Art Nurture

The Creative Life and the Reality of Disappointment

1/15/2016

Do I disappoint you?

The truth is, the creative life is fraught with fear of disappointment.

I fear I will disappoint folks all of the time. I fear I will disappoint people who I have signed contracts with, people I am working on commissions for, people in my classes.

I truly NEVER want to disappoint anyone, EVER!

But, the reality is, each time you step into a new space, a new project, a new venture that fear that you may disappoint someone begins to creep on in.

Fear, disappointment and expectation are all tightly knit together.

What do I expect of myself?

What do I believe others expect of me?

Am I truly capable of following through?

Will I make a mistake?

What if it's not good enough?

What if I'm not good enough?

This disappointment stuff can get real.

Occasionally, we do receive a rejection. Sometimes we do make a mistake. Sometimes people share their disappointment with us. Sometimes we double book and have to back out. Sometimes we feel like flakes and failures. It's true. Some of this stuff ain't pretty.

As it is the beginning of the year, many of us are focusing on what we hope to achieve and create for the new year. I applaud each of us for that, congratulations on new adventures!

It is also wise to prepare yourself for what you may do if a kink gets put into any of those plans. It's smart to prepare your mind for the possibility that things sometimes wont go smoothly, what then?

Decide in advance to stay the course.

Decide in advance that, no matter what, you'll get back to your creative work.

Truth be told, all we are actually capable of is "our best" in each moment. As Don Miguel Ruiz says in his book 'The Four Agreements', our best will change based on our health, how much we have committed to, how much time we have, etc.

Our "absolute best" isn't always possible. Sure, under the best of circumstances, we have a lot of awesome creative work to give! But as life goes, we aren't always operating under "the best of circumstances". Sometimes we are dealing with a whole awful lot! But we can commit, shift, reconfigure, recommit again, adjust, readjust and make what we can give work in the real world.

The fear of disappointment is only as real as you and I make it. It's only as powerful as we allow it to be.

It's possible I have been a disappointment to some. It's possible that the fear of disappointing others has kept me from being honest, from readjusting things in a healthy way, from creating what I truly am called to create. It's possible I can recommit to moving through this fear of disappointing others and get back to the beauty of creating what it is I truly can create in this world during this one precious, fragile, imperfect, and glorious life I've got!

What about you?

If you are loving this, please share it with those you believe would love it too.
Art Nurture is about being fully alive and living life with the soul of an artist. A life filled with passion, intention, and purpose.
Thanks so much for your time and your presence.
Cultivate & Nurture,
Court McCracken
p.s. If you want to receive Art Nurture goodness straight in your inbox, make sure to get your name on the list and receive a gift from me to you!

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Isn't it Romantic? The romance of the creative lifestyle.

4/19/2015

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"Wow", a visitor to my studio says to me, "so you just paint all the time? How romantic!"

I am the first to admit that is definitely NOT what the creative life looks like all the time. I am the first to promote the reality of what things are really like. No, I don't just paint all the time.

I update my website.

I respond to e-mails.

I have meetings & paperwork.

I have tons of other life responsibilities and other such things to fulfill.

I'm also the first to admit that living your
Art Nurture Journey, whatever you pursue, is a process.

Sometimes it can feel like it's going no where.

Sometimes you can be filled with confusion, self-doubt, lack of drive.

Sometimes you can feel defeated & like giving up.

Sometimes you wonder, why in the world am I doing this stuff?

And then...sometimes...there are moments when it all gels.

There are times when it all comes together.

There are days when you are in the flow & in the groove and you knew it was worth it to stick it out.

Yes, indeed, there are times when it is incredibly romantic.

I like those days when the paintings don't fight me. When the music on pandora is just right to fit my painting mood. When my concentration is there. When all the e-mails have already been returned. When my art students are groovin' too.

Yes, there are days when it is complete bliss.

In fact, they are almost more romantic because of all the other practical stuff you had to do first. Because of all the other process you had to go through. Not to say that there is a direct proportionate ratio of tough stuff, work, sweat equity & and such that leads to X amount of blissful days. The formula isn't quite so exact. But you gotta show up to the process to experience the romance and the bliss and that is gonna mean a mixed bag of every day in between. Such is the Art Nurture Journey.

Take heart, the creative journey is a just that and it will include every such thing as any great romantic story or heroic tale.

Whatever you do, don't stop.
Enjoy the sweet times, move through the challenges.

If you would like a supportive group to explore you creative journey with, please check out Art Nurture's Cultivators Community, because that is exactly what we do there.

If you want to hear more about Art Nurture's Andalusian Adventure coming up in August, make certain to get on the Andalusian Adventure list because I will be sending out a special invitation for that trip later today that will only go to that list.

If you are loving this, please share it with those you believe would love it too.

Art Nurture is about being fully alive and living life with the soul of an artist. A life filled with passion, intention, and purpose. Thanks so much for your time and your presence.

Cultivate & Nurture,
Court McCracken

p.s. If you want to receive Art Nurture goodness straight in your inbox, make sure to get your name on the list and receive a gift from me to you!

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Embracing Imperfection + Ikea + Coming home to your creativity

3/2/2015

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In a recent post, I shared that I was engaged. I know that our common understanding of that term was to make a particular announcement regarding a significant relationship choice in ones life, but I was using the words to share a point about being awake and plugged in to life.

