So, a few years back I wrote a small book called “How To Be An Artist”. Basically, it was a little collection of some of my musing and thoughts on how to build the life that you want around yourself and, if you are so inclined, how to include creativity into that life. I simply thought of it as a small tool that I could provide that might help inspire or entertain individuals that were interested in living artistic lives.

In that little book I introduced the metaphor of the creative ocean and touched on the idea of the artist navigating this vast creative source. So large is this creative landscape that there are infinite destinations that your artistic life can reach if you are brave enough to embark upon a personal journey to find them. Each destination and journey is ultimately unique to the individual, their dreams, and their personal circumstances. However, there are some common characteristics of creative journeys.

One of the common threads that we face as creative beings is the danger of being thrown off course. To set out towards one dream destination only to find that the wind, the tide, and the unexpected storm has knocked you off of your original direction. Now you find yourself disorientated, drifting with big holes in your sails.

Unexpected storms come in many varieties. They can be actual physical shifts in the world around you, wars and financial depressions, the death of loved ones, and yes, global pandemics. They can be very subtle personal storms that crash against you in the form of criticism from family and friends. They can be confusing and tangling storms that distract you with dead end jobs or volatile relationships. They can be deep internal storms that push and pull on you chemically and spiritually drawing you into dark whirlpools of depression or addiction. What storms you face are again unique to you and your journey but there is one sure thing, all of us will face some.

The unexpected storm is, strangely enough, predictable in the sense that I can guarantee that you will face one, if not multiple, while on this creative journey. The “unexpected” will not be that it appeared but in what form and at what time it appeared. So what do you do when the unexpected has shifted the landscape in front of you? What do you do when your perspective on your very existence and your life has spun around 180 degrees leaving you blindsided and disorientated.

Well, breathe. As soon as you are able take in one large deep breath and then another. Your journey has shifted but you are still here, in all your unique and powerful beauty, breathe.

Then, take inventory of what is around and in front of you and reorientate yourself to your new situation. Remember, you are a creative being, and while you may have been pushed off course you still have skills, knowledge, and resources both internal and external that you can tap into. Breathe, and give yourself some space and time to consider your best options.

For me these storms have made me highly aware of how much I value my creative life. I have found strength and resources that have come from pursuing creative projects, skills that I have been able to leverage when I suddenly needed them. My journeys have helped me find friends and colleagues who have provided emotional and career support when I did not know which way to go.

The most powerful knowledge that I have gained from these storms is this: The unexpected storms are going to come anyway, even if I had never pursued a single one of my dreams. While some of these storms may have changed my journey, or made me reevaluate my immediate goals, not a single one of them made me regret setting sail on this creative ocean. If anything, my artistic pursuits have given me hope and happiness when the rest of the world seemed dark. They have helped me develop my inner strength and my confidence so that I can stand up to my fears and face the challenges laid out before me.

So remember, breathe, your course may have changed but your creative power never left you.

Peace,

Terri