Another week, another lockdown
It almost feels 'normal' & 'been there, done that & got the tshirt' which sounds so crazy -- but if you didn't know, us Melbourne peeps are in a 5 day snap lockdown -- This is our 5th one!
I'm writing this in day 2 of it but I'm also preparing for an extension & the week ahead of homeschooling.
Trust me, I've thrown a couple tantrums myself but I feel like I'm also pretty practiced in finding silver linings.
Where is the rainbow in this storm?
Is there a little bit of triggered PTSD from the extended lockdown we experienced in 2020? YES!
But as I looked back at the work I did during that time, I saw that colour & painting flowed even amidst the chaos & fear around changes during that time.
From my Colours Of Joy (2020 lockdown edition)
Creativity is resilient & powerful even in the face of overwhelm when we feel like we're drowning.
I'm trying to hold onto the silver lining that we're currently staying in an apartment only a few minutes from our beloved beach & ocean -- a blessed accomodation offered to us by generous friends.
The girls are loving being in a new space & watching the glorious sunset over the water every night.
I've actually been feeling inspired to do a landscape/sunset/cloudscape painting series as well!
I want to say I've got this and it will be easy -- in truth, I KNOW it will be very challenging to be stuck in a small space without my parents around to help with the girls so I can get a moment. I also KNOW that 'letting it be easy' is a choice I have access to and something I get to keep practicing.
Part of that is allowing the imperfections and letting the negative stand with the positive. Believing in my own capacity to hold BOTH.
My creative practice is also the space that lets be practice that!
Art making that results in art that feels meaningful is filled with working through contrast & duality. It's where you navigate chaos & structure and dance with mistakes and serendipity
So if you know me & my thoughts around creativity, you know I LOVE LOVE LOVE the work of Steven Pressfield. He is my go-to guru on the creative process and where I found my ideas around the inner Muse.
Lately, and especially in light of recent lockdown events, I've needed a dose of his words on Resistance & what it means in reflection of the art we're being called to make.
It's why I made a new wallpaper to go into the Insider Library -- scroll down for details on how to access it
Not as a kick in the ass disciplinary vibe (though sometimes I need that too) but as a reminder that, even if it doesn't 'feel' like it... my work MATTERS.
Your art matters
Your ideas & desires & calling matters
Your actions matter -- even if they feel tiny and baby steps
Your art matters.
Please keep going. Please keep making the work. Please keep flowing with your Muse.
With this snap lockdown & being reminded that, while I value routine & the ability to control my life -- creativity allows us to flow with the changes. We get to respond to the chaos & choose whether we endure or enjoy the process.
I want to find ways to enjoy the mess! I believe there IS beauty in there. I am willing to find messy & valuable ways to give to YOU. While letting it BE EASY for me too.
Free Coaching Call for Muses seeking their next level
So I'm opening up my calendar for free coaching calls for those of you seeking a space to work through your inner Resistance & blocks on becoming the creative Muse you want to be.
I have limited spaces for these (because homeschooling & little kid season of my life) BUT I also know these kinds of conversations & sharing my knowledge, expertise & intuitive mentoring rejuvenates the collective creative flow.
It's a casual chat but we also dig DEEP to unravel the blocks that's stopping you from making the art you're being called to make. I want to help you find clarity AND courage to take the next steps. As well as finding what it means for you to "let it be easy" so you can make (and/or sell!) your art with confidence & consistency
Cannot wait to talk to you!
x Brenda
