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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. 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. 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.  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?
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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 |
| I also had the privilege of speaking at The Underground Art Initiative hosted by Shana LaFore, in Madison, WI! |  |
And I also spent a lot of time hanging out with a wild mustang horse that I accidentally fell in love with...perhaps more on that later!
To be super frank with you, this year also included some serious personal challenges for me and also some of the best opportunities for growth and learning.
Tell me again why that stuff just can't be easy? Maybe it can...we'll see!
But what kept me going through all the fun stuff, the tough stuff, the planning, the waiting, the unknowing, the struggles, and the ease was my creativity.
You see, I kept having to figure out how to bounce and move forward and keep going and stay focused on my dreams and vision for Art Nurture and where it would go.
That is all thanks to you!
Creativity is more than the art you make, it is how you navigate.
My heart is to serve you and guide you to igniting that creative fire you already have inside of you.
I love, love, LOVE seeing you on fire and growing and cultivating your creative practice and creating a life that is a full work of art.
So thanks for hanging with me over this last year, as I navigate my own way, and find more ways to reach out through this medium of Art Nurture, of writing, of connecting...
... I thank you for sharing with me, for giving me honest feedback, for partnering up with me, for being the reason why Art Nurture The Book came to be...for all of it, THANK YOU!
I am also looking for new ways of doing this more effectively with a deeper impact and I want to hear from you!
What is your deepest need when it comes to your creativity?
With your help, I hope to grow Art Nurture to continue to serve you and your creative growth needs. I want to hear from you, so please do share with me in the comments below, or send me a message and let me know what you and your creativity are seriously craving.
Thanks so much, in advance, for sharing your thoughts. And thanks for making this last year incredibly special.
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. I've got something special I'm working on for you for the one year anniversary of Art Nurture: The Simple Guide to Cultivating Your Creativity so make certain to jump on the newsletter list to receive it!
A few days ago, I returned from Spain.
Art Nurture's first Andalusian Adventure was more beautiful than I could have ever conceived. The women whom I had the privilege of traveling with were exceptional.
In the past few days since my return, I have been dealing with the typical jet lag that occurs when you throw your body into a new time zone and routine outside of your norm. The jet lag has been a kind of strange gift, leaving me in this slower moving dream like state in which to process my adventures and re-enter life back home.
Truthfully, I'm not very different on the outside, maybe a bit more tan & a few extra pounds from the delicious bread, but mostly I am still Court.
The beautiful thing though, about stepping away, is noticing the small ways things shift, change, crack open, reveal, fade away, grow anew.
Truth is, they were happening all along, just too slowly to realize. But stepping away, opening your eyes, experiencing anew...all of that breaks you open to the new changes occurring. Slowly, organically, with intention.
Those things were in motion all along. Most changes don't happen over night. Most changes are not big & dramatic. Most changes are more about deliberate microscopic movements.
Experiences, both new & familiar, integrate and become a part of the person perceiving and processing them. Then we make choices. Then we make choices again...each day.
Then the culmination of that cumulative effort becomes our life and becomes where we are at in the present moment. That is also how art is made. Process. Process. Process.
Be gentle with yourself. Be kind. You are human. Perfection is an illusion. Movement and change are real and natural. They are slow, they are deliberate. The cracking open wide of the creative process can happen if you allow it. Don't let it scare you too much, it doesn't happen all at once. It really shouldn't. For it to stick and be a real change, let it unfold. Allow it to reveal mysteries. Don't choke it, don't control it. Be present in the beauty of each moment. Each imperfect, perfectly beautiful moment.
That's what I like about painting. That's what I like about horse whispering. That's what I enjoy most about working with children and art. That's what I love about travel. There's just no where else to be than in that sloppy, delicious, perfectly unpredictable moment. It's just gorgeous there.
Thanks for hanging with me on my dream like, jet lag, pondering meanderings here on Art Nurture.
When have you noticed the cracking open of your creative process; in life, in art, in anything? Please share below, I'd really love to hear from you. This is a conversation, by the way, and you are a part of it!
