You’re an artist.

We are all artists!

Have you noticed how from the day we’re born, we each have our unique way of expressing ourselves? In childhood, we’re free and spontaneous and let that inner voice come through in fun and uninhibited ways. As we grow older, we learn to doubt and question ourselves and little by little, we put a lid on that raw and mysterious self-expression. We learn we have to play by the rules “if” we want to succeed and intrinsically, we come to believe that our “survival” depends on being what’s expected of us.

I’ve spoken to friends and acquaintances and some say that they wish they had a passion. They work because it pays the bills and secures the well-being of their loved ones but it doesn’t satisfy them. They wish they knew what their  passion was.

This amazes me as each one of us has a fire burning inside, a voice that wants to be heard, an energy that wants to be expressed. Why can’t we feel or hear it? Party because years of fear and conditioning has numbed and paralyzed us. Partly because we’ve made ourselves so busy that we don’t give that voice any chance to express itself.

What I tell my friends –and what I did myself– is, as a first step, to start writing daily in a journal and try fill at least three pages every day. Therapists and psychologists have recommended this. So have artists and creative types.

When I first started writing in a journal, I didn’t know what to write about. I started by writing gibberish and nonsense and filling lines with “I don’t know what to write about but I have to fill these three pages”. After a few lines of that, suddenly I remembered a dream from the night before and wrote about that. Then about something that was worrying me that day. Once I opened up the valves, filling the three pages was a breeze. After several days of writing, I started seeing underlying themes. Words and ideas that seemed to come out of nowhere (yes, my inner self). I’ll write more about that self-discovery in a later blog.

If you aren’t already doing this, give it a try for a few days. No matter whether you are right or left brain (or both), I promise you, you’ll get value out of it and it will surprise you. Remember to find a place to write where you won’t be interrupted and means something to you (your favorite coffee shop, special nook in the house, etc.) and block 10-15 minutes daily (if you can). Choose a journal that has the color, texture and size that connects with you (favorite color, etc.) Those little things matter as you’re putting your “self” first. We spend tons of time and money on therapists and vacations and uppers/downers to help us figure “it” out…. this might be a pleasant and inexpensive other approach. It can and will have you “hear” what the inner you wants. Just listen to it without judgement. We are all creative beings who can/will create art in our own unique ways. One might discover a deep passion for cooking, another for charity work, another for ….

If you haven’t already…. what will you discover? 🙂

One book I recommend is “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron. It is written for the artist in all of us.

P.S. This is my second blog post of the year and I’m letting that inner voice come out uninhibited. So if this post sounds preachy or rubs you the wrong way, please forgive me. I will share more about myself as I go along and become more comfortable with blogging.

Shawn