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Hello everyone, Thank you for inviting me into your inbox this month once again. I so appreciate that you have subscribed, and what it means for you to take time with the content I am sharing. Please know that I value you and I am truly grateful for your support for my work and offerings. Here on the West Coast of Canada spring is in full force and I feel the rising energy of new growth and awakening. It’s a time of renewal and a beautiful reminder that after a long, cold winter that life returns and blesses us with its vitality. I think that nature has much to teach us about life and art-making. There is a wisdom within nature that trusts all that comes – receives it, adapts to it, and makes use of what is available. This month’s blog post is part 2 of ‘Hearing No, Feeling No’ where I consider the relationship we have to “no” when we’re facing an opportunity or choice. How do we determine a clear “no” based on our truth, versus a fear-based response that we would want to work with and allow ourselves to move through? I hope this post offers you some strategies to help you discern when and how to say “no” so you can say “yes” to yourself. My 30 Day Sketchbook Challenge Course continues to offer artists insights and tools to cultivate a dedicated and sustainable sketchbook practice – a complement to any art practice. If you’re curious to know more about the course, scroll down for more info. It is always available on my website, and you can start anytime. Further along in this newsletter, you’ll also find some information about the next release of my signature program, The Artist’s Mindset. I’m so excited to be offering this live online group coaching program again this year! And just a reminder that my monthly blog post is also offered as an audio recording, allowing you to listen rather than read. To listen to the recording just click on the READ MORE OR LISTEN button in the ‘FROM THE BLOG’ section of this newsletter and you’ll find the MP3 file on my website at the bottom of my written post. If you have any feedback for me, I always love hearing from you. Thank you for reading and sharing this newsletter…it truly is appreciated. PS: For those of you that are new subscribers I have included a link to find previous issues of this newsletter – full of additional resources for you!
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HEARING NO, FEELING NO – PART 2
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In my last blog post I shared how we respond to hearing “no” and ways to work with the resulting emotions so that we can return to our purpose and use any rejection as creative fuel. The other relationship we have to “no” is when we have a choice to make. It’s when we are weighing a decision, considering an opportunity – like submitting to a gallery or juried show – that we need to consider the internal “no” we may be feeling to ascertain its true source. I have, and I’m sure many of you have as well, been stopped by my internal “no” when it was likely a good choice for me to move toward that opportunity. Unfortunately, in considering the opportunity, I experienced a fear-based response to being out of my comfort zone. That feeling of uncertainty then led me away from what was actually a step towards what I said I wanted to pursue. This is a form of saying “no” to ourselves and our desires. It can be helpful for us to remember that feelings of uncertainty can arrive naturally when faced with something new, and especially when it’s actually meaningful for us. If we want something deeply, we can be frightened of that desire and having that desire unmet. Perhaps in the past, we didn’t get our needs met or were told we didn’t deserve to have what we wanted. There can be any number of subsconscious narratives that can be activated when we move towards what we desire. That connection between our old script, and the uncertainty we feel, creates confusion for us and we tend to give energy to the feelings that are natural, making them bigger than they are. These feelings don’t need to stop us and are very different from the real clear “no” that results from assessing and making a decision based in our truth. But how do we determine a clear “no” based on our truth, versus a fear-based response that we want to work with and allow ourselves to move through? Sometimes we are unclear about how we are truly feeling about an opportunity, and the waters can get muddy with our looping thoughts and mixed emotions. So we may need a little extra time to check in with ourselves to become more clear.
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INSPIRATION FOR YOUR ARTIST’S MINDSET
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WE ARE SPACE: ARTIST LITA ALBUQUERQUE I am fascinated with artists that use light, space, and the natural world to engage our perceptions and invite questions. I clearly remember the first time I saw a light installation by James Turrell at the Henry Art Gallery in Seattle. I was an art student at the time and his work was challenging for me to understand, but as I experienced these light-filled spaces I understood that it was about bringing into question what I thought I knew. This, for me, altered my relationship to art-making and art appreciation. Art can change us by simply calling us to consider what we perceive and feel. It invites us to meet its beauty, its questions, and its presence in relation to what we know, and then asks us if what we know is still true for us, or has it been altered in some way. Art has this ability to speak to difficult topics and issues by calling into question our preconceived notions, leaving us more curious about ourselves and the world around us. This Louisiana Channel interview with artist Lita Albuquerque delivers a thoughtful look into what inspires, guides, and informs an artist’s practice that is rooted in changing perceptions through installations of light, space, colour, and performance. Lita Albuquerque emerged in the 1970s during the Light and Space movement that grew out of the California desert in the ‘60s. She is a multidisciplinary artist that speaks sensitively about her work and its hopeful role in this shifting time.
