Expression: Give Yourself Permission

Musing…

“My paint is an expression of myself, an extension of what I am feeling at the time. We are never separate from the process. In all of my work, there is a part of myself. No matter if it’s a landscape, a portrait, or an abstract, I am lurking in the background.” ~ Lori Agostino

By definition the word expression means the process of making known one's thoughts or feelings.

Colleen’s Turn:

As an intuitive artist I feel that all of my work is a form of self-expression. I paint, create, collage, and dance to express who I am. All art forms help me to see and experience my true self more clearly. Art making, is in fact, a most beautiful way to get to know the deeper aspects of one’s self.

But to express one’s thoughts and feelings in a way that makes them tangible can also bring up vulnerability. Fear (in some form or another) is one of the main reasons most of us back away from our creative processes. Just stepping in front of a blank canvas can make many of us tremble and bring tears to our eyes.

Letting go of what we think we’re supposed to create is critical to opening the channels of self-expression. More often than not it is our inner perfectionist that kills our creative dreams before we can even get a brush stroke down on paper or a note out of our mouths.

That’s the beauty of looking at art-making as simply a form of self-expression. By pouring your thoughts and feelings onto a canvas or into music, color, poetry, or some other medium, you’ve done what you’ve needed to do. That is where the passion is. There really is no right or wrong way to do it, just your way!

Get Fired Up:

Give yourself permission today and every other day to paint or color outside of the lines, to fully express who you are, and to make mistakes. Make mistakes on purpose even! Explore something you’ve never tried before, just for the sake of exploring.

Tune into what you are feeling. Does it want to be expressed through sound, movement, paint, collage, or some other medium? Trust yourself. Your heart and soul really do know the way. Give yourself permission to express yourself in all of your many beautiful colors. You don’t need anyone else’s permission or approval. Express what is in you.

www.quest4wholeness.com  Colleen Russell, guest blogger