If You Want to Walk on Water, You Have to Get Out of the Boat

No, this isn't a religious blog...its a brand new year blog designed to help you with your heart's desires!

It is a wonderful statement that is food for thought, and a great analogy for taking responsibility for miracles in your own life.

It all comes down to what we want out of life and how to make it happen. Life really is what you make it, and waiting for that most wanted thing to come in to your life just isn't enough. We have to make a contract with ourselves to go out there and get it!

Lets use an example:
You are a very talented ceramicist and your spare room is full of your creations. You really want to show them off to the world, and maybe even sell them. Or at least you'd be happy with them being so admired so much you'd get commissioned to make one just like it for someone if you can't bear to part with that particular one(funny how the human mind works!). You and I both know that allowing the pieces to sit there doesn't get your work known or appreciated by a wider audience. Are you waiting for someone to discover you? Are you thinking that you just need the right opportunity to come along and change everything?
You could be waiting a long time...
To rely on someone or something in this way is just putting your skills in the closet and hoping someone may open the door one day and find out that you are an amazing artist and they will promote you.

The analogy, "If you want to walk on water, you have to get out of the boat", implies taking responsibility for your own destiny, risks and all.

Whats the worst that could happen? Someone says they don't like your work? Well I don't like liver and bacon, but a chef doesn't take offence - he knows we all have different tastes. You may think people will laugh at you and your work. That's every artist's fear - of being judged and laughed at - that someone will say, "Don't give up your day job!" The truth is that the negative voice in your head will try to convince you of these things. What is actually the case is that art is art and a personal creative journey. Talents are meant to be shared and we all share a purpose in life - to build bridges, architectural ones or ones that bridge gaps between people through audio and visual communication.

So in order to "Walk on Water", that personal miracle, we have to take that brave step outside of our comfort zone and see what we can do! Keeping your focus on your goal will prevent you from sinking and you'll be surprised how much you can achieve!

Write a New Year Plan today. Start with your desire and use the following SMART technique to get you on your way:
S - Specific - set a small goal first
M - Measurable - make a plan and evaluate regularly
A - Attainable - break it down in to manageable steps
R - Realistic - keep it simple and achievable
T - Time Frame - set a sensible time limit for each step

For example:
Goal - to have an exhibition.
First Step - to let people know you exist!

Specific - Make contact with other artists and let friends and family know what you are doing
Measurable - make a plan on how(through local clubs/having a party/making business cards/website)
Attainable - gather information by researching on Internet and local publications
Realistic - Dedicate 2 mornings a week
Time Frame - 4 weeks from now you'll know a few more people and will have made some headway on how to get promoting yourself

Don't forget to keep your journal up to date so you can document your progress. Its great to look back and see your achievements.

I hope this food for thought gives you a boost for the start of this new year!
Best Wishes for a Creative 2009.

Trees of Winter © Deborah Eileen Burrow 2008

Happy Holidays :)

Today is Winter Solstice and it always makes me feel better knowing that the nights will slowly start to get shorter now.
:)
Christmas is only a few days away, and this warms my heart as I know we'll be with people we love and eat and be merry :))
Whether you're religious or not, it doesn't matter as there is enough love and peace in the world to go round for everyone :)))
To top it all we have a New Year on its way which can only inspire and bring new opportunities.

Peace and Love to you all - Warm Wishes for a Very Happy Christmas and a Great New Year.

Debs x x

Blog Vacation

Hi everyone.
I'm just popping up a note here to say that I will be taking a vacation from this blog for several weeks. I am having major surgery and I will need some recuperation time. I will be back though :)

I am currently preparing for an exhibition of new artworks, and I'm keeping a creative blog at wordpress - The Creative Life of Debs. I invite you to follow my progress there as I go through the ups and downs of the creative process.

I highly recommend any of the listed books in the right hand column if you need some inspiration for problem solving whilst I'm away.

Also visit Megan Chapman's Studio Blog for artist life and business insights.

Meanwhile, as cheesy as it sounds, Keep Creative!! :)

Clear Your Mind with a Journal

Last time I suggested giving yourself a break from your nagging worry voice by sending it to your Big Toe. I hope this technique was able to keep it at bay while you got on with your creativity.

This week I’m going to tell you about Journal Writing to help you tackle that voice face to face. If you’ve done this before, or even still do it, then this will be a revisit to how valuable keeping a journal can be.

That voice obviously needs attention, and whilst sending it to your big toe is helpful when you need a break from it, it ultimately needs to be addressed. You can talk it over with friends and professionals if you need to. Meeting that voice face on is daunting! But a really great way is to write it down. In that process some of the heightened emotions are dispelled straight away. Then comes the telling of the story, the expression of the issue, and an exploration. You don’t have to write in your journal everyday, but I can tell you that once you start, you’ll want to share your thoughts and feelings with this journal more often than you think.

Keeping a journal is an ancient practice and has lots of benefits. There are 100 benefits listed on this page I found online here at appleseeds

You will soon feel the benefit. Once you clear your mind by writing it all down, there is room for problem-solving and in due course, a peace of mind :)
You don’t have to just write in your journal by the way – you can draw, paint, add collage and photos to help. Whatever helps is the right way. And when, one day, you look back through it, you will be amazed at how things have changed – for the better!

So journal yourself to peace and a clear mind. It really works. Its a good way of Keeping Creative...

There’s even an online tutorial on how to make your own personalised covers for your journal / notebook - find it here

Send it to your Big Toe

"It sits on my shoulder, whispering sceptical things into my ear that make me stop and question my path as an artist. Its comments are condescending, spiteful, and convince me that I'm wasting my time. "Who's going to like, let alone buy that?!" - it chants each time I get close to getting anywhere with anything creative."

