Should it Be Easy?
ByThink of everything you’ve ever learned the hard way.
Don’t you know it more deeply, more profoundly than almost anything else?
Then why do you give yourself such a hard time when you find something difficult to do or learn? When you haven’t reached your secret artistic dream or goal?
Let’s face it, everything we want most dearly is usually a challenge. Or else we’d already “have” it.
Being Up for the Challenge
What if you could change your perception about the difficulty instead?
What if you could accept that this challenge (you care so deeply about) is hard, but decide you’re up for the experience anyway?
For the long haul.
That you honor and respect your willingness to be up for the challenge.
That you realize how much respect you have for other people who are up for their challenges.
People who are willing to fall on their faces as they attempt their hard “thing” whatever that is.
Because when it’s someone else, it’s so easy to see the integrity of being willing to be challenged. Of trying a hard thing.
You don’t think, “What an ass.” as they struggle. You think, “Wow, I wish I could let myself do that.”
Well, you can.
Even if what you’re struggling with is something you think you should be better at. Even if you “used to be” really good at it.
Even if you’re still party worried you aren’t talented enough.
And what if you could be free of that thought? The thought that you aren’t talented enough. That you don’t have what it takes.
Wouldn’t that alone make facing the challenge worthwhile?
Embracing your challenges, taking chances and getting bolder with your work all require facing and interacting with those fears that you aren’t talented enough, that you don’t have what it takes.
And doing your hard thing is the only way to make those fears less real.
Working on something difficult for the long haul–like your artwork–challenging yourself again and again to express what you want to express, to take your skill where you’d really like it to go–requires courage–but mostly at first.
Because the longer you hang in there, the more you realize that facing your challenge is about honoring the process.
And every step closer to truly honoring the process weakens the bravado of those crippling thoughts about talent and having what it takes.
Therefore, the more you honor the process, the less courage you need.
And you become more free.
If that ain’t worth it, I don’t know what is.
What Do You Think?
Do you have creative challenges you’d like to commit to more deeply? What tough lessons have helped you in your life? Please share your thoughts in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.
Ohhh.
“Let’s face it, everything we want most dearly is usually a challenge. Or else we’d already “have” it.”
It feels like this is my lesson of the decade-every time I turn around, I’m learning this one again, a little deeper. I never applied it to creative work before. This one goes into my file to chew over and think about. Thanks.
On May 19, 2006, a very traumatic event happened to me. Someone burned down our house. Everything was gone in a little over 4 hours. Everything from 4 generations and all that I had worked on in my crafts for close to 45 years! How do you recover from that? It took 4 years for me to be serious again about my quilting, knitting and other crafts. And, that started this January.
In the 4 years interim, I had tried to design and make quilts, but they laid around started and nothing finished. But, I have plenty started from those years and this year I decided to begin a journey to throw out, give away, repurpose or finish my unfinished projects. It has been a rewarding journey, and even some ‘new’ starts, but I am working to the finish line so I can design again.
Now, it seems, my life is divided into ‘before the fire’ or ‘after the fire’. That part doesn’t go away. But, it was not an easy process to ‘lay down’ what can never been changed and to go on to ‘new’ things. I was very angry that I was the ‘chosen’ victim. I had a BIG stash of fabric and craft supplies and though they were replaced by myself and friends, that didn’t make the hurt go away. I am thankful for all the fat quarters, scrap fabric, and sewing supplies that my friends gave me. I made an applique heart quilt from the 100 fat quarters that people from all over the world sent me. The quilt top is sewn together, and next year I’ll be working on borders, backing, and quilting it by hand.
But, in all this turmoil, somewhere my creative heart began to beat again and flowing through me was the desire to creative. The challenge was not easy, but I started this year with a desire to learn new techniques and to finish the quilts I had started during the ‘raw hurt’ years.
So, I have a new perspective and a new outlook. My family says that with each project I am improving and showing more talent. I appreciate their words, but I know that the ‘talent’ was always there, I just never was willing to try new things and push to a new level.
I feel that I am honoring the process and it is indescribable the feeling that I get when I have completed another project. I make a list of 2 items to work on each month and if I complete those 2 projects, then I either go and finish something small that is in ‘the chest’ ready to be completed or I start something new with the knowledge that I commit to finishing the new project the next month.
This is how I work and it is working for me.
Happy creating!
Joyce B.
Wow Joyce, what a terrible ordeal to go through. Thanks for sharing your process of slowly returning to your creativity and your renewed commitment to yourself and honoring the process in a whole bigger way—-what an incredible silver lining to such an awful event. You are inspiring.