The engagement post definitely got some attention.

But the relationship status within yourself and within your life is just as important to take note of and celebrate! I believe celebrating that connection within ourselves is definitely significant.

The reason being, it's not always in good status. We often go through long periods of separation from our authentic selves. We go through times in our lives where things aren't flowing and where we don't feel like our best selves. We go through times in our lives when things are not in order, they are not working out, and we simply can't catch a wave.

So, what do we do then?

What do we do when we aren't in the creative flow, but we so desperately want to be back there or to find it in the first place?

I used to live in a city where there was a big, beautiful IKEA.

I have always had a major fascination with IKEA. Maybe it's because I am a sucker for brilliant, efficient, and stylish design at an affordable cost, (who knows?) but I remember the day when the new IKEA catalog would arrive at my apartment with great fondness. I looked through it again and again.

Sometimes, I would make excuses to go to IKEA and walk around; get a coffee, explore what life would look like in their mini apartment set ups offering different square footages.

'Here's what life would be in just 345 square feet or 567 square feet! With IKEA it all fits, it all works, and it's so beautiful!'

IKEA calmed me down. It gave me the sense that all things could find order.

You just need these special little organizing boxes and this special hanger for your closet that organizes your scarves and hangs them perfectly. Also, you need these candle holders, this throw pillow, and this utensil organizer for your kitchen drawers. Brilliant! Then my life will be perfect. Then I'll truly be in the flow. Then things will be, well, they'll be perfect finally.

Perfection is a fantasy that does us a major disservice.

Because the truth is, even if I had everything organized and the laundry done, at the end of the day the clothes I am wearing while I did all of that cleaning and laundry will still be dirty. They may be the one set of clothes in the laundry basket, but just as soon as that laundry basket is completely empty and perfect, I mess it up by living my life.

In the studio, I may get every paint brush in the perfect paint brush cup and every canvas prepped and ready to go, but as soon as I embark on the journey of a painting there is something left unfinished.

I cannot ever get it all done.

I cannot ever get it all perfect.

I cannot ever get it all right.

Coming home to your creativity, means living in the dissonance.

Embracing imperfection means living in a sweet, authentic space with yourself where creativity is truly possible.

If you are loving this, please share it with those you believe would love it too.

Art Nurture is about being fully alive and living life with the soul of an artist. A life filled with passion, intention, and purpose. Thanks so much for your time and your presence.

Cultivate & Nurture,
Court McCracken

p.s. If you want to receive Art Nurture goodness straight in your inbox, make sure to get your name on the list and receive a gift from me to you!

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For the love of Art

2/12/2015

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For the love of Art & Happy Valentines to you this weekend.

I've got big news...

I'm engaged!

That's right, I'm engaged...fully...in life and in my creative process. I'm aware. I'm awake. I'm FULLY ENGAGED.

Someone asked me the other day why something they saw in a museum was a piece of art, why these things this one woman made years ago, were considered art. This sparked an amazing conversation:

Why was she an artist?

Why is her work considered art?

What is art?

What is an artist?

How does one become an artist?

I hope to get more deeply into these fun art school type questions with an upcoming course, but for now l want to share what the creative process is on it's root level.

The creative process is on its root level about choices.

Choices are how we navigate, categorize, and create everything in our lives. Our choices affect us on a deep level and on our surface experience of the day-to-day.

When we choose things from outside pressures, we are not always making the choices that suite us most. This is where 'artistic vision' comes in...

The artist is one who is very capable of hearing and heeding from a deep sense of internal vision. The artist seeks to be authentic with choices. The artist listens to that internal guidance. The artist makes choices consciously and purposefully to create what they must.

Regarding the blank canvas...

The question that comes up for me as a visual artist most often is: how do you just walk up to a blank canvas and know what to paint?!

The question is usually asked out of exasperation. Probably because the person is frustrated that they have tried to paint or tried to do this or that and they were unable (in their mind, they FAILED) to produce something from thin air.

Here is the thing about artistic & creative choices...

Artistic & creative choices are never produced from a miraculous "thin air". They come from years of churning, studying, understanding, listening, observing, drawing from resources, applying an idea over and over again...That canvas is a compilation of every bit of artistic training and preparation that person has done up until then.

My infamous art professor, when asked how long a painting took him, generally would respond with the age he was at the time. This was his way of saying, everything I do now is a product of everything I have done, everything I have learned up to this point. It is a cumulative effect.

There is no such thing as a thin air canvas miracle. Just sayin'.

So why would we think we can coast through life
and have our creativity at our finger tips when we want it?

Why would we think we can hit the snooze button on our senses
and be able to conjure creative genius just because?

We have to cultivate our creativity.

We have to get engaged.

We have to become educated in how we make our choices,
on our selves, and what causes us to choose certain things.

We have to learn to trust our gut, our intuition, our artistic direction & vision.

When I shared I was engaged,
perhaps you were hoping to see and hear a different message, maybe one that was more romantic.

But this message of engagement is most certainly about commitment and, if you ask me, that's pretty dang romantic.

