The reason I love my art is not what you may think

Yes, you heard me correctly. The reason I love my art is not what you may think. 

It's not because I think I am good at it.

The reason I love my art is because my art beckons me to go deeper. 

The journey it takes me on is an adventure. 

An adventure calls you to be brave. Being brave calls you to face your own cowardice. 

Truth be told, I am a big ole coward. I struggle with fear every single day. The reason I love my art is because of the journey it takes me on. I'm not good instantly. In fact, often times, I'm not even good after a while. But my art causes me to show up.

Showing up causes me to face my fears and anxieties on the regular. 

This is an incredibly humbling practice for me.

In fact, dare I say it, it's downright spiritual. 

I could be writing this with tears in my eyes and though I am misty in my eyes, I write this more with resolve. 

I love the Art Nurture Journey because it is always whispering to me, calling me to deeper authenticity. More radical self-acceptance and more daily bravery. 

I can't tell you how many times I have chosen the safe route. I can't even count how many times I've actually practiced sheer avoidance. 

But still my art nudges me in my process. 

Deeper & deeper into the realness. 

Deeper into authenticity. 

More honesty. More feeling of fear. 

This stuff gets real. 

No, I don't love my art because I'm just "a natural" and it's "oh-so-easy". I don't love my art so I can tweet out how cool I am when I do something and get approval or self-significance. 

I love my art because it causes me to face all of those human needs. All of those deep and real desires. 

My Art Nurture Journey brings things into sharper focus and clearer view. 

Not only does this stuff get real, but it causes me to get real.

Sometimes (most times) it ain't pretty. 

And that is the gorgeous, wabi-sabi, imperfect, humanity of it all. But it's dense. It's real. It's rich.

It is elegant in that imperfect way that can only be one thing: authentic.

You know when that stuff is for real.

So, yeah, I don't embark on this journey thinking I know it all. The more I learn, the more I "unlearn". The more I master, the more I am a student. The more I succeed, well that just means I started failing faster. The more I share with you, the more I have had to peel back the layers of me. 

It's not for the end result, though results can be cool, but it's for who you become in the process. 

That is why I love my art. 

It's for who I am growing into on this journey. 

Now, it's your turn. Have you heard the whisper of your art calling to you? 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

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