Living a Creative, Wholehearted Life

Sometimes you come across a book in which some of the chapters make you feel the author is kind of writing about you. This is happening to me in the latest book I’m reading. How did she know?

I’m always surprised and pleased to read others who experience similar challenges as I, have similar ideas and beliefs, who believe in finding their own way, and dare to not follow the sheep.

Elizabeth Gilbert, in her book “Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear,” talks about living creatively. I’m already working on living wholeheartedly, but being an artist and writer, I’ve been keeping personal life writing separate from writing about my art for the past couple of years. Why?

It was along the lines of marketing to specific audiences. After all, isn’t the go-to term “target audience?” It’s feeling I have to do something towards promoting my art as a business. (The whole business plan and all that.) Being told in order to sell my work, I have to market and do all these business-y things I find painful and depressing. And schlepping paintings from one art exhibit to another is exhausting with little reward.

But wait a minute. If my goal is to live wholeheartedly, why do I have to force myself to do something that so goes against me? The marketing process and self-promotion are like fingernails on a blackboard. If I am always talking about being true to myself and honoring myself, do I have to do that? Does it come down to choosing to be true to myself or selling my work?

Perhaps that’s another topic and challenge to deal with. Right now, my mind is caught up living wholeheartedly, living creatively, and how to combine the two concepts?  And why is it two concepts? Why was I seeing them as separate?

I’m still defining what living wholeheartedly means to me. This makes me think about my blogs and how I have them listed by subject. Have I gotten any more readers by separating the topics into one about daily living and the other creativity? No. And if I’m often saying I’m living the life of an artist, why am I keeping two blogs? (Big DUH!) Writing about my creativity IS writing about my life.

Gilbert’s book has come to me at the right time. Her words are another affirmation I am doing what I’m supposed to (for me). And, as always, when I like what someone else says, I adapt it to fit me. I love that about me! Her words are letting me know it’s OK to BE me. I don’t have to be or do it like anybody else! (Unless I choose to.)

Those of us who dare to go our own ways can take comfort in knowing we are not alone. Gilbert calls it being brave. Brene Brown uses the term “daring greatly.” Whatever words we use, choosing the less traveled path always takes courage.

As I go into 2020, I need to go a step further with this. I’m excited. I’m excited the creative muses are back. I’ll continue my work on defining what living a creative, wholehearted life means for me. I’ll continue writing and pastel painting … along with gardening and taking photographs and to whatever life takes me in the moment.

So, today I write about life. Maybe tomorrow I’ll write about art or gardening.