How I Begin & a Gift So You Can Too
I whisper softly as I tie my smock.
I light a candle, a winter scent fills the air with cypress and smoke, taking my mind on a quick nature walk.
I sip my tea, a white hibiscus with lime and ginger; the spices on my tongue and the heat on my palms relax and ground me.
My fingertips run over the textured, blank canvas, feeling the thirsty hills and valleys that will soon grab hold of my paints.
I tap play on the soundtrack, an earthy beat with little to no words begins the set, and I let the music travel from my ears to my feet.
Finally, I close my eyes and breathe in deeply in order to see clearly what I wish to create.
and then… I whisper to myself once again. My affirmation.
My positive commitment bundled inside a sentence so that my artist’s hands work in harmony with my mind. I keep it simple.
I will take care of the quantity & the quality will come.
I will create my best work today.
I will create beauty and joy to share with others.
Affirmations… positive statements that we create for ourselves to say aloud so that they find their way into our subconscious to support us so we reach, become, believe what we already are. It’s a way to quiet our inner critic that creates fears and roadblocks to protect us. But, my dreams live outside of that comfort zone and often require me to be a brave and take risks.
When I first began this practice, admittedly it felt strange to be talking to myself, especially when everything else was so inward (I suppose that’s why I still whisper). Inhaling the scent of the candle and the tea, feeling the warmth of the mug and the texture of the canvas, hearing the music… All of that comes from outside to awaken the artist inside. Then, in contrast, this voice of mine comes from the inside and fills the room with a positive affirmation, a goal. I think it’s that voice from within that makes an affirmation so powerful. My voice which circles the room and returns to my ears for my mind to hear again.
This practice of taking a few minutes to call upon my five senses and whisper my affirmation is my way of taking the time to shift my energy from mom, wife, entrepreneur to me as artist, because that part of me deserves its own energy and space in my life. It has become my creative habit for now and makes it easier for me to begin because I don’t have to think about the first few steps. It just flows naturally.
Affirmations are an artist’s ally, but they aren’t just for artists, they are for all of us.
Just for you, I’ve created a gallery of images with my favorite affirmations and quotes. I’d love to
If you’d like to collect these affirmations so you can whisper them out loud too, just enter your email below and I’ll send them to your inbox so you can boldly create and chase your dreams too.
I’d love to hear which one is your favorite.
“In the end, there is no ideal condition for creativity. What works for one person is useless for another. The only criterion is this: Make it easy on yourself. Find a working environment where the prospect of wrestling with your muse doesn't scare you, doesn't shut you down. It should make you want to be there, and once you find it, stick with it. To get the creative habit, you need a working environment that's habit-forming. All preferred working states, no matter how eccentric, have one thing in common: When you enter into them, they compel you to get started.” – Twyla Tharp
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