Reclaiming Yourself

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.

Reclaiming Yourself

Have you ever looked at the life you've created and wondered if this is really what you want anymore?

You've spent years building that life. You've made commitments, taken on responsibilities, and become someone your family depends on. And somewhere along the way, you may have gotten so used to doing what needs to be done that you've stopped asking yourself what you actually enjoy.

When was the last time you got curious about yourself?

I think that's where reclaiming yourself begins.

When we talk about identity, we have to consider how much of our lives we spend identifying ourselves through the roles we fulfill. Being a parent can become such a significant part of how you see yourself that when your children grow up, you begin wondering who you are outside of that role. The same thing can happen with a career you've spent decades building.

You can spend years doing what everyone depends on you to do and become so accustomed to that role that you barely think about what you want anymore. Eventually, you start questioning whether the life you've built still reflects who you are today. And I think those questions are worth exploring, especially when you've spent so much time focused on everyone else's needs.

Think about how much you've changed over the last twenty years. You've had experiences that have influenced what matters to you today. Yet it's entirely possible that you're still making decisions based on an understanding of yourself that formed a long time ago.

Reclaiming yourself begins with getting to know who you are today.

And I think creativity has an important place in that process.

When you give yourself time to create, you begin discovering what interests you right now. You follow your curiosity and make decisions based on what you enjoy. That experience can reconnect you with preferences and desires that have received very little attention for years.

I also believe exploration is an important part of reclaiming yourself. Go somewhere you've always wanted to visit. Take the class you've been thinking about. Give yourself experiences that allow you to discover something about yourself that you didn't know before.

The person you are today has different interests, desires, and priorities than the person you were twenty years ago. And I think it's worth giving yourself the opportunity to explore those changes. You could discover something you love that you've never even considered before, simply because you've finally given yourself the freedom to try.

Reclaiming yourself means becoming an active participant in discovering what you want your life to look like now. It means recognizing that the person you are today deserves the same attention you've given to building the life you already have.

And I think there's something incredibly exciting about realizing that you still have so much of yourself left to discover.

From Anaconda Art: Sweet Wings Wander Journal

I love the idea of a fresh beginning, especially when it comes from realizing that you've changed and you're ready to explore something new.

This week's featured journal, Sweet Wings Wander, features one of my original mixed-media collages. A delicate winged girl is surrounded by wild botanicals, vintage book pages, and beautiful moths. Across the artwork are the words, “Sweet wings wander and forget yesterday.”

I chose those words because I think there's something powerful about giving yourself permission to move forward. We can become so attached to the person we've always been that we continue making choices based on an old version of ourselves.

And that's part of what reclaiming yourself is about. You get to decide what you want to experience next, regardless of how you've lived your life up to this point.

I also love journaling as a way to get to know yourself better. Writing gives you an opportunity to explore your thoughts and discover what you really want, especially when you're asking yourself questions you've never considered before.

Sweet Wings Wander is a lined hardcover journal available at Anaconda Art using the link directly below.

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