Be here now. Be at your computer, at your desk, in your studio. Be all there and you begin to notice the present moment. Being an artist means being willing to be an explorer of the moment, an observer of what is. You can begin by noticing how the ground supports your feet, the chair supports your body. You are invited to observe that your body breathes without any direction from you. Be present as you gather your supplies, the paper, the glue, the twine, the buttons. You may notice your inner dialogue pulling you away from the moment, perhaps trying to convince you that art is a waste of your time or you should be doing one more load of laundry or writing your shopping list. Perhaps it whispers to you that you're not good enough or why bother? We all experience this from time to time and have even made room for this inner critical voice in our lives like a guest that came to dinner and never left. Be patient with your resistance and in time it will fade. It is no match to the vibrant paint colors waiting on the palette or the smell of new handmade paper waiting to be torn and layered and glued. Just the act of noticing offers your passive resistance a permission slip to take some time off. Even a short reprieve of obeying the inner critical voice can be enough to let the creativity begin to flow. In my experience I have found that in time, the need to create becomes louder than any negative made-up thoughts swirling in my mind.
Are you willing to experiment with new ideas? Are you open to getting messy? In the present moment there are no rules, no right or wrong. Making art with an intention of being present invites the Self to explore, to be curious, to create, which I believe are innate qualities to all of us. Get messy, take risks, put paint on paper. Thread the needle, mold the clay, knead the dough, type your story. Start somewhere and do something that calls to your soul. Then, in the end, we are left to reflect the beauty back to ourselves that was there all along, in the present moment, waiting patiently for us to return to ourselves. Be brave. Explore. Follow your heart. Follow your art.
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