“An authentic life does not require anyone else’s approval for your creative choices.” – Alan Cohen
You have the capacity to give yourself permission to make your choices and to live your life as authentically as you can!
I used to agonize what so-and-so would think of me, or worry that they wouldn’t like me if I did certain things, and to be honest, I received a lot of negative push-back from many people who disapproved of me choosing to paint and make art for the pleasure of doing it.
If I could make money from it, they’d approve, but they were so certain that they were trying to save me from the heartache of not being able to make money from it, not understanding that I needed it like I needed air, and because they didn’t understand that, they mocked me for thinking I was pretentious.
Being an artist is pretentious? Well maybe in some circles where art is seen as being for the elite, but I certainly didn’t fit with that circle. The perceptions were in their minds, not based on my actions!
It’s very difficult for many people to approve of someone who does something just for the love of it.
I puzzled over it for many years, felt very hurt at the lack of support I received from many, and struggled to live with something I needed to do, like needing air, yet I couldn’t give it up. I tried, but fell into depression, so I knew I needed to continue to do it even if I didn’t receive approval.
What I realized is this: women weren’t supposed to want to be writers or artists, at least back then, so we were all discouraged from doing it past adolescence. In fact, if we persisted, we were treated as stubborn adolescents!
So many women and men shoved their creativity aside and buckled down to be serious adults, earning a living and raising families.
What happens to people’s spirits when they cut off and stuff down something they need to do as part of their spiritual expression? The pain manifests as physical pain, mental health issues, anger issues, substance abuse issues, etc.
When we ask tell people to stop doing what their spirit requires them to do, we cripple people emotionally and they in turn perpetuate it with others, because that’s what they were taught IS THE WAY TO LIVE LIFE!
Well, I learned they’re wrong!
I learned that we each need to give ourselves permission to just be who we need to be, to express ourselves in ways which feels natural, authentic!
If during this quarantine time you’ve started to re-awaken those dreams and inner needs, then I encourage you to give yourself permission to continue with those activities which speak to your soul!
Continue to make space for who you really are! If not now, then when?
Give yourself permission to expand upon who you’re discovering yourself to be!
More good stuff:
Teaching ourselves to like, even to love ourselves
By changing our inner dialogue, we change EVERYTHING!
Red Ocean or Blue Ocean? How do you think?
Making a change… “How do I take that first step?”
An answer to dealing with the Inner Critic!
My top 10 most viewed posts, plus a few bonuses!
Setting “Boundaries with consequences”
A helpful trick to be able to overcome negatively Comparing Ourselves to others…
Do you only accept yourself if you look a certain way?
10 Steps to Owning Our Happiness
Please go to my Archived Posts page to find more wonderful posts to check out!
Blessings!
Thank you for sharing this post and for following me!
Tamara
https://tamarakulish.com/ Archived Posts: https://tamarakulish.com/archived-posts/
My books: Developing Happiness When You Can’t Find It and How to Heal Your Life on a Deep Heart Level are available in paperback and Kindle. Audio book available!
Guided Journals help you work on a particular issue by answering questions to help see patterns and to find solutions:
Removing Inner Blocks, Anger Journal, Guided Anxiety Journal Joy & Mindfulness Journal My Boundaries Journal My Inner Thoughts Journal
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Tamara Kulish 