Wanna know what's happening this month for Art Nurture?
Tonight: Monday August 11th 6:30-8:00pm I will be speaking at Malaprops book store in Downtown Asheville, NC as a part of the Small Press & Self-Published Authors evening. Come on down and say 'hello' and get a signed copy of Art Nurture: The Simple Guide to Cultivating Your Creativity
August 21st-August 24th The Underground Art Initiative LIVE in Madison, WI. Only 3 spaces remain to attend this amazing retreat for creative professionals! I will be speaking and attending and I cannot wait to connect with each person there! If you want one of the remaining spots, contact Shana LaFore, Founder of the Underground Art Intiative via her site and let her know I sent ya!
September 2nd-December 10th: Art Nurture's Cultivators Community BETA
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.
Cultivate & Nurture,
Court McCracken
Art Nurture's first Andalusian Adventure was more beautiful than I could have ever conceived. The women whom I had the privilege of traveling with were exceptional.
In the past few days since my return, I have been dealing with the typical jet lag that occurs when you throw your body into a new time zone and routine outside of your norm. The jet lag has been a kind of strange gift, leaving me in this slower moving dream like state in which to process my adventures and re-enter life back home.
Truthfully, I'm not very different on the outside, maybe a bit more tan & a few extra pounds from the delicious bread, but mostly I am still Court.
The beautiful thing though, about stepping away, is noticing the small ways things shift, change, crack open, reveal, fade away, grow anew.
Truth is, they were happening all along, just too slowly to realize. But stepping away, opening your eyes, experiencing anew...all of that breaks you open to the new changes occurring. Slowly, organically, with intention.
Those things were in motion all along. Most changes don't happen over night. Most changes are not big & dramatic. Most changes are more about deliberate microscopic movements.
Experiences, both new & familiar, integrate and become a part of the person perceiving and processing them. Then we make choices. Then we make choices again...each day.
Then the culmination of that cumulative effort becomes our life and becomes where we are at in the present moment. That is also how art is made. Process. Process. Process.
Be gentle with yourself. Be kind. You are human. Perfection is an illusion. Movement and change are real and natural. They are slow, they are deliberate. The cracking open wide of the creative process can happen if you allow it. Don't let it scare you too much, it doesn't happen all at once. It really shouldn't. For it to stick and be a real change, let it unfold. Allow it to reveal mysteries. Don't choke it, don't control it. Be present in the beauty of each moment. Each imperfect, perfectly beautiful moment.
That's what I like about painting. That's what I like about horse whispering. That's what I enjoy most about working with children and art. That's what I love about travel. There's just no where else to be than in that sloppy, delicious, perfectly unpredictable moment. It's just gorgeous there.
Thanks for hanging with me on my dream like, jet lag, pondering meanderings here on Art Nurture.
When have you noticed the cracking open of your creative process; in life, in art, in anything? Please share below, I'd really love to hear from you. This is a conversation, by the way, and you are a part of it!
Wanna know what's happening this month for Art Nurture?
Tonight: Monday August 11th 6:30-8:00pm I will be speaking at Malaprops book store in Downtown Asheville, NC as a part of the Small Press & Self-Published Authors evening. Come on down and say 'hello' and get a signed copy of Art Nurture: The Simple Guide to Cultivating Your Creativity
August 21st-August 24th The Underground Art Initiative LIVE in Madison, WI. Only 3 spaces remain to attend this amazing retreat for creative professionals! I will be speaking and attending and I cannot wait to connect with each person there! If you want one of the remaining spots, contact Shana LaFore, Founder of the Underground Art Intiative via her site and let her know I sent ya!
September 2nd-December 10th: Art Nurture's Cultivators Community BETA
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.
Cultivate & Nurture,
Court McCracken
In this video, I share with you what I've been working on in my creative cave and how I would love to hear from you and have you be a part of it!
