Feel the Fear…..and do it anyways.
I saw this mantra a couple of months ago and it has stuck with me. I find that I say it to myself frequently. Sometimes even out loud. As I realized when my 11 year old nephew gave me this funny look as I was about to hurl myself down a zipline….it was then that I realized that my inner voice had become audible.
I’ve never thought of myself as a fearful person, but I think there is a little fear in all of us who create art. We’re putting ourselves ‘out there’ in ways that may other professions don’t. We have to dig deep in ourselves to create our work, and that at times can be scary.
I’ve been thinking of my new mantra as I go about my days. And I now realize it’s OK to have fear. It’s really good for me to get outside of my comfort zone. I just can’t let the fear stop me.
I like to have my life planned and calculated. But this summer I’ve decided to take a huge leap of faith and accepted the invitation to spend two months in Snowmass, Colorado with the sole purpose of nourishing my soul on a new level. And for me, a huge part of that is creating new work.
I’ve left my studio space in Minneapolis and packed it all into my car. (Well most of it….the 8ft by 4ft table just wouldn’t fit!) I’ve set my new space. And now the work begins.
I’m so excited to start working (as soon as I finish this blog post I’ll be heading straight to the studio), but behind it all is an underlying fear. There are a ton of “what if’s” flying through my mind. But I also know that my job now is to just feel that fear….and do it anyways.
I’ll be keeping you posted as the weeks progress.
I’d love to hear from you in the comments below. How does fear play a role in the creation of your work?
Be well….be creative,
How great is that? A two month long retreat just for you to create? That is a dream!
Unfortunately fear has kept me from taking your e-course, fear keeps me away from taking just a week for myself to paint, paint, paint and fear often keeps me from finishing a piece as I am afraid to mock up the result I have reached so far…
Please enjoy every single minute of your retreat. You are sooo lucky! – Irma
Hi Irma, is there a way that you can adapt this mantra and start to do the little things that you fear? How about finishing one of those pieces? and if you muck it up think about all that you learned in the process. And then hopefully you’ll be be able to take my eCourse one of these days!
I’ve recently started experimenting with photoencaustics. I’m at the beginning of a long, steep learning curve with lots of trial and error (mostly error it often seems), but I do love it! I have many questions, including some I don’t know yet to ask, but as a starter: What do you recommend as a sealer for an encaustic piece? One online store recommends an “acrylic wax sealer,” but before I purchase it I wanted to ask if you agree, and if other types of sealers work just as well (that might be more commonly available in art supply stores). Thanks for any advice!!
Hi Gayle, welcome to the wonder world of photo encaustics. I’m glad that you love it. Every other Monday I offer Q&A Monday where you can ask your photo encaustic related questions. Feel free to re-post your question next week.
Also you may want to consider my online photo encaustic class where I walk you through the process step-by-step so you won’t have to go though so many costly trial and errors.
Oh, Clare – it’s good to know that even artists like you whose work seems to be done with such assurity still feed the need to risk and grow. Like Irma, I was a little worried about taking your class since my photographic skills and encaustic experience were minimal, but what I learned from you made the fear worth it – and it makes me more inclined to get outside my comfort zone. Have a fabulous summer and let us know what chasms you leap!
Lyn
Lyn, I’m so glad you got out of your comfort zone and took the class! It was fun to see some of my current students choose your work as part of their inspirational images……