Writing and Art: Charting a New Course

I used to write while I was painting. I had a notebook open within easy reach of my easel and paints. I paused between brushstrokes in order to write about the experience, the concepts and meaning of the painting in progress. And when I had a studio show, I would hang an index card of some of that writing next to each of the paintings for visitors to read. Writing was part of my creative process.

Writing, art, and creativity were always a package deal for me. My journals were those hard covered black sketchbooks that I carried everywhere. They were filled with writing along with sketches, ideas, brainstorming, scribbles and more. They were filled with my everyday life. And through the years, I began a number of writing projects, mostly on creativity, art, and gratitude. But my passion for painting always came first and any written progress would be sidelined… for years.

So, maybe it was no surprise that in 2020 I decided to dust off all of those words and compile them in one place… with the hope and preparation of getting back to them in some way. I was curious about what I might end up creating with all I had stored away. Finally, I made the commitment: 2024 would be the year that art was to be moved to the sidelines and writing would be my primary focus.

I began every day with journaling. And I decided it would be a good idea to choose one of those many possible projects, to develop and complete. I chose the one that I felt the least emotionally invested in. One in which I might spend less time and have something that would more easily carry into a flow with words. Little did I know, it was going to change the course of my creative life and set me on the path towards Creative Visioning. Funny thing is that the title of that project was ‘Charting a New Course’ and that’s exactly where it carried me. I fell in love with the process of creating it and it became the rudder that set me on my own new course.

Charting a New Course helped inspire a series of written projects, now available on my new Creative Visioning website. And here we are, two years after it’s completion, Charting a New Course, has been added to that website, joining all it has inspired.

Charting a New Course is a digital workbook PDF. It is designed for anyone who feels ready to begin something new, but hasn't yet found clarity on what that is. Through a self discovery process, along with a series of prompts, you will draw upon where you've been in order to chart a course toward where you want to go.

Trusting Your Creative Voice

What an extraordinary journey it is to develop trust in our own individual creative voice and embrace the power of self expression. It puts us on the path of exploration, where we can connect with our soul to discover unique ideas and perspectives. With every decision we make and every thread of interest we follow, we are paving the way along our creative path.

Trusting in our creative voice requires letting go of self-doubt and embracing any feelings of vulnerability that may arise. It is through this surrender that we find the courage to push boundaries, explore new techniques, and uncover hidden depths within ourselves.

We all have a distinct and very individual creative vision, perspective, and point of view. It has been shaped by life experiences, family and environmental influences, and our particular exposure to people, places, and events. Our artistic expression reflects all of these factors which come together to form a tapestry of our own.

So, let your imagination take you on a journey to greater self awareness and a personal exploration of what lies within. Through the act of playful experimentation and the courage to step into creative adventures, you can build trust in how your vision shows up and where it will lead.