Creating art by an abandoned farm shed in Oxnard, California. December 2011
Bottom line: It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece. It just has to be yours.
Banishing the inner critic. How many great works of art were ruined by listening to the inner critic? How many times have you painted something, penned a poem, or composed a piece of music — only to trash it because you decide on second glance it wasn’t worthy of sharing or keeping?
That priligy little voice that whispers too loudly — “it’s no good. It sucks. You’ve done this before” — is the real artist’s most dangerous adversary.
So here’s my New Year’s revelation — and resolution — for the next time I feel the urge to create: instead of listening to my inner cynic, I will call upon my fearless 4-year-old; she never needed a second look. And every time she painted something, it was magic.
So… what if my little poem, or painting, really IS terrible?
Process not product…. it’s hard to adjust to that premise because we’ve been taught otherwise…. I struggle with this all the time … the only way to improve is to DO… while banishing the voice that judges… it truly means calling on our fearless inner-child… and what relief when we see him emerge….