Check it out and let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Check it out and let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Check out the details here if you would like to learn more about
Art Nurture's Cultivators Community, please check it out and join if you want to be a part of the BETA run beginning soon!
You can live life with the soul of an artist; a life of passion, intention, and purpose.
Cultivate & Nurture,
Court McCracken
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's Cultivators Community, please check it out and join if you want to be a part of the BETA run beginning soon!
You can live life with the soul of an artist; a life of passion, intention, and purpose.
Cultivate & Nurture,
Court McCracken
Make sure to jump on the Art Nurture e-mail list to receive up to date Art Nurture goodness directly to your inbox.
So many times during my process of writing the Art Nurture book, I thought to myself, "Who am I to do this? Why will people care what I have to say?"
It seems funny to think, because truthfully, I am on a daily basis seeing evidence that folks want to hear from me about creativity. I've been writing about creativity and the creative process going on 5 years now. I'm filled with gratitude that my inbox is full of requests for more Art Nurture goodness. I talk about it, I research it, and I live it out.
And yet...
...The moment I really got serious about writing Art Nurture: The Simple Guide to Cultivating Your Creativity, I was flooded with those anxious thoughts that flood any creative before they make a "thing".
You got it, I'm not immune. I feel the same stuff every time I go to make a "thing".
Because making a "thing" is a process. There are many hundreds of teeny tiny steps in that process. Many chances to bauble. Many chances to doubt. Many chances to mess up. Tons of broken places for vulnerability to shine. It's a total mess....and I love it for that, you see, because the creative process is a humbling one.
It brings you face to face with your deepest desires and your deepest fears.
It brings you face to face with the best version of yourself and with the most fearful version of yourself.
It brings you face to face with those thoughts of, "If I do this and I fail, then everyone will know I'm a phony, that I was just faking this the whole time and making it all up."
What then?
Yep, you have a decision to make in that moment when you ask, "Who am I to do this or that?" You have a vital decision to make.
It's how you answer that question.
Sometimes we come to it on our own, but sometimes we need a helping hand or an encouraging word to remember the truth.
The truth is, "Why the heck NOT you???" I mean seriously?! Why NOT you?!
This is something I have faced many a time.
If you have read Art Nurture: The Simple Guide to Cultivating Your Creativity, you know that on p. 96 of the paperback version, I quote Marianne Williamson,
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
- Marianne Williamson,
from A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of a Course in Miracles
When we ask, "Who am I to.... ?" Many times we are facing the fear that we are more powerful than we know. And, no, that's not something we can always control. It also doesn't mean we get off the hook for hard work.
When we ask, "Who am I to...?", just remember that playing small does not serve the world. Yep, the world needs your authentic art. The world needs you to live life with the soul of an artist. Go read my post, "The Top 17 Reasons Why the World Needs You to be an Artist"!
Yep, your playing small just plain ole doesn't serve the world or yourself.
When we ask, "Who am I to...?", remember that you were meant to shine.
Remember that shining isn't just for some people. It isn't just for them and not for me.
If you've read Art Nurture, you know that creativity isn't just for them and not for me. Nope, it's in each of us.
When we let our light shine, make our "thing", do our dance, live it out...we are unconsciously giving permission to others for them to do the same. How cool of us?!
When we are free in ourselves and liberated from our own fears of, "Who am I to....?" then we are allowing other people to be liberated from those same fears!
In the creative process, you will most certainly be faced with this question. There is no way around it. But it get's easier once you know the answer to the pop quiz of fear that presents itself when you engage in this process.
"Who am I NOT to do this thing?! My shrinking away from this challenge, this desire, this project just ain't helping anybody. The only choice is to engage fully and to do it."
Not perfection, but presence.
Not frozen fear-sicles, but action steps.
Not shrinking, but shining.
Because of so many beautiful members of the Art Nurture Community writing in and asking me, "How can I make my thing?" I am leading a small group in June called, "From Creative Dreams to Real Life Things" and it is all about creating a plan of inspired action to take those dreams to reality. Check it out here for more details.
