Holding Open The Door
Accepting the process means accepting all the iterations, stops and starts, and allowing the time and space necessary for the evolution. In my humble opinion, the process is always unfolding whether we are accepting it or acknowledging it. As I have been in the early phases of trying to bring the idea of Starling Art Studios to life, I have already seen so much evolve. There has been no need to grasp or hold on tightly to what does not work, isn’t fulfilling or lacks meaning. Rather, I have been holding it loosely and allowing it to move with me…for me.
In the summer of 2020, when I was pushed into this process because of Covid’s forceful shove out of the safety of my art classroom, I was unsure of how to even begin to form this project. So I did what felt easy in that moment. But that now feels constricting. Like a tight pair of shoes that I have outgrown and continue to try to shove my foot into. So, the time has come to accept that Art is my method, but it is not what I “teach.” It never has been. And truthful, I don’t teach at all when I am really honest with myself.
I have been so disillusioned with the current climate of life coaching, gurus, and spiritual teachers. Everything I am marketed about classes and learning is out of alignment with me. Which has made it very difficult to feel like it is useful for me to offer anything, to anyone. Because I will not lie and tell you I have answers, or methods, or a system that will make you healthy, wealthy or wise. That depends on you alone. You are your own guru. Everything you experience is for you. The good, the bad and the in between.
No one else can actually fix anything for you or solve any of your “issues.” Growing up I saw so many desperate souls show up to seek counsel from my Grandmother, who was a “fortune teller.” They wanted to believe she could light a candle to cure a curse or give them a talisman. “But that is not how it works” my Granny would tell them. Usually they would leave and go to another “psychic” who would charge them hundreds of dollars for that candle or talisman. And when it didn’t work, sometimes they found their way back to the personal consultations my Granny offered.
The magic isn’t in the candle, or the talisman. It’s not in magic words or herbs and oils. It’s in you. And unfortunately too many among us have no belief in themselves...no belief in their own magic. I feel incredibly privileged that I was raised in a family that never disconnected me from my intuition, my creative self, or my own process. Of course I cannot say that for our shared culture, as it is always working to strip from us what makes us powerful and unique.
No one can teach you anything. It is never about a teacher or a guru. It’s always, always, about the student. So, if I believe no one can teach anything...why am I offering these art sessions? What is the point of Starling Art Studios if I accept these understandings as fact? Well...it’s because I have realized it’s not about me and it’s not about teaching. It’s about Art. Art with a capital A. And Art has to have a door held open for those seeking access. I can keep that door open.
When someone is ready to discover what their true story is, Art can make that seen. Everything that is in you, is your Art waiting to be made seen. When things in life are difficult, Art is able to hold you together during transformation, so you don’t splinter. It helps you connect to who you are, where you and what you are. It reflects your process. All I have ever felt called to do, is point that out. To serve as a guide that preserves the time and space, asks questions, provide direction and point focus towards that creative potential within.
I can’t lie and tell you that art will make you money, or make you thinner, or give you sex appeal. It has nothing to do with achievement, AT ALL. It has to do with honoring our process. It has nothing to do with all the shadows out society casts on us, or creativity. Instead it is our constant reflection meant to give us the support we need to stay whole, to reflect our truth…for ourselves and those who need to see it.
So…that is what I plan to all my own process to support. I’m just gonna hold the door open and keep the light on. Those people who left my Granny’s parlor and went across town to get the expensive candle or the talisman often returned when they were ready to engage in their own process. She held space for them to discover their own magic, their own story…their own way forward. Her method was “fortune telling,” mine is Art. I am just carrying on the family tradition. It never made her rich, but it kept her sustained.
Going forward I will not be offering art “classes” where I “teach” skills or methods. Instead, I will offer a way to find your own skills, seek your own methods and share your own vision…with guidance and support. There will be discussions, introductions, ideas and development along a path I know well. This is my sweet spot…it is where I shine and feel my brightest. And why would I not move towards that rather than stay where I have to dim my light?
(The video version of me speaking it rather than writing this is better…so I shared that below…)