Discover Your Creative Path
Over the years I’ve had plenty of times when I’ve felt like I’ve lost my way, lost my inspiration, lost my ability, or lost sight of my destination while on this creative journey.
When I look back, I wonder what got me out of those dead ends when I felt a weight sitting solidly in my stomach; where nothing worked and I felt uninspired, unimaginative and unoriginal.
And it was always the same thing.
Small steps.
It was small steps that helped to reignite the passion in my soul, find a fresh alluring colour to flow off my brush, and made the world shimmer with possibility and light again, making me want to dash back to the canvas and paint, open my laptop and write, or develop a new product or offering.
It was the small steps of reconnecting with what I love, sitting in stillness in the sun, free journalling my heart out, visiting galleries and stumbling on paintings that took my breath away, buying multiple books on Amazon about my latest passion (and reading them when they arrived like special presents in the mailbox), walking meditations, and probably above all, being kind and gentle with myself.
It was giving myself permission to take small steps towards the things I desired, things I was curious about, things that stirred even a faint feeling of excitement and wonder when I considered trying them, tasting them, immersing myself in them and eventually, expressing them.
As creatives I’ve noticed it’s easy when we’re searching for our creative path to feel we ‘should be there already.’
We should have already overcome the fearful voices in our minds so they never bother us, we should have developed our own unique and recognisable style, we should feel the freedom to express clearly from our heart, not to mention mastered the art of colour mixing or crafting a sentence with perfect grammer, and we should never worry about other people’s opinions of our work again.
I’ve found it more useful to get involved in my own creative practice at those times, and walk the path in front of me, rather than focus on getting to those preconceived destinations.
By taking small steps towards what you desire, I’ve noticed the path reveals itself and is created as you walk.
Have a wonderful week.
With love,
Nicola xx
PS. What small steps have you found help you to get back into the flow and discover your creative path?
Do you love to cook a new recipe? Or walk your dog to the corner store? Gift yourself with a beautiful new book on a topic you find inspiring? Perhaps you feel better after decluttering a corner of your office or the pantry cupboard? (Decluttering works wonders for me too!)
I’d love to hear your experience! Please share in the comments below the small steps you love to take to get back on your creative path.
This post is an excerpt from Flourish with Painting & Creativity.
If you want to discover your creative path and unleash your creative potential, and learn how to paint with oil and acrylic paints, you’re invited to join us for the next session of Flourish with Painting & Creativity. Read reviews and praise from graduates who have benefited from this fun-filled and powerfully transformative 10-week program, when registration opens in October 2015.