I share my art not to brag on my prowess as an artist (I have much to learn),
but to encourage you to care for your own Creative Self.
In addition to bringing me great pleasure and grounding my work, art teaches
me about life and how to live it. Several lessons I am learning are:
One: We are all artists. Look at children; every child
is an artist. But when someone tells them they are not, they lose touch with
their Creative Selves. Many of us have had such experiences, and it is critical
for us to awake the artist who resides in us all.
Two: The process is far more important than the product. I
love painting, and I love what happens when I paint. I am learning that it's
not so important what I do with the piece; I had fun painting it, and that
is enough.
When I paint, I reach a place where I have to decide if I am going to be
invested in the product or the process. When I bank on the product, the painting
becomes stiff and contrived, but when I surrender to the process wonderful
images begin to emerge.
Three: Trust. "Creativity requires faith. Faith requires
that we relinquish control," writes Julia Cameron in The Artist's
Way. It is almost impossible for me to interpret my own paintings, and
I am beginning to learn that's not important. I am learning to trust
that something took place in my subconscious that was valuable, and when
I am ready to make it conscious, I will.
Four: Painting is one of the few times that I give myself permission
to play as if I am a child again. With gentle, deliberate effort,
we must nurture our artist child, writes Cameron. Creativity is play, but
for many adults, like me, learning to play is hard work.
Five: Nowhere in my life is my inner critic more obnoxious than
when I paint. Getting started can be torture, and while I paint
I am constantly negotiating with "him" to step aside and allow
my creative juices to flow. Painting helps me to know him better, and one
thing I have learned is that my inner critic is steeped in fear, the fear
that I am not good enough.
Well, I am good enough. We all are.
Are you caring for your Creative Self? When was the last time you picked
up a pen to write, or a brush to paint, sang, or danced to an exotic beat?
Give yourself one of the greatest gifts of all and begin nurturing your own
Creative Self. Unleash the artist who resides in us all.
