Navigating A Rough Patch FEARLESS

Back in October of 2012 I began what I thought would be my very last FEARLESS Painting Adventure through my online course DEEP.  I was blessed to gather a large tribe of FEARLESS Painters eager to dive into this second online adventure after BIG–and to explore what it means to go deeper into their own FEARLESS Painting Practice.  I guided them through five weeks of this six week adventure, when I finally was honest with myself and admitted that I had simply dragged my beautiful tribe of FEARLESS Painters through what could have been a much more juicy, engaging adventure.

So I stopped.  Just like that.

I wrote them the most sincerest email I could, explaining that my life had gotten too heavy and too hard to hold sacred space for them and to be the support and anchor they deserved.  I promised them that I would start all over again in February from scratch–and that it would be just us.  And that this time it would truly be an adventure.

I’ll be honest with you–I was terrified to do what I did.  Even though I knew in my heart-of-heart that this was the right thing to do for myself, my family, and most of all my FEARLESS Painters who count on me for guidance and encouragement–my inner critic came out with a mega-phone shouting and screaming that this act would kill my business.

So much of what we see and consume on the internet these days is so slick, shiny, and put-together like a pretty package.  It’s easy to think that others have it all figured out–or even worse that it’s suppose to be all easy peasy light and breezey all the time. So when life gets crunchy or the world feels like it’s falling in on us–our inner critic has a field day comparing us to the sparkly personalities online.

With great compassion and love, I’m here to let you know that being a self-sustainable Artist is not always easy peasy light and breezey.  I don’t say this to scare you–but rather to  let you know that it’s ok–there is nothing wrong with you.  That your struggles are not a sign that you are a failure or that your voice doesn’t matter in the world or that you don’t have something valuable to share.

As FEARLESS Painters, it’s so vital that we change our perspective and use our hardships, our struggles, our sorrow as a classroom for deepening our connection to Creative Source.  As FEARLESS Painters we have an incredible gift to feel what we are feeling and to express it honestly with our paintbrush–and in doing so, we transform our hardships, our struggles, and our sorrows into beauty…into Art.

And yes, I know…it’s hard.  It’s hard to pick up our paintbrush when we feel down trodden and exhausted.  It’s hard to lean into our creativity when all you want to do is cry.  So just know that even the smallest effort can make the greatest impact.

When I was going through a really rough time last year, I used the little energy I could squeeze out every night to draw with oil pastels or create mandalas with pen and ink–and it was my life saver.

If you are navigating a rough patch yourself right now, I encourage you to gift yourself  just 15 minutes a day.  Sometimes just scribbling the blessed heck out of your oil pastels–or doodling in a notebook–or even a crazy spout of finger painting can be the most healing thing we do for ourselves.

It helps.  It honestly does.