Heart Work is Hard Work

The past few weeks have shone a spotlight on the tremendous injustices in our society. We are struggling with overwhelming grief and pain. In the midst of so much upheaval, we also find ourselves in the thick of one of the most consequential pandemics in modern history. Where does the creative process fit in amidst the social injustice and exploitation? How do we continue to creatively express ourselves when there is so much trauma and unknown?

There are 7 Guiding Principles in Process Painting.
Three of them seem especially meaningful right now :

• Listening - Listening happens when we put effort into quieting our minds. It requires a commitment to encountering the experience, the intent, and the emotion behind the words. This commitment to listening can feel scary because sometimes we are exposed to emotions and ideas that we might be avoiding.

• Respecting - Once something reveals itself the question becomes, can you respect it? Can you respect and honor what shows up for you, even when or especially when it feels uncomfortable?

• Dealing With Difficulty - Dealing with difficulty in the creative process is common. We become stuck, paralyzed, fearful and as a result revert to our old, comfortable ways, oftentimes not realizing the call before us. In process painting each difficulty encountered is looked at as an invitation; to lean towards, to look closer at, and to explore. The difficulty asks for our presence, asks us to wake up to it, to not resist it, and instead to join in its messiness. Once we decide to move towards difficulty, the resistance decreases, creating space for us to reintegrate a new thought response.

My hope is the vulnerability, messiness, difficulty, and acceptance found in the studio and in our conversations will continue to be brought outside of the studio, into your intimate relationships and beyond. This heart work is hard but now it's more essential than ever.