A 4 day Art Experience with printmaking,
collage, paste paper, carving stamps, drawing,
writing, and bookmaking
Oct.
8th - 11th Full
December 18th - 21st
2007 Jan. 20th & 21st & 27th & 28th 2
weekends
"family
collage"
Studio Sale November 18th &
19th Ashland, Oregon
Thoughts on Avoidance, Fear, and
Intention
Last month I talked about staying out of your head
and breathing into your belly when you are doing
art. This helps to keep the channels of
communication open between you and your intuition
as well as between you and your Heart and Soul.
There are other important issues we face when doing
art. Two of these are Avoidance and Fear.
Let’s look at avoidance. It is a Void Dance. It is a
dance with the unknown. When we create we face
the vast nothingness before it becomes something.
Our lack of control when facing the unknown can be
overwhelming and our fear of not living up to our own
expectations can be a huge barrier to creativity.
This fear alone is enough to keep a lot of people from
being artists. When we create something new we
face our fears: fear of the critic, fear of failure, fear
of change, fear of success, and fear of who we think
we are not. ("I am not a real artist". "I am just faking
it"). Remember, this is the head speaking. But it is a
real issue that can paralyze our ability to do art or in
some cases, our fear and avoidance can keep us
stuck in old patterns keeping us from reaching our full
potential. Fear is an old pattern set up in our mind
to protect us and keep us safe and comfortable.
Fear is the barrier between you and you heart’s
desire. It is a barrier with no substance. It is an
illusion set up by an old belief system that is
outmoded and it is not telling you the truth. In fact
fear is a bald faced liar.
When I am ready to go into the studio to create
something new I think of all the things that are
suddenly very important to do first, such as cleaning,
shopping, getting a cup of
coffee, doing paperwork.... This is my usual routine
of avoidance. At times these "avoidance barriers"
can seem insurmountable. They can be filled with
self judgments, worries, as well as troubling life and
world
issues. Though I have been a working artist for
twenty years I still dance with avoidance on a
regular basis.
The “to do” lists and the worries are largely "Monkey
Mind" at work. The Judge and The Critic are at work
in this process too. The Judge and the Critic are
just that; they judge and they criticize and they are
not telling you the truth. You can not connect with
your Heart work or Soul work if you can’t get beyond
the fears in your head. One of the tools I use to let
go of fear and avoidance is to breathe into my belly,
or Dan Tien, or my Solar Plexus. Somehow doing this
puts me at the center of myself and stops the
chatter in my head. Attention to breath slows me
down making it possible to hear what my Heart wants
to do.
So, I usually do the things that I feel I need to do,
like coffee, paperwork and such. I don't ignore the
worries and judgments but I don't let them keep me
from walking toward and into the studio. I
understand that it is my Monkey Mind trying to derail
me and keep me comfortable, safe, and bored.
Knowing this allows me to stop listening to my head
and listen to my heart instead. I have had enough
practice to have faith in the process. It is all part of
the dance and part of the work of being alive. Fear
is just fear and when I don’t listen to it, it no longer
has any power over me.
I believe that setting an intention before working is a
good way to handle avoidance and fear. It is
through intention that we can face our fears. It is
through intention that we stay congruent with our
heart’s desire. I have created a sacred space in my
studio, making it a safe place to be creative, to
teach, and to explore and trust the wisdom of art-
making and soul-searching. It’s good to have a ritual
of intention. This may include lighting a candle,
ringing a bell, and breathing or stretching to center
your self. Take the time to write an intention. Some
of my intentions include to show up to work, to stay
in my body, and to be true to the images that
appear.
Intention is a major player in the process of being
consciously aware of what it is we are doing and
consciously aware of what we are asking for. This is
important. At the heart of intention is the idea that
the Universe wants us to succeed. I believe that
everything in our Universe is infused with a creative
connective power and tapping our intention into this
energy field allows us to be in integrity with our
purpose. Intention is not a wish list. It is an
alignment of our heart’s desire and purpose with our
source held in our body and grounded in Earth.
When we set our intention we are then held by that
intention and are free to use our will to take action
and create what we want and need. We are held by
that intention while
we do the things that are good for our Souls. Once
we set our intentions we notice synchronicities in our
life that confirm what we ask for. We get answers to
questions and sometimes a new answer to an old
dilemma. We can change the world by our clear
intentions. It seems like magic and maybe it is. The
great thing is it works. Intention is a small thing that
can have a big impact.
Avoidance is a dance.
Fears are keeping you safe, bored, and in the
dark.
Intention connects your heart’s desire with your
purpose.
Until next time, keep breathing and stay in your
body.
Love, Denise