Are You Qualified?

Who am I to…. (Fill in the blank.)

We have all said it to ourselves so many times for so many different reasons.

Who am I to think I could make anything good? Who am I to think anyone would be interested in what I have to offer? Who am I to try to help someone else when I haven’t figured it all out?

It’s actually a good question. It just needs to be asked with a different inflection.

Who are you? What life have you lived and what have you learned from it?

We get caught up depending on outer validations. We think we need a specific certificate or degree or academic experience. Those things can be helpful. Those things are not bad at all. But those things are not everything. And those things are not always necessary.

Life moves on. Who you were in college might not be who you are now. What your interests once were, might not be what they are now.

The thing to trust is the thing that is pulling at your soul, tugging at your brain, making your hands itch to go do. If the qualifications you believe you need - if that outer validation isn’t there - I invite you to take some time validating yourself.

I’m sure your life experiences have qualified you for many things and most likely especially for the thing you are feeling passionate about in this moment.

Maybe you will need some outer qualifications, but getting clear on the inner qualifications will help you move with clarity and purpose, rather than insecurity and fear.

In the images you can see what some of what my life experiences have qualified me for and there is a blank one for you.

But don’t just stop at one. Make lots! Make your own versions! Display them in frames in your workspace so you can remind yourself over and over again that you are so very qualified to go after the dreams in your heart.

Author Tip: Your Book Means Business!

The truth is, usually when I illustrate someone's book, I get pretty attached to it. I fall in love with the characters and the message and I want others to fall in love with them too.

That’s why helping authors look at their books as a business has become an incredibly important part of our work here at Studio Light Illustration.

Whether you have already produced and published a book or whether you are just thinking about starting the process, it is never too late to start treating your book like the business it is!

For many people this might be a comfortable thought, in which case, perhaps it is just time to look into some new ideas and learn from others who are experiencing the success you want! Perhaps it is time to follow some good hashtags on Instagram or join groups full of self-publishing authors making their dreams come true.

For others, this may be a scary idea. Business doesn’t sound nearly as fun as the creative process of writing and making your book a reality…

But the truth is, as much fun as it is to hold that book in your hands, you will not be satisfied if you cannot get it in the hands of others! So it is equally important that your pour your creative juices into how to share what you love in a way that you love. And business can be just that - full of creativity in service of sharing messages from your heart!

For those who find the idea of being in the book business a little intimidating or those who need to freshen it up a little bit, it is time to explore your relationship with business.

Here are some self-reflection questions to get you started:

• How can you make it a healthy, positive one?

• How do you make your business something that feels exciting, creative, nurturing, and reflective of the message in your book?

• What new business skills and practical tools would help you to be more successful with your book?

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At Studio Light Illustration, we help authors investigate questions like this and more. Check out our process at studiolightillustration.com/author-dreamers.

Doodle Reflection: Just Holding on for the Creative Journey!

Creative Journeys are special entities. They love to grow and move. They love to evolve and re-create themselves. As the creator, we are along for the ride!

Sometimes this is a really fun ride. The ideas are flowing, the work is emerging, the people are loving it, and we are on cloud nine.

Sometimes it is a really scary ride. We took a surprise turn, the work is requiring us to take risks, we feel exposed and vulnerable and uncertain of our abilities.

Always it is a very alive ride! It is the ride of being human, of having multi-sensory experiences, of crazy connective conversations, of continuing to know oneself in ever deeper, more meaningful ways.

In order to always be up for this journey, I have a few practices that keep me grounded no matter what gets uprooted.

I have my contemplative practice that helps me to be still and reflect. I have my inspirational practice that constantly feeds my hungry soul and invites the muse. And I have my movement practice that keeps me embodied on the earth and learning from the wisdom in my bones.

What are the practices that allow you to grab onto your creativity and ride it? What new practices might you need?

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The creative journey that is Studio Light Illustration also continues to evolve and create/re-create itself!  Born from creative coaching, the apprenticeship program, doodle-shops, and the desire that so many of us have as creatives to be in community with each other, is the Creative Community Circle. Click here to learn more and find the links to our free Launch and Tour events!

Doodle Reflection: Thinking Inside the Box

We all dream of being free of whatever limitations we feel hold us back. We talk a lot about thinking outside the box to free us from these limitations. But when is it time to think inside the box?

One day, when I was a young Teaching Artist, I was out of ideas, out of money for supplies, and completely out of time and energy. I went to my recycling bin and filled grocery bags full of scrap paper, bottles, and other random materials.

When the kids came in, I placed a bag at each table. I told them that this was all they had to make art with today and that each table had to make one art piece together as a team. I wondered aloud which team might come up with the most creative piece of art.

The kids immediately jumped in. Behavior issues were almost non-existent that day. They were completely absorbed and engaged, excited to put something together that would impress their peers! At the end of every class, they proudly showed off their projects and we displayed them around the art room for months. They wanted to do it again.

That grocery bag art project blew my mind. With so little art in schools these days, all I ever wanted to do was give my students the most freeing creative experience ever! I wanted them to have a chance to really engage their imaginations and follow where it led them! But it took me really limiting them with supplies and ways to put the materials together for their creativity to come completely alive.

So, next time you find yourself begrudging a limitation, why not try to think about it a little differently? Why not see it as a creative problem leading you to imagine something you might have never thought about? I wonder what new, amazing things might make you feel limitless because of your limits, not in spite of them.

If stimulating your creativity and making your creative dreams come true is important to you, you will be excited to know that in September we will be launching a creative community that you can join! It will provide regular community interaction, creativity jump-starts, and lots of tools to help you on your creative journey. Stay tuned!

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.

Inspiration and Uniqueness: A Doodle Reflection

Sometimes you just see a poem and have to spend some time with it. Or maybe it is a song or an image or a favorite comedy sketch.

These things that inspire us speak to us about who we are as creatives. Many wonder what is unique about them as an artist, poet, musician, actor, writer....

Maybe there are clues in what you are drawn to?

If you considered the combination of things you continuously return to as wells of inspiration, how does that speak your uniqueness?

Why is it that you return to those things? Is it the way they are created? The messages contained within the creations? The emotions that are evoked? The way in which they are shared with the world?

What patterns can you discover and how can you be in a process of exploration in which uniqueness reveals itself to you while you were just playing and being inspired?

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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