Ok, put your hand up if you want to be perfect at something first go..?? I know i sure do, but how many times does that actually happen?? Not as many times as we would like i am sure! There is so much beauty in the act of learning that when we get out of our own way for a minute, we fun the magic in the exploration.
For a long time i had this idea in my head that i was only good at jewellery, that was my craft, ‘i found it, stop looking!!’ and that was it. It was that if i used my creativity on something else i would use it up and have nothing less to create new products for my business! Ridiculous limiting belief, i know, but that’s what it was. It held me back for so long! But once i let go of it, a bigger world of possibilities opened up. Not only for my creativity, but for my business, my life and how i can connect and relate to people.
The pandemic meant a lot of people had more time to explore and get creative and put away the ‘i don’t have time to be creative’ limiting beliefs because all we had was time – a lot of it!. Which was great! But as the ‘busyness’ comes back, it’s hard not to fall back into those ‘i don’t have time’ beliefs.
I put my time in the pandemic to use by being open to trying things. Leaving those limiting beliefs at the door and saying yes to the opportunities that came up – like saying yes to learning Marquetry when the opportunity came! Trying sewing and only succeeding 60% of the time and being ok with that. Smashing through the ‘i can’t cook’ limiting belief and started to be more intuitive with cooking and telling myself that i am a good cook/baker and for the first time in my life enjoying the process.
This last 18 months has seen me explore the so many creative pursuits and integrate 2 into my business. Marquetry and Stained Glass are just another notch in my creative exploits now and i look forwards to what else calls me in the future. Here is a list of the other creative expressions i have explored: Sewing, Macrame, Cooking, Baking, Writing, Painting, Drawing, Stencil Art, Homemade Cleaning Products, Gardening, Woodwork and 3D Drawing with Fusion.
Another limiting belief a lot of artist have is that you have to be a ‘Starving Artist’ and that to choose this lifestyle, you choose to be poor. On my first day at University (Bachelor of Visual Arts), one of the lecturers announced that only 5% of the year will be successful artists. What a positive way to start your art exploration! This idea stuck in my head and still creeps back in when i am having a low day.
Let’s all not let that limiting beliefs hold you back. If you have any of these thoughts ‘i am not [insert choice word here] enough’ – ‘i am not creative enough’ ‘i am not worthy enough’ ‘i am not pretty enough’ ‘no one will like it’ ‘it will be ugly’ ‘i can’t paint (draw/sew/etc)’ on and on and on….. know that you are not alone and that you can choose again! Rewrite the narrative. It is so much about what we tell ourselves we can and can’t do that keeps us small and keeps us stuck!
So the next time you think about trying that class, doing an online course or picking up a paintbrush. Say thanks to your ego for trying to protect you and just go for it! Fail or succeed, it is all about the experience and that is the true gift of life.
I am so excited to be bringing to you all the tools i have used to boost my creativity in my first Online Course called Creative Alchemy! This course is all about transforming those limitations into positive explorations and it has been an amazing journey to delve deep into this topic. Coming Soon!!!
Be sure to sign up to our Newsletter to be the first to know when you can grab Creative Alchemy! (at bottom of page)
xx Corinne