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SIMON CADE: WHY YOU SHOULDN’T BE AN ARTIST “No one said the artist’s creative life would be easy.” While this may be true, I know as an artist and creativity coach that the rewards of finding a path forward with our creative work are immeasurable, and far outweigh the efforts we have made in pursuit of the creative life. This short film by the creator of DSLRguide, Simon Cade, reminds us that there are too many reasons to not make our art – reasons that are real and ones that are imagined. The questions and statements expressed in this film reveals the inner dialogue that often perforates our resolve to make our art and express our creativity. Perhaps this film will be the reminder you need today to help you find the true value in why you make art…and begin.
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THE AWAKENED EYE: MISINFORMATION AND THE CREATIVE MIND When physicist David Bohm, who investigates the phenomenon of creativity, was asked in earnest by Miriam Louisa Simons, the writer of this blog post, what her students needed to know about creativity to succeed with their work in art and design, he answered quite simply, “Nothing. They only need to understand what sabotages it.” In this post from The Awakened Eye, featuring the work of artist Chris Drury, the writer continues to share much of David Brohm’s writings from his essay ‘On Creativity’ which expands on and offers in-depth insights into the creative process. The post debunks many myths and misinformation around creativity and leaves us with new understandings about how we can best relate to this uniquely human experience that often defies being defined by words. “The creative state of mind…is, first of all, one whose interest in what is being done is wholehearted and total, like that of a young child. With this spirit, it is always open to learning what is new, to perceiving new differences and new similarities, leading to new orders and structures, rather than always tending to impose familiar orders and structures in the field of what is seen.”
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THE 30 DAY SKETCHBOOK CHALLENGE COURSE The 30 Day Sketchbook Challenge Course is an affordable, self-guided, content-rich course that you can start anytime. It guides you through developing a consistent and personal sketchbook practice to enhance your art-making and mindset skills. With daily prompts, reflective questions for gaining further insights, and pre-recorded coaching videos, there is tons of support for artists as they nurture and connect with their creative expression and artist's mindset. It is being offered at only $59 CAD, making this course available to so many. I have created an enriching experience for you by offering some of my best content on working with a sketchbook and reflective journaling. Being a stand-alone, self-guided course means it can be accessed at any time and you’ll have lifetime access to the content. If you want more details on the 30 Day Sketchbook Challenge Course, please visit my course information page HERE. You can also email me at info@insightcreative.ca with your questions or for more info.
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THE ARTIST’S MINDSET : GROUP COACHING PROGRAM My signature online program, The Artist’s Mindset : Group Coaching Program, is being offered once again this September. This 12-week Online Group Coaching Program focuses exclusively on how to develop a healthy creative mindset that will support your art making process and allow you to connect deeply with your inner voice and unique, authentic expression. The Program brings the work I do with my 1 to 1 coaching clients directly to you, in your home or workspace. Through video tutorials, live coaching sessions, experiential assignments and inner explorations, you’ll unlock your creative expression and engage with your art at a much deeper and authentic level, allowing you to easily move past creative blocks and navigate the challenges that artists often face when making their art. As a subscriber you’ll have access to early registration for this Program. The Artist’s Mindset Program is only offered once a year and enrolment is limited to ensure the very best experience for the participating artists. I look forward to sharing more about this program in the coming months. If you know of an artist that might want to be notified when registration opens, please forward this newsletter to them.
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For new subscribers – please enjoy these previous issues of my monthly newsletter. Thank you for subscribing!
Links to additional back issues can be found on the right sidebar of my Blog HERE
If you know of any artists that could benefit from these monthly newsletters and/or my 30 Day Sketchbook Challenge Course, please share this email with them and invite them to have a look. They’ll receive my free PDF download on ‘How to Make a Creativity Journal’ when they do.
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Art-making is such a personal experience, always calling us forth and asking us to be more of ourselves, to trust more deeply and to show up for the work.
When we develop a healthy and resilient attitude towards the struggles we may be facing, we feel more balanced and set ourselves up for success. I hope this newsletter gives you some tools to help guide yourself towards more trust and awareness around your creative process. Thanks for being here…wishing you abundant creativity today and every day!
Warmly,
Cheryl Taves
info@insightcreative.ca
h: 250.360.1453
c: 250.818.3239
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