Creativity from the Inside Out
My blog helps people better their lives by releasing their fears and blossoming into who they are meant to be. Regular features include my tip of the week, my Silver Lining story and a response from Marian Stephens, who is using the information in my radio show, Uplift Your Life: Nourishment of the Spirit, to change her life. Her first email to me impressed me so much that I invited her to be a regular part of my blog. I hope we inspire you to change your life. All my previous blogs are on my website, paulajoyce.com and the first post with Marian’ Story went up last week. Be sure to check it out and follow Marian’s progress.
Dr. Paula’s Tip for the Week
This week my radio show guest, Cathy Wild, and I explore the many different ways creativity facilitates personal growth. My tip for the week is a sure-fire way to jumpstart a new and exciting phase of connecting with your higher self.
Your tip for the week from my e-book, 33 Tips for Self-Empowerment. I wrote this book because when you are self-empowered, you are connected to your limitless higher self, your soul, your intuition, your gut feelings, your guidance. Our limitless higher self is the wiser part of ourselves, the part that knows the Truth of who we are. Our logical mind is so loud, however, that it often drowns out the whisper that is trying to guide us on our authentic path. As you learn to listen to the still small voice within, you will begin to feel at peace. Because your limitless higher self has direct access to the Divine, it is through this connection that miracles occur, like unexpected healing, healthy relationships, peace and wealth. This connection gives you an inner foundation of love, which eliminates fear. It is through this love that you can heal the planet and yourself and make the shift into the 4th dimension. Our higher self helps us find safety and even save our own life and others’ lives. We must train ourselves to trust our higher self and never go against it. Don’t talk yourself out of something that feels right to you or let what others say or think influence what you do. Please use these tips. My Tip for this week is in honor of our topic today: Discover Your Creativity: You can reconnect with your Higher Self by discovering what form of creativity gives you joy. Explore writing, dance, music and art. Create just for your own pleasure, self-expression and self-discovery. If you are concerned about people criticizing you, keep your creative explorations to yourself. Our creative expression doesn’t have to be public. It can be just for ourselves, a way of discovering more about what we think and feel, a way of letting go of hidden pain and fears and a way of unleashing buried parts of ourselves. The act of unbridled, free creation is an act of courage. We may be putting ourselves out there in a way that goes beyond the limits of what we’ve been taught is acceptable, yet it may be the very thing we need to do to become fully ourselves. When exploring your creativity, you are exploring your true self and it’s OK to be protective. In fact, you may need to be protective initially to feel safe. In time, you want to be able to feel safe being who you are anywhere, but it doesn’t happen all at once or you can scare yourself back into hiding. Be patient with yourself and have compassion for the parts of you that are still reluctant or fearful. That self-compassion will ultimately help all of who you are feel safe being seen.
Dr. Paula’s Silver Lining Story
2018 is set to be the year of hidden truths coming to light. Some of it is already emerging regarding abuse of women. Utilizing the creative process will guarantee women’s voices will be heard loud and clear as is illustrated in my silver lining moment.
At the 60th annual Grammy awards on Sunday, the president of the recording Academy, Neil Portnow, said in a backstage comment: “women who have the creativity in their hearts and souls, who want to be musicians, who want to be engineers, producers, and want to be part of the industry and the executive level” need to “step up.” The silver lining is that his prejudicial statement has brought out the truth about the difficulty women have in getting equal treatment in the music industry. The numbers say it all: only 22.4% of the artists are women, only 12.3% of songwriters are women and only 2% of producers are women, only one woman received an award during the televised portion of the Grammys and only 16.8% of musicians played on popular radio are women. Katy Perry said, “I’m proud of all the women making incredible art in the face of continual resistance.” For Portnow to attack women’s creativity was outrageous. When there is institutionalized discrimination, we all have an obligation to call it out and work for change. The paradox was the big moment Kesha had performing her song Praying, which was about her experience of sexual and emotional abuse by her music producer. It was a triumphant moment, and hopefully ushering in a new era for the music industry. Women are leading the charge for change, and I hope they use their anger to add more fuel to their already substantial creative juices and show the world what we are all capable of when we are allowed to shine.
Marian Stephens’ Story
I am a mother of four boys ages 2 to 17 and a stepmom to a twelve-year-old boy. In the last three months, I’ve gotten married, blended a family, moved into a new apartment, been trying to find a rhythm, worked on finding my motherly voice in this family of men, began discovering and pursuing creative outlets with my husband, and attempted to figure life out again at age forty-two. Not that I had it figured out at thirty-two or even twenty-two, but I do know I could answer the questions posed in today’s episode with a lot less effort when I was younger. Taking care of a family and often putting their needs first makes knowing who I am, what I want, and that those things matter not always feel particularly important. I think in order to live my truth, I need to ask these questions first.
Five years ago I had the realization that I was barely living my life, much less living it authentically, and everything changed. I discovered after listening to this episode that I have been in the process of finding my creativity for the past five years. Listeners were asked how they would like to express themselves creatively and my answer is easy – writing! After listening, I realize that writing is part of my purpose, not just a fun activity. Now I need to set aside wondering if I have talent or a great work inside of me and let the joy of expressing my heart and mind with a keyboard be my vehicle for personal growth that overshadows my fear of sounding silly.
I think viewing building and living a life that I love as my most important creation can make the process so much more enjoyable. Knowing its importance might give me the courage to make hard choices and stay on the path I am choosing when it feels overwhelming.
This week I began a new job and found myself overwhelmed with the new responsibility of being organized, prioritizing, and setting boundaries with my children necessary to correctly complete the tasks I was given. I have been half-heartedly homeschooling my eight-year-old son and it felt newly impossible this week. I have contemplated putting him into school since I moved because homeschooling is putting a strain on my relationship with everyone in my house. It became clear this week that I am not able to be fully invested in homeschooling, writing, or being successful at the unique work opportunity in front of me. The questions that Dr. Paula and Cathy gave listeners to ask themselves when creating suddenly made the right choice for me crystal clear. This new position allows me to work from home, work with inspirational people, and write. If I continue to fear allowing my son to experience public school, I am going to jeopardize something that puts me squarely on the path to creating a fulfilling life for my family. So, my son begins school next week!
For more shows on creativity, please listen to:
A Journey Into the Vast and Beautiful World of Creativity featuring Yelizaveta Nersesova
Making the Conversation Real: Looking through the eyes of Courage, Beauty and Wisdom featuring David Whyte
Adult Coloring Books for Fun, Relaxation and Healing featuring David Bookbinder
FREE CHAPTER, THE ULTIMATE CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS, FROM MY BEST-SELLING BOOK, “NOTHING BUT NET”
To learn more about my unique process that removes hidden blockages, unleashes your creativity and helps you solve your most challenging problems, click here to sign up for my newsletter and receive the chapter as my gift: http://paulajoyce.com/wpsite/newsletter-sign-up/
