Art Nurture Manifesto Part II: What adventures have to do with your creativity

Last week I shared with you some of my thoughts about Art Nurture, how it has grown, what it means to me, and what I am trying to do here. 

I want to dive a little more into that and share with you my heart for adventures.

If you know me at all, you know I am can be pretty fearful. The fears I face daily are a part of what makes me myself. We all have fears unique to us and our us-ness. For example, you can be both scared of heights and scared of talking to someone you have feelings for....two different kinds of fears that have an affect on the way your brain processes situations and the actions you choose to take or not take. 

Some folks might call me fearless, if you know me only on paper, I can see why I may come off that way. I have done things like run a marathon and I work with a wild horse. It might seem like I am brave or fearless....it just isn't so. 

The truth is, each day I face my fears and bump up against the walls of my finely tuned comfort zone. 

The majority of the time I am scared of tons-o-stuff. Not to mention the fact that there are many who constantly remind me of the dangers of my choices (i.e. being an artist is an uncertain career, you could get hurt, what if you don't cross the finish line). Yep. That stuff is for sure true. But there are other truths too. 

Sometimes it is good to know where our boundaries are and they can be there for some seriously good reasons. There are times you push those boundaries and face your fears in incremental moves. Just a little bit more, just a little change here, a small step there. It can be exhausting, but quite rewarding. Sometimes you take a leap, a dive, a big step out of that zone of comfort and familiarity. That can be both frightening and exhilarating at the same time.

The other truths I talk about are the deep rewarding lessons that come from doing something new and pushing yourself to learn, challenging your discomfort, growing deeper & wider than you ever thought possible. 

Adventures are humbling. Adventures push you and stretch you and open you up. Opening up your scope of possibility in yourself and in the world....and then coming out on the other side with more understanding and new character traits you did not possess prior or had never nurtured in yourself before. 

I remember my first trip out of my own country. I had the privilege of being a part of a youth choir that was invited on tour in London. I was 14 and sold Christmas trees the year before to earn the money to go with the group. I got my first passport and also my first heavy jacket ( I grew up in a tropical climate). I was a seriously shy kid with everyone except for my handful of close friends, so this was a big deal. The first thing we did upon landing in London was board a giant bus and head to a castle to check out some of the crown jewels. 

Wow! Castles are real! My eyes were wide absorbing everything I could. The sites, the sounds, the accents, the smells, the customs. My heart expanded and I had caught the travel bug. 

For years prior to this I had fought getting on a plane and successfully had avoided it at all costs because of a fear of heights. The year before my London trip I flew on a plane with my Dad on a business trip, so I had crossed that bridge of fear and knew that traveling was more important than my fear of flying. After London, I knew I was in for a lifetime of travel. I would seriously get on a plane and go anywhere if someone handed me a ticket. 

But I had to push up against a boundary first. I had to move along the wall I had built for myself, touch it, feel it, learn what it was all about...and then decide I didn't like it there anymore. The pain of it being there was too great in comparison with the potential joys of moving beyond its perimeter. 

That is why adventures are important. The small everyday adventures, and the big expansive ones. Both play a part in our growth. Both are necessary. They show you where your edges are and why they are there. They show you how different things are around the world or around the corner from your house. They show you how similar things are too. Some of those basic human needs and desires...shelter, food, clothing, love, family, art, joy...they may look different where ever you go, but they are present. 

My tiny day-to-day adventures and my big plan adventures help me to open up my scope of understanding and, I believe, make me a better artist and hopefully change me in positive ways as a woman as well. 

I encourage you in your daily life to seek out little adventures. 

Look for a new perspective in an everyday situation. 

Taste, smell, see, observe, and think anew. 

Explore your boundaries and ask yourself more about why they are there. 

Plan a purposeful adventure. Go visit somewhere in your hometown that you have never visited before. Pretend you are a tourist right where you are. Taste something new and listen to something different. 

Take the experience and turn it over in your hands, heart, and mind. 

Be curious! 

Curiosity about life...that's the good stuff art is made of and creativity is cultivated by....

Adventures have changed me. Travel has changed me. Art has changed me. 

...and given me so much joy. 

That is why I knew that Art Nurture had to have some adventures built in each year! 

If you want to hear more about Art Nurture's first official Andalusian Adventure to the Southern region of Spain this July, head here and read more. Get on the list to learn more! I'm pulling together a very special and small group of women to head there together for an adventure filled with sites, art, visual journalling, creativity cultivating, delicious food, and yes...flamenco dancing. 

I'll be adding more to this Art Nurture Manifesto as this process progresses. This is a conversation, feel free to leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts, or something you would like to see happen here...I'm all ears. 

Make sure to jump on the Art Nurture e-mail list to receive up to date Art Nurture goodness directly to your inbox.

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.

Tell me about your adventures, big and small, in the comments below!!!

Cultivate & Nurture, 
Court McCracken