I'm committed to my creativity.
I'm committed to making choices with my eyes open and a life being fully lived.
Quite frankly, it can be a wild ride, but it's fun as heck.

I'm not perfect, but I'm a work (of art!) in process and that feels like a great reason to celebrate.

So Happy Valentines Day to you this weekend, dear Art Nurturer!

If you want accountability on your creative journey, consider joining The Cultivators Community. We talk about this stuff all the time and it's awesome. You can learn more here.

If you are loving this, please share it with those you believe would love it too.

Art Nurture is about being fully alive and living life with the soul of an artist. A life filled with passion, intention, and purpose. Thanks so much for your time and your presence.

Cultivate & Nurture,
Court McCracken

p.s. If you want to receive Art Nurture goodness straight in your inbox, make sure to get your name on the list and receive a gift from me to you!

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Let it simmer, celebrate & push restart: Transitioning into the New Year and the Cultivators Community

1/15/2015

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Over the holiday break this year, I focused on letting it simmer.

I enjoyed the sweetness of rest. I let things simmer and integrate, fill up, and fully flavor my life. This has been really good for my creativity, my art, and ultimately the work I do here with you at Art Nurture. It was a good time. And quite frankly, I realized how much I love sleep and movies and eating slowly.

Then the New Year rang in and it was time to celebrate & push restart.

Whether you are all for New Years Resolutions or really against them, the New Year makes itself known. We realize it is a new year every time we realize it's January. Every time we realize that we put the wrong date again on some piece of paperwork we have to fill out. Every time we hear people talk about all the new stuff they are starting or all the old stuff they are quitting.

Whether we like it or not, change occurs and transition is necessary.

I have honestly resisted some changes in my life so hard that I probably caused myself more pain through the struggle than I would have experienced from the change alone.

These days I try to listen to those things. I try to pay attention to what the resistance, the fear, the frozen-ness, the struggle are trying to tell me. Because I realize the quicker I deal with those things, the less I stress and the more in the creative flow I can be and live a life doing the work that I love.

So these days, I like to let it simmer like cinnamon.

I like to celebrate.

I like to focus on what works and pour more into that well.

What works for me, is me working with you. I love working with you and I love what has been built here so far and I look forward to more of that going forward. Let's start this year off right. Let's make the stuff we believe in and let's give our best to our families, our communities, our art, our work, our gardens, our pets, all of it!

At the beginning of 2014, just a few short months after Art Nurture: The Simple Guide to Cultivating Your Creativity was released I embarked on a beautiful and unknown journey (and some of you came with me!).

I had always hoped that from the book being released out into the world, a community would grow. I had hoped that this community would be one filled with people who were seeking to live out their authentic Art Nurture Journey, living their creative potential for their greatest good and sharing it with the world. So in January of 2014 came the first ever Art Nurture Book Club. We had over 40 members from all over the globe and we had weekly live calls and went through the entire book together. The conversations were amazing. I was so honored to have people reading the book together and sharing openly with one another. Quite frankly, the entire thing was magical. It really blew me away and I found myself craving more of this interaction with all of you.

Over the course of the year, I held some workshops, did a lot of one-on-one coaching through my Creativity Cultivation sessions, learned a lot, shared a lot, got to lead a group of lovely women to Spain for Art Nurture's Andalusian Adventure, and kept thinking about how awesome creative community was...

...and that is when the idea for the Cultivators Community came. From your feedback and from my desire to connect more and have more creative community, myself and 14 Cultivators embarked on a BETA version of this group coaching community. We met for three months and each of our live group calls were amazing. I felt like, 'Yes! This is awesome! We need more of this! It should never end!'

Not only was I jazzed, but the people who were a part of our BETA round made some amazing moves for themselves in their creative pursuits. Some gained clarity, some began sharing their work more, some made more art, it was awesome! The focus of our calls each week was that we would celebrate exactly where we were at, we would get down to the nitty gritty on our struggles, and we would take real actionable steps to move forward.

So here we are, 2015 well under way, and I am honored that you take the time to hang out here at Art Nurture, it means a lot to me and I am here sharing this work for you, because quite frankly it feels too good to keep it to myself! It's better and more fun to share! I love hearing what each of you are working on, and up to, and thinking through. Thank you for sharing, keep it coming!

I also want to invite you to join the Cultivators Community 2015! Our first "official" call will be next Wednesday, January 21st 2015 and we will keep going through the rest of the year! If you are interested in joining the group, learn all the details and register here.

If you choose to join the Cultivators Community, awesome! I look forward to talking with you at our regular monthly calls! If you have questions, please feel free to write me and ask because this is a conversation and I do take the time to read e-mails as quickly as possible.

If you are loving this, please share it with those you believe would love it too.

Art Nurture is about being fully alive and living life with the soul of an artist. A life filled with passion, intention, and purpose. Thanks so much for your time and your presence.

Cultivate & Nurture,
Court McCracken

p.s. If you want to receive Art Nurture goodness straight in your inbox, make sure to get your name on the list and receive a gift from me to you!

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Burnout: What it is teaching us as one year ends and another begins

12/16/2014

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If you are like many of us, you may be experiencing burnout during this time of year.

