Recognizing Your Secret Powers: A Survival Guide for Introverts

Reflection and Artwork by Sebila Kratovac

Navigating my life as an introvert, I have realized that many people have the wrong idea about introversion and, to make things more confusing, even introverts don’t truly understand how they differ from extroverts. From my perspective, the biggest myth about introverts is that they don’t like social situations. For example, I love getting together with friends and talking to people that can handle my communication style, but put me in a classroom or a meeting with many talkative extroverts, I can’t wait to get out and spend some time alone.

Another common myth is that all introverts are shy. Shyness can develop from insecurity and anxiety, but many introverts actually love connecting with people and thrive in more relaxed and intimate social situations. Instead of thinking that introverts innately dislike human contact, I believe that their nervous system is wired differently and is much more sensitive to outside stimuli. With new and unfamiliar situations, introverts are easily drained of energy, needing to recharge by spending some time alone. If they are in their element - if they feel safe, seen, and valued - introverts can be the most talkative and dynamic people in the room.

Sadly, many societies don’t value introversion, especially in schools and the workplace. In Western societies in particular, it seems that extroverts are handsomely rewarded in the public sphere, while introverts, working quietly and often doing an excellent job, get passed for jobs, promotions, and other opportunities. Loudness and assertiveness are seen as competence, while diligence and quietness signal weakness.

I was recently watching a YouTube coaching session with Chris Do, a graphic designer and an incredible design educator at The Futur, and his self-proclaimed introvert client, Rebecca Heinemann. In the video called Secret Power of Introverts - Being A Great Listener ep. 4, Chris turns the table around on introverts because he gets Rebecca to see that, instead of believing that something is wrong with her, she can embrace the way she is and let introversion work for her. As Rebecca talks about her reluctance to approach people and engage in small talk, Chris challenges her to connect with people from an empowered state of mind. Our beliefs are powerful and thinking that we are worth engaging with calms the nervous system down and helps us have a fulfilling exchange with another person. If we start seeing introversion as an asset, we can even feel excited about networking and doing business.

As an introvert himself, Chris talks about being in design meetings with a room full of extroverts talking over each other and feeling petrified to speak up and assert himself. This is where he learned about his superpowers as an introvert. After a particularly intense meeting, his boss noticed that he was quiet and asked him his opinion on the presentation. Chris answered with a very thoughtful and cohesive strategy on how to improve a design discussed at the meeting. From then on, his boss always knew where to go for smart advice. This important experience taught Chris that his power lies in being an excellent listener, soaking up all the information, and giving himself time to think about everyone’s and his own opinion to formulate a win-win scenario for the design team. For me, listening lets us “see into” people and connect on a much deeper level that allows us to understand others and their needs. In workplaces and personal relationships, this quality is priceless.

Chris discovered his second superpower as he started valuing himself more. Since everyone stopped to listen to him when he did talk, his words weighed a lot and he could transform the vibe in a room as he wished. Because people responded to him positively, he realized that he has power to shape energy around him. Chris also discovered that his tendency to think deeply and have a rich inner life gave him an incredible manifesting ability. He could visualize what he wanted and was usually able to see it come to fruition. When he was living through situations that he clearly pictured in his mind, he felt a sense of déjà vu, as if he had experienced the same situation before. Through empowering himself, Chris was eventually able to show up in the world with confidence and, using his empathetic traits, has helped many people including Rebecca to thrive in life and business. In fact, serving others and showing them how they can cultivate confidence has been his greatest fulfillment and his most cherished superpower.  

So, what are some practical steps that other introverts can take to tap into their superpowers? Chris suggests to Rebecca that the first step is to accept herself as she is an to stop caring about what others think. Appreciating ourselves and believing that there is nothing wrong with us is important so that we can feel relaxed enough to let go of control in social situations. The second step is to commit to making important changes in our life and see introversion as an asset rather than an excuse to limit ourselves. With commitment to change, we can start getting out of our comfort zone every single day. It is a good idea to ask a friend or hire a coach to hold us accountable for accomplishing our goals. Lastly, Chris encourages Rebecca to trust the transformation process and to go with it even though he sees that she is resistant to some of the advice he is giving her. In my experience, resistance is a sign that I am confronting something important and that I should examine how I feel about what I am resisting. Is it something that will benefit me in the long run? Am I resisting change because of fear or because the change is not aligned with my desires?

