Carving Out Meaning in Life and Art
We’re writers by nature, but our curiosity has always stretched beyond the page. On the podcast, we love exploring all kinds of creativity—learning from painters, photographers, florists, and artists of every stripe—in hopes of being inspired by what people can make with their hands. This month, we’re turning our attention to a new art form for us: linocut printing.
In Episode 98, we’re joined by Exhale member Holly Lynne Smith. Alongside her work as a writer, Holly creates custom linocut prints, carving designs by hand and bringing them to life through ink and paper. We talk with her about how she discovered linocut printing, what draws her to this particular medium, and how she makes time and space for creativity in the midst of a full life. Our hope is that this conversation invites you to think about your own art—or art in general—in a new and refreshing way.
Bio: Holly Lynne Smith is a self-taught printmaker and writer whose creative work celebrates the gift of embodied life. Her preferred medium for printmaking is linocut—a process that involves carving designs into rubber or linoleum blocks, then rolling the blocks with ink and pressing them onto paper. As a writer Holly draws on her lived experiences with art, motherhood, and mental health, as well as her academic background in Near Eastern archaeology and biblical theology, to explore the intersection of spiritual virtue and the material world. Her writing has been featured through outlets such as Mockingbird, Common Good, and The Gospel Coalition, and she regularly posts written reflections on faith and embodiment, as well as updates on her artwork, through her Substack newsletter, Matter of Faith.
Holly was born and raised in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia, where she now lives with her husband Chris and her three young sons. She’s a homeschooling mom, a ministry wife, and a freelance book editor. She can’t get anything done without music playing in the background, and when she has a spare minute she’s likely to be found thrift-shopping, working on a do-it-yourself project, or spending time outdoors.
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