Creating In Alignment
Creating in alignment with who I am is arguably the most beneficial thing I have done for myself. Let me explain why…
For many years I was a consumer of creativity. I would watch videos on YouTube, read books, listen to podcasts, and admire how so many people were able to make a living out of their creativity. I would long for their lives and wonder, and often hope, that maybe one day I would be able to get myself narrowed into something enough that I could too have a life full of creation.
Months would pass and those months would turn into years and I would find myself in exactly the same spot. While I did gain some knowledge and insight into some of the moving parts that would play a large role in my direction today, I was really trying to force myself into “one” thing that could propel me forward. Looking back I can see that this mentality was born from the over consumption of advice instead of going inward and getting to know myself, the life I wanted to create and a lack of understanding what that looked like to me.
Now, I realize that it’s not about the one thing. Everything I do either gives or takes creativity. There are things that I do that I have found really inspire me, but a lot of things that I do that might not inspire me are imperative to my ability to show up as my creative self. Some examples of these things that fuel me are exercise, cooking, time with loved ones, reading, writing, and alone time.
Some examples of things that inspire me but don’t necessarily fuel me are, nature, walks, watching my kids play, flowers and gardens, thrifting, and learning about anything I find interesting.
This discovery of myself helped me see that my art is the outcome of a mixture of those things. What feeds the ability to show up creatively to my art is all these other things. Accepting the idea that creativity isn’t about picking one thing, creativity lies in all things. I love to argue that we are all creative beings committing creative acts many moments of the day whether we realize it or not. We might not always feel creative but making decisions, problem solving and exercise, are just a few ways we are dancing with creativity.
It’s so unfortunate that so much of what has been spread around online over recent years has been centered around the idea of things having to be narrow and rigid. That there is one path to success. When looking back everyone had a slightly different path which should have spotlighted the fact that there are many ways to find success. And, that the idea of success itself is subjective. Looking back I see that I held too tightly to peoples stories about how they found their own success instead of studying the commonalities between all of them.
Creating in alignment for myself looks like making time for both the things that inspire me and the things that fuel my creativity. Most importantly, creating in alignment is more about doing than consuming. Whether it’s starting a new project like a furniture flip or helping my parents re-do an area in their home, I know that I am a hands-on-figure-it-out -as-I-go kind of gal. The more hands on I am the more I seem to have to give to my art and its practice.
This was crucial for me to accept about myself because so much of what is said about art and artistry is about flow, focus, and an all consuming need to get lost in just that one thing. The myth that it’s about going slow and a little less about work. The focus becomes indebted to feeling. I would often get down about loving many things and taking a liking to them, for diving into them. But the results were always so gratifying and so welcoming. Changing up a room, redecorating a wall, doing those furniture flips, all that did was feed a part of my soul that would then overflow into another area.
The truth of the matter is that it can be slow and free flowing for some and it can be wild and all encompassing for others. Saying there is one right path to success when it comes to creativity is like saying there is a blueprint for parenting, playing sports, and living your life. There will never be one size fits all for any of those categories. Part of what makes life so beautiful and engaging is the fact that we are all so different, experiencing life at the same time together, in our own unique way. It’s amazing if you really let yourself get lost in that thought.
My biggest takeaway…
You have to do the work to find out what works for you, period. There is no way around that. It will take some effort and it might take some time, but it might also come quick. I was surpised at how quickly everything seemed to fall into place when I accepted these things about myself. The funny thing is, I don’t actually think any of this is very unique. I know I’m not the only multipassionate creative person in this world. There are many of us who are parents, working, have struggles, and want more time to explore all of the things that we enjoy. We want to get outside, garden, try that new recipe, finish that painting, and read that book that we’ve been looking at every night before bed.
Time can feel like an uphill battle when you have a goal that seems narrow but lots of little things fuel that narrow path way. The best way I have made this work for me is to let them naturally work together - because they do. Let things take the time that they need to ripen, all good things will come in good time. Like now, nothing is booming for me. My prominent work is my full time job and before that comes my kids. My art, this blog, everything else is very much a side hustle from the outside looking in. And, every word written, every print made, and any video posted brings me closer to my goal and dream of a life FULL of creativity. That is something that will always keep me proud of myself.
Overnight success isn’t something I’m interested in. That is the kind of advice that a lot of content is centered around. It’s not about gaining the right audience its about growing a big audience fast. I am in a position right now that I would gladly get comfortable putting myself out there, I can continue to learn how to be better at gracefully moving through all of my creative loves and through all of that I am confident that everything will come together.
Trust YOUR process and be amazed at what you can do and who you can be come. Give it a few months, let that turn into a year. I’m right there with you.
Just. Keep. Going.
