Finding my way on the artist's way 🧭

I decided to restart The Artist's Way this week. If you're not familiar, it's a self-guided process to nurture your creativity and self worth. It was recommended to me by a mentor who told me I was a deeply creative person when I was at a turning point in my career and life as my father was dying.

I protested that I never felt like a creative person and that was not something that was encouraged or valued in my family. I was the young girl holding it all together who was so scared to make any mistakes and take any risks that in art class when we were meant to create I meticulously traced existing art on the light table and colored it in instead of daring to make my own.

So was I creative? No.

Smart, Thoughtful and Diligent? Yes.

Talented in other ways? Yes.

Creative? No, not me.

When I was first told that I was a deeply creative person I was still working at Google. Spending my days in minutiae designing online learning programs for advertisers. It was a fine job but I was certainly not in my zone of genius and utilizing my unique talents.

I last did The Artist's Way around 2018 and it's amazing how much easier and more natural it feels this time around. I remember it feeling like such a struggle to get myself to freewrite every day (freewriting in the form of "morning pages" is a core tool of the program.) Since some form of journaling has already been such an integral part of my self care for the past 7+ years, the morning pages feel natural and very freeing since my journaling process is usually more prescriptive.

The other core practice of The Artist's Way is the artist date where you take your inner artist to do something fun and adventurous just for you. I decided to go for a bike ride around town and let myself spontaneously decide where to go and what book to bring with me.

I spent some time lying under a redwood tree in the park and then ended up at a wonderful coffee shop in Oakland called Mother Tongue sipping a Decaf Iced Oat Vanilla Orange Latte 😂 while re-reading Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom by John O'Donohue.

I have more to say about Anam Cara but I'll save it for next week ;)

For now I'll leave you with this:

what parts of you have you lost along the way

doing everything “right”

making all the smart choices

avoiding the risks and possible mistakes

and following the path laid out for you

is there something you’re ready to reclaim?

wildness, drive, spontaneity, softness, adventure, creativity, joy

whatever it may be, it’s still in you and it is yours ❤️

XO Alyssa

P.S. I'd love to help you find *it* again

I'm enrolling 1:1 life coaching clients right now, book your complimentary consult today or reach out about ways I can support you!