Creativity takes courage. Have you heard this quote from Henri Matisse? If you know any of his work you’ll know that he means what he says. He knows exactly what courage it takes it to pursue one’s creativity.

I know for me right now this quote really resonates. I gave up working at my Dad’s company a year go to pursue a life of living creatively.

Back then I thought the courage was the one decision, the give it all up and jump right in.

But I couldn’t have been more wrong this past year!

In so many ways it was the most difficult of years because I had to keep backing myself in every little decision I have made.
Courage was almost like a vow I had to keep renewing each day.
This year, 2017, was a year to explore and experiment with my creativity. To find a way in which I could find the outlets for which my creativity served the greatest purpose for me personally.

I went away to find the clarity needed to pursue a creative life. Since I’ve returned from the UK, I’ve felt a surge in that inner-courage.

Before I went away, I put so much pressure on any creative endeavour I undertook. Consistently holding it up to the work of others, and therefore killing it off before I’ve given an idea a chance to breathe.

Why do we always do that? Creative pursuits are the most powerful forms of self-expression. But they are only are so because of the stories we tell. Our own.

I kept running away from my story. And therefore I kept running away from my creativity.
It’s only in the last few months that I’ve realised that one cannot exist without the other.

It became readily apparent that if I wanted to be creative I had to first find the courage to be ok with my story; be ok with me. And if you’re reading this, you’ll know that being ok with one’s self is a super-courageous move!

Even just this year, I look back at the photos I’ve taken this year, and I can see the growth in my skill. But I can also really see the working through of my own story.

When I got back I felt like wiping my Instagram feed and starting again. But that was not what this year was all about!

What is it about then?

What is the point of spending the year, exploring and experimenting with my creativity and then wiping all the evidence of my experience?
Yeah, there are quite a few photos in there where I think “Oh my gosh, that is way too over processed!” or “I had absolutely no idea how to curate my feed!”

But I’m not going to delete them.

We have to show ourselves how far we’ve come, it’s part of the process for renewing our faith in our courage to take the leap in our creative lives.

Creativity takes courage. Yeah, it absolutely does! 2018 is not going to be any different. It will be another year of courageous decisions, of courageous faith in my own creativity.