Are your dreams standing in the way of.... um.... your dreams?

I have a Creativity Survey on this site, a way of finding out more about the people who visit me here.  

So many lovely stories came back, giving me a rich picture of the artists I am in contact with, especially their dreams of a creative life.

One theme came up a number of times, and I found myself thinking about it a lot.

Having a cottage by the sea, or in a forest, or somewhere sunny - with a studio to create art, or write, or make music in.  A gorgeous, creative, cosy space where people can start to live as REAL artists at last.

A LOT of people, understandably enough, would rather like this.  

(I have a dream cottage too, though to be fair mine will be at the bottom of my garden!)

What a yummy vision, n'est-ce pas?   Awaking each morning, taking a scenic walk, returning home to make gorgeous art by the bucketload.  Happy, happy sighs abound at the thought of such a life, for most of us.  

Dreaming is powerful, and important, and I encourage it like mad.  

I'm not going to get my wet blanket out if you are on a glittery track to leap into your ideal life, rest assured I'm going to be the one with the pom poms, cheering you on.

Because I believe wholeheartedly that dreams do and can come true - if you

want something badly enough, you totally can make it happen after all.

I also believe that your inner artist needs nourishment from private space, beautiful views and nature.  So that cottage is probably going to be just the ticket, when you get it!

So, I hear you say.   If I am waiting for your artistic life to start, and that cottage seems a long way off...... well surely it is harmless enough to dream?  Right?

But then I thought.

What if that cottage by the sea actually standing between you and your creative dream?

What if you're making it a condition of EVEN STARTING?

What if your inner artist is on hold, listening to dreadful music and watching reruns of 'Grand Designs', sighing every time a tumbledown fisherman's retreat is being done up on the telly?

What if you've set yourself what you actually believe is an impossible goal (those pretty cottages don't come cheap for the most part, so it's easy to think you'll never really get one, not really), just so that you are able to say 

'well, IF I had my magical cottage, I could start to be an artist'.

Worse still, what if you get to your cottage and realise that wasn't what you wanted after all - what then?  

Because the bad news is, (well, actually it's quite GOOD news) if you aren't an artist before you get that dream home - well, you're not going to suddenly morph into one as soon as you've unpacked. It doesn't really work that way.

See, the things we long for in our deepest heart of hearts aren't things.  Even the most beautiful, magical pixie house in an enchanted wood is still...well... it's just a thing.

Being an artist - well, that's not a thing.  

It's who you are.  It's who you'd be in a high rise council block, in a run down trailer, on a friends sofa.

It's something you can choose to be RIGHT NOW IN THIS VERY MOMENT.

You don't have to wait for one single thing more.

Here's the really good news.  Once you embrace the magic that is being an artist, you are quickly going to start CREATING your life.  It's not just going to happen to you.  You will be making it happen.

So, once you are an artist, if that cottage is the life you really want, you are so totally going to get there.  Because artists are powerful and magic manifesting machines, and that's the truth of it. 

Who and how you are in the world, when you let that inner artist off the runway queue and let them take off, will just draw that shizzle right to you.  Not in some supernatural way, but by the very real process of manifesting your desires through your actions, attitude and how well you spot opportunities. 

Oh, and through what you are willing to give up.  Oh yes, and how hard you are prepared to work.  

So, if you think *your* inner artist may be wanting to make stunning art, rather than being put on hold, listening to 'Four Seasons' played badly on an old Casio keyboard...

.....please stop waiting for the perfect house, the perfect studio, the perfect teacher, the perfect family to support you, or worse still the perfect schedule (spoiler alert - you never get one of those!) or to feel 100% certain about how good an artist you are (also, never going to happen!).  

Please, please stop waiting.  

Be an artist right now, from this moment.  Promise yourself never to go back.  

Do it!
.....................

Not even sure who your Inner Artist is?

Want to meet them?

Sign up for the next group journey of Follow the Butterflies now!

Did you like this post? Then please comment below, tell me about your creative journey - and share this post along!   

Sharing and connection are so delicious.   

Don't forget to check out my free goodies to help you with your creative journey.  You can also link up with me on Facebook and Twitter.   If you liked this post, please join my mailing list, hunny bunny! Gosh, it's so easy. 

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