Let yourself want it

air out your artist's dreams

Have you admitted what your artist wants? 

Sometimes the work of making feels so daunting that we forget that we actually WANT to do this thing called writing or art making.

In my leadership training, we were invited to identify what we want in life. Get in touch with your wanter, they said. My wanter? It may seem obvious to wants things. But do we really let ourselves admit what we want? All too often, we quash our creative desires before we let them bloom. We interrogate our ideas. We shoot them down as impractical. We want a fool-proof plan with a clear outcome. 

This happened when I got the idea to invite friends to co-lead Paris Sketchbook workshop with me. It felt exciting and possible. But immediately, my practical self questioned it, peppering me with concerns about logistics and finances. I set the idea aside, surrendering to practicality. Then, on a walk one day, I got a download on how to manage the logistics, including finances. I rushed home and wrote it all down. 

It took a lot of work, but we managed to run two successful workshops and get paid quite well. Better yet, we changed people’s lives with this creative adventure, and we plan to keep doing it. What would have been lost had I listened to logic and not to my love compass? 

Because of the uncertainty inherent in creative pursuits, it can be terrifying to connect with what we want. But behind the secured wall of practicality lives a wild landscape of creative possibility. 

Getting in touch with our wanter is like coming into contact with the innocent part of ourselves. This is the part of us we’ve spent our entire lives protecting and shielding from criticism of others. It’s incredibly vulnerable to admit what we want.

My hope is that Your Artist Knows the Way gives you space for your wild, impractical artist self. Who knows what wonderful things await if you let yourself own what you want? 

Let’s give our ideas some light and air. Let’s see what’s in there that might want to come out. 

Give space to your artist’s desires

Sometimes, when I ask clients what they want, they are stumped. I have to prod them a bit. “What if you did know?” Before long, things emerge. They seem to breathe easier having given some air to hidden dreams.

On the other end of the scale, sometimes you know what you want…but it’s just too much. You want ALL the things. You have so many desires that you’re immobilized. 

I understand both of these challenges. And this week’s invitation is going to help by getting it all out of your head. 

INVITATION 

This is my favorite invitation to get in touch with what your artist wants. This process was a game-changer for me. It was really helpful when I shifted from novel writing to art-making in 2013. 

Step One 

Start with reflective writing on the prompt below. Be as specific as you want. Be as broad as you want. Do not censor anything, not for a minute. 

Set a timer for 15 minutes and keep repeating the prompt until you’ve made a list of your artist’s desires. 

My artist wants…

You can always revisit this prompt. It’s like your artist’s compass that gives you information and guidance about your creativity. Anytime you feel stuck, just ask your artist what they want. 

Step Two

The next day, read through the list. Highlight the things that give you a charge. Underscore the items that ignite your zest. 

Step Three

Next, make a list or mindmap of all the things, especially the ones that gave you a boost. You can type this up or write it in a notebook. Put a date on this list. This becomes a guide from your artist pointing you toward the projects you want to engage in. 

Step Four 

At this point, we’re not concerned with making this actionable. It really is just getting your desires out on paper. Later, we’ll look at prioritizing projects and working alongside our project manager. 

For larger projects that seem way beyond the scope of possibility, ask yourself, “What’s the smallest step I can take toward this?” If you want to write a pop song, start listening more closely to the songs you love. What pulls you in? What makes you sing along? Make notes in your notebook as you take small steps toward your desired outcome.

When I did this process, my list included things like:

• Name and label my sketchbooks

• Do the finger font

• Illustrate my sayings 

• Study Maira Kalman’s work 

I illustrated this list to show how varied my artist’s desires are.

I did this exercise in August 2012. When I looked back at my original list five years later, I had done 16/20 of the things on the list. I don't recall using the list specifically as a to-do list. I don’t remember my project manager breaking things down with action steps and accountability. But somehow the list of desires became an unconscious to-do list.

What if getting in touch with what we want is the most powerful engine for making things happen? What if it’s not discipline or more organization or accountability but simply stating what we want? I’m not talking about manifesting or the power of attraction or magical thinking. I’m talking about the potent authenticity of letting ourselves know and own our desires. This returns our creative power where it belongs - right in the heart. 

This exercise can offer direct access to defining your own course of study. Explore putting items in categories and using the patterns you notice to build a curriculum for yourself. 

Affirmation: It’s my birthright to claim my desires. 

In the comments: What came up for you as you did this process? What did you notice?