The Interplay Between Humbleness and Confidence

Humbleness and Confidence

“I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps.”
Mahatma Gandhi

The idea is, in the world of creation, a choice between humbleness and confidence does not need to be made. Both can co-exist within an artist’s life simultaneously as a balancing system. A humble confidence helps to keep an artist honest about their abilities, and assured enough to continue to put forth the effort inherent in creating. It also allows a person to be wise enough to know that being humble is what ensures continued growth and it provides a connection to a larger picture than the confines of one’s self. Many elements of social influence can impact the displays of humbleness and confidence, such as gender roles, culture and religious/spiritual group affiliation. There is major differentiation between the philosophies that govern Eastern and Western cultures. Generally speaking, Western cultures value confidence over humility and individuality over group duty. Eastern cultures place the value of humbleness above confidence; this is seen in the embedded hierarchy of respect for elders and tendency to downplay personal achievements, while upholding the goals of a group as a whole. Creation touches upon all cultures and the discussion to follow weaves in elements of the interplay between humbleness and confidence that are utilized within the life of an artist.

“Humility is the only true wisdom by which we prepare our minds for all the possible changes in life.”

George Arliss

Humbleness is thought to be reflective of a willingness to learn, a willingness to listen and a display of quiet compassion. To show humility is to admit to being human in an interconnected circuit of existence that is not simply isolated to one’s own accomplishments, abilities and goals. To admit mistakes, particularly to one’s self is a positive side-effect of humbleness, a sign of humility that can allow an artist to overcome short fallings and continue to improve their craft and ultimately refine their message. Humbleness is not a sign of weakness, self-depreciation or a display of low self-worth; rather, it is truly wisdom in action.

“Humility is to make a right estimate of one’s self”

Charles H. Spurgeon

To feel secure with a knowledge base and to have worked hard to accomplish a level of mastery within a field, is a fundamental task towards the development of confidence. The more confident a person, the more capable of humbleness they can become. Confidence should not be confused with arrogance, ego, or a feeling of superiority. As an artist one of the most monumental moments lays in realizing that there is no need to prove yourself through your work. Confidence is a reflection of belief in one’s abilities and the outcome of the ground work necessary to hone those abilities. To assume a role without sufficient tools, knowledge or skills will only lead to both internal and external conflict. Insecurity breeds contempt. Not being secure with one’s own abilities can lead to artistic or personal jealousies that can hinder a positive path and presentation of creative intent. The sacrifice of ego can open up doors of learning, which ultimately leaves a person's perception open to the calls of inspiration that can motivate future work. A grave mistake for anyone, is to consider themselves beyond the scope of continued growth, this can result in the complete dismantling of an artist’s potential.

“He who is humble is confident and wise. He who brags is insecure and lacking.”
Lisa Edmondson

Another potential danger in the life of an artist is the maladaptive development of pseudo-confidence. To adopt a sense of confidence that is not rooted by an accurate view of one’s self, can disrupt the process of humbling one’s disposition and create a downward spiral of disdain. Using a false sense of confidence as a defense mechanism to cover rooted insecurities can be detrimental to a person’s relationship with others and create a major road block for advancement. This form of confidence is destructive and although it can motivate one to excel with an intent to prove one’s abilities (even is there is a sufficient lack of training or mastery within the specific area), it creates a pathology that will corrode artistic potential. Not to mention this type of mentality can cut a person off from creating a positive community because they will only use other people as devices to help prove their worth. A person who is in this frame of mind will often attempt to secure a leadership position based off of the suppression of their followers in order to feed into their false sense of confidence. Any one that shows talent that exceeds can be looked at as a threat to their image of confidence and thus becomes a target for unhealthy competition or jealousy. This is an extreme circumstance, which is unfortunately seen in every field, but a prime example of what can happen when an air of confidence is attempted without either the actual ability to support it or the humbleness to balance it out.

Confidence serves as a tool to assist communication about an artist’s personal message by offering energy behind the presentation of their work. For example, a performance artist without confidence would surely make less of an impact than one who exuded confidence. Believing that most art is created as a form of communication with the larger realm of humanity lends to a common artistic battle of getting the public to hear a particular message. The projection of true confidence can be a vehicle that drives an artist to succeed in communicating their vision.

