Nakita Simpson, author of A Kids Book About Emotions, talks with Cyla about art, processing our feelings, and how emotions are a lot like a ball of yarn.
Nakita Simpson, author of A Kids Book About Emotions, talks with Cyla about art, processing our feelings, and how emotions are a lot like a ball of yarn.
View interview on YouTube (view video)
*Want to be on a future episode of A Kids Book About: The Podcast? Or… I wonder if any of you would be interested in interviewing one of our authors? Write to us or record a message and email us at listen@akidsco.com.
A Kids Book About: The Podcast
S2 EP08, Cyla Asks About Emotions
[INTRODUCTION]
Matthew: Welcome to A Kids Book About: The Podcast! I’m Matthew. I’m a teacher, a librarian, and I’m your host.
I have been in my emotions this week. Have you heard that phrase before? Being “in your emotions”?
What I mean is, I’m really feeling my feelings. I’m feeling vulnerable to my feelings, like I’m feeling them really strong. Strong happiness and joy. Strong sadness or disconnection. Frankly, it’s wearing me out. And I’ve needed a lot of hugs this week.
Seriously.
So today I thought I’d bring you a conversation about emotions from two of my favorite folx to listen to talk about emotions: Cyla and Nakita. Cyla is the co-host of the She Sounds Like Me podcast and she’s also an important voice on It’s OK To Ask, our advice podcast. Nakita Simpson is the author of A Kids Book About Emotions and is the co-host of Everyday Feels, one of my absolute favorite podcasts we make.
Cyla asks Nakita about emotions and feelings. And Nakita asks back, which I think is just the best way to explore emotions: together.
Let’s get into it! Here’s Cyla and Nakita.
[A KID ASKS ABOUT]
Cyla: Hi Nikita.
Nakita: Hey Cyla.
Cyla: Thanks for joining us today!
Nakita: Thank you so much for having me.
Cyla: Today I would like to ask you a few questions. Are you ready?
Nakita: Yes, I think so.
Cyla: Good. So why is talking about emotions hard for everyone?
Nakita: I'm so glad you added the everyone because some days talking about emotions is pretty tough for. I think it's hard. I think it's hard because it's kind of like how we're trying to figure ourselves out. Maybe we don't always have the right words or even the right tools to understand how we're feeling.
Maybe we're a bit of a jumbled ball of yarn of feelings, and we're trying to unwind and understand why our emotions are the way that they are. And that makes it pretty hard. And sometimes it's even hard to get into a space to talk about what's going on inside with someone that you trust. There's so many reasons why it's hard, right?
Cyla: A big ball of yarn is a great way to put it. I love that idea. Thank you. What if we don't like our emotions? What are some ways we can change that feeling?
Nakita: There's a couple of different ways that we can change that feeling if it's not pleasant, not. I try to ask myself questions that help me understand the emotion, a lot of “what” questions.
What am I feeling? What is causing this? Or even some why questions? Like, why do I feel this way when this happens? Or why is it so hard for me to talk about it? And when I do get the chance to talk to someone that I trust or to myself, I try to find ways to. Make that emotion feel a little smaller. Maybe I'll give myself some time out time.
Maybe I will try to use some different techniques, like drawing it out or painting it out if I don't like that feeling. But there's so many different ways to do it. Those are just a few.
Cyla: Yes. It's sort of like having a big cake layered with a and emotions in it, and it's really hard to, like, take your emotions and bite them down at once and bite that cake at once in one big bite. You just need to think and relax and breathe.
And maybe that cake won't seem that big anymore, and the cake will get smaller and not be… WAHHH!
Nakita: That is a beautiful metaphor, Cyla. I think that’s perfect.
Matthew: We’ll be back with Cyla in conversation with Nakita, including how art can be a way to process our emotions.
[BREAK]
Matthew: Welcome back to A Kids Book About: The Podcast. On today’s episode, Cyla of the She Sounds Like Me podcast is in conversation with Nakita, author of A Kids Book About Emotions.
Did you know that A Kids Book About Emotions is a coloring book?
Yep! You can color while you learn about why we feel the things we feel. And, in the process, it may help you to understand your feelings even more.
Nakita LOVES when her readers share photos of how they’ve colored their own copies of A Kids Book About Emotions. And that will come up at the end of the interview.
Here’s Cyla.
Cyla: Speaking of art, how you said art, like painting and drawing out your emotions can help. What are some other ways art can help you shape your emotions?
Nakita: Art can help you shape your emotions by giving you a tool to express how you feel.
Maybe it's getting messy on a big canvas, or maybe it's taking some silly putty or some clay and smushing it down to just a weird shape. It really helps give us a tool and an outlet to understand how we feel or even just giving us a place to express how we feel. Yes.
Cyla: And speaking of art, what's your favorite color?
Nakita: Oh, uh, this is, oh, this is such a hard question. I love so many colors. Ah.
Cyla: Oh.
Nakita: Can I share a few?
Cyla: Yes. You can share as many colors as you want.
Nakita: Okay. Since I was young, it's always been pink and then red, and then I love a deep, Royal blue. Um, I love turquoise. And I love a really nice golden yellow. Those are my favorite colors. Wow.
Cyla: My favorite colors like this blue, like this color right here, this like purple.
Nakita: That's like a periwinkle. That's a beautiful blue.
Cyla: I really loved talking with you. And I am super glad we got to finally meet each other and.
Nakita: Thank you. I loved, loved listening to your beautiful metaphors. I loved your questions and I love, love, love your cover. I thought it was so beautiful and I cannot great. It's so great. I hope you send me if you can.
Any other pages that you color? I would love to see them.
Cyla: I'll see you later!
Nakita: See you later! Bye, Cyla.
[CLOSING]
Matthew: Thank you to Cyla and Nakita for the conversation about emotions, and how they can be like yarn …and like cake!.
Cyla is the co-host of the She Sounds Like Me podcast. You can learn more about the show by visiting shesoundslikeme.com.
Nakita Simpson is the author of A Kids Book About Emotions and the co-host of Everyday Feels, both which you can find at akidsco.com.
Want to be on a future episode of A Kids Book About: The Podcast? Or… I wonder if any of you would be interested in interviewing one of our authors? Write to us or record a message and email us at listen@akidsco.com.
A Kids Book About: the Podcast is written, edited, and produced by me, Matthew Winner, with help from Chad Michael Snavely and the team at Sound On Studios. Our executive producer is Jelani Memory. And this show was brought to you by A Kids Podcast About.
Follow the show on Apple Podcasts or wherever podcasts are found and check out other podcasts made for kids just like you by visiting akidsco.com.
Join us next week for a conversation about gratitude with A Kids Book About author Ben Kenyon.