How many of you have had this little demon voice in your ear? I know I have. But I have learnt to banish this voice on command in recent years. It no longer gets to me quite as often. How? By sending it to my Big Toe!! Sounds crazy but it works!!

This is a wonderful technique for dealing with that nagging and doubting voice that threatens to hamper your creative spirit. I’ve talked about trusting your intuition many times, but I’m well aware that training yourself to do this takes time. Today I introduce to you a way of cutting off that voice who tells you that you’re wasting your time following your dream.

When that annoying chatter is removed from your head area to your toe it is weakened and physically as far away from your creative brain a possible. It’s so much better to have a clear mind, and while it’s away in your toe you can concentrate on your creative pursuits. You will have to be determined to keep the pesky voice at bay, so each time its starts again, send it packing - back to your big toe.

This little trick is so powerful. Trust me when I say that it releases you from your fears, and helps you overcome the difficulty of focussing on your artistic journey.

I hope you and your big toe find success!

Sketching and Doodling

Keeping free and easy in your creativeness is probably the most important issue to overcome and maintain. This is what I have learned myself, yet again, just recently. Yes, I say again, because we are constantly on a learning curve all through our lives. The difference is that we are usually at a different place when we come up against the same issue. You could visualise this as a spiral. We often go full circle with things, but we’re probably the next level up, even if we’re at the same issue.

It is well recognised that we can get bogged down by pressures and restrictions, (external and internal). We can be working on a particular theme or project and lose ourselves in it so far that we’ve forgotten how easy it used to be to create the way we used to outside of that particular project.

Enter the doodling and sketching exercise. At first it may seem trifling and irritating. It may be hard to loosen up. In fact it is hard to loosen up – I found this really hard, and in the first sitting I was a disaster. Why? Because I was trying too hard! The only way I could overcome it was to remove myself from the studio and sit in front on the tv.

So, here is the method:

1. Step outside of your studio or usual creative space.
2. Find somewhere else to set up with paper and pens (or whatever) as a temporary space
3. Put on the tv, the hifi, your ipod, or the radio…
4. Take 3 deep, slow breaths. Relax your shoulders.
5. Clear your mind of its clutter.
6. Get ready to doodle, or sketch.
7. If you need a subject, find some household, fridge, larder, objects, or some photos of something you like such as leaves, flowers, trees, landscapes.
8. Don’t think too much as you sketch. Let your eye guide the hand, with light concentration. Try to keep the style simple and free. It doesn’t have to be strictly representational – you can just fill in areas of colour, or just simple shapes.
9. Enjoy the process. Don’t produce anything for anyone else to see – this is your personal exercise.
10. Remember that if it doesn’t work, put it to one side and come back to it, or start again.

When you have finished your session, however long it takes, put it all to one side and leave it for at least half and hour. When you return to it, look at it objectively, if you can. Can you still see restrictions or barriers to the freedom you’re trying to achieve? If so, can you solve it?

I’d love to hear about your experiences – feel free to share. You may have a different way of loosening up, if so, let me know. I also welcome suggestions for issues to tackle in this blog - keeping creative is a universal subject and there’s so much to explore!

Thanks

Debs

above sketches:

top - "coastal cornfield" ©2008 Deborah Eileen Burrow

bottom -" across the reeds" ©2008 Deborah Eileen Burrow

both of these sketches are for sale at etsy.com

Taking a Break

I have come to observe, both in my own behaviour, and other creative people around me, that one of the creative person’s greatest pitfalls is not taking a break. Most people will book holiday/vacation at regular intervals during the year. But, somehow, the self-employed, and in particular those working in the arts, don’t give themselves time off. Many reasons behind it are financial, but mostly it’s the perception of loss of momentum and control in productivity.

My blogs are always written when something resonates with me, and this week is no exception – I write from personal experience.

Working towards a goal, like my exhibition, has suddenly kick-started an old habit of mine – extreme drive. This drive is my enemy and my saviour rolled into one. I cannot achieve without it, but it is one of the most difficult things to turn off. Even when I am tired, frustrated and burnt-out, my drive will keep me up late at night, and fill every waking moment with obsession over the project in hand.

I wrote, produced and released 5 CDs as a singer-songwriter between 2001 and 2007. That was a highly driven time for me. Not only was I in the studio recording a lot, but I was performing live at least once every week. The only thing that stopped me in the end was serious illness. Our bodies are wise and will always let you know when you’ve been overdoing it. In the first year of my self-employment I gave myself 1 week off. In the following 2 years I gave myself 2 weeks off per year. After I became ill at the beginning of the 4th year I was forced to take 16 weeks off. I survived better than I thought I would, both financially and in productivity. No surprise to me looking back on it, but I wouldn’t have believed it before then. So since then I’ve given myself a week off after every 8 weeks of work! It has been truly beneficial – I feel better, and I’m more productive! Only occasionally now, do I find myself in overdrive – but I recognise it straight away, and I pull myself away from the project – even though I’m mentally kicking and screaming! I also have great friends who remind me that its time to take a break. My resources are strong these days, and they come in many forms – friends, family, pets, internet, books, relaxation, exercise, spiritual nurturing, students, the outdoors, music, films, and more.

I know I’m not alone, and each one of you reading this will identify with some, or all of the above. There will be those who deny this is the case, even though it is – please reflect on your own behaviours – we are often our own worst enemy.

My message to all of you is to write in regular breaks into your schedule, and into your working year. It may seem odd to suggest that to keep yourselves more creative it’s essential to take more time out, but it really does work.

Above photo, "back up to the dunes" © 2008 Deborah Eileen Burrow