I am not at all surprised that introverts are well-represented in creative fields since thoughtfulness and introspection are very conducive to creativity. I often marvel at the courage it takes for artists to put their work out there for everyone to judge. It is truly a paradox since artists tend to be the most resistant to this kind of social exposure. There must be something about introversion that helps artists deeply connect with their audience. I believe it is their ability to be alone, to feel the depths of their emotions, to be intimately familiar with their own inner landscape which they can energetically transmit to the audience. Interestingly, many performers note that they experience a high after a play or a concert because they feel that they become one with the audience through an equal exchange of energy. The superpower to merge with others is another important introvert superpower. This superpower allows introverts to receive energy that is freely given to them and to give out energy that they desire to share with others. Extroverts, of course, have many incredible superpowers as well. The big question is, will the West finally recognize the riches of the subtle introvert? 

Lessons in Stumbling on a Creative Path

Reflection and Artwork by Sebila Kratovac

My confidence as an artist and my self-worth as a human being has been tested many times in my life but a memory from my eleventh-grade art class comes to mind very vividly. In high school, art classes were my only refuge from feeling like an alien in the American Deep South. I loved drawing, painting, and sculpting and remember only feeling joyful in art classes. In this particular art class however, I had a teacher who very much disliked my art. Despite not being supported by this teacher, I decided to enter a high school art competition that year. The teacher was shocked and displeased when my painting received an honorable mention. This happened to me again in graduate school for science, where I was discouraged and unsupported by my “advisors” but I still continued to go forward and eventually got great feedback from other people who were more receptive to what I was trying to do.

So many of us hear our calling to create – an urge which is deeply connected to our joy and soul purpose. It can be heartbreaking to discover that others don’t recognize our great potential and passion for what we want to do. In a recent episode of her podcast Magic Lessons called "Who Gets To Decide Whether You're A Legitimate Artist?", Elizabeth Gilbert interviews Cecilia, a young poet whose love for poetry was tested when she tried to apply for MFA programs in poetry. Despite writing poetry from youth and loving the process, Cecilia stopped writing after all the schools she applied to didn’t admit her. She felt absolutely crushed and conflicted because she saw herself as a talented poet while the “experts” didn’t feel the same way. How was she to trust herself ever again? Luckily, Gilbert, a writer of the beloved book Eat, Pray, Love, who went through her fair share of criticism, gave Cecilia some great advice on how to continue committing to her craft.

First, Gilbert compassionately reminded the young poet that she doesn’t need anyone’s permission to do what she loves – no teacher, no “expert”, no parents, no friends, no one but herself. She gave Cecilia an assignment to create her own diploma so that she can give herself permission to continue writing poetry and to think of herself as a poet. To me, the handmade diploma is a symbol for our faith in ourselves and commitment to staying true to what lights us up. Many now-famous artists and writers have had to overcome ridicule and constant rejections. Gilbert’s second guest, poet and spiritual adviser Mark Depo, gives a striking example of the celebrated American author Herman Melville. When Melville presented his book Moby Dick to the world, he was laughed at, shamed, and banished from his writing community. Melville even stopped writing for a while. Today, Moby Dick is considered by many as a masterpiece and one of the greatest books of all time. The impressionistic painter Vincent van Gogh found himself in a very similar situation. Despite being rejected by his peers and never selling a painting in his lifetime, he continued to paint passionately until his death. Nowadays, he is one of the most revered and loved painters because people from all walks of life recognize something very special about his art. No critic can take the magic away from what he created. Gilbert goes on to highlight the importance of looking into history to feel that we are a part of a larger and timeless network of creative people that went through the same struggles but persevered.

