Last week I was walking my Dad’s dog when a Turkey Vulture swooped out of the sky and came within five feet of my head! He was so close I could hear the swishing sound his feathers made when he changed direction. I couldn’t help but scream out loud and then immediately ran inside to look up Vulture symbolism. (I am just one of those “everything means something” kind of people...)
There is a lot that could be said about the Vulture, but the thing that jumped out the most was how patient they are. Vultures are scavengers and only eat things that have already died. This means that they must patiently wait for their food to show up instead of hunting it down.
This made me stop to think about what I needed to have patience with. To be honest, it became clear that I need to have more patience with just about everything!
But at the top of the list was patience with myself.
I have a voice that loves to nag me. “Why aren’t you done with that painting yet? Why haven’t you gotten better at this yet? Why aren’t you making this much money with your art yet?” Sometimes it is a little bit more covert as it is masked by excitement and it just says, “I want it NOW!”
When I am caught up listening to that voice, I begin to work in a more frenzied and reactive way. I am less present to what is right in front of me and more anxious about what may or may not happen. The creative well begins to run dry.
The Vulture wanted to teach me more about patience. It is the stuff of being. It is the quiet inner work that often goes unnoticed by everyone around you.
What emerges is a deeper sense of trust and acceptance that centers and fortifies your every move. What emerges is a clarity of vision, the slow building of skills, the gathering of wisdom, and a trail of inspiration that fills your creative well.
What could use your patience? How might this nourish your creativity?
If you have a book that needs illustrations or want to illustrate a book, let’s talk!