Your inner artist is a child and it needs to be fed

“We have to listen to the child we once were, the child who stills exists inside us. That child understands magic moments. We can stifle its cries, but we cannot silence its voice. The child we once were is still there.”

- Paulo Coelho, writer of The Alchemist

Many of us wish we were more creative and a lot of us can sense we are more creative but are unable to effectively tap into that creativity. As we grow up our dreams, interests, and passions we once had as a kid slip away from us. Our lives feel somehow flat. And sometimes, we have great ideas, wonderful dreams, but are unable to actualize them for ourselves.

Sometimes our creative longings can be specific — like learning to play the piano, painting, or taking a writing class — and sometimes our goals are more general. We hunger for what might be called creative living or an expanded sense of creativity in our business lives.

Hopefully, whatever I write here will inspire you to give yourself permission to go for your dreams, whether they are creative or not. My intention is to let you know that it’s possible. Heck, it’s even a necessity. Your passions are literally life energy. From my own experience I know that ignoring your soul’s desire can be very destructive. But how do we actually align our lives with what we really want? And how do we find out?

Well, this is the exact question I had when I promise myself to take my own dreams and desires seriously from that moment on. That’s when I discovered the book The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. This book is a twelve-week written course for creative recovery. Cameron teaches us that we are all born creative but the hardest part of it is to remain creative once we grow up and adapt to modern society. She gives a whole new (spiritual) perspective on finding our own inspiration and creativity.

The Artist Date

Creative recovery starts with excavating our buried dreams by reconnecting with who we were as a child. When we still believed in magic. When life was a constant delight. When we still had fun. When we didn’t think of duties or about what we should do but we did what purely intrigued us.

Learning to let yourself create is like learning to walk. And the artist child must begin by crawling. How? By giving your inner artist child some much-needed attention. Spending time in solitude with your artist child is essential. Feed that inner child. Recognize what it wants, nurture it, protect it. Just like a good parent would do. Commit yourself to a weekly date with you and your artist child by going on a walk, visiting a museum, watching the sunset on the beach, going to the movies. You and your artist child alone.

I know it takes investment and commitment. And you probably don’t even have the time for it. But as a result of this new relationship, you will be able to move beyond the pain and the limitations we experience from our adult lives. You will be more able to resolve fears and strengthen your own creative confidence. This sacred time will open yourself up to insights, inspiration and guidance. It will be your flashlight when things get dark and you can’t see what’s in front of you.

For me this is a ritual I still keep falling back on when I feel things start to get unclear for me or when I feel everyday life is too demanding. You cannot pour from an empty cup. You cannot be creative without being in touch with your inner artist child. Don’t starve it.

Sign up for my free Awaken the Artist Within online course that helps you reconnect with the creative genius that has been inside of you all along.