last year. We installed wall art across from the entrance representing the four seasons in 4 separate buildings. During the grand opening, it felt so good hearing people rave about the beautiful and unique designs.

What makes me the proudest of my Feldenkrais work- aside from graduating from a 4-year training program in my 50’s- is the feedback from my clients/students about the profound improvement in the condition of their lives. You can see some of the testimonials on my website www.nancylinsley.com

Contact Info:

• Website: www.artdrenchedlife.com www.nancylinsley.com
• Phone: 949-338-7437
• Email: nlinsley@gmail.com
• Facebook: nancylinsley.com

Image Credit:
Pictures of me in the studio and the mandala were taken by Marla Rutherford. All other pictures taken by my husband, Michael.

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