Most people are not looking to stand out, they’re looking to fit in.
When I heard that, it blew my mind.
I always admired really creative expression, and even through all my years of heavy masking to fit in with society-at-large, my end goal was never to be one of them.
It was just to pass muster, so that I could do what I needed to do among the people out there and get back home to safety.
Freedom of expression, colour and creativity have always been home for me.
Ever heard of brave intuitive painting?
It’s when you adopt a spontaneous, bold, and fearless approach to painting as a process of discovery that results in lush, colourful, exciting, expressive paintings through a variety of techniques, combining basic, practical painting principles with innovative personal self-expression.
This is how I live my life.
I just pick up a paintbrush and some cans and run.
Most of the time, I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know where I’m going.
Because trying to hold on to the next step too tightly doesn’t work for me. I start wondering and questioning.
And I start stressing about what’s next. Should I do this or should I do that? I think that stops so many of us before we’ve ever even gotten started.
I still regularly freak out about what The Vision is when i start a new project, and I have to tell myself to shut up. We’ll see the vision when we get there. We’ll see the view when we get to the top.
That’s just how it works.
For so many years I felt shame around taking that brave intuitive approach to everything in life, because it is chaotic by nature and people don’t like it when you do that.
When you shrug and just jump in at the deep end.
“But wait, you don’t know how to swim!” they call from the shore.
“I’ll learn before I drown!” I shout back as I swim out further.
As a character, Captain Jack Sparrow made me feel very seen, maybe you can see why?
I’ve been told many times that’s not how you adult, that’s not responsible, that’s not how Things Are Done.
And I’ve felt upset about not being careful or cautious enough.
But the things in life I’ve always loved most (and regretted least) are the ones where I dove in in head first.
The only way I know how to do things is to give my entire heart to whatever I’m doing.
That’s what I have to give.
And it’s in that chaos that I find connection, not in the perfection of things.
And I’m learning that I don’t need to defend myself, I don’t need to pretend to be something I’m not.
I can just let go of that shame that I don’t do things the conventional way. There just are steps that I bypass with my chaotic intuitive bravery and just go for it.
And, oh my god, has this allowed me to finally take a deep breath.
It’s not just what i wanna do, it’s not just how I wanna do it.
It’s about surrounding myself with people who like the way I do things.It’s about the kind of life I want to create and who I want to create it with.
Create with intention and without guilt. Because the point of doing things, I think, is joy.
Not every thing in life will be a joyous thing, which is why it’s all the more important that I strive to create as many joyous things as possible.
And work, something we all spend a lot of time doing in a day, should be done with joy and be a source of joy.
All work doesn’t have to be your soulmate.
Trust me, I’ve had plenty of shit jobs that I hated. But I still did those jobs with joy. For myself.
Once it became too difficult to muster any joy at a job, I went out and found another job that was more supportive in that.
Jump first, figure it out as you go.
If it stops being joyful, go do something else.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.
— Albert Einstein
So, if you’re still here, reading this, I hope you find your joy. I hope you find your people, your tribe.
Embrace the brave intuition in you that will never steer you wrong.
All the love, all the power ❤️🔥
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