The end of the year demands a lot of us. Holidays, wrapping up loose ends, travel, winter, getting ready for the new year....It can be a lot to handle. When you add into that work, family, service, perhaps a business or art your also nurturing and all of the tasks each involve, it is easy to see that burnout and exhaustion can hit hard at the end of the year.

In fact, it's rare to really and truly relax and rest during the holiday season and to feel fully caught up before the new year is upon us!

You may be heading for burn out or you may be avoiding it at all costs. Either way, the concept of burn out has a lot to teach us as one year ends and another begins.

What burnout & the fear of burnout have to teach us is incredibly valuable.

1. Burnout may be showing us that we are not super skilled at managing our daily calendars.

This is a lesson hard learned. But one I have come face to face with many a time. Scheduling your day so that you get your most important work done FIRST can often be the key to success in this area. Don't put it off until the very last bit of the day when your energy is waning.

Also, scheduling your day without building in time to drive from one place to the next can have us constantly 15-30 minutes behind schedule ALL DAY LONG!

Don't do it to yourself. You'll carry stress into each activity, meeting, and social gathering of the day if you are constantly running behind because you didn't build in enough time for travel or for nourishing your body through food.

2. Burnout may be showing up to let you know you need to value your sleep a little more.

It's hard to show up for your family, your job, your creative work without getting the much needed Zzzzzs. Compound that with weeks or months of lack of sleep and you are racking up a serious sleep debt. As someone who has struggled to get a healthy sleep schedule, I now know how valuable it is in my life. It keeps me fully present during the day when I have classes to teach, e-mails to write, and creative projects to focus on...I'm not much fun and my work doesn't shine (let alone my interactions with others!) if I don't get some Zzzs.

3. Burnout may be showing up to let you know that you need to re-prioritize your daily activities.

In my 1-on-1 coaching sessions, a theme that comes up for many of my clients (and also me too!!!) is the feeling of not having any time. In many cases, when we dig deeper we can turn up some time by reclaiming it from activities that are not in line with the priorities stated. We can also reclaim it from periods of time that have been plagued with inaction.

If you find yourself running from one activity to the next that does not actually line up with your deeper purpose and your individual set of priorities, you will be experiencing burnout.

Burnout is a great opportunity to re-prioritize your day-to -day.

4. Burnout may be showing up to let you know that you are not aware how your daily activities DO in fact serve your priorities.

Most of us have activities we must do out of obligation, like get our drivers license renewed at the DMV. We could easily consider that activity draining, especially to our creative energy, but when we take a closer look at that activity, we can see that being able to drive a car is in fact a privilege. That particular privilege allows you to do many other things that do feed you and your priorities and making certain you have all of the paper work in order to do such a thing is really serving your greater purpose! No need to let it drain you and burn you out at all! Just an opportunity to become more aware and take control of your energy by shifting your perspective.

5. Burnout may be showing up to let you know that you don't really know how to say 'Yes' and how to say 'No'!

This has been a HUGE one for me. I have worked on this for years and I work with my creativity cultivation clients on this regularly. We have to realize that, when it comes to honing our creative energy, every time we say 'Yes' to something we are voting for it to have a place in our life. Every time we say 'No' to something, we are voting against it having space in our life. These are two very powerful words and they work internally and externally, though they are often hard to get a handle on, they can change your art and your life.

Burnout may be something you go through only once before you learn to make a change or, if you are anything like me, you have to go through it 20+ times to learn to make some healthy changes!

A lot of folks put off change of any kind during this time of year. They say, 'I'm not going to change now.
I'll change January 1st.'

But the truth is, now is the perfect time to tune in and listen to yourself.

Check in with yourself and you can ease those burnout symptoms before they get out of control.

Plus, how are you going to start all your amazing creative projects on January 1st of this year if you are suffering from serious burnout?

It'll be March before you know what hit you!

p.s. These same concepts apply to the ending of one project or season of creation
and beginning of another.

Take some time to honor the efforts and slow down.

Rest.

Be grateful for all that you have accomplished already.

Be gracious towards yourself as a person.

Be joyful as you move forward.

Now it's your turn! Has burnout taught you a valuable lesson?

If so, I would love to hear it! Please share in the comments below.

If you are loving this, please share it with those you believe would love it too.

Art Nurture is about being fully alive and living life with the soul of an artist. A life filled with passion, intention, and purpose. Thanks so much for your time and your presence.

Cultivate & Nurture,
Court McCracken

p.s. If you want to receive Art Nurture goodness straight in your inbox, make sure to get your name on the list and receive a gift from me to you!

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Is quitting the right choice? How to know when throwing in the towel is best or when you are just one tweak away from genius!

12/8/2014

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You may not know this about me, but I think about quitting a lot. In fact, on an almost weekly basis the thought of quitting something I am doing crosses my mind.

The truth is, we really can't do everything. So sometimes it is wise to let go of some things.

But how do you know when you should actually quit?

The thoughts that run through our minds about quitting are bringing up opportunities for evaluation of what is really happening.

When you think about quitting ask yourself these questions:

Am I quitting because I think I am a failure?

If I think I am a failure, how have I measured and clearly defined what success would be in this circumstance?

Did I create a situation where 'success' would actually be attainable? (time frame, magnitude, expectations of fame, etc.)

