"As soon as you commit to growth and change, you will be tested!! Be ready!" ~ Tony Gaskins
The practice of creating art has played a considerable role in my life. When I began painting regularly in grad school, it was not to make gallery-worthy paintings. And I honestly never feel that will be my mission. My art is meant to be fun, colorful, messy, and imperfect. I started painting initially to help myself with the stress of keeping up with graduate school. As I continued to create art, I found my style, I was challenged to grow creatively, and learned to be patient with the process.
Making art has taught me to step out of my comfort zone by trying new techniques and taking risks. There are times I feel my art flows, and other days I feel stuck and don't know how to start. On those difficult days, what I've learned is that I am dealing with self-doubt.
And those are the days that I need to make art more than ever! The more I push through on those days to create art, the better I feel in the end, because I know I have pushed myself also out of my comfort zone. That comfort zone often lies in some repetitive pattern of folding when things get complicated.
When we fold and give in to self-doubt or get scared of change, we also get stuck. There is no growth happening in a bubble, where you continue in the safety of repeating old patterns to get new results.
As you can see, I am talking about creativity here; I am also talking about life and self-growth. Taking risks and stepping out into the unknown through art has also influenced me in my life. When you are open to change, you embrace growth.
The reward is often exponential! Once that door is open, brace yourself because life has ways of throwing obstacles to teach you to continue to level up and grow! We may fight to keep things the same and familiar, but life always brings new challenges and experiences.
It is a normal reaction to feel intimidation and self-doubt! The key is not to let it stop you in your tracks.
The more change you invite into your life, the more you learn to adjust and can then face adversity and the unknown. So why am I bringing this up?
I bring up this point because my self-growth started with picking up a paintbrush, and this act leads to learning to believe in myself and the power of my unique creativity. When I embraced my creative power, I grew in many ways. That same creative energy is now at play. I am stepping out of my comfort zone once again by creating this blog and social media platforms.
Self-growth can take many forms in our lives. My creativity is what has helped me grow. And I intend to continue using this power to help others by empowering them to take ownership of their creativity, be fearless in the pursuit of what makes them happy, and embrace change and the unknown. I believe that we never truly stop learning. And there will always be room for self-improvement and growth.
I invite you to step into your power! Believe in yourself and everything you bring into this world. You cannot be duplicated; your energy and gifts are unique to this world!
What do you often do to help yourself push through self-doubt?
What do you think you could achieve in your life if you fully embraced your power?
The Primed Canvas is prepped and ready! Are you ready?!
With Love,
Lauren
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Disclaimer: This information is not intended to be utilized as a form of self-help, personal clinical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The content on this blog is meant for educational purposes and to provide clinical art therapy directives/resources for trained mental health professionals. This information is by no means a substitute for therapy.
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