In the dynamics of the learning environment, there is somewhat of a hierarchical structure that is unspoken. The teacher assumes a leadership position as the bearer of information and the student the active recipient of information. These roles are further defined depending on cultural and social context. As far as the assignments of roles to student and teacher, I personally do not subscribe to the idea of a hierarchy of superiority and subordination that can be construed in the learning process. The process of facilitating growth is much more of a dynamic process than the adherence to these roles allows. To teach students how to access their humbleness, a teacher must be humble, to cultivate the potential for confidence, the teacher must show confidence in their knowledge and work. Just as respect should be two-way street, so is the display of humbleness and confidence. We are each the students and teachers of our artistic growth, and can adopt each role through our interactions with one another.

When to be humble? When to be confident? My belief is that these are not opposing roles or conflicting concepts, they have the capability of being accomplished within the same moment. Some people have a tendency to think that being faced with unknown knowledge is somehow a blow to their current abilities. This idea couldn’t be further from the truth, and moments where new information is shared should be celebrated, for they offer a person a chance at expanding their own potential. When a person is humble and receptive, this concept is at the root of their artistic path. If a person doesn’t believe in themselves, or if they take on the role of trying to prove themselves by allowing their ego to over talk their abilities, it poses a challenge in convincing others to believe in them or their work. Yet, if a person believes in themselves and can bring forth the combination of confidence and humility, that interplay can be the most powerful sounding board in projecting an artist’s intent. Ultimately, to have the most impact as an artist and to continue treading towards a higher level of work, confidence will need the support of humbleness each step of the way.

“To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them.”
Charles de Montesquieu

***Abbreviated version of this article to be published in the Creativity Coaching Association (CCA) March 2009 Newsletter. To access CCA Newsletter archives and to find out more about Creativity Coaching, please visit: http://www.creativitycoachingassociation.com/cca/newsletter/

On Being a Teacher

Being a teacher is a gift as well as one of the greatest responsibilities. The gift comes in being able to inspire others to want to reach their own potential in learning and beyond, and the responsibility is in knowing that with such an influential position we must be aware every moment to the fluctuating needs of students and the wide variety of learning styles. A wonderful way to define being a teacher is through the ability to facilitate an increase of knowledge and awareness in students. Referring to a teacher as a facilitator of growth encapsulates their role as an active participant in the learning process, not just a bearer of information. At the core of any great teacher is a desire to make a difference in the lives of each of their students by instilling a vision of growth through their ability to communicate ideas clearly and with a passion to discover new plains of understanding.

If any of us look back at the people that have had the largest positive influence on our lives, whether they are friends, family members, role models or teachers, there are certain qualities that touched us that are seen in most. Compassion, consistency, clarity, humble confidence, passion for the topic at hand, belief in what is being shared and organization are some of the characteristics that lay a strong foundation for proficiency in facilitating learning. Life is set up to be a constant path of absorbing and sorting through information and as a teacher it is important to recognize characteristics that influence the effectiveness of educating and guiding others. Every person has a unique personality and learning style and for a teacher to reach a larger range of students it is important to take that into account when developing their teaching technique. Individualizing the learning process for each person gives a better chance of aiding them in discovering their individual growth potentials.

Motivating individual learners can be one of the most challenging aspects of teaching. The ability to motivate is a bi-directional relationship. There isn't one way to motivate everyone, only unique ways to attempt to motivate each person in their own right. To give two general examples, students who are the most intrinsically motivated (self-motivated) tend to do the best absorbing and involving themselves in the process with none or limited aid as long as they believe in what they are doing. For these students as long as they maintain interest in the subject they will continue to drive themselves towards their potential. For more extrinsically motivated students (motivated by external rewards), short-term goals with some form of award system usually help to access more effort and interest. The challenging aspect comes from the idea that ultimately we cannot motivate anyone else to act, they have to be a receptive and willing participant. As a teacher we have the responsibility to try as many approaches as we can to inspire students enough to want to accomplish goals, while continuing to have complete belief in their abilities, both realized and undiscovered. The key is in never underestimating a student. Remember that as a teacher you can greatly affect a student's self-view.

At the root there must be a developed sense of trust between student and teacher, without it a stable road cannot be carved to walk down. Though trust comes in time it must be revived and strengthened through examples of honest and good intentioned behavior. There are many who do not trust easily so developing it may take time. The main thing to remember when teaching is every time you pass on information you are asking for the recipient to trust in the validity of your words. The guidance you share depends on the strength of understanding, acceptance and belief that you have something valuable to offer. Sincerity is crucial in building trust on an individual and group level. If a student feels a teacher is present and honestly cares about their growth, they will be more likely to tune in to what you are offering them in their path of learning.

