I found myself overflowing with second guessing, chock full of anxiety and questioning myself the past week of "who do you think you are" as I am preparing to display myself, my work and my debut line with Sizzix in just a few weeks as well as something 10 times bigger in the coming weeks.
Once I realized what was happening, I waved my own finger at my own face, give myself a talkin'to and gave it all away. I reflected back on the truth and also on this quote:
Truth be told, I "think" this is my quote but I really am not sure. (but man do I use it as a reminder A LOT!!!). I have been asked over and over by magazine and book publishers, readers, printers, by Pinterest if this is "my quote" and I just don't know. I am busted because for as long as I can recall, my mom and Sara have been telling me to put my name on things and welp, this has come back to bite me right in the butt. So while I don't exactly know if this quote is "mine" it really is more about what it says than anything else anyway.
It is about being created by the creative One. It is not about being crafty or having a hobby. The word "crafty" is like the word "scrapbooker" and yes while to some I may be crafty and a scrapbooker, I am creative because that is the way God made me (if He made me, how could I not be creative?)
NEWS FLASH - it is the way He made you too.
You have to change the way you look at things and until you do, nothing will look different. You have got to stop telling yourself and others that you are NOT creative, because really, you are. So maybe not with cardstock or Scrapbook paper but maybe with ledger paper. Maybe not with number stickers and stamps but with actual numbers.
Are you picking up what I am putting down?
Once you open up your mind, your eyes, ears, heart and soul to the possibilities that things can be different and to quite possibly recognize what has been in front of you all a long than EVERYTHING shifts and "psst..."
THAT right there is being CREATIVE.
It is all the way you look at things.
From a distance something may look like this and may be perfect just the way it is...
But when you take a little time to look closer, you will find things like this:
That is how my new line from Sizzix was born and really is the basics of the way I teach. It is about purpose and when you start with a firm foundation, it is all up from there. While you may see things differently than I do, I am committed to taking on the responsibility of helping, inspiring, encouraging and reminding you to possibly see things differently and in turn, I will be teaching you at the same time.
That right there is my purpose, a humongous and maybe even ridiculous sounding task to take on but I know that it is NOT my strength and power that can do it all. When I start questioning myself, doubting myself and overflowing with anxiety (like what happened this past week) that is ME trying to do what only God can do.
DUH.
When I try to do it all on my own, I fall straight on my face BUT when I realign and remind myself that I can not do it all by myself, I get the strength, confidence and the 1001 ideas from God to share with you. My job is to take good care of myself, allow room for lessons and failures and remember that it is my job to encourage, remind, inspire and teach you.
With all of that blah blah blah, here is a sneak peek at tomorrows sneak peek which happens to be my most favorite piece(s) of the release. A big ol' new Alphabet that I have been creating up a storm with. I am super excited to show you the entire alphabet, but for now, just this which goes right along with today's blog post.
Sometimes you have to look past what something is
to make it into what you need it to be:
See you tomorrow!