If you are just picking up an instrument and not playing in Carnegie Hall within the first six months, thats a good thing. You probably aren't there yet. Also, you may need to be realistic with yourself about the stats. That doesn't mean that you can't expand to a success on your own terms and by your own defining. But don't be unrealistic with yourself and then throw in the towel! You have to create a full picture situation in which the process can unfold naturally.

Have I given myself enough time?

Have I sought to educate myself on this? Talked to experts? Taken a class? Invested practice time?

Do I expect to turn this into a business without treating it like a business?

A lot of folks do want to earn money from their art. This is totally a fine path to take if you are willing to realize that that means you are taking your art and adding the added dimension of building a business. In that respect, thinking about it like a business is going to be a smart thing to do!

Do I still experience joy when I do this?

Some folks quit what they are doing because some aspect of it ceases to bring them joy, when really, they may not need to quit the whole thing. I have a client who was frustrated by the production aspect of sewing. She had a full time job and sewing had become a beloved hobby. Then the orders started pouring in and then she got a large wholesale order.

After working till all hours for months to complete the wholesale order, she didn't want to sew anymore.
The production aspect of sewing made her want to throw in the towel. She realized she didn't want to do things it would take to do (hiring other people, purchasing large amounts of fabric, filling large orders, and dealing with wholesalers) to ramp this up into a full time business.

When she took the business out of her sewing, she loved it again. She now only does orders for friends and family and each piece is custom. That is the way she likes it. That is what makes it fun for her.

Remember, this stuff is for the love of the game.

We do this stuff because of
who we become in the process.

In the process of working with my young horse I have become frustrated and disheartened on more than one occasion. One of my horse friends who trains horses for a living said, "Court, this stuff isn't easy. If it was, everyone would do it. You've gotta be patient with yourself and don't give up."

I still really enjoy working with my horse. I do it for the love of the process. I'm never going to be a traveling horse whisperer or anything like that, I know the place that it has in my life. When I readjust my expectations and I see the joy I get from the process clearly, I can focus on that when the comparisons with others or the self-criticism or the overwhelming urge to throw in the towel pops up in my head.

This puts it in perspective even if you are pursuing your art as a business also!

Focus on the joy of the process.

Focus on the joy of the connection.

Be realistic with your self-expectations.

Be open to learning from others and getting training and education when necessary.

Get clear on who you want to be in this, no matter how you pursue it.

For example: I know I wont get a chance to talk to everyone in the world about their creativity, but I know who I want to be in the moments where I get the opportunity to work with the people I do get to work with; I want to be fully present, I want to be authentic, I want to be a good listener, I want to be an encourager, I want to be a person who can share insight and be a catalyst for growth, and I want to have joy!

When I put it that way, it's easy to see, even if I am not hanging out with Oprah, that I am still meeting my standards of success. I'm still enjoying the work.

No need to quit or throw in the towel yet!

Have you ever felt like quitting but just really just needed a small tweak and perspective shift instead?

Please share in the comments below.

If you are loving this, please share it with those you believe would love it too.

Art Nurture is about being fully alive and living life with the soul of an artist. A life filled with passion, intention, and purpose. Thanks so much for your time and your presence.

Cultivate & Nurture,
Court McCracken

p.s. If you want to receive Art Nurture goodness straight in your inbox, make sure to get your name on the list and receive a gift from me to you!

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Gratitude: Even for lessons hard learned

11/25/2014

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Tis the season to focus on Gratitude.

Gratitude is something I try to practice regularly.

But it is not always easy.

Gratitude is definitely something to cultivate.

Often times, though, it's easy to be grateful for some things
and more challenging to be grateful for others.

It's more challenging to be grateful for stuff when you are going through a really tough time.

It's more challenging to be grateful when you don't know the answers or what to do next.

It's more challenging to be grateful when someone you love is really sick.

It's more challenging to be grateful when things aren't going your way at all.

It's more challenging to be grateful when you are having to work really hard for something and it looks like no fruit will come from all of your toil.

A story from my Art School days...

I am grateful to have had the joy of studying at a variety of places throughout my Art School days. I got to work with some really amazing artists who were my professors. I learned unique things from each of them that I carry with me each day in my art practice.

Some of those lessons were not always easy to learn.

One of my professors told me point blank once, "Court, you are not the most talented student I have. You're not even the most gifted in this class. But you are really creative and I can see that you want this, so you are going to have to work."

It was a hard thing to hear. It was a true thing to hear. I did want to be an artist so badly, with everything in me, I wanted to make visual art. I didn't want to do anything else!

Blargh! How could I want to do something that I am not good at?

I took the words to heart and put myself to work. I realized that I had so much to learn and I had to focus and really see differently, train my hands, train my eyes, learn techniques, and study.

It's hard to be grateful for a piece of truth that hits
like a sack of potatoes.

So I became incredibly studious and focused on my artistic development.
I did everything I could. I put in tons of hours...TONS.

Then, the end of the year rolled around.

The art department awards were coming up.

I was nervous at the awards ceremony. I told myself it was fine if I didn't get anything, I had worked really hard, but it was fine. I was fine. I was going to be fine. I tried really hard to detach from the hope of receiving some recognition for all of my hard work. I didn't want to hope...

