On Imagination
On Sunday I attended a painting workshop with Shiloh Sophia, who I didn’t know anything about, but who led us through her intuitive painting process. I don’t usually do abstract painting, because anytime that I’ve tried, I’ve just gotten frustrated and felt like a failure. I need some kind of structure or image to work off of, especially since I always tell a story through my art. The process that Shiloh led us through yesterday was quite abstract, and I found myself facing the familiar inner critics voice criticizing my piece. I felt SO relieved when she invited us to add an object or figure to the painting and I could go back to familiar territory. But what I also learned through the process was to let go a little, and just play with the paint. Shiloh invited us to think about our “codes,” the part of us that we are born with, that are just inherently our own gifts that we have to offer to the world, and what I came to as I dreamed and painted was Imagination.
I’m pretty sure that one of the gifts I have to offer the world is finding ways to access imagination, because it’s something that I’ve always been able to do, although there have been times in my life as a teen and an adult where I’ve lost touch with that part of myself. Over the past year in my work in my PhD program as well as in my personal therapy, I’ve come back to that child-like part of myself that loves magic and stories. As an art therapist, I’ve seen that some of my most resilient clients have gotten through terrible things because of their access to their imaginations.
I’ve really struggled this year with my career choices, becoming an art therapist instead of pursuing art or writing more professionally. My intention with creating this website is to give the artist and writer part of myself permission to take charge. I’ve identified as a therapist first for the last seven years, and now I want to be a writer and artist first, therapist second. I’m pondering whether therapist still fits into the equation at all a lot lately, but maybe there’s a way it can all work for the time being if I can find ways to guide people back to their imagination, their inherent creativity, through writing, art, and therapy.
My goal with this blog is to share bits of my journey in exploring writing and illustration professionally. I’ll share short pieces of my writing, write process blogs about my illustrations and how I create them, and share information that I’m learning about self-publishing versus traditional publishing and all the ins and outs of the publishing world. I’ll consider making a newsletter, so if you would like these posts to get sent directly to your inbox, sign up with your email below and I’ll see what I can do.
There are parts of me trying to tell me that this is already a wasted dream, I shouldn’t be spending money on this website, etc. etc. In fact, I nearly gave up before I completed the website because computer stuff just doesn’t come that easily to me and I was sick of looking at templates I didn’t like. But I’m choosing to invest in my creativity, in my imagination, because I know what reading and art can do for a soul. And it doesn’t hurt that this website is the color of the yellow house I’ve always dreamed of having.
