Welcome back to The Inspired Artist.
Each Friday, we explore identity, creativity, and the way who you are influences what you create. Then you'll receive a new mixed-media printable to spark your creativity.
What If Change Is Exactly What You Need?
How do you respond when life begins changing in ways you hadn't planned?
I think our relationship with change tells us a lot about our identity. We become accustomed to the way our lives look and the roles we've created for ourselves. We develop expectations about how things are supposed to happen, and those expectations become part of how we understand ourselves and our place in the world.
And then something changes.
Maybe it's something you've wanted for years. Maybe it's a change you never anticipated. Either way, you're suddenly being asked to experience life differently than you have before.
I believe every change gives us an opportunity to grow, even when we would have preferred things to stay exactly as they were.
Think about how much of your identity has been shaped by the circumstances of your life. You've made decisions based on what was happening around you, developed beliefs through your experiences, and created an understanding of who you are within those circumstances.
But your circumstances are always changing, and you get to evolve along with them.
One of the things I've come to understand about identity is that we can become so attached to who we've been that we continue making decisions based on a version of ourselves that we've already outgrown.
Change gives us an opportunity to question that.
When something familiar shifts, we get to look at what we've believed about ourselves and decide whether those beliefs still reflect who we are today. We can discover new interests, recognize strengths we haven't used before, and begin considering possibilities that weren't part of our previous experience.
And I think there's an even deeper opportunity here.
Change invites us to become more connected to the truth of who we are.
When the circumstances around you change, what remains important to you? What do you genuinely want? What do you believe about yourself when you're no longer defining yourself through the roles and routines you've become accustomed to?
These are questions worth spending time with.
I also believe we have a choice in how we participate in change. We can continue wishing things were the way they used to be, or we can become curious about what this new experience is showing us.
That curiosity creates opportunities for conscious choices. You begin deciding how you want to respond based on who you are today and the person you're choosing to BE moving forward.
And sometimes, the changes that initially feel the most unfamiliar become the experiences that teach us the most about ourselves.
You are always allowed to evolve.
You can appreciate the life you've lived and recognize that you're ready for something different. You can honor who you've been while allowing yourself to discover more of who you are.
Because every new experience gives you another opportunity to understand yourself more deeply and create a life that reflects that understanding.
And I think that's one of the most beautiful things about change.
From The Reclaimed Podcast: Following Your Creative Curiosity
Have you ever found yourself completely fascinated by an art technique you've never tried before? Or brought home something unusual because you just knew you could create something with it?
That's exactly what Royce Hunt Bell and I are talking about in episode 4 of The Reclaimed Podcast!
This week, we're exploring creative curiosity and all the wonderful places it can take us. Royce shares her interest in encaustic wax painting and how the layers create such interesting possibilities. I'm sharing some of the journals I've been making with vintage bingo cards and RoyCycled decoupage papers.
We also get into making paintbrushes from found materials, collecting art supplies, and the funny experience of ordering something for a project and completely forgetting what we planned to do with it!
One of my favorite parts of this conversation is about what happens when we create something we really love and then have to decide whether we're willing to change it. Royce shares a painting she's working on and her hesitation about painting over some beautiful roses. I talk about why I actually love covering up a background I've spent time creating.
There's something valuable about experimenting with our artwork and discovering what happens when we're willing to explore an idea. Every experience gives us another opportunity to develop confidence in our own creativity.
If you love mixed-media art, experimenting with new techniques, and finding inspiration in unexpected places, I think you'll really enjoy this conversation.
From Anaconda Art: Don't Ever Doubt Your Worth Tote Bag
I believe one of the most important things we can understand about ourselves is that our worth is inherent. It exists regardless of what we've accomplished, the decisions we've made, or the circumstances we're experiencing.
And that's exactly what inspired this week's featured product, the Don't Ever Doubt Your Worth Tote Bag.
The artwork is one of my original mixed-media collages, featuring a beautiful figure with a jar filled with hearts, surrounded by vintage book pages, botanicals, and delicate butterflies. Above her are the words, "Don't ever doubt your worth."
I chose this piece for this week's newsletter because I think it's especially relevant when we're experiencing change. It's easy to begin questioning ourselves when life looks different than we expected. We can start measuring our value against what we're accomplishing or how well we're navigating a new experience.
But who you are and what you're worth are two entirely different things from what happens around you.
I love incorporating messages like this into everyday objects because they give us opportunities to reconnect with what we believe about ourselves. And this spacious tote is perfect for bringing your art supplies to a class, heading to the bookstore, or enjoying a day out.
The Don't Ever Doubt Your Worth Tote Bag is available at Anaconda Art using the link directly below.
