Intention and Art Making February 2008
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"Reassurance" monoprint 17 X 22
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Hello Everyone, I am noticing the swelling buds and
the bulbs growing. Yesterday on my walk there were hundreds of
robins flying and eating madrone berries up the creek in our
watershed. The sight and sound was a glorious reminder of the
promise of spring. Hallelujah.
I have written before in my musings about fear, avoidance, and intention. It is a topic that keeps coming up for discussion in my workshops. I believe it is worthy of further attention and reminder.
When we create something new we tend to call up our fears. Some of these fears may be fear of the critic (inner and outer), fear of failure, fear of change, fear of success, fear of who we think we are not. For example "I'm not a writer or a real artist." Fear and avoidance can paralyze our ability to do art. Our fears can keep us in old patterns not allowing us to reach our full potential not only as artists but as human beings. Fear is a bad habit and is a barrier between you and your heart's desire. If you can think of fear as an old pattern in your brain that is there to keep you safe and comfortable, it might be easier to say to your fears "Thanks for protecting me." "I no longer need you to keep me safe." "I can take care of myself now."
I believe that writing an intention before creating or doing something new is a good way to address fear, avoidance, worries, and the critic (also known as the judge, monkey mind, and performance anxiety). Writing an intention is also a good way to ground yourself in the here and now. Some of my intentions have been to show up, to trust the process, to remember who I really am as an artist, teacher, and human being. When you intentionally write down what you really want you are being the navigator and creator of your life. You are being consciously aware of what you want and what you are asking for. You are engaging fully with your life and your art.
When we set our intention by writing it down and feeling it within our bodies, we are then held by that intention and are free to use our will to take action. When I have set an intention and I feel it resonate with my heart, I can forget about what I have written and any fears I may have. My fears are held in check by my strong heart-felt intention. We can create what we want and we can receive what we ask for. How will the world know what we want if we don't ask for it? To ask clearly is important. To feel it in your body is important.
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