Stop Searching For Your Voice!!

Published on May 2, 2011

The same exact conversation comes up every time I lead a new Tribe of FEARLESS™ Painters through BIG.

Every time.

Somebody sweetly and innocently states that they are searching for their voice-

they are looking for their voice-

they are struggling to find their voice in their Art or painting.

I always respond with the same exact thing:

Stop searching for your voice!!

Searching for your voice is like searching for your skin or toenails. Your voice is already there–loud and clear in every single piece of Art you do.

Both the good and the ugly, dear Lovelies.

Including the trite,

the things you copy,

and even the things that you just learned that blow your panties off the roof!

Yes–your voice is there singing acapella through each brushstroke, glue glob, and eraser mark.

And how do I know you can stop the great hunt?!?

What proof do I have to make a bold and loud statement as such?

Almost 15 years of teaching the kiddos that is! Yep, the proof is in the pudding…or in this case the crayola tempera paint and crayons!

In my last full time Art Teaching gig I had approximately 920 students total. Every day I would see roughly 250 of them. (God bless teachers.) And the thing is, especially after the five years I was there, I could pick out each child’s work without them even signing it–without me even seeing who did what.

And the reason is because their voice was in every thing they do.

The coolest thing too is that after I even got to know the kids better (yes, all 920 of them)–I could even see their own unique personalities reflected in their marks, strokes, scribbles, and ways of approaching the work. Their voice–be it sassy, shy, or somewhere in between always came singing through.

You don’t need to search for your voice. It’s already there staring back at you.

What we as Artists do need to do is get to know our voice.Get comfortable with it–start to understand it–if I may even dare to say: embrace it.

Yes, embrace that your voice is different than the rest of the crew you rumble with. Embrace that your voice might not match the voice you imagine in your head. Embrace that your voice might not be at the skill level yet that you wish for.

Embrace! Embrace! Embrace! And stop searching. Stop wasting your time believing that there is some kind of magic outside yourself that you need to possess to become your own rockstar Artist. Or even worse, stop waiting for that moment where every thing’s gonna gel together and poof-your voice appears!
Your voice is beautiful. Unique. Exquisite.

Take all that energy you were using searching for it now–and instead pour it into developing your voice…and watch how your Art will start to blossom…or maybe even firework!