The Power to Create

“Have you ever been asked to dim your light? Please get out of that room immediately.” This was a phrase taken from a tedtalk I watched recently. Have someone ever asked you to dim your light? To be less of who you are? Where in the moments you were simply being, you were judged, and criticized.

A couple of days ago, I met a woman of whom whenever she talked about art, her eyes lit up. Have you ever experienced the moment of having talked to someone who was overly ecstatic about what he or she is talking about? I don’t mean simply informational speaking, but really from the heart. Somehow, amongst the words, there is this glow of brightness about them, where their eyes shine and something about them lit up. This woman had that. She loves going to galleries and would spend hours just looking at the art there (much more time than the 5 second glance). You know the artists on the street sketching and drawing people? She would spend hours just looking at those artists sketch and draw on the streets.

She shared with me of when she was in elementary school in her early years, her grade 5 elementary teacher told her that the art she was working on was not good, and that she needed to fix this and that and over there. At this moment, the teacher dimed her light. That experience stuck with her throughout her years growing up. No longer did she create art as much, but started worrying about whether whatever she created was ‘good enough.’ How many have had that experience? I know I have.

How many of you have been put down by someone about what you have created? Then you will know how it feels like to be put down by someone on something in which you joyfully created. This could be a painting, writing, a script, a performance, etc.

Art is however and whatever you make it to be.

How has her belief of “my art is not good enough’ or ‘I can’t create art as good as someone else’ effected this person? This changed her view about her art, about herself, resulting in lack of confidence in her ability to create. This is how much impact our words can have on another. By diming ones light, their whole aliveness is dimed as well.

One thing for sure: This women loves art. I can tell by the way she talks about it, by the way she moves and how her eyes simply lit up. She is currently working on creating a new possibility for herself: This women created the possibility of being in tune with her creativity and of being courageous in her art making.

By the end of our conversation, she mentioned that one of her upcoming projects is to create more art. Art is however and whatever you make it to be. That conversation I had with that woman was to me a piece of art. I had the opportunity to witness that light of hers when she starts talking about art. That shining bright light from this women inspired me to create and share more.

“Have you ever been asked to dim your light? Please get out of that room immediately.”

You have the power to create and be amazing.

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