No Superman Energy Left to Make Art?

You're overwhelmed with too many demands: a house to clean, kids to raise, a living to earn. Seems there's always something more important than indulging yourself in making art.

A New Yorker cartoon shows Superman, the disguise of his everyday suit stripped off and flung over a deckchair. There he lies on a tropical beach wearing sunglasses, sunblock, and sipping a cool drink, with a big red S emblazoned on his muscular t-shirt. He's answering his cellphone right now --- "Listen pal, they're all emergencies."

What's Superman's secret?

He knows he can't possibly do it all, because he's a normal human being, needy by definition. He knows from experience that mercy, compassion and love don't come from him in the first place. Unless he regularly refills his own spirit with these qualities, he won't have any left to give to anyone else. It's simple - he won't survive.

Several times a day, whenever he gets a call for help, Superman surrenders his everyday disguise and bares his inner spirit. It takes but a moment of his time.

Indulgence or spiritual renewal?

You can use art making in the same way the cartoon Superman used lounging on a beach. If you can surrender your overwhelm whenever you get empty, you can make art as a way to renew your spirit. The time it takes depends on how readily you can strip off - surrender your outer disguise.

At first, make sure you're alone when you strip.

Surrender. Go inside and with inner reflection or Remembrance, say out loud what you're feeling. No, really; let it out: "I can't do all this! I'm afraid I can't cope anymore!"

The hardest thing is to admit that you cannot do it all. Surrendering seems like giving up in failure, but it's not. It's empowering.

For once, don't force yourself like a good little soldier you've been all your life, to confront this fear and march yourself down into the basement. Don't. Instead, allow the feeling, watch it like a mother would watch her child until it dissolves.

Then ask to be filled with mercy, patience, compassion, love - whatever qualities you need. Without second guessing how it will feel, wait until you start to actually sense yourself filling.

Take a tip from Superman on the beach:

They're all emergencies, and yours comes first, or no one survives.

Making art this way as a regular practice renews your own spirit. It keeps the creative qualities primed and your Superman energy flowing from your heart out through your hands. Besides, you will enhance your ability to make art and care for others at the same time. Your dependents will thank you.

About the Author

Hello, I'm Celeste Varley and it is my passion to help people to find and explore their own inborn potential for visual expression. Once you learn a new way of seeing, you can access and express deeper feelings that are often hidden. If this article speaks to your heart, you may want to see more "Fresh Horses" articles on my website. Check it out and see if it's right for you.

Celeste Varley
http://www.heartsongstudio.com
Discover, uncover & recover
your wild artistic potential !