In essence, the experience we go through when we are rejected is a path of self-acceptance and of living a life we desire despite all outside forces telling us otherwise. The final advice that Gilbert gives Cecilia is to focus on writing her poetry without the pressure of putting her work out there for one full year. This advice may seem counter-intuitive or even crazy but when we are not pressured to put out artwork that gets likes on social media or approval from critics, we finally may be able to let go of resistance enough to start creating what we want. Even seeing that we are more productive can improve our self-esteem. The bonus comes when we realize that we have accomplished what we never thought we could and that we created work we are really proud of. From this empowered state, putting our work out there when we are ready might not feel as scary since our worth would no longer be tied to what others say about our art. In Cecilia’s case, there are many reasons why she wasn’t admitted into graduate school including that it just wasn’t the right time for her. She could have been scared to send in her most-cherished poems because of her need to fit in. Now that she can have time and space to work on her poetry and strengthen her confidence, she may not even feel compelled to go to graduate school after all. Situations that to us seem crushing, can teach us to believe in our own worth and to project this confidence into the world, releasing our dependence on the outside world to tell us who we should be.

I wonder what compelled me to defy my art teacher and believe in myself enough to enter the high school art competition. Maybe it was my rebellious nature which loves to prove wrong those who think that there is the right way to create art, or possibly my intuitive knowing that art is my calling, that gave me the courage to stand up for myself. The golden thread that I see running through Cecilia’s and my own life experience is the necessity to stick to doing what we love and what sounds true to us. Through committing to our truth, we can develop unshakable confidence, even if it is at first a symptom of our defiance. As we embody confidence, we can attract other people to us who truly appreciate what we do. We are then supported for who we are, not for what others expect from us. I am reminded of one of my favorite artists, Kate Bush, who decided to introduce herself to the world with the song Wuthering Heights. Everyone in the music industry said that the song would end her career before it started. She could have debuted with a pop song but she knew that she wouldn’t be speaking to an audience that would support her authentic self. Wuthering Heights, as strange and alien as it was to untrained ears used to pop music, became Bush’s most iconic song and inspired many artists in the 80s and beyond to embrace the unusual.

Building Authentic Creative Communities

Artwork and Reflection by Sebila Kratovac

Living in New York City throughout my 20s, I became disillusioned with what it means to belong to a creative community. As an artist and a creative, I tried to figure out how to make artist friends without success. Either I wasn’t “cool” enough, self-destructive enough, or technically skilled enough to find the right fit for me so I developed a negative view of artist communities in general. My perceived failure to belong to a creative community in NYC planted a seed of unworthiness into my subconscious, a self-sabotaging belief that I somehow would never belong to anything just the way I am.

The fact that many artists, including me, are introverts, at least most of the time, led me on a path of isolation, loneliness, and stuckness. I am still on this journey of finding my “tribe” and have recently come across very informative YouTube vlogs (4 Ways to Build Creative Community and How I Built a Creative Community That Kicked Off My Creative Career) by Tom Froese, a very talented illustrator and educator. In his story-infused videos, Froese talks about how he brought himself out of depression by building a creative community around him before the days of social media. He mentions ways in which he connected with other creatives, initiating relationships that helped him become more confident and inspired to pursue an illustration career. But how does an introvert with limiting beliefs become a creative community builder?

Froese describes how his yearning for being seen and appreciated for who he is became a strong motivation for him to share his art. He started with blogging - sharing his thoughts, song lyrics, digital photography, and other creations. Once he gained a following, he slowly developed confidence and created his own meetup group Creative Breakfast. Taking a small step such as sharing our art on Instagram so that people can find us can be a powerful catalyst for getting unstuck. This way, we can attract an audience and can get our followers involved with our creative process. For example, Froese started posting illustrations of noses on Instagram every day for 100 days under the hashtag #the100dayproject. As he received more interest in his art, he began engaging with his followers by commenting on their posts and leaving positive feedback, as well as answering all their questions. Social media can be a great tool to attract people who match our interests and many people who meet through social media go on to start online communities through Zoom and other digital platforms. 

