Inspiration Fridays! Do you trust your compass?

Do you trust your compass?

I have this friend. He and I like to head out on adventure trips into the great beyond. Two mutts and a compass.

“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” – Mark Twain

I have this friend. He and I like to head out on adventure trips into the great beyond. Two mutts and a compass. We’re a walking Disney classic. Stumbling through brush and boulders, yapping our way through icy streams, and regularly having to check our bearings. We are always course correcting, and that’s how we manage to get out alive. Fatigue and doubt are constant companions. We panic and argue, but what holds the whole thing together, is the knowledge that the compass will always point us in the right direction. Not many people understand how dangerous Lithia Park really is.

When it comes to my art, the compass is internal. I have had to learn to trust its direction even when the rest of the world refuses to acknowledge its existence. The freedom that comes with that kind of trust has been hard won. I’ve made many mistakes along the way and continually live between the polarities of feeling completely lost and knowing exactly where I’m going. The thing is, I keep arriving. The answers show up, and this adventure has been extraordinary.

When nature calls, bring a paintbrush.

What’s the best way to know if you’re on course? Check in with your compass. No one is going to be able to read that thing correctly but you. Not ready for a trip into Death Valley? Start with some little sketches or paintings. Remember to stick to the big shapes and ideas. Avoid getting caught in the weeds and tripped up by the thorns. The big idea around what you are doing will always carry the most power.

Intention and belief is the way for the little dog to win. Paint the things that you love, the things that you are inspired by, the things that you are drawn to. They don’t have to be beautiful, they just have to be yours. They don’t even have to be acceptable. Just don’t get derailed by another person’s doubt. They don’t have your compass.

How do you know if you are going in the right direction?

What tools do you use to find your way?

Do you trust your compass?

October 28, 2022/by Gabriel Lipper

Inspiration Fridays! Why do we get stuck?

Inspiration Fridays

Why do we get stuck?

When I was a kid I never asked myself if it was OK to play… I just did it.

“The key to growth is acknowledging your fear of the unknown and jumping in anyway.” – Jen Sincero

Some days my shoes are nailed to the floor. When I get stuck like this, my internal dialogue immediately goes into overdrive.

“I’m wasting my time.”
“There are things I should be doing, real things.”
“Everyone else is working hard, why do I feel like I’m so special?”
“Who do I think I am spending my days mixing colors like a five-year-old?”

We all have to-do lists. Not everyone writes them down, but we certainly all have them. I can spend my whole day busily attending to the details of these infinite lists and by the time dinner rolls around, I will probably have checked off quite a few. There is an immediate sense of accomplishment that accompanies all of those checked boxes, especially because it’s easy to point out all of the “things” I’ve done. I can point to my huge list of accomplishments, and therefore… justify my existence.

The problem is that this nonstop frenetic pace isn’t really conducive to creating something beautiful, something that’s uniquely my own. At the end of the day I can feel good about my list, but my creative mind often just feels tired and overwhelmed. I’m out of energy and I’ve given my creative self the back seat again.

A clown painting a clown at the Enclave open-studios after party. It felt so good to be surrounded by creatives and just cut loose!

No one likes to feel stuck, but sometimes allowing ourselves the time to be still, and face down that big blank canvas in our studio is just what’s needed. Creativity feels risky. There is no box to check off until we begin to make something. Until we make that first mark, there is nothing there at all. For a lot of us, this is where that feeling of stuckness comes from. There is a part of each one of us that is afraid of the unknown. The irony of all of this is that the unknown is where creativity lives.

If you are feeling called toward your creative self, it’s important to listen to the call. There is no hierarchy when it comes to creativity. Each of us was born with something equally amazing to offer the world. If we don’t allow ourselves to show up for it, we are playing small. So, go stare down that canvas. Begin by making a mark, and see where it leads. Sometimes it’s as simple as showing up for ourselves and leaving the to-do list in the car.

What self-talk keeps you from painting?

Have you given yourself some space to create?

Why do we get stuck?

October 21, 2022/by Gabriel Lipper

Inspiration Fridays! Go to Paris

Inspiration Fridays

Have you ever indulged in fantasy for so long that the reality could only be a disappointment? That was the risk I felt I was taking when…