I had a different {and kind of strange} experience on Saturday. A friend of mine took me to an open house at a holistic chiropractor/wellness center. The place is beautiful and I could see myself going there for some relaxing treatments. My friend goes there often for goddess workshops - something I've never done, but I would be open to trying one.
My friend signed me up for something called a "Soul Symbol Reading". I didn't know she did this, and probably would've said "no thanks" if she would've told me beforehand. Since I was already signed up, I decided to open my mind and go into it with no preconceptions. It was different, weird and a little "woo-woo", but interesting and thought-provoking.
I sat down with the woman who was going to do my soul reading, and she explained a little about what the session entails. We then held hands and closed our eyes while she said a little "prayer" about our session. She asked me if there was an area of my life that I wanted to focus on, and I told her a little about milkshake. I said that I recently took a part-time job and that I'm worried about fitting in my creative time, along with being a mother and wife.
She basically told me that I need to "stop being small" with my art. Ouch. She said I MUST find time to be creative because it's my "being". I need to get rid of my fear and stop stalling and restore my faith in myself. She said, "Follow your bliss (art) and the money will follow."
A lot of what she said really resonated with me. I am being "small" with my art, even though I think often about what I can do to put my work out there more. She talked about being me being afraid of putting my work out there and getting bigger - if I let everyone see my art I'm really letting them see me. And apparently I'm afraid of that.
While I was in the session, I kept my mind open and really thought about what she was saying. But after I got home and had time to think about it, I wondered if she said those kinds of things to other artists. Aren't most artists afraid to put themselves out there? Don't we all kind of hold back a little for fear of being rejected?
Are you a creative person? Are you being small with your art? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!
4 comments:
good topic Lisa!! I guess I'm being small right now too. So yes, it is hard as an artist to put yourself in the public eye but then we love it when it's so positive! Since you are pressed for creative time, maybe you just need to accept that it will take more time (months, maybe years) before you feel ready to put yourself out there in a bigger way. I don't know if this helps but, I'm taking time right now to redesign and revamp my wee biz, I guess I am hoping when this reworking is thru that I will be ready to be "big" haha! goodluck with milkshake and don't let the soul reading eat you up too much.
It's hard, too, to think of your creativity as a business, but it is. And I think when you begin to treat it that way, you protect yourself from personal rejections & fears that might arise from trying to sell it. If what she said struck a chord with you, then you probably already knew what she was telling you...in your heart of hearts. Hearing it from an outsider (whether it's a generic statement for any artist or business, really) just underscores your intuition. Make a list!! If you want to be bigger, what does that mean? And how can you get there...what are all the possibilites? Don't hold back on brainstorming b/c you'll be limiting yourself from the get-go if you let your "safe" voice monitor you!! And when you figure out your route, figure out your timeline and go for it!! I've only recently allowed my true self to define my business and what I produce b/c I was worried about rejection..ugh! No more!! In my case, I feel if I can't be successful based on what I really like and can do...I can live with that. But if I fail doing things I thought I "should" out of fear of rejection, then I will live with far too much regret!
As I was reading this post, I was thinking that everything you mentioned could have been said about myself! It's hard to think big, at least for me it is. Just starting my blog and putting things I made out there for people to see was BIG for me. I still have a loooong way to go.
I like your art small. Giant magnets and clocks would be overkill. Stay small!
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