What if the next chapter of your life wasn’t about climbing, optimizing, or performing—but about allowing something new to emerge?
And what if that emergence looked less like a strategic plan and more like messy, playful, intentional art?
In this episode of The In-Between, I sit down with Jason DeMeo, an artist, designer, entrepreneur, and keynote speaker who is helping people recover their artistic intelligence and reimagine what it means to live a creative, integrated life.
We talk about what it means to leave behind well-worn paths, how seasons of transition often start with a subtle push and pull, and why artistry isn’t reserved for a select few—but is part of what makes us human.
This conversation is a permission slip for anyone who feels the ache to create, the longing to merge lanes, or the quiet nudge that something new might be emerging.
In this episode, we talk about:
👉 The gut-level push and soul-level pull that often signal a transition is near
👉 How Jason went from Geico to spiritual direction to Etsy vintage shop to full-time artist
👉 The role of side projects in nurturing artistic callings
👉 What memory fragments and reverse abstraction have to do with healing and integration
👉 Why naming your creative process helps others make meaning with you
👉 How artistic intelligence can be cultivated, even if you don’t consider yourself an artist
👉 Why Jason believes we’re all born with artistry—and how to recover it
👉 The invitation to collaborate, merge, and reimagine creativity in partnership
🎨 When Transition Feels Like a Push and a Pull
Jason’s career has moved in five-to-seven-year arcs: marketing, ministry, consulting, and now art. But the signal to shift doesn’t always come as clarity. Sometimes it comes as discomfort.
“There’s this weightiness in my chest,” Jason shared. “I just knew: I wasn’t in the right place.”
Over time, he learned to recognize the internal signals: the push away from roles that were no longer life-giving, and the pull toward places of curiosity, excitement, and resonance. “I think that’s always been the question: where’s the push… and what’s pulling me forward?”
For Jason, that pull was toward art—a desire he’d carried but never given full space to.
Art as Excavation
The shift didn’t happen overnight. During COVID, Jason and his wife Hillary sensed it was time to explore their own creative paths. She leaned into hospitality and real estate. Jason began painting.
Without formal training, he turned a room into a studio and began making a mess. The art took shape. The process became language. And a new career began to emerge—not from control, but from trust.
🔍 Finding Meaning in Memory Fragments
One of the key elements of Jason’s artistic process is something he calls “reverse abstraction.”
While experimenting with canvas and paint, he noticed that what got stuck to the floor—the unintentional residue—often felt more honest than the intended design. These memory fragments, as he calls them, became part of his process and metaphor.
“It’s like the past speaks forward,” he said. “What sticks—what’s been layered and forgotten—can actually become part of the new.”
It’s a powerful image for anyone navigating transition. Sometimes what we’re becoming isn’t entirely new. It’s a reclamation of what’s been waiting underneath.
🌟 Naming Your Language
Jason has coined terms like “artistic intelligence,” “memory fragments,” and “reverse abstraction.” He discovered them through a series of processes.
“I think naming helps others make meaning,” he said. “It creates a shared language—not just for understanding the work, but for engaging with it.”
He’s a concept person. A framework builder. And his AWE framework—Adopt the mindset, Work the practice, Exhibit the art—helps everyday people reconnect with their inner artist.
The Artistic Intelligence Framework
Jason believes artistry isn’t about being a painter. It’s about reclaiming your ability to create meaning.
His AWE framework invites:
- Adopt the mindset: Try on the six core mindsets artists tend to hold
- Work the practice: Create a dedicated space, define your tools, and experiment
- Exhibit the art: Share your creativity with others—whether in a gallery or a group text
“You’re already a living work of art,” Jason said. “The question is—will you allow that to blossom?”
A Commission to Create
At the end of his keynote, Jason did something rare. He offered a blessing. A commissioning.
“You are art. And you are an artist. Not because someone gave you a title, but because it’s already in you.”
That language stuck with me. And it sticks here, too.
If you’ve been waiting for clarity, for permission, for the right time—this conversation is for you. Not to force the next step. But to remember what’s already true:
You are already art. And the world needs what only you can bring.
💭 Questions to Consider
If Jason’s story stirred something in you, here are a few reflection prompts:
- Where in your life are you feeling a push? Where is the pull?
- What side projects or forgotten passions might need space to grow?
- How might naming your process help you or others make meaning?
- Are you allowing your uniqueness to blossom—or waiting for permission?
- What would it look like to view your life as a living work of art?
Everything just changed, now what?
In a season of transition, it’s hard knowing what to do next. Finding Your Way to Flourishing is your free guide to crafting your Next Step Statement so you can move forward with clarity and confidence.
