character strengths & making art

hi everyone!

ok, i have a few things on my mind these days...

First of all, like many people on the planet,

i feel overwhelmed these days.

The good news is, right now,

i'm overwhelmed with good stuff.

In the past year or so,

i've read everything i could get my hands on about

creativity.

I've also taken a few wonderful e-courses

that have really helped me grow as an artist

and helped me become confident enough

to not only find my own voice,

but listen to it.

For once.

These are some of the notes i took

while i took the fabulous e-course called

Do what you love for life,

with Beth Nicholls.

That first e-course 

was a turning point for me.

(thank you Beth!)

Creativity has become a habit for me now.

If a day passes where i can't express myself

through words or paint (for whatever reason!),

i'm out of sorts.

i don't feel grounded.

i feel like something's missing from my day.

I'm a pain in the ass. ;-)

So being creative is not a problem for me,

because it is who i am.

Skills can always be improved,

but being creative is not something i need to learn how to do

- it comes naturally.

Many of you are in the same boat, i'm sure.

However - the business side of creativity

knowing how to make moolah with my art, 

understanding the marketing side of things,

now that's a problem for me - 

because it is not who i am naturally.

So i need to work on that stuff

a little harder,

by taking e-courses,

by reading books,

by learning from others.

Some of you may be marketing geniuses.

Woot! Woot!

Buy yourself a balloon.

I'm not.

;-)

This is why it's such an exciting time for artists right now

because we have everything at our fingertips,

and there are so many wonderful ressources out there!

There's so much we can learn from others

and it never ceases to amaze me

how quickly others are willing to share.

Whether we choose to take advantage of this or not

is up to us.

But it's there.

Hence... feeling overwhelmed at times. :-)

There's so much information out there,

it's easy to get caught up in the trap

of comparing ourselves to others...

I don't have enough

I don't do enough

I'm not cool enough

I'm not young enough

I am not enough...

Trust me, even if you're not plugged into social media 24-7,

you'll be ok!

So if i comment on your blogs a little less often

or post on my own blog a little less often

it's not for lack of love. ;-)

It's probably because i'm painting

or writing

or walking at the beach,

trying to absorb all this awesomeness around me

without losing myself. 

As artists,

i think it's important to remind ourselves now and then

of our own character strengths

and not let ourselves be swallowed

by others.

What makes YOU tick?

What are YOUR strengths?

Where do YOU shine?

When are YOU at your happiest?

Do that.

As

often

as

you

can.

Life is short.

Years ago, I remember telling a writer friend of mine,

that i wanted to be a writer someday.

"Then write", he said.

It really is that simple.

You wanna be an artist, you say?

Then make art.

xoxo