As with every other art form teaching is a balance between passion and structural organization. Without passion many important messages can be lost. It isn't always what is said, but how it is said that makes an impact. On a personal note, the moment this saying clicked for me was during my freshman year in high school during my first math class of the year. The amount of passion my teacher, Mr. McGee, had teaching arithmetic not only made it my favorite subject, but helped me learn the most out of any other subject. Passion and mathematics didn't seem to be a compatible duet until it was introduced by someone who clearly had such a joy for the subject that it became infectious. For me, this was a lesson on the power of believing so deeply in something that you can't help but bubble over when sharing it. What that excitement does for the interest level of the students is tremendous.

With passion there must also be form or else the excitement has no foundation for longevity or clarity. When structuring a course, workshop, lecture or weekly class it is important to start by outlining your ideas, concepts and core information you want to make sure gets across to your expected audience. Though there are creative moments when your class structure gets substituted with and impromptu inspiration for an alternative plan, for the most part you want to have each section set for the benefit of the students as well as your own benefit in making sure you include what you feel is important. No matter what it is you are teaching the idea is to have an overall long-term goal, which should be considered your greater vision that you refer to every step of the way. Though this vision may expand and change form as you do, to have it as a focal point will always have you reaching for your goals in why you are teaching. In addition making short-term goals for yourself, your students and your field are all stepping stones pointing towards a path of growth. The desire to teach may not be something that can be taught, though the fundamental skills surrounding the act of being a teacher can. It is important to take to heart the reasons why you have chosen to teach and bring out the best in yourself through your strengths and unique contributions.

One of the greatest offerings you can give a student is belief in themselves that they can accomplish their goals by giving them the tools for success that build their confidence. Through each platform they reach, they begin to have faith that they can make it to the next, and the next. Being able to instill the freedom to believe, tools to make it happen, strength to see past set backs, awareness of self and an open view of possibilities pertaining to a lifetime of unlimited personal choices is the largest gift a teacher can give. Instilling hope for what is possible and the reality of steps that need to be taken to reach new plateaus of being with one of the ultimate goals being fearless expression through any chosen medium is the balance as a facilitator of growth helps to maintain. These core values of teaching have the power to spill over into every aspect of a persons life, making their foundation of existence even richer, their belief in themselves stronger and there desire to accomplish even greater.

Beauty Conspiracy

“The beauty is the individual; the conspiracy is following your internal and true-natured instincts. Releasing the idea of concrete thinking and judgment, which try to hide the beauty and confine the conspiracy, the true conspirator follow ones internal path, while supporting the positive path of others.” – Andre Khoury

Beauty Conspiracy came about as both a call and response to my desire to combine the many amazing qualities of humanity, equipt with contradiction, complexity and the ultimate clarity of unifying forces towards a limitless well of happiness and positive growth. A vision behind what Beauty Conspiracy represents to me as a woman and an artist is described below...yet it stands as only one voice in the force behind the ever increasing, always existing, Beauty Conspiracy movement...

Beauty exists without question, yet unraveling the many sources is a conspiracy waiting to happen. Taking part in this personal, yet intertwined quest, defines conspiracy as loosely binding together to create movement towards a unified goal…..Wanting to affect change even in the face of adversity and walking in confidence holding hands with the contradictions inherent in true beauty and extinguishing the external standards of beauty that suppress rather than empower.

“(The process of beauty) is constantly digging through the whole big compost heap and finding the ways to honour it, live it and perpetuate it.” – Gabriele Wills

We cannot set boundaries for beauty, or expectations in our continuous journey through hot spots of happiness, thus the conspiracy lays not in rebellion, for the action is not merely a response, rather an innate drive to sow a path not traveled and gather in unity with those who want to conspire together through the unavoidable complexities of life that supply the duality of light and dark, positive and negative, and together we move forward to create and maintain the light that acts as a snowball to spread inspiration through positive thought and action.

If conspiracy rings negative, true beauty acts as the contradiction to the common image of what it is to conspire, the survival of true beauty is based on the ability to move forward with what is an honest reflection of self and outlook unaltered by the negative influence of a predetermined set of values and guidelines offered as roadblocks to prevent the blossoming of true strength, true vision, honest intentions and the power of beauty freedom.

