when you have an overcommitted flag waver

Linking up with other brave writers at Five Minute Friday. This week's prompt is "try". Fitting for those of us who dare to try to write for five minutes straight with no fancy edits. Come on over to Kate Motaung's blog to find out more!


I think I’ve got this little person inside of me. Every time I go to try something new, she gets out her little red flag and starts waving it with all of her might.

I’m not sure where she came from, or why she started doing this, but she’s done it since I was a little girl.

The Flag Waver.

I think she’s trying to warn me off of anything that might be dangerous or scary. 

But, she’s over committed to this. 

She’s a little too enthusiastic because she gets her flag out over the most seemingly mundane things.

Like trying watercolor painting

Playing with acrylic paints

Trying a new craft, like knitting.

She’s also full of what if’s.

I mean, full!!

What if you make a mistake? 

What if you fail? 

What if your work isn’t 

as good as so and so’s? 

You’ll be a failure!!

This flag waver isn’t my friend. 

She keeps me from even thinking about trying new things.  I have managed to silence her lately, because in spite of her flag waving, I have tried mixed media acrylic painting. I’ve done some drawing. Tried a new knitting pattern.

I want to keep working at silencing this little red flag waver. 

She doesn’t have the last word in my life. 

She needs to take the very back seat. In fact. She’s not welcome at all. Except in those times when I really am in danger.

How about you? Do you have a little red flag waver inside of you, warning you off of trying new things? An overzealous flag waver who isn’t welcome?

I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

Blessings to you, friend!

~Anne

Ten things the child in you wants to tell you {about creating}

I'm linking up for the prompt, "ten", today over at Kate Motaung's place for Five Minute Friday, where we write for five minutes straight without fancy edits. Just writing for the fun of it. 

I've been taking an online mixed media course and for Five Minute Friday, I wanted to share a list of ten things I think my inner child has told me over these few weeks of creating. I'm not sure, but I'm thinking that you could use some reminders, too.

1.  That it’s perfectly okay to make mistakes. There are no mistakes really, only happy accidents. This little one inside of you knows this. Listen to him/her.

2. That the fun is in the exploring and trying new things. The fun is not in being perfect. Try saying, “what would happen if I_______________?

3.  Art heals and opens up my soul. The little child in you needs to be given permission to come out to play. Listen to those soul urges! And, create just for the joy of it.

4.  It’s good and right to be curious. 

5.  To look at life with eyes of creativity and maybe a little humor and lightheartedness.

6.  The child in you knows it’s never too late to create. Taking up acrylic painting or beadmaking in your 50’s? Heck yeah!

7.  Don’t be afraid to let go of outcomes. Letting go of how something is going to turn out is very freeing and frees up creativity that has gone stagnant or underground.

8.  Embrace the journey of art and creativity. Everything is a process. 

9.  You might not like your creation in the middle. Keep going.

10.  Listen to your intuition or soul whispers. Your soul is speaking. If you get a chance to get quiet. Listen to what the little eight year old in you would want to say. What they would want to tell you about what to create. You’ll hear those whispers and the creating will happen.

Thanks for stopping by for this list of ten things the child in you knows about creating.

Blessings to you, friend!

~Anne

for when you can't create

Linking up (a little late) with the brave writers over at Five Minute Friday, where we write for five minutes straight. No fancy edits. Just writing for the fun of it. Won't you come on over to Kate Motaung's place and join in? This week's prompt is "free". 


Have you ever felt like you'd like to create something and there was a big boulder sitting on your muse? Like a traffic blockade, the creative juices just won't run. They're stopped up like your stuffy nose with a cold (okay, maybe TMI).

This happened to me a few days ago. I sat down to paint. To create. I really wanted to. But, the negative gremlins were screaming loud. I couldn't figure it out.

"I love to paint," I said to myself.

"What is wrong with me? Why do I feel like crying instead?"


The voices said,

"you'll never be as good as ________________, so why bother?"

"you'll never be good enough to sell your art, so why bother?"

"who do you think you are?"

I know I'm not the first, nor the last to have these kind of voices screaming inside my head. Trying hard to convince me that I'm done as an artist (and feel like I've only just begun!) 

{They're}trying to tell me that I might as well hang up the artist hat and apron and brush because it's all a waste of time anyway.

So, I wiped my tears and got up from my creative space.  I went over to the chair where I do most all of my journaling and started writing. I figured that maybe if I started writing out my feelings, something might unearth. 

Some reason for the gremlins shouting loud.

And, you know what? Something did surface!

I had just recently had an art wound that I had already started to cover up with other negative and positive emotions.

Journaling. Writing. Freed me.
Freed me to sit down at my creative space again.

And, create with joy.

Thanks for stopping by today, friend! Blessings to you!

~Anne