This amount of online engagement can seem intimidating and exposing to a lot of introverts and I have found myself coming in and out of social media when it begins to feel too overwhelming for me. But, luckily, there are many alternative ways to engage with other creatives. If you are more comfortable connecting with others in person, you can create a workshop, a meetup group, or an event such as a dance party or a potluck where creatives with similar interests and values can come together. Froese talks about going to conferences for creatives where he made many personal and business connections. From my own experience, taking a course or pursuing further education in a desired creative field will automatically give you access to other creatives, feedback, and mentorship. You can also seek out mentorship outside of academia so don’t be afraid to reach out to more experienced creatives for help. 

What if there aren’t many physical opportunities to meet creatives in your area? Since big cities are becoming too expensive for artists, Froese suggests to search online for smaller, more affordable towns with burgeoning artist communities and see if moving to one of them is a good choice for you. If moving is not possible, collaborating with other creatives remotely could be a good way to create deeper relationships with others. Collaborations are also a great way to get inspired, learn from others, get feedback, or just to be held accountable for creating new artwork.

How can we make the first step to put ourselves out there? What has helped me is to make peace with my discomfort in certain social situations. It is okay to feel anxious, slow to trust, or uncertain about how to create boundaries with people. But, since most of us, introverts included, want to connect with others - to be seen and heard – we can take small steps toward connecting with others, even if it seems uncomfortable in the beginning. To make the process less stressful, we can think about how we want to feel around people we want to connect with and imagine we are already surrounded by our tribe. We can pay attention to how we feel when we meet people and ask ourselves “Do I feel good around this person or am I pursuing this relationship because I feel lonely?” Most of us have a desire to belong, but at what price? One of Froese’s greatest takeaways is that the best way to become unstuck and authentically connect with others is to build our own creative communities, on our own terms. This way, we can attract people to us through freely sharing who we are, be it by writing a blog or posting our artwork. Connecting with people takes vulnerability and an open heart ready to risk disappointment. As long as we can cultivate courage and healthy boundaries (this comes with life experience), as well as patience for authentic connection, we will eventually find what we are looking for and thrive.

The Artist’s Dream: From Resistance to Inspiration

A drawing using my non-dominant right hand. Such a fun exercise and surprisingly easy and flowing!

Reflection and Artwork by Sebila Kratovac

There is nothing so frightening yet full of possibilities than a blank page. We have all been there. I believe that we are born with the ability to create freely and abundantly but, as we grow up, we learn that things should not come so easily to us and that we have to work very hard to create anything worthwhile. Resistance creeps in and we manifest the pain that we originally believed was necessary to create what we desire. Inspiration, which is available to us as the air we breathe, seems to be in short supply and only accessible to “true artists.”

Creatives often find themselves in a situation where their passion is to make art but inspiration doesn’t always show up when they wish to create. They feel guilty, overwhelmed, and stressed out, an emotional space that can easily lead to a self-sabotaging downward spiral. Kendyll Hillegas, a freelance illustrator, talks about her struggle to keep inspired in her YouTube video The Truth About Inspiration for Artists and Illustrators. She believes that inspiration comes once we commit to a particular creative practice through all the trials and tribulations that can come with resistance. This period of testing our commitment is crucial to finding our true passion. If we find that we cannot stick with something through completion, we are then free to explore different ways to create or even completely change our direction in life.

Breaking through resistance and letting inspiration flow is not an easy endeavor, even when we fully commit to pursuing our passion. To complicate matters even more, resistance seems to be proportional to how much we love the work we do. In his must-read book The War of Art, dealing with ways to conquer resistance, Steven Pressfield writes that “the more Resistance you experience, the more important your unmanifested art/project/enterprise is to you - and the more gratification you will feel when you finally do it.” Where does this blockage to inspiration come from? Sometimes we are resistant because of perfectionism or pressure we put on ourselves to create in a particular way. In Hillegas’ case, she resisted her art practice because of pressure she put on herself to draw realistically. But, with constantly asking herself “Is this what I really am interested in and passionate about?” she found that the blood, sweat, and tears she put into her artwork were worth it. After that first breakthrough, Hillegas felt inspired to continue with realistic drawing, feeling more joyful and excited to see how she can improve her drawings with more experience.