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.
I wanna hear from you now!
Let me know if the "Who am I to do this?" fear has come up for you?
What did you do about it?
When do you notice it coming up the most?
Please share in the comments below!
Cultivate & Nurture,
Court McCracken
It seems funny to think, because truthfully, I am on a daily basis seeing evidence that folks want to hear from me about creativity. I've been writing about creativity and the creative process going on 5 years now. I'm filled with gratitude that my inbox is full of requests for more Art Nurture goodness. I talk about it, I research it, and I live it out.
And yet...
...The moment I really got serious about writing Art Nurture: The Simple Guide to Cultivating Your Creativity, I was flooded with those anxious thoughts that flood any creative before they make a "thing".
You got it, I'm not immune. I feel the same stuff every time I go to make a "thing".
Because making a "thing" is a process. There are many hundreds of teeny tiny steps in that process. Many chances to bauble. Many chances to doubt. Many chances to mess up. Tons of broken places for vulnerability to shine. It's a total mess....and I love it for that, you see, because the creative process is a humbling one.
It brings you face to face with your deepest desires and your deepest fears.
It brings you face to face with the best version of yourself and with the most fearful version of yourself.
It brings you face to face with those thoughts of, "If I do this and I fail, then everyone will know I'm a phony, that I was just faking this the whole time and making it all up."
What then?
Yep, you have a decision to make in that moment when you ask, "Who am I to do this or that?" You have a vital decision to make.
It's how you answer that question.
Sometimes we come to it on our own, but sometimes we need a helping hand or an encouraging word to remember the truth.
The truth is, "Why the heck NOT you???" I mean seriously?! Why NOT you?!
This is something I have faced many a time.
If you have read Art Nurture: The Simple Guide to Cultivating Your Creativity, you know that on p. 96 of the paperback version, I quote Marianne Williamson,
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
- Marianne Williamson,
from A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of a Course in Miracles
When we ask, "Who am I to.... ?" Many times we are facing the fear that we are more powerful than we know. And, no, that's not something we can always control. It also doesn't mean we get off the hook for hard work.
When we ask, "Who am I to...?", just remember that playing small does not serve the world. Yep, the world needs your authentic art. The world needs you to live life with the soul of an artist. Go read my post, "The Top 17 Reasons Why the World Needs You to be an Artist"!
Yep, your playing small just plain ole doesn't serve the world or yourself.
When we ask, "Who am I to...?", remember that you were meant to shine.
Remember that shining isn't just for some people. It isn't just for them and not for me.
If you've read Art Nurture, you know that creativity isn't just for them and not for me. Nope, it's in each of us.
When we let our light shine, make our "thing", do our dance, live it out...we are unconsciously giving permission to others for them to do the same. How cool of us?!
When we are free in ourselves and liberated from our own fears of, "Who am I to....?" then we are allowing other people to be liberated from those same fears!
In the creative process, you will most certainly be faced with this question. There is no way around it. But it get's easier once you know the answer to the pop quiz of fear that presents itself when you engage in this process.
"Who am I NOT to do this thing?! My shrinking away from this challenge, this desire, this project just ain't helping anybody. The only choice is to engage fully and to do it."
Not perfection, but presence.
Not frozen fear-sicles, but action steps.
Not shrinking, but shining.
Because of so many beautiful members of the Art Nurture Community writing in and asking me, "How can I make my thing?" I am leading a small group in June called, "From Creative Dreams to Real Life Things" and it is all about creating a plan of inspired action to take those dreams to reality. Check it out here for more details.
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.
I wanna hear from you now!
Let me know if the "Who am I to do this?" fear has come up for you?
What did you do about it?
When do you notice it coming up the most?
Please share in the comments below!
Cultivate & Nurture,
Court McCracken
Art Nurture Book
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Court McCracken,
Creativity Cultivator
Kind Words
"Court has a knack for supporting others in tuning into the artist within..."
-Rebecca Stares
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