Honoring Your Creativity
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Monthly Musings March 2008
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Monoprint on plexiglas in the window before printing |
 Monoprint after printing on Rising Stonehenge paper
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Hi everyone,
I admit that I am on a bit of a soap box about this month's topic. It has come up for years in my classes. I haven't always known what to do about it when people say negative things about their work. I just know how it affected me and the flow of the class. Sometimes people say negative things about themselves because it takes the pressure off them while doing something new and potentially scary (like artwork). Sometimes they put themselves down because of the fear of failure or performance anxiety. If they are negative about themselves then hopefully nobody else will expect too much from them. There are many different reasons. I am passionate about honoring what is created even if its awkward or unskilled because it is a visual conversation between the artist and the authentic self. I find myself wincing in class when I hear someone being negative about themselves or their art because it sucks the life out of a sacred event between the person bringing forth the image and the image itself. Remember when you were a child and you painted, drew, and colored without judgement or outcome? It felt good, right? There is something magical that happens when you let the art happen from your heart through your hands and onto the paper. It is a tender relationship and it should be honored.
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When I say to my students that you must honor what comes when you create, what I mean is this: You accept what comes. You pay attention. You take note and give respect. You let what you create have a voice. You take the time to pause and reflect. I ask my students to be completely present with what they create. I ask them to refrain from voicing negative thoughts like, discounting, dismissing, or disregarding what they do while being creative.
Many people who come to my classes bring with them their own personal inner judgmental art critic. You may know that voice. Its the one that has been keeping you from your heart's desire or from doing your art by using every excuse in the book.
One of the first things I ask students is to be kind to themselves and their art. It is amazing how hard this is. The negative comments people make are not only damaging to their own creative process but it also affects the process of the other participants who hear it. This personal negative voice is habitual and most people don't know they are doing it until I point it out.
I believe that being present with
what your hands are doing, (not in your head thinking about what your
hands are doing) is key to the arts. When we stop trying to control our creative impulses and
allow the unexpected to occur, without judgement, we begin to access our own unique art voice. When we respect what we create an important dialog begins to take place. But it is
not going to happen if we are negative, judgmental, or critical about
the things we create while we are learning and doing art. If we criticize or dismiss our selves we deflate or terminate the flow of information with our deep selves.
When we honor and respect our creative endeavors we vitalize and invigorate the connection, communication, and relationship with our own unique source deep within ourselves. Intuitive sparks of imagination come into play through deep listening and active art making such as doing art, dance, poetry, music, story telling, dream work, and so on. We can empower ourselves and our world by tapping into our source. When we stop letting our personal judge and critic call all the shots and we begin to allow the voice of the inner dreamer and artist (poet, dancer. musician...) have a say, no matter how clumsy or unskilled, we begin to nurture a relationship of trust with ourselves that has been yearning for expression maybe our whole life. A stirring begins to happen in the heart that tells the whole body, mind, spirit that this is right action, right knowing, right information for you personally at this time and perhaps what you learn by doing your art is information that our world needs too. The possibilities are boundless.
The small act of creating something and being kind and respectful about it is one step toward your own well being and one more person closer to the well being of the planet. What you do and what you create is unique to the universe and makes a difference in our world. Don't let that old and tired personal inner judgmental art critic voice keep you from what your heart really wants to do. Our world may be depending on what you do. So, go do your art and say kind things about it and yourself.
Be well, Denise
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One more thing. Setting an intention is a great way to deal with the "personal inner judgmental art critic". I wrote about intention in great detail in February's newsletter. Email me if you would like for me to send it to you.
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