As Pressfield puts it, by committing to creating something we love, we have earned favor of the muses and are now magnetized to attract synchronicities, guidance, mentors, insights, and ideas to help us get inspired. So, what are some of the ways that we can open up to inspiration? One way to get inspired is to bypass the brain circuits which we usually employ when we are attempting to create. For example, we can write down poems or stream-of-consciousness thoughts, draw or sculpt, or even brush our teeth using our non-dominant hand. As we are creating new brain circuits, we are also strengthening communication between the left and right brain hemispheres. Another way to trick our brain to welcome inspiration is to switch our tasks drastically. Instead of sitting frustrated at our desk, we can go out for a walk, prepare a delicious meal, or watch comedy skits for an hour. Connecting with others – going for a coffee with a friend, playing with our pets, spending time with loved ones – has the power to shift our mind from contraction to expansion. Movement, especially freestyle movement, can prepare our body and mind for inspiration. Yoga, sports, dancing, walking, and any other forms of movement increase the flow of energy and oxygen throughout the body and make us feel more embodied, grounded, and present. We feel that we can take up space and create, that our actions can impact something out there in the world. Far from distractions, these exercises are meant to save us time and energy we spend on resistance so we can get to the fun stuff.

For some people, bringing their mind and body into a relaxed state can be the most effective way to release resistance. Taking a bath, listening to soothing music, going to a sound healing class, having a hypnotherapy session, trying yin/restorative yoga and yoga nidra, and starting to meditate with binaural beats can bring the brain into the alpha and theta wave states of deep relaxation, priming us for receiving inspiration. And for an even deeper state of relaxation, how about taking a nap? Getting our brain to the delta wave state during sleep, gives us access to our subconscious through our dreams. Paying attention to our dreams can be a huge gold mine for inspiration. To go even further, exploring lucid dreaming (a dream state in which we are aware that we are dreaming and are able to influence the dream) can help us see that we have the power to create our own reality and that there is nothing that can stop us from creating anything we want.

When nothing else works, all we can do is surrender to the fact that we are not in a place to be inspired. As Hillegas advises, we can give ourselves some time and space to come back to this journey of creating. In her channeling work through Abraham, Esther Hicks talks about how each morning is a new opportunity to live our best life. When we are in that zero-point neutral state, before any negative thought enters our mind, everything is possible, even letting go of resistance. Coming to terms with how we are feeling, we can then move on with our day, wake up the next day refreshed, and start over anew.

Intuition Knows

Reflection and Artwork by Sebila Kratovac

When I worked in the science field, I was greatly surprised that most scientists believe they only operate from the rational, logical mind when developing science projects and experiments. Reflecting on my work in science, only when I allowed my intuition to guide me, was I able to experience breakthroughs which were not only exciting but usually went against any pre-conceived or pre-approved notions about the particular subject I was investigating. How could this be? I believe that when we create anything unique, we are receiving guidance from the intuitive voice that is internally guiding all of us, even without our awareness.

Not surprisingly, intuition plays a pivotal role in the creative process. Artists often speak of their intuitive guidance as the muses coming to cocreate with them. But even for scientists, it seems to be necessary for breaking the bounds of current scientific knowledge. The more we control the creative process, the more we seem to be led away from innovation. I recently listened to a very interesting and illuminating podcast by Inspire Nation, called “Intuition: Get Guidance and Hear It Loud and Clear!” In this episode,  Australian filmmaker Bill Bennett talks about learning to listen to his intuition throughout his life. In his film “PGS: Intuition Is Your Personal Guidance System,” he documents his own experience with intuition and talks to people from a variety of backgrounds on this subject. In the podcast, Bennett beautifully discusses his five steps to consciously use intuition on our journey to fulfilling our purpose: Stop, Listen, Ask, Trust, and Follow. So, what is intuition and how do we become aware of this superpower that each one of us possesses? Let’s dive in!

Oftentimes, we feel stuck, not knowing which way to move toward fulfilling our dreams and our unique purpose. Although this situation might seem daunting, it is a perfect opportunity for us to become aware of and sensitive to our intuition so that it can be our guide in life. What if we are not hearing an intuitive voice at all or we can’t even begin to fathom what intuition sounds and feels like? In his short but priceless book The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, Deepak Chopra describes how we can create a state in which we can begin to hear our intuitive voice. Chopra’s suggestions are akin to Bennett’s Stop and Listen. He recommends being in silence at least one hour a day, enjoying connecting with nature, meditating 30 minutes in the morning and at night, and observing how our body feels while minimizing all outside distractions.