“…beauty conspiracy is where we have inner harmony together...” – Tori King

Another point of discussion lays on why conspiracy is viewed as negative. To attempt to over throw the status quo, is commonly looked at as a negative attempt by those who identify with “the way things are”. Many social movements in the past (many of which continue on today) dealing with core issues such as racism, homophobia, classism, sexism, etc, were looked at as a negative movement against mainstream values of separatism and the hierarchy of value placed on human life based off of gender, race or sexual identity. In the life of any artist, scientist, scholar or other prominent figure who is ahead of their time it is common to mislabel their efforts for movement and change as upheaval of what is known, what is safe, what is accepted. Beauty Conspiracy takes the knowledge of system confinement and takes charge to change the image of beauty as a stagnant standard to a timeless, limitless well of inspiration, passion and drive that exists among us waiting to be noticed, held and appreciated.

There are many ways to look at the coupling of beauty conspiracy as a technical joining of two words, as a philosophy and as a concept that means something to each of us. Each point of view holds interest for me personally, which returns me to the point of establishing Beauty Conspiracy as a movement created by individual voices united towards living in a combined reality of inspiration and freedom. How we define and harness beauty in our own lives, and the vehicles to our conspiring, are through our individual gifts..through our art, our words or daily dedication to making a mark on our paths. The essence of simply being is established through the release of binds and the surrender to the moments that inspire positive motion within and outside of us. To reach that surrender, the platform of freedom can be established through the loyalty to our core values and in joining with the people in our lives that share in that limitless vision of possibility, taking a step out of bounds and not conforming to what is expected.

“The freedom to be a conspirator and delve below the general agreed upon ideas you come across every day, surprise yourself, be the contradiction that inspires, ask questions of yourself and come up with your answers…” - Collette

Zen of Creativity

Book Review and Inspiration Derived from The Zen of Creativity: Cultivating Your Artistic Life by John Daido Loori

"Creativity is constantly evolving and inspiration is the artistic fuel that follows suit when the mind is quiet enough to listen." – Tiffany Bisconer

This book as a whole definitely reaffirmed my belief that creativity is both within us and inspired beyond us. Understanding that there needs to be some form of stillness in thought in order to truly access creative output was another point that resounded in the pages of this book. The Zen philosophy is a powerful reminder of how we become very attached at times to the concrete aspects of a superficial sense of life, without really seeing or absorbing the many inspiring elements of life around us. The same can apply to our own creative and artistic indulgences. We often get attached to the product, without allowing ourselves a pure sense of presence through the never-ending process of brewing, developing and releasing art.

Creativity is constantly evolving and inspiration is our necessary artistic fuel. In the moment where our internal creative vision is perched and ready to escape into external form, that transfer requires a specific mental atmosphere. A practical application of the lessons presented in this book is to create a personally ideal environment, both internally and externally, when engaging in the artistic process. This process would be similar to what Loori refers to as Hara, which is accessing the still place inside of us that allows an initial spark of inspiration to clarify itself and develop into creativity. The author's ideas and concepts help support the idea of facilitating a growth potential that already exists inside of each person. This can positively affect the role of an artist by remembering that a part of our role is to act as a facilitator and carrier of the underlying essence of inspiration. Inspiration thus becomes a bi-directional relationship.

In the book, I enjoyed the imagery of bi-directional energy being defined as chi within artist and subject separately that need to communicate in order to reach a platform of resonance in which the process of developing art can begin. I believe as artists we may tend to be more self-focused when creating art that we forget that there is a relationship we need to cultivate with our subject as well, what ever our chosen medium is. Just as we have a will to create the subject of our creation has its own will to either comply or deny us from manifesting it into a form of expression.

This book is also wonderful tool to remind us not to rush the creative process or the time it takes to first acquire skill, then to naturally develop original expression. Given that individuality is promoted in American culture, wanting to create original work is something that is often expressed. In my own experience I have witnessed artists who have just begun to learn a particular craft want to immediately create out of the box. Although I admire original thought, I also recognize without the proper technical base, originality may be lost to an undeveloped presentation of skill. Enhancing the concept of the process being the destination is an important lesson to remember and live by in order to reach the substantiated goal of original work. Only when skill and technical ability can be forgotten, does expression have a solid platform to begin. As Loori mentions, "Originality is born of craftsmanship, skill, and diligent practice, not trying to stand out in a crowd" (p.113).

Another important point that was brought up is the necessary release of attachment that an artist needs to allow with creations in order to provide a fresh platform for the next spark of inspiration. Holding onto a completed creation can hinder the continuation of the artistic process, thus stinting an artist's growth.

