Out Of The Shadows
Acrylic Collage
11" x 14"
I received an email from a fellow artist saying she was going through a creative withdrawal, wondering if her work was "good enough". I responded, "Is it in the air?"
As flippant as this sounds, it made me reflect because I was also in a creative funk and emotionally detached. Where was this coming from and why?
These feelings never just arrive, they sneak up and insidiously slither into your conscious. It's not like flipping a switch from light to dark. It's more like going from clarity to fog, gradually realizing the landscape of your life is becoming more obscure.
I began to think about what has been happening over the past months and
I realized the holidays were the catalyst. Christmas has always been a happy time for me, until this past year. I just couldn't find the joy, which depressed me.
Then I watched a TED talk by psychologist Shawn Achor,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLJsdqxnZb0.
This was the beginning of the healing.
For twelve insightful and funny minutes, he talked about how happiness leads to better productivity and, more importantly, how to get back to your natural, joyous state.
He helped me remember, you don't find joy, you are the joy.
In my soul, I know this. And yet, because I am human, occasionally, I question my inner spiritual scout and stumble down an imposter's path.
Perhaps this needs to happen. Perhaps we occasionally need to dig deep into the dungeons of our minds and excavate our emotional history, questioning it under the microscope of our sentient intelligence. Perhaps this is where the nebula of our future growth is born?
Definition of a soul: a quintessential human organ whose purpose is to create meaning.
This was the beginning of the healing.
For twelve insightful and funny minutes, he talked about how happiness leads to better productivity and, more importantly, how to get back to your natural, joyous state.
He helped me remember, you don't find joy, you are the joy.
In my soul, I know this. And yet, because I am human, occasionally, I question my inner spiritual scout and stumble down an imposter's path.
Perhaps this needs to happen. Perhaps we occasionally need to dig deep into the dungeons of our minds and excavate our emotional history, questioning it under the microscope of our sentient intelligence. Perhaps this is where the nebula of our future growth is born?
Oasis
9 x 12
Mixed Media
Definition of a soul: a quintessential human organ whose purpose is to create meaning.
Dr. Seuss's definition of the authentic self:
Be who you are and say what you mean
because those that mind
don't matter
and those that matter,
don't mind.
Great video! Thanks for sharing!
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