Years ago, while living in New York, I studied musical theatre with Rita Gardner, who originated the role of the Girl in The Fantasticks. Something she’d always say was, “We sing when words are no longer enough to express what we feel.”

     That insight, simple as it is, opens a window into the emotional necessity of art. When the heart overflows, art becomes the means of expression.

     I remember, one day during my kindergarten music class, the teacher reprimanded me for singing too loudly. She said that I needed to be quieter so the other kids, who couldn’t sing very well, didn’t feel bad.

     I know I’m not the only one to have experienced that sort of thing. Many of you also were drawn to creative expression as children or young adults. You painted, danced, and may have dreamed of pursuing the arts professionally. But then came the pressures—to be practical, to choose careers that promised stability. You were steered away from your artistic instincts. You were told to grow up, be realistic, get serious.

     But now, in this chapter of life, those constraints no longer hold. We are free to return to the passions we once set aside, to give ourselves permission to create again—not as a profession, but because it’s something that brings us joy.

     But how do we revive the creative impulses that have been lying dormant for so many years?

     What I, and millions of other have found beneficial, is using the practices found in Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’ Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity. In it, she helps people to recover their inner artist utilizing techniques and exercises to assist with gaining self-confidence in the quest to awaken their creativity.

     On her website, Cameron emphasizes that the program is for all kinds of artists, including painters, sculptors, writers, dancers, musicians, and more.  And I would add, to not worry about the distinction between crafts and arts. Whatever you want to do with your hands, body, voice, or mind—is art!

     What may be challenging for many, is figuring out what medium(s) may be best suited for channeling all those impulses waiting to see the light of day. When considering this, what may happen, is your internal critic starts to torpedo every idea you come up with. “What makes you think you can draw?” “Dance? Ha! You even have trouble walking!” “Sing? Forget about it!”

     Tell that voice to take a hike!

     Also, what might occur, once you do settle on something, is that the “compare and despair” syndrome kicks in. It’s so easy to look at someone else’s work, especially those of professionals, and feel that yours is coming up short. When we do that, we then internalize feelings of inadequacy and being less than, reinforcing things often instilled in us in childhood.

     Something that has helped me, is what the late great singer and actor, Barbara Cook, once said while teaching a master class: ”It’s so hard to believe that what the world wants is us. It’s hard to believe, whatever you’re doing, that you’re enough. We are all, always, enough.”

     Each of us is a unique individual with stories to tell. Don’t let anything or anyone hinder your expression of them! You are enough!

     There is another important function to the making of art, which is perfectly expressed in something Pablo Picasso once said, “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”

     It’s a beautiful truth. Art can cleanse and renew us—not only through viewing or enjoying it, but even more powerfully, through creating it. In the act of making art, we step into a deeper presence. Something stirs. We become quiet, open to the current of life running through us.

     When we enter the artistic process, we draw inspiration from a place deeper than the thinking mind. Perhaps a place of memory, the recollection of dreams, or just pure imagination.

     Whatever arises, do not judge it. Get out of the way. Go with the flow. Trust that your inner artist knows what it’s doing.                 

     Good luck to you on your artistic journey. And remember: We’re still here. We have something to say.

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Photograph by Tom Hussey