Freedom Art™ is
Freedom Art™ is the touchstone of The Creative Healing Studio. Every class, every workshop or event strives to give you the opportunity to tap into creative freedom. Whether you are drawing, painting, sculpting, journaling, writing, or cutting out scraps of paper, the goal for you to let go, release your inner child and tap into your inner self. Only when you are free to express who you are at your core and let go of outside expectations will you be able to feel that freedom. There are many ways to do it, Freedom Art™ just happens to be my favorite! |
I was raised in a home where being tough and strong was revered. My parents pushed forward, working and striving for success and there was no time for weakness or crying. I was an only child and looking back I can see that I was sensitive and emotional so being in that type of environment led to feelings of loneliness and isolation.
As I grew, I learned how to have a strong outer shell. In fact, I would say that I became so adept at it that I probably overcompensated. I was tough, in control and no one could mess with me. I can see now that I learned to detach myself from my emotions so I could function in my environment. I married, had children, divorced and married again and had more children and all the while I was pushing and keeping myself together. There was a distant echo of parts of myself that were lost but I had protected myself from those emotions for so long I couldn't really hear the call. That all ended one day when I was 35. I was enjoying a beautiful summer day with my family and suddenly something didn't feel right in my body. Within hours I was rushed to the emergency room where I spent three days undergoing extensive testing only to be released without any real answers. That day was my rebirth. It began the second stage of my life; my awakening. My inner being could no longer be suppressed and I had to meet myself again and learn how to be my authentic self. I dove into self-help, alternative healing, emotional release and nutrition. Tearing down my protective shell uncovered my deepest longing and passion which had always been art. It awakened my creative energy and I began playing with juicy art supplies. As I embraced the fluidity of paint I was also faced with the hard reality of my self-imposed limitations as an artist. I was riddled with self-doubt and often found myself stuck in the creative process because I couldn't create the visions in my mind or my work didn't compare to the amazing artists I found all over the internet. One day I was overwhelmed with the creative urge to paint. I set up a large canvas in my screen room and just started painting. I was free and the paint flowed and everything felt divine and then suddenly...it didn't. Something started to emerge from my depths. I felt a familiar twinge...I couldn't quite get a hold on what it was so I pulled out my journal and started writing. Out flowed the heaviness of overwhelm and self-doubt. I couldn't do this! I sucked at painting! Everything I did looked like shit! Words tumbled out onto my journal and tears fell. I stood up and painted that feeling. I put that deep, dark emotion onto my canvas and as my paintbrush moved, the emotion started to shift and change and before I knew it I had moved into yet another emotion. This time it was anger and I was enraged at myself and my life and every single thing that had ever happened to bring me to this point and I didn't know how to deal with it so I sat down with my journal and poured out miles of anger onto the page and I knew I had to find a way to express that rage onto my canvas. Once again I stood and looked at my painting and I was so afraid of ruining what I had done but the fear of keeping this rage inside was stronger so I started painting and ugliness emerged...and it freaked me out and I decided, screw it...I would make it uglier and that is exactly what I did. I let that feeling flow through my body out onto that canvas and as I did, I felt that familiar shift. The anger started to dissipate and I suddenly felt a softness begin to bubble up. It started gradually and began to grow. I felt like I had been washed clean and was left with a feeling of peace. I went back to my journal and asked questions and expressed what was there for me in that moment and I went back to my painting and knew I had to bring what I was feeling into it. I mixed a soft pink and began to gently kiss the surface of my canvas with my brush. As I added the softness and gentleness, the feelings grew and grew into a deep and profound love. As that love was expressed, every stroke I placed felt divine. It didn't matter what I was painting or what it looked like because what flowed through me was infinite love and that is all that mattered. All was right in my world. That day was my second awakening. It was the day I realized that the emotional freedom I longed for was available to me in the thing I loved most...art. Everything I had learned before showed itself to me in the creative process. I had all the tools I needed to set myself free. This was freedom painting. |
The Evolution |
As I continued to practice freedom painting I realized that this amazing opportunity was not limited to painting. Popping on some powerful drumming music and being set loose on a sheet of paper with oil pastels gave me that same feeling. Playing in my art journal and uncovering powerful messages from my inner self healed bits of my soul. Using simple crayons to express anger left me feeling washed at the depth of my soul. Creating vision pages inspired me to live the life I dreamed of. I quickly realized that any form of art has the potential to bring freedom when approached from this mindset. I also discovered that this process not only works for me but can work for anyone.
Could Freedom Art™ help you? |
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