Nearly every morning I spend a little time skimming through a handful of inspiring e-newsletters that I’m subscribed to via email. They include nuggets of spiritual wisdom from beliefnet.com, creative conversation from Christine Kane (see her blog on our list), “bites” and “winks” from spiritual cowgirl Sera Beak (also on our blog list), and daily musings from skirt! magazine (see the link on our orgs list). It is one small way that I ground myself in an otherwise hectic life. It’s also a way to get important reminders about staying connected to what is TRUE for me. And lastly, it helps me create the time and focus to absorb ideas and lessons that may positively impact my life and give me something to pass along to other young women seeking their own truths.
Several years ago when I was floundering through college with a million distractions, I realized that in order for me to function from a place of inner calm and clarity, I would have to shrink the sphere of my interests and commitments to a more manageable size. For example, instead of having 20 areas of study I wanted to deep dive into, I’d retain more and understand more thoroughly if I’d invest my time on five. Instead of exploring my abundant creative energy in 100 ways, maybe I’d benefit from rotating among a few interests that I could become more skilled at through regular practice.
You see, if the world is our oyster, my oyster was HUGE! I wanted a little taste of every juicy piece. As a whole, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. It shows a delicious passion for life, and is the expansive nature of the creative mind. But for someone who wants to experience more mastery in specific areas, a priority shift is sometimes required so one’s head doesn’t blow right off their shoulders. It also helps ensure that the bills get paid, and that you have a good amount of valuable insight when speaking about or acting on behalf of a subject which you have studied and invested yourself in fully. You might call this creative focus.
Creative focus simply means that in a world where creativity is the very essence of life, with its endless outlets for expression, we come to determine which avenues speak most to our hearts and abilties. It doesn’t mean that we abandon the other possibilities for making/exploring that creative connection. It just means that we grow to learn what are instinctively and intuitively our most well-lit path(s) for self-expression and discovery. And that’s what we pursue the most often! Much like my e-newsletters, we decide which creative mediums are ideal for our personal ”daily use” due to their ability to ground us, give us focus, and connect us to our truest selves.
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Our school years are a prime time for exploring the arts with little restraint. Our time and energy are not yet under duress by the demands of supporting ourselves and trying to “become someone” out in the world. God knows I’ve adventured through the mediums since elementary school: drawing, painting, collage, writing (many types of writing), jewelry making, knitting, photography, sewing, visual journaling, singing, dance, theatre, pottery, cooking, guitar, your basic arts and crafts, etc… As a young woman, I even set up a booth in the downtown market one season for boxes and signs I painted with slices of agate gemstones glued to them. Even still, there’s mosaic, assemblage, furniture restoration…the possibilities never end, do they?
But whenever I’ve gotten scattered or spread too thin by my artistic pursuits, something I read years ago always comes back to me: If you want to know what your work/purpose is, identify the talents that have been with you your entire life. Look back through the years at those things that you were always recognized for and/or eventually drawn back to. What compliments did you repeatedly receive? What strength(s) did others see in you? What felt the most liberating and TRUE for you?
One thing is for sure, even though I enjoyed taking dance at one time, none of the dance teachers ever knocked my mom over with praise at my above average ability or even my burning passion. Because while I enjoyed it, neither burning passion nor outstanding skill stood out for me there. Same with a number of my other artsy amusements. This was never a reason not to pursue something I enjoyed, but it was a reason to pursue things I enjoyed more, with all of myself instead of half.
You see, I reserved my TRUE affection and dedication for other areas. I can follow a thread through my life, all the way back to my early school years, that strung through the subjects of writing, drawing and singing — the communication and visual arts. And of those three, writing seemed to take the cake, not only because I excelled the most there but because my passion for it was the most unwavering and unmistakable. Teachers used to say, “Give me your autograph so I’ll have it one day when your bestseller comes out.” Well, I’m still working on that bestseller! But the point is, at times in my life when I haven’t known where to focus or have become bogged down with a multitude of creative projects, I’ve been able to look back on this insight and use it to get down to my real life’s work.
Knowing that we can experiment with any form of expression that speaks to us while growing simultaneously in the areas where we are truly gifted is powerful. It can enhance our enjoyment of everything we’re impassioned about and help us narrow down our interests to our Divine purpose —this is where we are most able to impact and inspire others who are searching for their own truths. I send you supportive energy as you use creative focus to identify the outlets that are best for your daily use!
Stay TRUE,
Kendall Lukas, Founder
Some things to think about:
- Have you been able to explore all the creative outlets you wanted to in life?
If not, what’s stopping you? - Do you give yourself permission to play with your interests and the time to focus on your greater gifts? If you are a parent, what about your children?
- Can you see a thread through your life or your children’s lives that has kept you connected to your greatest gifts?
- What daily use reminders do you utilize to stay connected to what is TRUE for you?
- In what ways do you use your truest gifts in the work you do? What kind of work could you do that would enable you to share more of those talents with the world?
**Comment and share what sites, blogs, or e-newsletters you get inspiration from. And as always, we’d love for you to share your TRUE Stories!
Filed under: creativity, inspiration, self expression, Uncategorized
