{Day 9}: Your creative soul {Part 2}

"If we want to make meaning, we need to make art. Cook, write, draw, doodle, paint, scrapbook, take pictures, collage, knit, rebuild an engine, 

sculpt, dance, decorate, act, sing--it doesn't matter. 

As long as we're creating, we're cultivating meaning." 

~Brene Brown

As I talked about yesterday in part 1, when we want to unleash our creative souls, we encounter obstacles. Putting pen to paper or brush to canvas (or any creative work) is like having to push a huge boulder of opposition out of the way first. 

It's like a mental and emotional workout to push that opposition out of the way, so the creative spirit can come to the surface and then come out.

"Creativity, which is the expression of our originality, helps us stay mindful that what we bring to the world is completely original and cannot be compared."

~Brene Brown

My self talk growing up was, "Never make mistakes! That way everyone will be happy with you! You must keep everyone happy all the time!"

Loud gremlins that were allowed their way in my mind, heart and soul for too long!

My soul was whispering that it wanted to create, but was afraid to show itself for fear of getting hurt.

I took a Kelly Rae Roberts online mixed media class (kellyraeroberts.com) that has changed that self talk into something more positive.

Kelly Rae had us do journaling (soul work) before even getting the paints out. I was frustrated at first, because I thought, "why not just get started painting?" But, tears surfaced during the journaling session. I think because the soul work touched someplace deep inside of me that needed attention. That place that had been afraid to show itself.

I needed affirmation and encouragement that I was worthy of this work. I was worthy of learning new things on and off the canvas. I was worthy of peeking inside to see what my heart was whispering. The whispers that were longing to be shared with the world.

During journaling for that class, my inner wisdom spoke up and said,

"Enough!"

"Enough of the gremlins shouting you're not good enough!"

"Enough of comparison being a thief to the joy of creating!"

"Enough!"

I remember the day I started to paint. Kelly Rae had us get paint on our hands and smoosh it around on the canvas haphazardly.

I cried.

I couldn't believe the feeling of freedom and permission I felt as I put my fingers in the paint.

The comparison gremlins quieted. The perfection gremlins were silenced.

Suddenly I felt free to let little Anne, the creative girl inside of me, out to play, to explore, to be curious and to have fun.

Painting has released a playful spirit in me and has given me permission to make mistakes, something I've never allowed myself to do.

Creating with words and paint has made those gremlins crumble.

They're shrinking and being silenced by my intentional creativity.

How about you? Is there something that you've always longed to do, but are afraid to try? Have you tried something new to you and felt renewed freedom to be yourself, and a renewed playful spirit (and soul)? 

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

Blessings to you today, friend!

~Anne

Thanks for stopping by today on the 9th Day of my Soul Spa Series. Please go here for a list of all Soul Spa posts this month! 

Joining up with 100's of bloggers for the month of October. We've each picked a unique topic. It's worth a stop at write31days.com to see what it's all about!

Six important things I learned in June

Linking up with other writers over at Emily Freeman's blog for her "what we learned" link up! Taking time to share big things as well as the ridiculous and mundane. Come on over to see what other writers have learned in the month of June!


1.  The mixed media painting class I'm taking from kellyraeroberts.com is teaching me lots more than just how to paint. Here are a few things I've learned in this online class.

--let go of outcomes
--trust the process
--there are no mistakes, just happy accidents
--perfection isn't needed or welcomed
--be messy and have fun

a painting in midstroke

I've always had a hard time with ALL of these things, and who'd have thought an online painting class would challenge me in these exact areas!? I'm loving every minute of it. I'm learning to let little Anne get messy and have fun! Priceless learning in creativity and art.


2.  Just because you might get a great deal on a nice pair of sandals at the Bass Outlet, doesn't mean you will love them. From the moment I started wearing them, the left one (because of a cushy sole) started making a "whishing" noise with every step I took! I told my daughter and she promptly said, "Oh! You mean they're wheezing?"  

Great, my new sandals wheeze. So embarrassing. Now, the right one wheezes, too, so I guess it's balanced.

3.  My heartstrings are being tugged by a little red house outside the little town of Ljungby, Sweden. Oh, my heart! Read last Friday's post about it here.

4.  Our family has been catching up on all the Season One and Season Two episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. We've gotten angry together, worried about whether Sky was ever going to find her dad and mom, worried who might be dead, etc. 

We only have about four episodes left and then I think I'm going to go through withdrawls until September rolls around for Season Three. People, this is all the TV I watch, except occasionally the news and 60 Minutes!

5.  Inside Out is a movie for every. person. to. watch. I am not kidding. This is not a movie review, this is a plea. Not only is this movie funny and creative, but it will give you and your friends/family a whole new way to talk about your emotions. And, who doesn't need that in today's world? 

6.  When water is pouring into your basement window during a deluge of rain, and you don't own a mop??  Last week, we had a huge amount of rain and right about midnight, water started seeping, then gushing into a basement window. We have since discovered that this thing will likely happen if the gutter closest to the window is plugged with leaves. 

my son and daughter helping to mop

But, at midnight, we didn't think of fixing the gutter. All we could think of was get every towel in the house!! and I was thinking, we don't even have a MOP!! I have a Swiffer, but that isn't going to do anything to sop up leaking rain water! 

So, at 2:30am, my daughter got in the car to brave the roadways to get us a mop. As she went out the door I yelled, get two!
And, we needed every strand on each of those mops to soak up water. 

Lessons learned that night. 1) Make sure your gutters are clean, 2) make sure you have a real mop in your house.

Thanks for stopping by today, friends, to see what I learned in June!
And, Happy 4th of July!

~Anne

Dare to give yourself permission {Day 21}

This post is part of a 31 Day series on the topic Dare to Be and linking up with about 1500 other bloggers on hundreds of topics. Come on over to The Nester to check that out!


I just started an online Oprah/Brene Brown Life class today. It's based on Brene's book: The Gifts of Imperfection, which I just started reading last night. Turns out she wrote this book back in 2010. 

How did I not know this?

In this book she talks about love, belonging and authenticity. She talks about courage, compassion and connection. And, that's just scratching the surface.

Remember on the first day of my series I said that I sat down and made myself a permission slip and I ended up with sixty five things on it that I need and want to give myself permission for? 

Well, it turns out that the first creative assignment for this online class is to make a permission slip page in our art journal.

I did that today. 

I thought I'd share it with you.

My Permission Slip

The point is not to be perfect. (see my mistake?)
To be messy.
To have fun.
To be authentic.
To not compare.

See all those permissions I've written down? All the things I need to give myself permission for? I've written in this 31 Days series about some of them

I cried through the first half of the how-to video this morning. Mostly because she is speaking my language! She is putting to words what my heart has been after for the past thirteen years and more specifically the last three to six years. 

I want to live more Wholeheartedly. 

To let go of what people think and instead to live more authentically. To live more like Anne and less like the shoulds and the oughts that roll around in my head and take up too much room in my heart. 

It is hard to break out of the comparison trap. It's hard to break free from perfectionism.

But, I'm up for the task.

Brene Brown and Oprah, bring it on!!

I challenge you today, to make a permission slip for yourself. Give yourself permission for those things you've been unknowingly withholding from yourself. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Click on my button for a list of all 31 Days posts! Thanks for stopping by!