One of my favorite sections in the book had to do with confronting the barriers, feelings of predestined defeat and other forms of negativity we hold inside that manifest as walls to our personal growth and happiness. Being close to our enemies can be applied to being close with the dark spots inside of us that stop us from realizing our own artistic freedom. His approach was to, in a sense, exorcise our internal enemies by releasing them through our art and confronting them straight on. Of course, more so as an exercise, not as a public display, so the goal of shaving away the internal ties that bind us can be realized. One exercise of Loori's that I found particularly intriguing, which incorporated this concept, was the Art Koan Practice: Express Your Barrier. Given that barriers are a constant in the creative process, learning how to embody and express the source of your fears and various sources that ignite barriers inside of you. By expressing them through your chosen artistic medium seems to be a powerful way to face and dispel the hidden corners of negativity that hold us hostage dismissing the pursuit to our own creative potential. This can parallel the idea behind Loori's words of "give yourself permission to be yourself, and don't be frightened by the unknown". Even within the dark corners of our being we must face what resides within us if we are to continue forward unhindered by our own secret (or not so secret) negativities.

Loori introduced two terms, wabi and sabi. Wabi was described by Loori as being "a feeling of loneliness or solitude, reflecting a sense of nonattachment and appreciation for the spontaneous unfolding of circumstances" (p.152). The reason I feel this concept is applicable to artists is because of the tendency of artists to feel isolated, and that feeling of isolation leading to a sense of depression. Whereas being able to understand solitude as an important aspect of the creative process, in order to release attachment to invoke creative thought and action would be a positive shift in the isolated artist paradigm. Sabi was referred to as the "unmistakable uniqueness of a thing in and of itself" (p.153), which is an important concept because we are prone to perceive objects through automatic filters that define what we see by our own standards of reality. To truly accept and absorb an object or a person as a unique force, separate from a preconceived idea of what we think they are, would undoubtedly cause a shift in our version of reality that could develop into a fresh perspective within our art.

"The best we can do is always be open and receptive. Whether we're receiving Zen teachings, a work of art, or life itself, we can let it in, taste it, experience it, let it penetrate our cells, our pores, our breath, our being, and then leave it be."
-John Daido Loori

Continuous Growth

I believe that the artistic process is a lifelong venture of increasing ability and fortifying personal expression of depth through the inspiration of life's many experiences. Training to develop, maintain and increase skill serves as a foundation for artistic freedom and is a constant in any medium. What we begin with in our chosen artistic path only continues to grow with dedication and effort, and the commitment to expanding our vision and technical abilities should never cease, no matter how seasoned we may become. Technical training is a responsibility to the fortification of art. Adding in personal perspective and infusion of a deeper meaning is what gives technique life. Without depth, insight and a rooted message technique can be left meaningless, yet without strong technique, expression can lose impact as it falls short of the tools to bring vision to life.

I have encountered performers who believe that the gain of popularity is a substitute for continued personal artistic growth, believing that once a certain height of recognition has been reached it is their right to merely appear and gain applause. I realize this mentality will create a short shelf life for even the most popular stars of a certain field, yet beyond that, the quality of an art form can decrease through the representation of an individual's decrease in effort. To have the personal goal of releasing the process of artistic growth once you have caught the attention of your public is not only a let down to the public who has supported you, but more importantly it is a let down to the potential of an artist that was left behind inside of you.

When reading about the lives of many great artists in our history such as Beethoven (who’s hearing began to decline in his twenties), Frida Kahlo (who suffered through many physical injuries from the time she was a small child), Bruce Lee (who continued expanding his philosophies through critical periods of being bedridden) and many other astounding artists in our history who never quit giving back to their art even when they were past the point of “good enough”, it is hard not to take notice of the depth of dedication they had and be inspired. Of course these are extreme examples of overcoming life’s obstacles, but we all have battles we fight. The largest battle we will fight in our lifetime will undoubtedly be with ourselves to continue forward with hope and leave a positive mark on the world.

Though I recognize that the desire to feel as is the finish line has been crossed and the process of our efforts have now been completed is appealing, it contradicts a method of creating that is based off of a humble and continuous movement forward. Every completed project is in essence a relationship that took you on a ride of heartbreak and inspiration, hopefully wrought with passion, and then was released to stand on its own. Though there will always be a continuous flow of enrapture and release, it is important to keep focused on the core of how we want ourselves and our message to be represented and to stay connected to the reasons why we are drawn to create. We have an obligation to our art form. Just as it feeds and inspires us, we have the responsibility to fight to not fall short of our potential in giving back. As artists we should never be "finished" growing, until we take our last breath…….and even that moment of completion is debatable!

Lifelong Beginner

The possibility of a shift in mentality- always thinking of oneself as a beginner.

