Creative10 // No.1 // Time to look up

Today's post is a bit different and marks the beginning of a new challenge - the Creative10. After 25 weekly quotes, I'm ready to try something new.

After reading your thoughts in the survey and a lot of reflection I realized one very important thing. More than anything, these weekly quote posts are a way to share my inner thoughts and feeling with you and connect through the good and sometimes rough times. Words mean only that which is behind them. Without the story, these words would mean just as little to me as they would to you - or rather, they would mean completely different things to us. But, through writing my personal story behind the words I've chosen, I'm bridging the gap between your world and my own, and we get to connect through our different, yet similar experiences.

I also realized another thing. Although I loved writing the posts themselves, I didn't love making the quote photos to go with them. I tried every Photoshop trick I could think of to share those words with you, but in the end, nothing felt right. I felt I was too confined in this medium and I didn't find creative joy in it.

Then, on my walk to the grocery store last week, I had an idea. If I graved change and more creativity, why not join those two into a new challenge for myself? Why not go out of my comfort zone and try something completely new? And in that moment, it clicked for me.

Over the next 10 weeks I'm going to make one piece of quote art each week. Each piece will be inspired by my reflections during that week and has a unique story behind it. The idea behind the Creative10 project is to exercise creativity through a new medium and get more in contact with myself in the process. And, hopefully, share my journey here on the blog.

Now, I would by no means call myself an artist, but I am a creative, and a maker. I've never been any good at drawing or painting, so this is more about the feelings I but into the piece than the aesthetics of it. In other words, this is art therapy.

Since 10 pieces of quote art is more than our walls can handle, I might sell a few of them here on the blog. I'm not yet sure about this, so we'll see how that pans out.

The story behind Creative10 #1

This week's quote art was inspired by an especially rough Friday last week. The kind of day that getting out of bed seemed mission impossible, and there was hardly any positive thoughts being generated by my brain. To be honest, I was feeling defeated and worthless. It seemed like I was going nowhere, being no-one, doing nothing - at least nothing of importance.

There was a breaking moment. I remember sobbing in my husband's arms and thinking "why am I doing this to myself?". Why is it that the only one not believing in me is ME. I realized that I was looking down on myself. I was making myself feel like I wasn't good enough, or worthy enough.

I think we all have this image in our heads. An image of a better me. Somewhere inside I know I can do more, be more... But that's the thing. I already AM more. I already do ENOUGH. I just have to start looking UP to myself and stop putting myself down. The only thing I need to change right now is my attitude towards myself.

This might seem like a really gloomy story, and that moment was truly hard. But, that moment was also valuable, because it gave me perspective. And I desperately needed perspective.

I looked back on my week and saw everything I had accomplished. I made things. I took care of my husband. I took care of our home. I worked hard on my little business. And that is plenty.

Thank you for letting me share!

xo. Hanna