creative voice+ courage= fly!

                                                   (Courage to Find her Creative Voice, 
                                              mixed media, archival prints available here!)
I wrote this post when I first started my blog and I hardly had anyone reading so I wanted to re-post it. It still holds true for me (maybe even more so) today and I know so many of us are searching for our creative voices. For me, it has been a very personal  journey; one that has been full of shaky self confidence, doubts and fears. But I find that the more I use my creative voice, the stronger She becomes. It requires us to be vulnerable, wise, trusting, brave, authentic... whether it's in our writing, our art making, our relationships, our loving.  We are all works in progress...growing and evolving...taking tiny steps on this journey. Here is the post in it's entirety.
 Blogging has given me the courage to find my creative voice. I have always loved photography, painting, drawing, sketching and the written word. Here on my blog, I can develop, combine, explore and share all of this. Just a few days ago I was seriously considering shutting down my blog. Not that I don't appreciate and love this sacred space that I have created...but I was feeling overwhelmed with all that I have going on right now. I happened to pick up the current issue of Artful Blogger and as I read through the articles I realized that, through my blog, I am developing my creative voice.  When I started out, I had no idea this would happen but I find myself going down the magical road of discovery.

                                               (full-of-courage-Tara ...flying!) 
 Here I can explore ideas, post photos, write out my innermost thoughts and dreams or even the mundane aspects of my life. It is narcissistic, yes, but it also stokes the fires of creativity. Here there are communities of artists, writers, photographers...all willing to share, encourage, reach out...Through my blog I can participate in group events and challenges, read and comment on others' blogs and learn, learn, learn!! Here I can see the world through the eyes of each unique individual and share my creative voice and vision as well. I am going to cultivate this sacred space and see where it takes me...both within and outside myself...I am finding the courage to develop my creative voice and it feels good and powerful and right.

                                   (The painting reads "you have wings to fly...FLY"
                                I painted the original for Tara and it hangs in her nursery. 
                                                    Archival prints available here!)

LATER:  Okay, I have been thinking about this post and want to add that by no means does this mean that I don’t have fears about this whole process. Nor does it mean that I don’t have those “monsters under the bed” taking all sorts of shapes and voices. What it does mean is that my creative voice is getting stronger every day, with every post I write, with every act of vulnerability and honesty. Every time I reach out to another blogger, participate in a challenge or encourage and share with someone else-my creative voice thrives and takes on a life of it’s own. It springs forth as a flower in full bloom, maybe even a tree! So now when those “weeds” of negativity spring forth, I don’t feed or pay attention to them. They will probably always be there but get smaller and more insignificant with time as my creative voice gets stronger. This is made all the more powerful by the fact that I come from a culture and family of origin where women are not given a voice, where it is looked upon as a horrible act (punishable by all forms of violence and ostracism) for a woman to be outspoken, intelligent, strong, honest, original, forthright…So the act of me cultivating my creative voice is not only important, it is lifesaving.

 

(it takes courage to create)