Motivational speech for creative practice

This post is for the times of self-doubt, for beginnings, for permission.

I experience creative practice as a means for spiritual growth and self-discovery. A stream of experiments, a place for curiosity to unfold, and an outlet to channel energy into what feels poetic and beautiful. I also believe that all of the above is meant for and accessible to anyone, regardless of who you think you are (or are not) allowed to be!

If you have a hard time with the idea of identifying as an ‘artist’ or ‘creative person’, you aren’t alone. I have heard this from so many people close to me and have felt it myself!

I invite you to reconsider.

Why? Because who you are is not defined by what you have done. Who you are is who you are being in the present moment. And it’s all always changing and always ripe for new possibility. You have your own unique creative potential, and for that reason you can absolutely identify as a creative person. The only pre-requisite is being a person. Sometimes there is this idea that creative identity needs merit or credentials, and is only deemed as real if you have something you can show for it over time. I understand how someone could draw such a conclusion. But remember, the now is all you actually have to tangibly be in. Your past can be a part of your journey, but it is not the definition of the present. Who you are allowed to be is flexible, ever-changing, and up to you in any particular moment! My point is that you can be ‘a creative person’ any time you want to, because creativity is a flow that is always available for you, and all living beings, to tap into.

You are allowed to make art. You are allowed to make it however you want. 

You can make art for pleasure. You can make art for the sake of exploration. You can make art as a form of processing. You can make art to be seen. You can make art in secrecy. The only rule is that there are no rules.

Anyone can be an artist.

We hear this all of the time, and it’s so much easier to say to someone else or to a child than lovingly to ourselves, and sometimes even harder to believe it. Creativity is embedded in the depths of human nature. But wait! Other things are human nature too. Imposter syndrome. The desire to be seen and loved for who we feel we are. The confidence we risk losing by comparing ourselves to others. The emotional vulnerability to criticism. The grasping for happiness and fulfillment. Illusions about who we are allowed to be. Illusions about what we are allowed to create. Attachment to material things. Imaginary lines, etc. These are all real experiences in being human.

The bravery it takes to try to make anything at all in the midst of all of our conditions as living beings is huge. We are sensitive! Vulnerable! Making art means bringing our spirit into the material world. It can bring deep things to the surface, and it sometimes requires courage to meet and work with those things. Art-making is a tool for healing, and healing usually asks us for the willingness to do some inner work. We all have the birthright to step into our creative potential and learn about ourselves through our processes and perceptions.

Fear.

We often find our ever-existing creative spirit hiding in all sorts of deep dark places, and it can get all freaked out and stuff when we shake things up and try to set it free. Or maybe (and even worse) it could get a little too comfortable in the hiding spots. Sometimes it needs a little hand-holding and compassion.

Although fear is part of our nature and it is normal, we aren’t supposed to be free from nature, because we are a part of it. Instead of trying to break free from fears, it is our mission and path as creative beings work on being in conscious relationship with it, appreciating that the human experience is rich with complex feelings.

Creativity and capitalism

Do you ever feel like you’re not enough or worthy? This is also normal, but it doesn’t need to be! Whenever I feel this way, I remember that “enough” and “worthy” are words that function really well… in a capitalist framework. But that’s not the framework where creativity thrives best, and for our creative practice, we must un-link ourselves from capitalist ways of thinking to support our creative flow to thrive and feel free. What about success? Success is a feeling, not an outcome. It’s joy in the body that can’t be measured or predicted!

Love your practice.

You don’t need a prior experience or a background in art to practice your art making. That what the practice is for! Instead of a background, practice becomes the rich and vibrant foreground. The practice is the experience and all you need to do is enjoy it enough to return to it. Practice is always there for anyone who wants it.

To practice is to continually choose to be in union with the moment you are in. To have a creative practice means to devote yourself to creativity with some kind of regularity and will to return. That’s all! If you have ever spent some time practicing something, you already know there is endless depth to explore and new angles to see from, and that practice doesn’t just end when we get “good enough”. It can be endless! It is a delicious relationship with a mysteriously ongoing, life-giving cycle of seeking and learning. The doors will open to more doors, opening to more.

Looking at creativity as a practice instead of a means to an outcome takes the pressure off. I write this because I still need to hear it. I always need to remember to surrender to the present moment, stay open, just be present in my practice, and sacrifice it all into the metaphorical fire at the end of the day and returning again with equal if not more enthusiasm.

Even within my ‘established’ creative practice, sometimes I box myself into a particular style or subject matter, often ignoring other vital feeling calls from inspiration because “I make art like this, not like that”. I am even thinking this now in this moment about writing. The lovely inner critic cackles “LOL, you’re not experienced or worthy enough to write about creative practice”. I can hear this and believe it. Or I can hear this without believing it, if some other parts of my being are present enough to know that voice for what it really isn’t.

Look around you in the coming hours and days - what calls your creative spirit? In what ways does beauty sneakily find its way to you? What softens the space around your heart? What sets it on fire? What catches your attention, like a feeling in your body that lifts you up? What are you curious about? What questions do you long to answer for yourself?

“There’s a thing that wants to occur and if you dance with it, you can bring it forth.”

- Liz Gilbert

Sometimes practice can be fun. Sometimes practice can be difficult. Sometimes practice can open us up to see ourselves clearer. Sometimes practice is just practice.

You are allowed to see yourself as an artist.

You are allowed to express yourself as an artist.

I hope that through curiosity and an attitude of permission, bravery, and excitement you have many chances to learn something about yourself through your creativity.

This is my first post for my new Substack called Field of Visions where I plan to write about the lessons creative practices can teach us through the deep reflections on my experiences and curiosities. I have so much to say about creative practice - about mine and also ways you might be able to start and grow deeper in yours. I am hopeful and thankful to have a space to share. Thanks for subscribing!