Hi I'm new to blogging, but I'm here!!
2011 was a big, big year for me. I started to make art again.
I originally trained in Fine Art, graduating in 1980, leaving university knowing that I wanted to PAINT. I did this for 7 years, supporting myself with various part time jobs, but in those days, pre-internet, it was much tougher to sell art and get yourself out there. I made my paintings, but I didn't sell any. When I hit 30 I became severely depressed and stopped painting. I came out of my depression, but by that time I had my first child and then didn't find the desire to go back to my creativity. Life went on, the years went by; I had another child and another depression and other important life events meant that my creative self went deeper and deeper.
But she was still there, sleeping in my heart, till one day she woke up and I couldn't ignore her whispers anymore. The whispers became shouts and I knew I had to start making art again. I began with art jounalling and creating mandalas. Both were extremely healing processes for me.
During this time I did a lot of healing work on myself using Angelic Reiki as my main means of support. This inner healing enabled me to find out what I really, truly wanted to do with my life and I committed to daily art/creative practice; first of all with Louise Gale's Colour Bliss Mini Retreat and then just took off on my own. I wasn't too hard on myself - if I didn't do any art, I created vision boards, mind mapped to define my dreams or baked a cake.
Slowly, over a period of months the need to make art a much bigger part of my life grew and grew until I realised that my BIG dream was to stop teaching holistic therapies and live a CREATIVE life - to be the artist I dreamed of being in my 20's. This would be a giant step - I had been teaching for 12 years and had built up my own training business. I took Kelly Rae Robert's Flying Lessons and found that I knew in my heart of hearts that I could do whatever I wanted to do...
I've taken baby steps towards that dream - I've led a mandala workshop, facilitated my first creative healing workshop and co-taught two goddess workshops (which are based on soul work through creativity). Most importantly, having spent a year doing art journalling and mixed media work I started PAINTING again thanks to Flora Bowley's course, Bloom True.
And so...where am I now??
In the last month I've taken the GIANT step!! I've given up teaching therapies and handed in my keys for my training/therapy room. My training business still exists (Amethyst Holistic Training) but now I do the admin but no teaching, therefore freeing up time for creativity.
'You have to put yourself out there, if you want the Universe to come rushing in...'
Kelly Rae Roberts
I've spent the last 18 months re-connecting to my creative self and at last I've reached a point where I feel brave enough to put myself and my art out there. And now I really, really want the Universe to come rushing in...
I'm here!! Here I am...
Rachel Ellen Andrews