To make things even more complicated, we may start noticing an inner voice guiding us to things that seem weird or irrational. Many different sensations can arise as we experience resistance, fear, or a sense of losing control. This is where experimentation comes in handy. We can try to do what we have always done and ignore this voice, opting for controlling every aspect of what we do…or we could follow this intuitive voice guiding us into the unknown. How does it feel when we follow our intuition and what happens when we don’t listen to it? After a few experiences, we will gather some invaluable information to be able to decide what approach works best for us. Even after experimentation, we can still have hard time trusting our intuitive voice, feeling that we will be disappointed if things don’t work out. We may have a lot of resistance to changing our life and doing something different because of previous trauma. Even if we are strongly guided toward a certain opportunity, we may be afraid that others will think we are crazy to go for it. What we can do is ask ourselves, “What’s the worst that could happen?” Even if we live out our worst nightmare, how can we see it as an experience that helps us know what we want and don’t want?

As we become more familiar with our intuitive voice, we can start asking it for guidance, knowing that it will act in our best interest. As Bennett further explains: Ask, Trust, Follow. What if our intuition guides us to do nothing? What if we follow a strong hunch but nothing happens for a while? Does it mean that we are left in the cold? In this world, we are used to pushing for something to happen and we want things to manifest quickly but, through this process, we learn that this approach is not necessary - something that is good for us in the long run will eventually come true and something that we force into manifesting will disappear very quickly and often painfully. Here is where divine timing comes into play – trusting and paying attention to signs or synchronicities internally and externally will keep us informed in the meantime.

How can we live a life of flow and intuitive guidance when there are so many distractions and pressures to “be in touch with reality,” to work hard until exhaustion because “no pain, no gain,” to act quickly or we will “miss out” on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? Think of how we were as children before society’s programming got hold of us. If we could bring out our child-like qualities of curiosity, trusting and listening to our feelings, flowing with our inner guidance, creating without reservation, and tapping into the universal wisdom, our life could be our own, on our own terms. As we align more with who we really are and our life’s purpose, we can become better friends, parents, companions, and citizens of the world, having the health, wisdom, and vitality to truly make this world a better place.

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How to Step Into the Unknown

Reflection and Artwork by Sebila Kratovac

Embarking on a creative journey is kind of like going on a hero’s journey – it is a feat of trial and error, fear, confusion, resistance, slaying inner demons, and feeling lost. But, there are rewards on the other side, gifts from the universe once we do the necessary work to overcome what is preventing us from creating authentically on our own terms. I recently listened to a wonderful Creative Peptalk podcast episode called Your Creative Center: How to Find It and Create from It with Johnny Pemberton, which inspired me to talk about some of the ways we can begin this daunting journey.

In many cases, we are afraid to start our creative journey based on limiting beliefs of unworthiness, lack of talent, or that we have nothing unique to offer to the world. Other reasons we feel stuck and resistant might be related to our fear of the unknown or of doing something that is out of our comfort zone. The hardest thing may be to make that first step but how and where do we start? As Joseph Campbell once said, “Just dive in!”. We can start by finding a first step that feels the easiest for us to make. For example, in the book The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron talks about encouraging her clients to commit to writing morning pages, three page stream-of-consciousness writings completed every single morning before anything else is done. Activities like Cameron’s morning pages, freestyle dancing, or doodling that suspend our judgement and our tendency to plan are very effective in freeing the mind from the left brain box and releasing our fear of doing something in the “wrong way.”

After making the first step to ease a bit of our fear and resistance, we can then feel freer to explore and gain some life experience, which is priceless for teaching us more about who we are and what makes us light up. There may be times when we follow a direction which, in the end, will not feel right to us but we are always free to change our course. Through our life experiences, pivoting as we go, our inner compass will be refined, clearing our way from distractions to our true North.

