Do I dare?
I’ve been writing this blog now since March of 2014 and I’d be lying to you if I told you it was always easy. There are weeks, like this one, where I have NO IDEA what I’m going to say.
So, I poured through my folder on ideas and scrounge through emails that I’ve saved with a hope that they can offer some sort of inspiration. Any sort of inspiration.
Nothing.
Then a word popped out at me. DISRUPT. It was a blog post I read recently on how you should be disrupting the status quo.
Last year I challenged a good friend to disturb the universe. And now it’s time for me to do the same.
I recently sold my condo. It’s time for new beginnings. It’s time to switch gears.
I’ve been re-listening to Danielle LaPorte’s Fire Starter series and asking myself…..how do I want to feel? Danielle talks about, ‘knowing how you actually want to feel is the most potent form of clarity you can have and generating those feelings is the most creative thing you can do in your life.”
So, I’ve spent some time this week creating a list of how I want to feel.
Energized.
Joyful.
Courageous.
Connected.
Innovative.
Light.
I get caught up with all the ‘shoulds’ in life. My to-do lists are always a mile long. I’ve always had a hard time breaking away and finding the courage to disturb the universe.
But isn’t that what I do every day with my artwork? I disturb the photograph. I take the pixels that I captured in the camera and disrupt it. I manipulate it, print it on paper that was never intended to have an image printed on it and embed it in beeswax. Why have I not seen that until now? Why do I get bogged down with all the guilt of not doing what I ‘should’?
I’m betting that as I get clear on how I want to feel, my art making will become clear as well. I’ve been searching for inspiration for my blogs, my artwork, and my business. But it’s defining my innate desires to feel a certain way that will clear my path to freedom and the rest will flow.
I suggest you take a few moments and think about how you want to feel in life. Your core desired feelings don’t have to be radical, just be aware of what they are, so that you can go about making them a reality.
And in doing so, experience the freedom of disrupting your universe.
Would love to hear from you what words you would choose to describe how you want to feel.
Be well….be creative,
Good for u – that’s a hard list to come up with.
I like light 😊
Free
😊
Thanks Teresa. Yes, I always feel like the weight of the world is on my shoulders……and I want to feel just the opposite. Light is the best way I can describe it….
Dear Clare, thank you for this blog post. I needed a little (big) jolt today. It should be easy to decide how you want to feel. I think I knew that but I needed to think about what it is, and how good it makes me feel when I’m there to make it happen. You made me think more.
I appreciate it.
ann
I still haven’t gone full steam into all the things I learned from your class but I love encaustic and I am getting there. 🙂
You are very welcome Ann. It’s easy to decide how we want to feel, the hard part is taking actions that make us feel that way. It’s so easy to get caught up in all the material things.
You’ll get there with encaustics….it will happen when the time is right. For now, it just might need to sit for a bit.
Love this. LOVE THIS! I will be trying this as well. Thank you!
If you don’t know her, check out Danielle LaPorte. She’s got some amazing podcasts and books that you might like.
My favorite post so far!
Thank you Wendy. That means a lot:)
I’d like to feel more daring in my art work. My creative thoughts are in my head and sometimes very fleeting.
Do you feel daring in the rest of your life and just not in your work?
Very interesting blog Clare!! As Paula always says ” Should”is a bad word!!
Thanks Kathy, that sister of yours is a wise woman:)
A great post, really making me take a deep breath, find a bit of silence within the mad bustle of everyday life and think about how I want to feel. So important to pin that down and act on it. I’m now going to look up Danielle LaPorte.
Thanks Clare, I love your weekly posts.
Thanks Cinny:)
I want people to know that I was here, here on this earth. You can throw my ashes in the sea but somewhere there will be a painting I made reminding someone that yes, she was here and she loved it so.
Follow the same intuition you use in your paintings and you will find yourself in the right place. Thanks for the blog.
I get that Carol……I want people my paintings to live on long after I’m gone.
Great post Clare. Woulda Shoulda Coulda. 3 words that are death to creativity and growth… I appreciate your idea of feeling words. Indeed, feeling drives us so why not chose feelings that move us forward instead of down and into ourselves to where we have trouble getting out. And nurturing those feelings will, I hope, transfer into my art. I want people to feel something when they look at it. Thanks for the soul food…..
Yes, yes, yes….nurturing those feelings will indeed transform your art!
Thank you Clare for the post and recommendation on Danielle LaPorte podcasts and books. Very thought provoking blog and the responses as well.
Aileen from Australia
So glad you liked it Aileen…….Danielle LaPorte is fabulous. I love all her podcasts.