One of the first things most of need to do is make sure we don’t entertain all the negative thoughts we’ve accumulated through the years about ourselves and our abilities.
To recover from that negativity, we need to counter each negative review of our abilities with positive thoughts. We most certainly are talented artists in writing, drawing, painting, needlework, textile arts, or whatever else we are talented in. Whatever we do is special, and enough. Don’t sell yourself short as someone has been convinced you to be. Be yourself. The world will deal with it.
Yes, it’s a novel thought if we had adults in our lives who cautioned us to stay away from the Arts. It wasn’t a normal way to make a living back in the day. You stuck with your job, no matter how you hated it, and provided for your family. Those same people would stay together for the “sake of the kids.” Please. That could have caused more problems than getting a divorce. When parents are trying to act normally when they no longer want to remain a family, tensions rise. Kids feel it. It’s not doing the kids any favors to stay together.
I was amazed at the depth of the dysfunction there exists in the court of public opinion. Ideas of writers being drunks, crazy, broke, loners, irresponsible, promiscuous, doomed, unhappy, and born, not made, existed for a long time. How strange! I’ve been associated with many stereotypes to describe me. Not just an I/T Professional who could actually relate well to people, who could communicate well, who was attractive and very smart, all the stereotypes were wrong. Especially those of a single, divorced woman. Word on the street was we partied all the time, we didn’t pay our bills, we had strange men over all hours of the day and night, we didn’t work, we were after the married men in the neighborhood. It was ridiculous. I won’t even waste space here to dispel the ignorance.
I have learned so much already in the first week of the twelve weeks of The Artist’s Way. I’m behind in my “morning pages,” where you dump your thoughts/brain on three pages of writing in longhand. You dispel your inner critic and have a chance to consider positive affirmations. Actually doing the things you can do well creatively is a bonus. Even though I’m writing a children’s book, quilting is an important creative outlet I have that makes me more creative. Yes, it might impinge on how quickly I finish editing and publishing my book, but I’ll have fewer times when I’m out of ideas, want to tell myself I’ve got Writer’s Block, or Artist’s Block, etc. Before I complete the first chapter, I will do the tasks, catch up with the daily writing, and get ready to start Chapter 2 on Monday. So far, I’m all in. I’m building my safety nets, my places to go and things to think about when I feel stymied, a creativity lull, or writer’s block. Preparation.
What creative things are you doing this weekend? Are you reading anything new? Relaxing and Resting? #NotEnoughTimeInTheDay! Take care out there, we’ll see each other tomorrow.
Kathy Raabe 