Once we find something that is dear to our heart, the trick is to focus all our energy into that creative activity. Let’s say we figure out that we want to illustrate children’s books but getting a job as an illustrator with a big publishing company seems like a far-away dream. What we can do is seek out people who have written a children’s book and would like to have it illustrated or we can illustrate our own book! This may be a path of less resistance where we can gain more experience and confidence which can prepare us for bigger, more competitive projects.

Fully engaging in something we love, something that feels authentic and nourishes our soul, can lead us to experiencing the flow state – a place where time is suspended and energy is limitless. The more we create in this flow state, the more we can perfect our craft and gain confidence to show our work to others. Our authentic voice will inevitably shine through. We won’t have to look for our creative specialty or style - it will find us.

There isn’t necessarily a milestone or a destination that we have to reach on our journey. For me, the creative journey is about getting to know myself and making choices that feel better and are more aligned. These gifts of clarity and purpose may be even more valuable to us than reaching a particular goal. Our journey never truly ends because humans have this innate drive to grow, expand, and create. So why not make our creative journey an exercise in what is possible and also enjoy the discoveries along the way?

For me, there is NOTHING more important to my creative journey than finding and staying in my creative center. Finding and creating from your creative center is about tuning into the pulse of your path. There's nothing worse than creating from a place that feels untethered and imbalanced.

October: Beauty

I never realized how much I underestimated the soulful need for beauty.  Of course, I had clues that I needed it through the crazy amount of sunset and tree photos I have taken, the weekly trips to the woods, the imagery in some of my art… 

But these last two months I have had a daily existence of working outside in a beautiful landscape and it is having a significant impact on me.  

It is mostly internal.  A slowing of my inner pace.  A mindful presence. Stopping to find the bird that is chirping in the tree, feeling the breeze on my face, watching the change in light across the land...  

This has been translating in positive ways to my outer work.  With the slower pace and part of my days filled with organic farming, I simply cannot act on every idea I have.  I have had to increase my timelines. I have to be clear about priorities.  

The transition to this space was scary at first.  Fear of not doing enough. Fear of letting other people down.  Fear that my business will fail. Lots of fear.  

But I got beyond the fear to a delicious space of calm.  To a space of trust. To a space that all is working out as it should as evidenced by the perfection of the natural world around me.

What fears keep you too distracted to see the beauty around you?  How do you find ways to fill your soul with beauty?

August: Creating A Difference

I think a lot about what it means to “change the world.” This idea that I could change the world was a theme from a young age reinforced by supportive people, the books I loved to read, the movies I loved to watch and the work environments I gravitated toward. I’ve been both inspired and overwhelmed, energized and completely burnt out on my journey of learning what it means for me to “be the change.” And now, with so much energy going into starting my own business, I am wondering about it in a whole other way with a whole new perspective.

Because of all of these experiences and phases of my life, I have come to really love that this question can be pondered and applied in as many ways as there are human beings on this planet. And I have found that most people are pondering it on one level or another. Some devote their careers, some devote their free time, some see ways to weave it into their daily life in ways big or small. I think it is a part of being human.

I am currently writing this from a little town in New Mexico where I am staying with a creative community who has a strong mission to be of service. You can feel it in how they receive you as a guest, their generous nature, warm smiles, nourishing food and meaningful activities. Upon arrival, I felt a belonging, an acceptance, a yearning to give as much service as I could in return.

As the same time, there is not a sense of exhaustion and no sign of a rat race. Their is a lot of joy in creating and being together and finding ways to bring that into the world. It is inspiring at this time in my life where I think about the balance, where I practice aligning with purpose on a daily basis, where I wonder how I might expand my gifts to reach a little further. And, then, I delightfully imagine what the world could be like if we all just expanded our gifts from a place of joy and togetherness.…

If you would like to investigate these exciting possibilities, I invite you to join us for Creating A Difference, a creative online retreat on August 24th from 10 am - 12 pm CT. It is an opportunity for each of us to contemplate how we can expand our impact in authentic and fun ways whether you are an activist, stay at home mom, corporate employee, entrepreneur, retired, student, etc. Hope to see you there!

