Tag: affirmations

Posted in Challenge, The Artist's Way

Week 2 : Recovering A Sense of Identity

Posted on by Rachel

Objective : 

(1) Address self-definition as a major component of creative recovery.

(2) Move into your personal identity, a self-defined you.

Favorite quotes:

To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive.

Robert Louis Stevenson

Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going too fast-you also miss the scenery of where you are going and why.

Eddie Cantor

Develop interest in life as you see it; in people, things, literature, music-the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people. Forget yourself.

Henry Miller

Verse of the week:

For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10

Lessons Learned:

Self-doubts are symptoms of recovery.

When we give ourselves permission to recover that’s when the doubts will hit you like a ton of bricks. They will sprout like beans poking every corner of your brain ’til you get exhausted in dealing with them. But! This is not the time to give up! This is the time to fight back with affirmations.

Learn to identity crazy-makers (toxic people).

In the path to self-recovery we need to identify our toxic habits, perspectives, and most importantly the toxic people in our lives. Toxic people drain your energy.

“The capacity of delight is the gift of paying attention.”

One of the most important lessons I have learned this week is the gift of paying attention. And for everyday of this week I kept reminding myself to pay attention especially to nature. There is so much beauty in the world that when we truly open our hearts and eyes, we will know that we will be okay. Even in this moment right now, we are okay.

**I really loved this chapter, it’s beautifully written and emotionally evoking.

Grab a copy here.

Posted in Challenge, The Artist's Way

Week 1: Recovering a Sense of Safety

Posted on by Rachel

Objective : “Establish a sense of safety which will enable you to explore creativity with less fear.”

Favorite quote :

To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.

Joseph Chilton Pearce

Verse of the week:

He will cover you with His feathers; you will take refuge under His wings. His faithfulness will be a protective shield.

Psalm 91:4

Lessons Learned:

Parents have a crucial impact on their children’s creativity.

Negative beliefs about ourselves and our creativity usually come from the adults in our younger years. Their words and lifestyle have surely influenced our creativity.

It’s okay to make mistakes. We strive for progress, not perfection.

It’s unfair to ourselves when we compare our starting points to someone’s highlight reel. I often strive for perfection. But the reality is, there should be room for mistakes because it is in our mistakes and failures that we grow and learn. It is necessary to take baby steps before we fully become mature.

Your inner artist is a child who needs to be nurtured and protected.

This is why it’s important to have artist dates. When you are growing as an artist , you have the right to protect yourself from overly critical people. It’s okay to hide your piece of art for awhile.

Negative beliefs are not facts.

Negative beliefs are not facts. They are the voices from your past. They are the voices in your head keeping you from achieving your true purpose in life. I think it’s also safe to say that the negative voices are lies that come from satan.

“Affirmations” can help you achieve a sense of safety and hope.

Saying the affirmations can shift your perspective and help you remember the truth about your Creator and yourself. Affirmations may look simple but they mean so much and hold the power to bring you positivity in this journey.

Here’s a sample of creative affirmations from Julia Cameron. (I revised some of the words).

Reflection

While gaining a sense of safety throughout the week, I felt liberated and beautiful. I was starting to gain some confidence but at the back of my mind, a voice from someone I know kept booming, Who do you think you are?!

My safety would then vanish like the wind and I started to build walls again. It’s so sad when we give someone the power to control our lives. At times we just can’t help it. What if they’re right?

For years, I have always struggled to see my value as a person. This extended to the difficulty in seeing my work as something of worth. I guess I still have a long way to go in the path to recovery.

By God’s amazing grace, I saw this quote today that deeply spoke to my heart.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It’s not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Marianne Williamson

I realized that people who are overly critical of others are the ones who haven’t lived up to their potential as an artist. They don’t know how to be free and happy, so they think others shouldn’t be too. It explains why they continually pull others down to be stuck in despair just like them.

But I don’t want to be caged anymore. I want to be of good courage. I want to be safe and brave enough to be myself, in the hopes that I can inspire others to be free too.

Ironically, I came across this song a few days ago.

May you find your safe place.

Love,

Rachel.