“Your life is already artful – waiting, just waiting for you to make it art.” ~Toni Morison
At the beginning of each year I set intentions for what I wish to cultivate in the new year. This self-nurturing practice is an important part of being the artist of my own life and reinforces my ability to nurture qualities within myself and manifest goals in my life.
This year the practice feels even more empowering as so much seems outside our control with the pandemic, racial reckoning, and divisive political climate. I love having a theme for the year to guide my nurturing choices and this year I will be inviting in more intentional creativity.
With that in mind, my husband and I took on a project we have needed to address since we met 30 years ago—clearing and editing our garage. My husband and I are both artists and, when we met, we had many art supplies that merged together and have moved with us from garage to garage.
There has been a treasure trove to uncover in our garage, but this massive undertaking has felt too overwhelming for years. Thanks to some small visitors who motivated the start of this project (mice), we have reclaimed our garage and it is now a beautifully organized art studio–indeed the Home Edit folks would be proud!
This process inspired me to ask over and over again what am I ready to let go of in order to make space for more intentional creativity in my life. Indeed, often we need to declutter more than just our physical space in order to make room for our new intentions. This may include decluttering our schedules, letting go of beliefs that no longer serve us, and even releasing old stories and identities that we have outgrown. And this process can be incredibly creative as we vision how we want to live and clear away what stands in the way.
And since we all intend to be the artists of our own lives, perhaps making space for more creativity in the new year would be the most nurturing intention for us all!
Our creativity is needed and expressed in almost everything we do including when we parent, problem solve, cook, communicate, strategize, write, imagine, innovate, dream, and create anything in our lives. Our creativity is a well of possibility which fuels our motivation, enthusiasm, energy, joy, hope, resilience, and the feeling that anything is possible, which is more important than ever to nurture.
Creativity is also an empowering and nurturing way to learn about yourself, process emotions, and express yourself, which can be profoundly empowering during challenging times. Creativity provides beautiful access to new aspects of yourself not yet known or expressed, especially when you give yourself permission to turn down your inner critic and allow your creativity to flow.
When you are in the creative flow you are present in the moment, a powerful mindfulness practice that can lower stress and rejuvenate you. And best of all, you can be creative by yourself, with your partner, and with family and friends, which makes it a fantastic self-nurturing activity in person, on zoom, or FaceTime.
Although creativity is a fabulous way to nurture ourselves many people believe that they are not creative. I believe we all have an infinite amount of creativity within us, although it may not be currently cultivated or fully expressed. We may limit ourselves around creativity due to judgment of our abilities, our habit of comparing ourselves to others, and old messages we still believe about not being able to draw, paint, write, etc. As Henri Matisse so astutely reminded us, “creativity takes courage,” as does letting go of what is stopping us from being the artists of our own lives. So let’s be bold and courageous in the New Year and allow ourselves to express the amazing creativity within that has the power to heal us and the world.
There are so many ways to be intentionally creative in your life including:
- Draw, color, collage, paint.
- Art of any kind.
- Write or journal.
- Create a vision board or a manifestation journal.
- Sew, knit, crochet.
- Play music, sing or dance.
- Garden.
- Make a card and sent it.
- Cook or bake.
- Design anything—interior/garden/yard/fashion/website.
- Share your creative ideas with others.
As you embrace being the artist of your own life, I invite you to reflect on the following questions. How will you make space for more creativity in you life? What is one new way you could invite more intentional creativity into your day? What are you ready to release in order to allow your creativity to flow?
May you feel empowered to be the artist of your own life and make space for more creativity as you nurture peace in the world from the inside out!
Sending you so much peace, love and gratitude, Kelley
