marie j.engelsvold

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Why it's important to unlearn.

Yes, actually you need to go back to the start, to forget everything you have learned in art class. Do you recognize this situation, where you tell yourself, that your artwork isen't good enough? That you are not skilled, or that you didn't attend the right artschool? critizing your every move? You properly are, and it can be a huge task to go beyond these inner obstacles.

Marie J.Engelsvold "Don't think, just do it" 2014

Be your own authority. Create with persistent, and have fun. Be aware when you create. Be aware of your mental chatter, of your feelings. Observe it all, but don't go into it. Don't let the mental chatter and the feelings of insecurity overwhelm you. It sounds easy, but I know it's not easy at all.

If you really want to be abel to create something authentic, you have to practice this inner state of awareness. To be present with your creation, to enjoy the process, to set some time aside.  You really have to commit to this, so you can experience the enormous benefit of creating from who you are. Not from fear, not for applause from other people, not to earn money. If your artwork is going to be strong, you have to be strong.

You have to say, yes I want to create because I think it's the most important thing in this world. This fantastic blogpost from brain pickings says it all. Go and have a look here

"Afraid that our inner light will be extinguished or our inner darkness exposed, we hide our true identities from each other. In the process, we become separated from our own souls. We end up living divided lives, so far removed from the truth we hold within that we cannot know the “integrity that comes from being what you are.”

The Elusive Art of Inner Wholeness and How to Stop Hiding Our Souls BY MARIA POPOVA

You have to take the time aside to do this for yourself, and in this process you will grow with inner strength. By expressing your inner feelings you will learn about yourself, and your artwork will radiate an enormous energy that will spread out to other people.

In our society we go to school all our youth. We take an education, but do we learn about ourselves? Do we learn to navigate in the sea of other opinions and find our own voice?

No I'am afraid it's not on the scheme. Instead we mostly  learn to lisen't to authorities outside of ourselves. We learn how to fit into the system. We learn that if we don't do it right, we will fail and be failures. We learn that we have to do something that other people want all the time. But doing so, we loose ourselves. We loose our fantasy,  and with that we loose our ability to stand out. So to be an artist, is an enormous act of revolt. You do it in spite of everything, you do it because your soul is craving that you express who you are. 

So by committing yourself to start drawing from within, you are actually taking an huge step, and if you find it difficult in the beginning, it's okay. 

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