ARISE

Focusing on one area of study or creative art is difficult for a busy mind, or so it is with me. Several years ago I learned of Malcolm Gladwell and his book Outliers. Ten thousand—how many hours of practice it takes to master a skill. Everyone has an opinion, a different theory for success, and for an individual's gift(s). I begin to write and then I start the hunt for the perfect image(s), if I don't have a personal photograph readily available. Now I want to draw, but can't get it from my brain to my hand. I can visualize, but I do not have the artistic ability. I've played musical instruments throughout my life, but never mastered even one. I want to play them all. I have my piano with me and have yet to have it tuned, play. Graphic design makes my heart sing, but I can get bogged down in color, font, rather than pulling projects together. There is then the limited knowledge. While my daughter-from-another-mother was at Texas A&M, she taught me about 'autodidact', a self-taught person. She and I, we are similar. You can often find us learning something new. So I research, I do love research, and teach myself in my spare time. Do you see the busyness here? 

Life as I know it, the last several years, has been filled with brilliant minds, people who have been randomly dropped in my life, if you believe random or coincidence. I don't. So, I learn as time permits, drawing every ounce of information from anyone who blesses my life. I ask questions, lots of questions.

I read somewhere recently that our intuition knows what to write, so get out of the way. A trusted acquaintance gave me the term "ARISE", told me to look it up. I did. Boy does it makes sense. When I'm not having fun creating, when I over-think, eventually I shut down. Getting out of the way of creating is essential, for me. (I really need a class on this so I can better explain it to others, articulate more clearly.) Anyway, the whole purpose of this post is to tell you this: if I have a gift in me, you do too. Gifts aren't sporadic, we all have one or ten, it's what we do with them, how we use them, IF we use them. 

In the Wild West I see people inspired often to nurture their gifts. What an amazing place. I also see people who have incredible gifts not yet using them. If this is you, take the first step, and then another. But don't stop. And honey don't you dare judge yourself. Write, sing, paint, draw, play hard. Get creative. Never quit.

ARISE. 

Look it up.