No matter how established, seasoned, or technically proficient we are, remembering that childlike freedom of being a beginner, perched at the base level of realizing personal potential, will help to allow us the freedom of creative thought. When we become attached to an idea of our positioning in the timeline of our own artistic process, we can lose the freshness of what we held at the horizon of unlimited possibility. Our expectations of ourselves can overrun our excitement and the flourishing ideas can be cut down with grandiose expectations derived from our ego.

When we are proficient at a specific skill, there is a potential for taking our part in the creation process for granted, taking the art for granted and losing the joy we originally derived from the experience. This is a profound state, because without the joy we infuse into our art (and derive from the process), the work we do will reflect a loss of the enrichment of inspiration we are capable of.

As with any relationship finding creative ways to maintain passion is an art form in itself. The moment we place expectations on our partner to produce a specific outcome for us, we have set ourselves up for disappointment and have taken away the pleasure of existing together, walking towards an unknown outcome. Once we put standards of behavior on a lover (human form or artistic medium) we will undoubtedly kill the sense of wonder and anticipation for what comes next, both in ourselves and in our companion. But, if we view every encounter as a clean slate, our timeline of reality will funnel into our moment of connection to our art. Where we have come from and where we desire to go will be rediscovered through each experience, if we allow the absence of a preconceived mold.

As a simple exercise: do something new, something you have never done before like a dance class, a writing class, a painting class, a multimedia class, a business management class…something you have never done before. To make it even more exciting, try something you've never thought you would do. Find something that requires you to learn a new skill and jump out of your comfort zone. Document what it feels like to truly be a beginner in one genre, both the comfortable and potentially uncomfortable experiences. This can be quite a humbling experience...but will undoubtedly shake things up a bit!

Infusion of Desire

“Honor your goal to create a world by burning with desire. Be incandescent—or else nothing will happen.” – Eric Maisel

Besides being one of my favorite words (right next to passion), desire can be what makes the difference in our ability to achieve goals and live life with incessantly luscious intent. Desire is that elusive inspiration that gives us a reason to feel the ache of hunger and rightfully adds to our creative appetite. Desire gives us fuel for an aimless direction of passion and as artists we harness that passion to support our reasons to create. Without desire the magnificent colors in the world around us dull in its absence, as does our creative perception. Desire, passion and hunger are an artists pulse, a creator’s lifeline, a lover’s sole intoxication and without these in full affect, life in all realms stands still. So how do we maintain this hunger and feed our own beast of passion enough so it does not turn to destruction as the flipside of creation? How do we rekindle desire when we can barely move forward in its absence? How do we gage when desire is running out, without succumbing to the panic of it dwindling?

The first thing to realize is desire is alive and always present, under the surface of everything we encounter, including ourselves. The desire we will experience depends on our receptiveness to its seemingly evasive presence. Each moment offers a potential for the spark of desire, but will we recognize it, entice it and hold onto the reins as it takes us on a ride? To maintain desire we need to shamelessly harness desire and seduce its companionship, seeking to become an opportunist of desire in each task, event and interaction we are a part of in our daily lives.

Each person has ideal circumstances that specifically increase their sense of desire, though the avenue needs to be personally redefined periodically to have a heightened impact. Maintaining desire is an ongoing task and we must be willing to approach it as such, we cannot stand still and expect its touch. We must do the “work” of enticement, playing the field of inspiration to allow ourselves new experiences as well as devote ourselves to our driving internal sources of inspiration that need nutrition and placement in our lives.

As artists it is also important not to feel guilty for searching outside of our chosen field of focus for inspiration, every drop of inspiration adds to your pool of desire and can be utilized in which ever ways you wish. Instead of relying on our artistic medium to supply us with what we need to continue creating, we need to go out and search for alternative ways to infuse ourselves with desire. Whether it be going to an opera, using our imagination to dream up a passionate love affair with a complete stranger in a foreign country, watching the sunset, watching the sunrise, engaging fully in an enticing conversation, taking a dance class, trying something we never dreamed of doing……there are many ways right at our fingertips to rekindle desire. All we have to do is take the leap, and just do it….shamelessly, expressively and reverently!

To ignite your desire now, try the following:
1) Define desire. What does desire mean to you?
2) What can you imagine that would fill you with desire? Explode onto a page with all of your ideas.
3) Choose 1 idea to focus on this week, or chose one per day, there’s no limit to how much desire you can add to your life! Allow yourself to be limitless.
4) Choose where you want to funnel your heightened desire…then make something happen!
5) Repeat again…..and again…..!