All the arts we practice are apprenticeship. The big art is our life.

— M. C. Richards

Life As Art

Do you ever doubt that life is a creative process that has been designed to work?

Think about it. Your breath has intelligence that knows how to keep you alive without your control or guidance.  You don’t direct the flow of your blood, nor the oxygen that nourishes your cells.

There are all sorts of ways that you can interrupt the flow of life.

Has anyone taught you the way in which life works?

Life Works 

Growing up I didn’t know that life was supposed to work. My parents and teachers never taught me anything about it. They didn’t seem to have any idea that life could work. I was not-quite 7 years old when my father died.  With 3 brothers and no savings, I learned very early from my Mother that life was all about struggle. Even my psychotherapy training became focused on what didn’t work; not on what was possible.

Somewhere in me I knew there was so much more to life and that became the impetus for my own inner journey. When all of the “answers” I encountered outside of me didn’t build lasting change, I went inside.

I had never learned to reflect on what was working for me, to acknowledge what I received and to celebrate change.

Then I discovered how to become quiet so that I could feel myself. I became skilled in the art of Inner Research.  Inner Research is a personal exploration of how life can work. It required discipline to learn how to work with my thoughts so that my inner relationship could grow and become sustaining.

It took me from self-doubt and self-judgment to the freedom of self-discovery and creative manifestation. Instead of needing to be right or worrying about whether I was wrong, I learned that my only source of true direction came from inside. That shift anchored within me.

You are a Work in Progress 

When your life is aligned, you are continually in a state of creating.  Nothing is done by rote, not your choices nor your actions. You choose your thoughts and where to place your attention with awareness.

You are the artist. Your life is your creation. Creativity fuels your life force. Your beliefs, thoughts and actions become the elements for your artistic expression.

Remember. life has tests. If you find yourself caught in an old pattern, see what there is to be learned from it. It may be something in your life designed to show you how you have changed!

Shake up your certainty

Become curious about your life. Don’t be afraid to reflect on it. Reflection helps shape your next steps.

Open to what could be possible, even if you are convinced that it’s impossible.

Remember, whatever you place your attention on begins to move into form. See your life as your creation, as your work of art.

Shake up your certainty—that action alone creates space for new possibilities. It builds an energetic resonance that draws forth something that is still resting in the unknown and hasn’t yet manifested.

A change of seasons make a perfect opportunity for self-reflection. Use this time to attend to how you feel your life is working.  Explore what you have been creating.  Is life unfolding the way you want? Are you limiting your options for realizing your dreams?  Do you give free voice to what inspires you?

Your life is your art. Art is ever-changing. The more you approach life as art, the more opportunity there is for growth and expansion.

Why not discover what is possible! This is your remarkable life.

Reflect

Take a breath. Release it. Take another. Devote some dedicated time of concentration/meditation. It doesn’t need to be hours of quiet, perhaps only 15 minutes. Then allow the question to simmer within you. Let responses bubble up into your awareness. Notice new ways of thinking, of images or ideas that arise spontaneously. Pay attention to your dreams. Let it happen. Be aware. See where it leads you next. Let yourself savor this process of receiving from yourself. Don’t judge whatever comes up, just receive it. Make notes.

I invite you to share your discoveries. Sharing is an important way to anchor an insight in your body. It leads you to deeper insight. It stimulates action.

Scroll down and add your comments. I’d love to hear from you!

Ready to have a virtual cup of tea with me and talk about where you’ve been (and where you’re heading)? Reach out to me here to schedule a complimentary session. This will guide us on how to move forward, together.