Sorry, but have you met yourself?
How creating can help us get to know ourselves a little better
Most of us go through life more or less confident about who we are and what we want.
But are we really sure about that? Are we certain that we really want to chase this job, or have 2.4 children, or wear those clothes, buy that car, live in that house? Do we really want it, or do we just think we do, because our parents / friends / pop culture / society have taught us that we should?
Do I stress myself chasing after things I truly want, or am I just drinking the “People like me should want things like this”-Kool-Aid?
Who am, I and if yes, how many?
Getting down with the arts can help us dig a little deeper and find some answers. Through drawing and using images, we can get access to beliefs and thoughts that we may not be able to access through our words. The true special sauce underneath all that conformity and conditioning. Sometimes what we find confirms that we are, in fact, who we think we are, but it can also surprise us.
Like an onion, we can start peeling back the layers to get to the core of who we really are. And maybe we find out that we’ve been an orange all along.
Once we’ve figured this out, let’s celebrate being that person! Let’s live a life that is true(r) to who we are, instead of chasing things we never really wanted in the first place.
Over the years, I have found out that:
behind the outgoing very confident version of myself still lies a whole lot of (unfounded) insecurity.
behind my career ambitions really lies a hunger for learning, creating and helping others, not a desire for more responsibility and money.
even though I’ve moved around a lot, I value love and family (blood and chosen) above all else.
These insights have given me a lot to work with. I’ve recently started weightlifting to boost my self-confidence (I’m still on the baby weights though, so don’t expect any muscle pics anytime soon). I refocused my job on what matters and started the Stress Less Pencil. And when life is pulling at me from all ends, I now know how to get my priorities straight - family trumps work, every time.
I’m sure you’ll also get some surprising (maybe) and valuable (definitely) insights from creating. Stay tuned for Friday’s prompt, which will allow us to dig just a little bit deeper…