July: Creative Courage

I have always loved the quote, “Creativity takes courage,” by Henri Matisse. And, now (thanks to Dawn Ali) it even sits in a beautiful frame on my desk!

Creativity is an innate part of being human.  We are all Native Creatives. Even people who do not identify as “creative” leak it out in how they cook a meal, present a new idea, craft a new beer…

So why do so many hesitate to call themselves creative and why does creativity require such courage?

I was listening to Dare to Lead by Brene Brown and, in a part of her research, she asked people to tell a story of being shamed from their childhood.  Half of the participants shared a shame story around creativity!  

Someone told them they couldn’t draw, a teacher said they would never be a professional dancer, a family member ridiculed them for writing poetry, etc.  I have been told countless similar stories by people throughout the years and it broke my heart every time.

I view creativity as the natural expression of the soul.  And that expression is never meant to be judged or compared to another’s expression. Period.  If a person wants to play with a new process or learn a technique, awesome. But art-making isn’t just for artists.

I have taught art for many years and, for me, it was about recognizing each student’s expression.  And encouraging them to keep doing so in a joyful way as a means of seeing and understanding themselves and their world and sharing it with others.  When a child asks you if something they drew is good, the majority of the time it is not an invitation to tell them about their technique or how it compares to some famous artist. What they really mean is, “Do you see me?  Do you see what I felt in my heart and experienced in my imagination?”

This brings me to another reason why creativity takes courage.  You are sharing your heart. You are offering up your soul. You are putting forth, sometimes with shaking knees and trembling hands, an idea or product or creation that came from inside you.  And it is now in a space outside of you where others can judge it or reject it or ignore it or want to change it…

It can trigger so many of our fears, bring up insecurities and stimulate copious amounts of negative self-talk.  The judges on the outside just reflect the judges in our own head and make them louder.

For these reasons and more, it’s easy to see why many folks feel creatively blocked or think they just don’t have it to begin with.  Yet, in every one I have ever met, I have always seen the desire to create. It may be the quietest of whispers, but it is there as long as someone is breathing.  And in some of us, the urge is a raging river that we have to learn how to bravely ride. 

Why though? Why does creativity persist?

Because at our core, we are creators.  We are a part of creation. A creative process brought our very being into this world and that capacity lives on within us. It doesn’t just go away. Harnessing that power to literally manifest things for ourselves and others is deeply satisfying soul work. 

Whether you create art, a business, a child, a meal, it is a process of growth, of becoming more than you once were.  You are creating yourself as you create. You become more of your best self as you sift through unknowns, learn through failure and experience sweet moments of clarity.  Then, you get to stand back to view what you just made in amazement because it came from inside you - because it now exists when it once did not - because somehow, along the way, it fulfilled innate human yearnings to be seen, heard, understood and connected to something bigger.

Creativity is innate and it is a tool we all need to nurture for our self-development, professional development and change agent toolbox.  So, how do you become more empowered as a creator?

First of all, if you don’t identify as a creative, I invite you to start.  You become what you decide to be. It all starts with thinking and saying, “I am creative.”  We are all natives in the land of creativity.

Then, I encourage everyone to actually make a list of the ways you are creative.  Where did you put a bit of soul into something? When did you stir up something in your imagination?  How did you try something in a new way? You will be astounded to see all the ways this part of yourself is flowing out each day. 

Lastly, take a moment to dissect what that process is like for you.  What inspires you? What environment nurtures your process? How do you like to capture it? What do you need from other people? How do you best express it? All of that is a part of your unique expression and path of creation. Maybe you want to create something artistic. Maybe you want to create a new lifestyle. Maybe you want to create a new procedure that is more efficient.  No matter what it is, your creative process can unlock it for you.

If you need any help, I am always an email, message, or phone call away if you want support in achieving your creative dreams.  You can become a Patron on Patreon and for just $12 for the year, you will receive tools to empower as well.  

I hope you know see just how much that word “creative” encompasses and embrace this power inside of you for your highest purpose and the highest good of all.  I would love to know what this makes you think about in the comments below.