Many of you have said that you see me as a nice, decent human being and, for the most part, I am. However, I am unbelievably mean to myself. The other day my best friend called to talk about the fact that she has been worried about how awful I am to me. It's true, I tend to hold myself responsible for the world and when one thing falls...well, I am merciless.
After that conversation, I realized that lately, being unkind to me had caused me to lose the sound of my own voice. I was listening to others as though they were more knowledgeable about my life than I was and trying to be what others wanted me to be. What's wrong with being me? How come I let myself get lost? How come I beat up on myself for not being all I think I need to be?
As artists, parents, full-time workers, part-time workers, job seekers and more, we often fulfill the needs of others long before we take care of ourselves. If you do that enough, you begin to send a message to yourself that says others are more important than you thus your needs are not important and that's simply not true. Whether it’s coloring, reading, riding a bike, or something else we all need to explore what’s within. We need to hear our own voice, explore it, understand it and then share it with the world around us.
I notice that I am more evil to myself when I have had absolutely no me time; no time to allow myself to play. It's as though I forget that I have anything meaningful, important, fun or colorful to share. So today I'm starting a Playtime Celebration Revolution. That's right! I'm raising hell on "the self."
Today, I invite you to do 1 nice thing for yourself, 1 thing that allows you to “play” AND share one thing about you that you would like to celebrate here.
Ready? Ok, I'll start,
Today, I bought a book I have been looking at for a week. I am going to read and break out my watercolor pencils to play for awhile AND I'd like to celebrate the fact that I used to think I was only filled with words but I am finding more and more that I am filled with loads of color too....and some sparkles.
Ok, who is with me?? Share and let's start a Playtime Celebration Revolution!!
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13 comments:
Great post! What a wonderful best friend you have too!! :)
Sula!! It's so AWESOME to see you here...how are you? Thanks for swinging by...tell me, what would you like to celebrate about you today? What's one little way you will treat yourself today? Thank you so much for your words...and yes, she's downright amazing :)
Greetings!
Kyool! :-) Good on you! :-)
For myself, I'm not entirely sure at the mo'. Still in Wedding Recovery Mode now, and being reminded that it takes more than a day to come back from such intense activity. :-/
To answer your previous question, overall well, & feeling pretty accomplished, tho' having an odd sense of ennui, which is downright bizarre considering the crazy life I've been living lately. :-P
Perhaps I shall take a brief nap & see if that does anything useful for the perspective. :-D
BB & GF! :-)
-Bird
Treat: going home to hang up the rest of my pictures to make my home my home.
Celebrate me: Pricing jewelery to get to our store here in Tucson!! :)
Funky Monkey Girl,
Jolene
I treated myself to an e-course to help me run my Etsy store more efficiently - I kept putting it off, saying I needed to do housework or weeding, but today I I took for ME and my store :)
thanks for the encouragement!
Excellent post. I think this whole issue of being WAY too hard on ourselves is a big one in the artist community at large. By nature, many artists are sensitive, caring people, so in a way it makes sense that we begin to over-think things and care too MUCH about end products or putting other people before ourselves.
"Play" has been easier for me to come by lately, since I've been participating in Rowena's 100-in-100 challenge. When I'm creating on a daily basis, it's impossible to worry about perfection...so instead, I play.
Celebration seems fitting today! One of my poems was published today in the awesome online journal, Every Day Poets. If you'd like to read it, check it out here: http://www.everydaypoets.com/the-blue-of-my-eye-by-amanda-fall/
Okay, one nice thing - I'm going to bed early and not beat myself up not eating right the last few weeks.
One "play" thing - I going to lay in the hammock with my kids and laugh.
Tomorrow, I'll celebrate (you know what I mean).
Natasha - I LOVE this! So glad you have a best friend that calls to remind you to take care of yourself. She rocks (just like you)!
I think most of us are harder on ourselves than anyone else is! This is sort of weird one - I spoke up for myself -well - it's not that I spoke up for myself - it's that someone else was doing things that was making something confusing to me and someone else - and I really wanted to let them know that what they were doing was confusing - without attacking them - I hope I accomplished it! Play - ahahahahahaha I took a bunch of pictures in the rain - that didn't turn out the way I wanted - not even close -but they were fun to do - and I wrote a little fun thing on my blog - after taking some pictures of plants, frogs and hummingbirds!
Natasha - remember you deserve as much praise and encouragement as you give to everyone else! and - when you are learning something new - be gentle with yourself - it takes time to learn new things!
I don't know anymore what my playtime is! Ever since becoming a mom which has meant losing me time, and trying to take this art stuff professional, which means my old playtime has become worktime, I don't know what it means to play!
And I certainly know what it's like to be mean to myself. I try to treat myself as I would treat a friend. I try to be a good friend to myself and not beat myself up. Sometimes I try to mother myself, and give myself that discipline and love that I'd give my kids.
But play? I have no idea. What do I want to play?
Greetings!
Congratulations, Amanda! :-)
BB & GF! :-)
-Bird
Good for you! I think too many artists are harder on themselves than they should be.
Tonight, I am not going out. Which may not sound all too exciting, but I intend to get a full night's sleep for the first time in weeks. I can't wait :)
I bought myself books at a garage sale today! And I spent some time writing - something I don't carve out nearly enough time for lately.
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