08/11/2020
how do you handle your resistance?
is it something you fight or try to sidestep?
it is such a common thread of experience for artists, and anyone who creates anything of value in the world.
i find it liberating to befriend my resistance. see what it’s trying to tell me. is it a “no”, or a “not yet”? is it showing me that i am trying to perform based on external input rather than from my heart? there is always a way through it if we are willing to listen to what it has to tell us.
as artists especially, we are such visual creatures and often get caught up with aesthetics we feel drawn to. we feed ourselves all of these beautiful images, yet most of the time, we do not feel nourished.
we end up comparing, feeling like we fall short, discouraged, overwhelmed. we think of the pretty images we consume as inspiration, but more often than not, they actually feed our insecurities.
this can create in sense resistance to play, exploration, and creating the things we are here to create.
i take a two step approach when i feel this happening.
first, i decide how i want to feel, then i create a space for myself that supports those feelings. this goes both for online and in my home or studio life. i literally unfollow pretty accounts on a regular basis.
UNFOLLOW = freedom button.
then, i work on listening to my desires and giving myself the things i need. what is nourishing you me? drinking my tea slowly with no distractions? cleaning the studio or the kitchen? writing in my journal? pulling out some old forgotten art supplies? music? just breathing for a while?
from that space, my own creativity and motivation flows.
free play and exploration can feel intimidating when we are tempted to pursue a particular outcome or aesthetic. but we can always return to ourselves. accept and give some love to our inner child, then go play from that newfound place of freedom.
