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Creative Awakenings
Reviewer: Alyice Edrich
Art Book
Creative Awakenings: Envisioning The Life Of Your Dreams Through Art: Envisioning The Life Of Your Dreams Through Art
Author
Sheri Gaynor
Review
Over the past year, I’ve been on a journey to rediscover myself and it hasn’t been an easy road. I’ve dealt with cobwebs I would have rather left alone, found myself completely out of balance and off-kilter, discovered there was an overcast about me that needed a daily dose of “gratitude-attitude”, and realized that it was time to replenish a well that had run dry years ago. On top of all that, I realized that I had been depriving myself of something that always helped me deal with life in a more healthy, more productive, more positive way—my art.
So when I discovered Sheri Gaynor’s book this week, I just had to get it and I’m glad I did. The irony is that the technique discussed in her book is something that I’ve been slowly implementing in my own life—over the course of the past year—so I could have testified to its success even before I had read the book or learned of the process!
“This one small step has the ability to change everything.
Just believe and keep walking forward.”
That being said, Sheri offers a three-step approach to achieving our dreams and becoming the people we’ve always envisioned ourselves to be—especially if we were on the right track at one time and sort of lost our way.
- Envision your dream. By allowing your intuition to take foot, you will be able to let go of the daily stress of life and the responsibilities that way you down, thus freeing your mind to think more clearly.
- Use images instead of words. Words can sometimes block the receptors of the brain, causing us to stop and think about things instead of allowing our intuition to move forward. By sifting through images, we allow the images to speak to our souls, thus bringing us one step closer to healing and one step closer to finding our true selves.
- Take real time to reflect on your art. Don’t just look at it and try to come up with a quick, snappy tagline or title for your art, but actually listen to your art. What is it saying to you?
While Sheri understands that it only takes 30 days to break a habit and make a new one, she also understands that for the human soul to fully recover, to heal and move forward, 30 days just isn’t enough time so she’s come up with a 12 month plan, complete with a “Creative Awakenings Visa Application” in which you must sign. It’s a step that tells your inner-self that you’re serious about rediscovering yourself, of finding your true purpose, and of fulfilling your own personal dreams—not the dreams of your boss or your spouse or your family for that matter, but your dreams.
In Sheri’s words, “to change any habit we must fully embody the new lifestyle so that we feel the changes on a cellular level”—and that just cannot be done in a 30 day time-frame. Believe me, I’ve tried! Old habits pop back far too easily and self-doubt creeps in when we least expect it.
What I really like about Sheri’s process is that she doesn’t expect you to bulldoze through your emotions in order to reach some specific goal, she wants you to fully engage in the process—no matter how difficult it may be—so that you can come out the other side, stronger, bolder, healthier, happier, and with a clarity of mind that only you can give to yourself. “It’s an adventure, not a destination,” says Sheri. “It’s a process, not perfection.”
And to help you get there, she’s created a “Transformation Deck” that allows you to envision, create, believe, write, live, and re-envision your life’s purpose. Each deck includes a word or phrase: abundance and prosperity, balance, believe, gratitude, procrastination, release the reins, replenish the well, rise from the ashes, and so on. Your goal is to pick one card, and spend the next 30 days creating an “art of intention” canvas. Every day you’re to add something to the canvas, based upon the card’s theme. Then at the end of the 30 days, you’re to reflect upon the canvas and journal your thoughts.
It’s a remarkable book that’s truly personalized. As you read the book, you’ll discover that you’re not on the journey alone. Sheri took several artists on the journey and published their art, their journal entries, and their reflections in the book so that you have someone to relate to, so that you could see the process in action, so that you know it’s not just theory but really works—when practiced.
Some of the artists got real and shared so much of themselves that you walk away thinking you’ve made some good friends—even though you’ve never met them or held a two-sided conversation with them. Other artists are so guarded that you don’t really see a change, let alone a transformation. In a way, that’s a good thing because it allows you to see how different personalities work in the system.
In the end, you’ll learn to:
- Believe in yourself,
- To move forward even when fear is present,
- Strip down to your very core and finally be real with yourself,
- Let go of perfectionism and inhibitions,
- Take risks,
- Accept that life is a messy process and there will never be a right time but there will always be a “here and now”,
- Give yourself permission to envision the possibilities,
- Listen to your intuition and realize that not everything is about a list of steps or set of rules,
- Release life’s burdens, and
- Learn new art techniques.
Yep, you’ve read that last one right! Sprinkled throughout the book are several art techniques complete with step-by-step photos, a tools list, and how-to instructions. I really like this approach because it’s like getting a two-for-one deal—a self-help book and an art book!
Order Creative Awakenings: Envisioning The Life Of Your Dreams Through Art: today!
Disclosure: The reviewer received a complimentary copy of the book to review.
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