...but I really couldn't help myself from hoping quite a lot.

Each discipline had it's own award category. They rattled off the disciplines and the names of the recipients of each award.

Drawing. Nope, nothing there.

Painting. Nope, nothing there either.

My hope dwindled.

Every discipline went by, some of my fellow students had even been recognized in multiple categories.

I was recognized in none.

I had worked harder that year than I ever had up to that point. I sat in my chair, trying to choke back my emotions. The last thing I wanted was for anyone to think of me as upset because other people had been honored and not me. That wasn't really what it was about.

It was more about the fact that I had this dream and, now, sitting in a plastic chair at my department awards ceremony, I didn't quite know what to think of that dream any more. Maybe that dream was a curse. Maybe it was a fantasy. I just really didn't know.

I held onto my chair and sat still and unmoving. I stared at the speaker, trying to concentrate. He was saying something about another student. I guessed that there was another recipient. I ran through my mind...no, all of the departments had been mentioned, every single one of them.
What other award could there be?

It was my professor. He talked on and on about some student who was exemplary in their discipline. Yada, yada. Some student who had really gone the extra mile. Blah, blah, blah. I wanted this whole thing to be over so that I could head back to my room and consider dropping out of school. He then announced that the last award would now be given.

It was an award from the entire department. This was the 'Ultimate Art Department Award'.

I am certain that is not the official title of the award, but he was building it up so much he may as well have called it that....

...then the girl next to me is hitting my arm.

People sitting around me turn towards me clapping and smiling.

I had been lost in my own sad thoughts that I didn't even realize that they had called my name!

Yes, I had been sitting there feeling sorry for myself and I missed the fact that I had just won the Art Department Award.

Awesome.

Everyone was really happy for me. They told me they knew how hard I had worked and how they really felt like I deserved this acknowledgement.

Talk about overwhelming humility.

The beauty is, had my professor not shared the tough words with me those many months before, I wouldn't have kicked it into high gear. I wouldn't have dug deep. I wouldn't have known to put the extra effort in and see what I was really made of...tough stuff.

I also think that this particular time in my life is what really led me to have a heart for teaching.

So I'm grateful for that for sure! I'm also grateful that I learned so much about process. I learned how much I could learn when I really tried.

I could have taken the words my professor shared in another way. I could have shut down. I could have not been grateful for his honesty. I could have not been grateful for that tough year that I put a lot of work in. I could have been so ungrateful that I got up after the last department award had been announced and stormed out of there, only to miss what was actually going to happen.

At the time all of this was a really tough series of lessons to feel grateful for, but over a decade has passed since then and I see how much these lessons have served me and will continue to serve me. I believe they also serve my community, when I get real honest and share them!

Now it's your turn.

Have you ever gone through something tough that you were able to find gratitude for later?

Please share in the comments below.

If you are loving this, please share it with those you believe would love it too.

Art Nurture is about being fully alive and living life with the soul of an artist. A life filled with passion, intention, and purpose. Thanks so much for your time and your presence.

Cultivate & Nurture,
Court McCracken

p.s. If you want to receive Art Nurture goodness straight in your inbox, make sure to get your name on the list and receive a gift from me to you!

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The reason I love this work: Creativity Cultivation, Art Nurture, all of it....find out why this is my happy place

11/18/2014

4 Comments

Recently, I shared with you why I love my art. The cool thing is, my art encompasses more than it used to...or at least it is more now than I thought it was or would be....it's not just the visual art I make any more that I count as my art. This work that I do here at Art Nurture has become my art. Really this journey began as a personal exploration for me to get myself back in my art studio and it has grown and become so much more than I could have ever imagined.

I love this work. I love working as a "Creativity Cultivator".

I truthfully couldn't imagine my life without Art Nurture and I find it so interesting that it happened as just an experiment. Art Nurture was born because I was wondering if creativity could be nurtured. And now I know, the answer is a resounding 'YES'!

The reason I love this work, is because I really love people.

Not only that, but I love seeing people at their best.

I believe people are amazing.

Yes, I know, I know. People can hurt you. People make mistakes. People can let you down. It's true. We can be a sloppy mess more days than we would care to admit.

But the longer I do this work, the more I get to know people and share in their Creativity Cultivation process, the more I see that most people's creative dreams are really beautiful and really good.

So, there you have it: the reason I love this work is because I get to be a part of all kinds of people's lives and I get to watch them fly.

I don't need credit here, I am happy to be a catalyst.

In fact, being a catalyst suits my introverted nature well.

But I get to see all kinds of people do all kinds of amazing work!

I get to see people's confidence grow.

I get to see people's projects get funded and take off and fly!

I get to see people raise money for charity.

I get to see creativity cultivators develop their art skills and hone their craft.

I get to be a witness to the creative process as someone buys their first instrument and takes a lesson.

I get to see people make amazing steps and strides for themselves.

I get to watch it spill over into their community.

I get to hear about it!

I feel honored that the folks I work with share so much of their lives and their world with me. It's such a beautiful exchange, some days I can hardly keep from smiling and crying at the same time.

You are what I love about this work.

You.

You are amazing.

Your Art Nurture Journey is completely unique to you.

