All transformation begins with action.
I am an overthinker. No doubt about it. I love to think, ponder, reason, strategize, and ensure that logic is “fully engaged” before I make a decision to take action. I have an abundance of spreadsheets with ideas, thoughts, and creative possibilities with full risk-assessment considerations noted.
Have you heard the saying, “spreadsheets are where good ideas go to die”? Sadly, this is probably very true.
Action can be scary. Taking that first step towards a goal or an idea can create a whole world of physical, psychological, and emotional responses. We tend to overthink our goals and dreams. Reason and logic trumping the needs and desires that tug at our hearts.
Creative passions get LOST when we fail to take action.
Side note: creative passions are not “fluffy” nice things to do in our leisure time – they can be transformative and create a huge impact in our lives and the lives of others. Just saying:) Let’s continue…
Clarity in our lives comes from engagement (aka: action) NOT from thought. We must take a step towards our goals and desires to understand what is possible and truly fulfilling for us.
To discover your inner artist and to fully realize the transformative power of the arts, you must take ACTION. Action that will bring you clarity, healthy habits, and fulfillment through self-belief, confidence, and skill.
Action brings CLARITY.
When we take a step towards a goal, interest, or desire – we gain clarity. We begin to understand what is possible for us and what is necessary for us to be fulfilled. We gain clarity of our purpose; clarity of our goals; and clarity of mind, body, and heart. We begin to understand if this “goal” or “desire” is worth the precious time, effort, and patience that is required. If we don’t TRY the hard thing – we will NEVER know the impact.
Action brings clarity, which leads to new HABITS.
To take that first step towards a creative passion or goal, we need to create new HABITS. A daily practice routine is essential for engaging with our art form and discovering the Artist Within. We must make it a HABIT to engage with our artistry daily. This daily action will bring us clarity and fulfillment.
Action brings clarity, which leads to new habits, which builds SELF-EFFICACY & SKILL.
When we take action and move towards our goals and desires, we gain clarity through engagement with our artistry and creative passions. From this engagement (ACTION), we build a strong sense of self-efficacy (BELIEF in ourselves and our abilities) and skill.
I had the dream and desire to create Donais Studios for over a decade. I thought about it, dreamt about it, built spreadsheets, and vision boards. But for over a decade it was just an idea – a dream. I had so many doubts and “what ifs”. I knew there was a better way for arts education. Something different than what I had experienced and what I was seeing in the industry, but was I the only one? It was scary to leave a full-time job in the music industry. Seriously, full-time work in the arts is hard to come by! But, it kept tugging at my heartstrings. I had to step out of the safety of my comfort zone and take ACTION. For me to be fulfilled and to have the impact I knew that I was created to have in this life, I had to take the first step. That action has brought so much clarity, self-efficacy, and skill. Is it hard work? Yes! I have developed skills that I never knew I would need (like coding a website). But here we are four years later and I can say that taking that first step was 100% worth the fear and uncertainty when I see the transformative power of the arts being realized within the studio.
If you want to experience the true transformative power of the arts – the confidence, resilience, and unwavering belief in yourself that comes from engaging with the artist within – you must take action.
That action is creating a DAILY practice routine: engaging with your art in a meaningful and purposeful way every day. Over the next few weeks we will break down the steps to creating the habit of a daily practice routine so that you can gain clarity and fulfillment.
THE FIRST ACTION STEP
Create a sacred space for your daily practice. A space that is just for you and free of distractions. A warm, inviting, and comfortable space that you love. You have to enjoy the space if you are going to spend time there every day! Make sure that you have all of the things that you need in your space: instruments, materials, books, water, metronome, etc.
My challenge for you this week is to set-up your sacred practice space. Create a space you love and will want to spend time in every day. Next week, we will set the schedule for your daily practice. Creating a habit is a practiced discipline – just like developing artistic skill.
Whenever we feel overwhelmed by a messy house or too much homework, we can either freeze or take action. When you take that first step – pick-up one toy off of the floor or choose one subject and open the textbook – we can gain clarity and the overwhelm begins to dissipate.
Begin by creating your sacred practice space and let us help you discover the Artist Within.
Thank you for being a part of the Donais Studios family. Happy Family Day from our family to yours. Warmest wishes for a beautiful day with family and friends.
Xo
Andrea “action-driven” Donais
P.S. Share this article with a friend who is stuck in their artistic journey.
P.P.S. If you are ready to ignite and discover the Artist Within, send us an email.