Embodying what inspires you through art (AKA Arting-It-In)
And a request for your input and feedback for future newsletters
Last weekend, I was super fortunate to attend, present, and exhibit at LBBC’s Annual Metastatic Breast Cancer Conference in Philly. It was such an honor to be with you all, and I want to welcome all of the new readers that signed up for the newsletter! We’re so glad that you are here (insert heart emoji).
In the art therapy session on Friday night, we used art therapy to express a few things. Participants were given a circle with 3 separate sections to express what it was like to sign up & get ready for the conference, what it was like to travel, and the final one was focused on setting an intention- what did they want to get out of the experience.
It’s always a privilege to witness creative expression in action. One of the things that made my heart soar was when it came time to share, everyone at the table would clap after each person had shared what they did.
This kind of loving celebration is priceless! To see the connection to community happening right in front of me is breathtaking. For feeling connected is one of the most nourishing and resiliency-building actions that we can take to ground ourselves.
One of the ways in which you can continue to build inner resiliency is to use art to embody what has made you feel inspired and/or what has made you feel good. We’ve dubbed this, “Arting-It-In”. Creating art around what you want more of in your life is a way to lean and feel it into through color, shape, and form. I believe this super-charges you at the cellular level to live and breath what matters most to you.
I came away from the conference feeling full from my experience. That same weekend, I also stumbled across a powerful metaphor in a book that I’ve been reading- Channeling Grace in Your Everyday Life, by Caroline Myss. It inspired me to carve out time to digest it through art. I’ll share more about that in the creative prompt section below.
There’s many, many ways to find inspiration and aspiration in life- whether its through the people you meet, the music, words, or beauty you find. Small doses can be just as powerful as large ones. Taking the time to notice when you find it is an act of self-love and self-worth, which always serves to strengthen our spirit.
I can’t wait to hear what you choose to do with this week’s creative prompt!
Warmly,
Stephanie
PS- As I mentioned above, I’m looking for your feedback and input about what you need or want from this newsletter so that I can serve you well. Here’s some of the questions that I have, feel free to write your responses below in the comment box or email me directly.
What kind of information or topics would be helpful for me to address?
I”m thinking about creating a monthly downloadable prompt, tip, or info sheet that would be used to attract new readers and shared with everyone who’s already subscribed. What kind of offering would you find to be enticing, exciting, or really helpful to have in your toolbox?
And I’m open to any other kind of feedback re:
what’s going well and/or what isn’t as helpful/clear,
what you want more of, and/or
testimonials about why you signed up and what you think about the newsletter.
Thank you! XO, S.
Excerpt from the book…
Noticing what inspires you, noticing how you’d like to feel or what you want more of, is a consciousness-raising practice.
In the book, I write about the importance of finding the “jumping off point”, which is the place that your psyche can sense is the best way to begin. Here’s an excerpt that speaks about this concept and how I’ve designed the book to help you find it.
As we discussed in the chapter about art therapy, your jumping off point is typically the most conscious part of your story. It’s the place you’d likely begin your story if you were sitting down with me to share what’s happened to you. The jumping off point allows you to begin the process of exploration through dialogue, writing, and art.
In section two, you’re going to look for that jumping off point each time that you start a new topic, as your cancer experience has many destinations. The intention of Beautiful Boobs is to break the experience down into manageable pieces, and to help you find the jumping off point for each chapter that you chose to work through.
The jumping off point is the place closest to your awareness of something profound, whether it be a memory, a thought or a feeling. The jumping off point is the intuitive place inside of you that knows where you need to begin.
Your Creative Prompt for this Issue…
(P.S. you don’t have to be an artist to do this!)
Before doing this exercise, set yourself up for doing some art and writing. Any kind of art medium will work- so chose something you have on hand or treat yourself to a few supplies. Here’s my basic list for starting an art journal.
This week’s creative prompt is to Art-It-In! Look for something that inspires you. How do you want to feel inside your body, mind and spirit?
It can be a quote that makes you feel good inside, it can be a song or music that lifts your spirit, it can be a place, person, or experience that brings out the best in you… the options are endless.
Once you’ve found your inspiration, sit quietly and bring that inspiration inside your body, mind and spirit.
Notice how the energy of this inspiration feels, imagine that it is gently connecting, growing and supporting you in a way that feels aligned with your highest good.
Pay attention to the internal cues that you are receiving from your body, mind, and spirit. Greet them with an openness that signals, I am here.
Using your art supplies, embody your inspiration on paper. Reflect what you’ve observed. How can the colors and what you draw or paint represent what you’ve found inside? Think about the way you can draw or paint that mirrors the energy you are sensing.
Trust whatever resonates for you!
After you feel like you’ve represented what you’ve noticed, you may want to do some free writing that describes what you did. This can take any form that feels right to you. Giving your piece a title and the date it was drawn will assist you in remembering what it represents if you look back through your art journal.
Reflect upon how you can create space for this kind of practice, and if ideas begin to pop up related to what is needed capture those on the paper as well.
Here’s what I used for my Art-It-In session this week. In the book I was reading, Caroline Myss described the energy of grace that comes down from up above, and together with our chakras (which she describes as forming the anatomy of our spirit), these two forces spiral around each other like an energetic double helix. I’m still working on it, but here’s a few photos of what I’ve done thus far!
I’d love to hear from you about how this prompt went for you. Feel free to share in the comments below or email me directly!
Behind-The-Scenes Look
It’s looking like it’s time to send out some more queries. Queries are like the cover letters that you send out with a resume or CV when you’re applying for a new job. They serve to introduce you to the agent or publisher that you’re interested in, and there’s a lot of emphasis on developing your hook so that they’ll want to see more.
Last summer I participated in Jane Friedman’s Query Letter Masterclass, and it was so helpful! Jane has worked in the industry for many years, and now she offers all kinds of guidance to aspiring writers of every genre. If you’re interested in writing at all, you should consider signing up for her free newsletter. She’s awesome.
I’m grateful for any good energy you’d like to send my way for this upcoming round! May’s feeling like a great time to plants some more seeds.
Upcoming Workshops-
June 5th @ 6pm EST- with SurvivingBreastCancer.org- Art Therapy for Telling the Story of How Breast Cancer has Impacted your Body Image.
June 6th @ 6pm EST- with SurvivingBreastCancer.org- Arteterapia para contar la Historia de cómo el cáncer de mama ha Impactado tu Imagen Corporal.
May 12th & 26th, 12pm EST- Art Therapy for Radiation Masks. This is a free virtual workshop I’m running for anyone who’s had radiation to the head and neck, which means it’s not exclusively for breast cancer.