Being a support to you on that journey is why Art Nurture exists in it's form today and why I am committed to growing with it each year.

Just as I love my own art because it causes me to go deeper, it beckons me to grow, so does my work here at Art Nurture.

It's a joy to show up to the office when I get to work with you. I look forward to it each week.

Thank you.

Now, it's your turn. Why do you love what you do?

Please, share in the comments below.

If you are loving this, please share it with those you believe would love it too.

Art Nurture is about being fully alive and living life with the soul of an artist. A life filled with passion, intention, and purpose. Thanks so much for your time and your presence.

Cultivate & Nurture,
Court McCracken

p.s. If you want to receive Art Nurture goodness straight in your inbox, make sure to get your name on the list and receive a gift from me to you!

4 Comments

Take Care of You. Self-Care for the Creative

11/7/2014

4 Comments

I spend a lot of time working with my clients on honing their creative energy. In fact, I've been learning so much recently on creative process (yes, there is always more to learn!), that I am working on a new workshop for you too! It will be all about honing your creative energy and bringing it into focus. But there is one thing you simply have to do to work with your creative energy at all.

I am always reminded of this one thing
during the changing of the season.

My number one rule for nurturing your creativity.

Take care of you.

I am by no means an expert on self-care. This is a journey I am walking and learning about so much. In fact, I used to be the poster child for total lack of self-care. I used to pour it all out until I would be completely exhausted and burned out.

If you have read Art Nurture: The Simple Guide to Cultivating Your Creativity, you know that I share my biggest fault; not taking care of myself.

I have had to really work on this consciously over the past couple of years and am definitely improving and am happy with that for myself.

Because taking care of yourself makes it more possible to have a sustainable practice of creativity.

Creativity and living the Art Nurture Journey is not a sprint. It's not fast and furious. It's not a jet-setting type of lifestyle. What it is, though, is an intentional choice.

To live and create your life as a work of art
is an intentional choice.

But we can't make good choices when we are exhausted, sick, run down, over stimulated, unclear, frustrated, etc.

The number one rule for nurturing your creativity is to take extra care for self-care.

Drink that cup of tea during the cold season. Don't over book yourself. Be gracious and honest with yourself about how much energy you have to give. Head to bed and get some rest and all those other healthy things.

Take care of you. You'll have more to give. You'll have more fresh ideas. You'll be able to create from a better place.

I want to hear from you! Please, let me know your thoughts on this in the comments below.
Are you great at self-care?
Is it something you are learning?
Do you notice that when you take care of yourself that you are able to create from a better place?

If you are loving this, please share it with those you believe would love it too.

Art Nurture is about being fully alive and living life with the soul of an artist. A life filled with passion, intention, and purpose. Thanks so much for your time and your presence.

Cultivate & Nurture,
Court McCracken

p.s. If you want to receive Art Nurture goodness straight in your inbox, make sure to get your name on the list and receive a gift from me to you!

4 Comments

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Do I disappoint you?

This disappointment stuff can get real.

Decide in advance to stay the course.Decide in advance that, no matter what, you'll get back to your creative work.

The fear of disappointment is only as real as you and I make it. It's only as powerful as we allow it to be.​

"Wow", a visitor to my studio says to me, "so you just paint all the time? How romantic!"

I'm also the first to admit that living your Art Nurture Journey, whatever you pursue, is a process.

And then...sometimes...there are moments when it all gels.There are times when it all comes together. There are days when you are in the flow & in the groove and you knew it was worth it to stick it out.Yes, indeed, there are times when it is incredibly romantic.

Yes, there are days when it is complete bliss.

Take heart, the creative journey is a just that and it will include every such thing as any great romantic story or heroic tale. Whatever you do, don't stop.Enjoy the sweet times, move through the challenges.

The engagement post definitely got some attention.

So, what do we do then? What do we do when we aren't in the creative flow, but we so desperately want to be back there or to find it in the first place?

IKEA calmed me down. It gave me the sense that all things could find order.

Perfection is a fantasy that does us a major disservice.

I cannot ever get it all done.I cannot ever get it all perfect.I cannot ever get it all right.Coming home to your creativity, means living in the dissonance. Embracing imperfection means living in a sweet, authentic space with yourself where creativity is truly possible.

For the love of Art & Happy Valentines to you this weekend.I've got big news...

I'm engaged!

That's right, I'm engaged...fully...in life and in my creative process. I'm aware. I'm awake. I'm FULLY ENGAGED.

The creative process is on its root level about choices.

Regarding the blank canvas...

Here is the thing about artistic & creative choices...

There is no such thing as a thin air canvas miracle. Just sayin'.

We have to cultivate our creativity. We have to get engaged.

When I shared I was engaged, perhaps you were hoping to see and hear a different message, maybe one that was more romantic. But this message of engagement is most certainly about commitment and, if you ask me, that's pretty dang romantic.

Over the holiday break this year, I focused on letting it simmer.

Then the New Year rang in and it was time to celebrate & push restart.

Whether we like it or not, change occurs and transition is necessary.

So these days, I like to let it simmer like cinnamon. I like to celebrate.I like to focus on what works and pour more into that well.

If you are like many of us, you may be experiencing burnout during this time of year.

