Awakening My Creative Soul

“A woman actually doesn’t need a room of her own but she does need an hour of her own. An hour during which she steps outside of her roles so she can remember her soul. An hour in which she’s serving nobody but her own potential. An hour during which she’s putting work boots on her dreams.”

– Glennon Doyle Melton

Have you ever wondered what you might be missing in life? Or indeed, whether you are missing out on anything at all?

I certainly have!

There was a time in my life where I didn’t know up from down, left from right. I was lost and feeling totally alone and entirely misunderstood.

I felt like I didn’t have any true friends at all. That nobody really got me or made time and space for me in any meaningful way.

I was stressed, depressed and feeling as though I was living at the bottom of a deep dark well.

Little did I realise at the time that the problem was me.

I was living a life that on the surface was very successful, but it didn’t fulfil me or make me happy. Because the surface was OK I told myself everything else should be too. I was living the high life by all accounts and I should be on top of the world! Promotions at work, a flat by the sea.

It all sounds like bliss, right?

There was this nagging sensation coming from my very soul, that I was successfully ignoring by making sure my life was as busy as possible. Nights out, shopping trips. Anything to fill the void inside.

But nothing really worked.

Eventually, because of my depression, I found myself truly alone (I had pushed everyone away) and unable to work. Here there was nowhere to hide.

I had to confront what was missing in my life.

What was missing was art.

When I finally allowed art into my life everything changed for me. I felt connected, inspired, no longer alone and full of ideas and inspiration. It happened slowly at first, but eventually, I was finding myself feeling full once again.

No more useless shopping trips or numbing myself with alcohol.

I was free!

It was such an amazing experience for me that I want to shout about it from the rooftops to anyone and everyone who will listen!

Art can truly heal your soul and connect you to parts of yourself you never even knew existed.

It is refreshing, uplifting and it gives you the time and space to think, breathe, shine and grow.

Want to awaken your creative soul too? Here are three simple steps to get started on that right away:

1. Doodle. By the phone, in your notebooks, on the edge of your receipts if that’s all you have. You don’t need any special supplies for this at all. Just doodle away and let your hand explore shapes and patterns once again. Free of judgement and free of any kind of expectation. You might be surprised at what comes to life!
2. Look for art in the world. Take little photos with your phone, or just stop to notice the artfulness around you. Flowers and plants are a good place to start – the shapes and colours are sure to inspire. Even old abandoned buildings often offer up beautiful shapes and colours you might not have noticed before.
3. Do what delights you. Don’t worry about whether it’s good enough or what the end result will be. If you want to collage, go for it. If you want to splash paint around, why on earth wouldn’t you? The sky is the limit and everything you learn as you play will be of value to your creative soul.

What ways can you invite more creativity into your day to day lives? Feel free to share them here – I’d love to read them and find out more about you.