How I Begin

I tie my smock.

I light a candle, a winter scent fills the air with cypress and smoke, taking my mind on a quick nature walk.

I sip my tea, a white hibiscus with lime and ginger; the spices on my tongue and the heat on my palms relax and ground me.

My fingertips run over the textured, blank canvas, feeling the thirsty hills and valleys that will soon grab hold of my paints.

I tap play on the soundtrack, an earthy beat with little to no words begins the set, and I let the music travel from my ears to my feet.

Finally, I close my eyes and breathe in deeply in order to see clearly what I wish to create.

and then… I whisper to myself my affirmation. 

My positive commitment bundled inside a sentence so that my artist’s hands work in harmony with my mind.  I keep it simple.

How inspired am I willing to allow my art to be?

Other words like “colorful”, “free”, “connected”, “energized”, “soothing”, come to mind, fill my spirit and soon my canvas. My inspiring statements come in the form of questions or reminders.

Affirmations… positive statements that we create for ourselves to say aloud so that they find their way into our subconscious and support us so we reach, become, believe what we already are. 

When I first began this practice, admittedly it felt strange to talk to myself.

Inhaling the scent of the candle and the tea, feeling the warmth of the mug and the texture of the canvas, hearing the music… All of that comes from outside to awaken the artist inside. 

Then, in contrast, this voice of mine comes from the inside and fills the room with a positive affirmation, a goal.  I think it’s that voice from within that makes an affirmation so powerful. My voice which circles the room and returns to my ears for my mind to hear again. 

This practice of taking a few minutes to call upon my five senses and whisper my affirmation is my way of taking the time to shift my energy from mom, wife, entrepreneur to me as artist, because that part of me deserves its own energy and space in my life. It has become my creative habit for now and makes it easier for me to begin because I don’t have to think about the first few steps. It just flows naturally.

Affirmations are an artist’s ally, but they aren’t just for artists, they are for all of us.