In fact, it's rare to really and truly relax and rest during the holiday season and to feel fully caught up before the new year is upon us!

1. Burnout may be showing us that we are not super skilled at managing our daily calendars.

2. Burnout may be showing up to let you know you need to value your sleep a little more.

3. Burnout may be showing up to let you know that you need to re-prioritize your daily activities.

4. Burnout may be showing up to let you know that you are not aware how your daily activities DO in fact serve your priorities.

5. Burnout may be showing up to let you know that you don't really know how to say 'Yes' and how to say 'No'!

You may not know this about me, but I think about quitting a lot. In fact, on an almost weekly basis the thought of quitting something I am doing crosses my mind.

The thoughts that run through our minds about quitting are bringing up opportunities for evaluation of what is really happening.

Am I quitting because I think I am a failure?If I think I am a failure, how have I measured and clearly defined what success would be in this circumstance?

Did I create a situation where 'success' would actually be attainable? (time frame, magnitude, expectations of fame, etc.)

Have I given myself enough time?

Have I sought to educate myself on this? Talked to experts? Taken a class? Invested practice time?

Do I expect to turn this into a business without treating it like a business?

Do I still experience joy when I do this?

Remember, this stuff is for the love of the game. We do this stuff because of who we become in the process.

Tis the season to focus on Gratitude.Gratitude is something I try to practice regularly. But it is not always easy.

A story from my Art School days...

It's hard to be grateful for a piece of truth that hits like a sack of potatoes.

Yes, I had been sitting there feeling sorry for myself and I missed the fact that I had just won the Art Department Award.Awesome.

The reason I love this work, is because I really love people. Not only that, but I love seeing people at their best.I believe people are amazing.

So, there you have it: the reason I love this work is because I get to be a part of all kinds of people's lives and I get to watch them fly.I don't need credit here, I am happy to be a catalyst. In fact, being a catalyst suits my introverted nature well.

You are what I love about this work. You. You are amazing.Your Art Nurture Journey is completely unique to you.Being a support to you on that journey is why Art Nurture exists in it's form today and why I am committed to growing with it each year.

I am always reminded of this one thing during the changing of the season. My number one rule for nurturing your creativity.Take care of you.

If you have read Art Nurture: The Simple Guide to Cultivating Your Creativity, you know that I share my biggest fault; not taking care of myself.

Because taking care of yourself makes it more possible to have a sustainable practice of creativity.

To live and create your life as a work of art is an intentional choice.

The number one rule for nurturing your creativity is to take extra care for self-care.

Take care of you. You'll have more to give. You'll have more fresh ideas. You'll be able to create from a better place.

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Decide in advance to stay the course.

Decide in advance that, no matter what, you'll get back to your creative work.

The fear of disappointment is only as real as you and I make it. It's only as powerful as we allow it to be.

I'm also the first to admit that living your
Art Nurture Journey, whatever you pursue, is a process.

And then...sometimes...there are moments when it all gels.

There are times when it all comes together.

There are days when you are in the flow & in the groove and you knew it was worth it to stick it out.

Yes, indeed, there are times when it is incredibly romantic.

Take heart, the creative journey is a just that and it will include every such thing as any great romantic story or heroic tale.

Whatever you do, don't stop.
Enjoy the sweet times, move through the challenges.

So, what do we do then?

What do we do when we aren't in the creative flow, but we so desperately want to be back there or to find it in the first place?

I cannot ever get it all done.

I cannot ever get it all perfect.

I cannot ever get it all right.

Coming home to your creativity, means living in the dissonance.

Embracing imperfection means living in a sweet, authentic space with yourself where creativity is truly possible.

For the love of Art & Happy Valentines to you this weekend.

I've got big news...

We have to cultivate our creativity.

We have to get engaged.

When I shared I was engaged,
perhaps you were hoping to see and hear a different message, maybe one that was more romantic.

But this message of engagement is most certainly about commitment and, if you ask me, that's pretty dang romantic.

So these days, I like to let it simmer like cinnamon.

I like to celebrate.

I like to focus on what works and pour more into that well.

Am I quitting because I think I am a failure?

If I think I am a failure, how have I measured and clearly defined what success would be in this circumstance?

Remember, this stuff is for the love of the game.

We do this stuff because of
who we become in the process.

Tis the season to focus on Gratitude.

Gratitude is something I try to practice regularly.

But it is not always easy.

It's hard to be grateful for a piece of truth that hits
like a sack of potatoes.

Yes, I had been sitting there feeling sorry for myself and I missed the fact that I had just won the Art Department Award.

Awesome.

The reason I love this work, is because I really love people.

Not only that, but I love seeing people at their best.

I believe people are amazing.

So, there you have it: the reason I love this work is because I get to be a part of all kinds of people's lives and I get to watch them fly.

I don't need credit here, I am happy to be a catalyst.

In fact, being a catalyst suits my introverted nature well.

You are what I love about this work.

You.

You are amazing.

Your Art Nurture Journey is completely unique to you.

Being a support to you on that journey is why Art Nurture exists in it's form today and why I am committed to growing with it each year.

I am always reminded of this one thing
during the changing of the season.

My number one rule for nurturing your creativity.

Take care of you.

To live and create your life as a work of art
is an intentional choice.