The Number One Thing Needed for the Creative Revolution (This is Absolutely Essential!)

As some of you know, my husband Shon was diagnosed with lymphoma of the lungs last fall and is still undergoing treatment. As soon as this all started, I doubled down on my self-care practices: Jogging, meditation, yoga, writing, painting, and gathering all of my support systems around me. I even started singing and drumming. I began a process about six months ago of learning how to live into the joy of this life while undergoing my family’s own personal crisis. This of course on top of being a couple of years into a global pandemic. 

Through this process I found acceptance of our situation. I found the freedom that comes when I play the hand that I am dealt to its fullest capacity instead of wishing things were different.

This was very deep work for me, and the results were incredible: the ability to show up for my husband during this difficult time, to be present with my child when I am with her, to let go of things that are not serving me, the courage to take on hard conversations with love and kindness, and the focus to get my work done in much less time. Through this process I found acceptance of our situation. I found the freedom that comes when I play the hand that I am dealt to its fullest capacity instead of wishing things were different.

Recently, I started having intense dreams. They began with this incredible dream about all of the tools and resources that are available to me, that are there for my taking. Whether I knew what they were at the time or not, I filled my bag with them, knowing they might come in handy in the future. 

Then there were several weeks where my deepest personal fears were actualized in my dreams. This was incredibly disconcerting. I took the dreams for the prompt they were and got back into my routines of meditation and jogging and painting that had slipped some during the summer. I found myself at a precipice of sorts. This place where all of the pieces of the work I did over the last six months were swirling together. Each piece was a part of a multi-dimensional puzzle, and this puzzle was under incredible strain. It just needed one more piece to slide into place to be whole, or it was going to explode. 

After doing my own work for many years, I’ve come to a place where I like who I am. I feel more comfortable in my skin today than I ever have before. I recognize that I have weaknesses and that’s OK and I also recognize that I have strengths. I recognize my own self-worth. This allows me to go out into the world and take actions that are meaningful towards creating a future where we all thrive. 

These dreams were a warning. They were a reminder that if I am going to continue to live this life that I love, to be of service to those around me, to be part of the solution, it is absolutely essential that I put my own self-care first. There is no other way for me to do it. If I don’t, I risk losing my self-worth and self-acceptance. If I lose that, I am not able to show up for the world in the way that I am being called to. 

What I realized is this: I will not compromise feeling comfortable in my own skin for any unhealthy relationship that is not serving me. When that piece fell into place, it felt like the universe rang a bell. All of the tension was released from the puzzle, and it became a whole, beautiful, multi-dimensional picture of who I am. 

If I am going to continue to live this life that I love, to be of service to those around me, to be part of the solution, it is absolutely essential that I put my own self-care first.

About a month ago, a mentor asked me to make art around the personal work I’ve been doing on the cancer in Shon’s body. This piece is in process right now and while I don’t yet know what it will look like when it is done, I do know that it is called “The Constellation of One”. 

All of this is to say that to live into the creative life that I know I am meant to lead, I need to do the work every single day. I need to unplug from media, from people, from distractions, and lean into my self-care practices. When I take the time to meditate, to jog, to paint, to sing, to rest, everything else falls into place. 

To be clear, because you might be thinking “I don’t have TIME for this!”, these practices do not take hours out of my day. I may take a half hour for yoga and mediation in the morning and another half hour for exercise later in the day. I write some days and paint others. It all becomes part of the flow of life and results in me being much more productive than I would otherwise be. 

So here I am, calling in the love, the joy, the collaborations, the courage. All of which we need for the creative revolution that is ripening inside of us. For this revolution to become reality, we need you to share the light that shines through the fears and the doubts and the worries and calls to the light in those around you. 

How are you showing up for yourself today? Share in the comments below!