Working It Out

Doing your work—the work of you— is not for the faint of heart. Actually, false. I started the process with a name tag stating, “Hello, My Name is Faint of Heart”, the shaking-in-my-boots faint of heart type. Decades later, the idea that it’s the work for a lifetime has only recently cemented itself within me.

Media saturates our minds (on purpose- capitalism, you suck) with potions, snake oils, magic bullets, and boss babes touting sure fire ways to move faster and better through the work of you. They might work, they might not, they might work alongside twelve other things, and they might be destructive as hell. Feel free to ask because I’ve probably tried most of them at some point.

Part of my work has been finding my voice and distinguishing it from the noise (and then trusting it— yikes, I know). In doing that, I discovered new ways to approach creativity, new ways to encourage creativity, and how much creativity is a lifeline for me.

In the process, I even learned that I love to paint and draw. Sidenote: My mom was an artist. I didn’t have that label, so I didn’t try until middle age. Don’t be like me. Try stuff. All the stuff. All the time.

Creativity goes well beyond colorful pictures and word wielding. It’s been a flexible, faithful friend, partner in crime, counselor, and healing balm.

The only “advice” I have would be to kick your narrow view of creativity to the curb and go explore.