Immersed in Her Own Creative World | Interview w/ Multidisciplinary Artist Luna Laila

by Amanda StoneAwakened Creator SpotlightPosted on No Comments

“Don’t follow the crowd, follow your heart and peace of mind. When it comes to creating, embrace a leisurely pace; there’s no rush when crafting timeless art.” Today’s Awakened Creator Spotlight is on Luna Laila, a Multidisciplinary Artist, whose creative offerings reflect her bold, unique, spiritual, and sometimes surreal experiences. Connect with her on Instagram:  @lunalaila77 or her website: www.lunalaila.com Here is Luna in her own words on her creative journey and what it means to be an Awakened Creator. Tell us about your authentic creative expression. What do you love to create and why? I have a deep passion for crafting visual art in the medium that resonates with me at any given moment. From creating tattoos to producing paintings, customizing clothing to filmmaking, I consider myself an all around visual artist. Painting is my preferred means of expressing my soul; when I blend colors and apply them to a canvas, I experience a sense of peace, as if I’m immersed in a profound meditation, channeling energy from the universe. As a spiritual individual, I find my greatest well-being and vitality in translating the creative images from my mind onto a canvas. It makes me feel alive. What most often gets in your way as a creator and how do you stay in alignment and flow? The primary obstacle in my path is, ironically: myself. I often find myself stuck in a cycle of negative self-talk, responses to past traumas, self-doubt, and self-sabotage. However, I am steadily gaining awareness of these tendencies, which ultimately serves as the antidote. As I become more conscious of my thoughts and the barriers I’ve created, I not only identify what hinders me but also learn how to overcome it. By acknowledging an obstacle, I believe it becomes possible to shift it. I stay in alignment with myself by doing a lot of self reflection, praying and practicing gratitude. It is a practice that gets you in a healthy flow of thought during the day. I believe everything is mental, how you see the world is how your state of mind is. If you could offer words of wisdom or support to your fellow creators, what would you say? If I were to share words of wisdom with my fellow creators, it would be to dedicate some time to solitude and the art of being alone. Invest in personal growth and self-care. Only when you are healed, you contribute to healing and helping the world, only then will you have the necessary resources. Show yourself love and remember to grant yourself moments of rest, cause I noticed the modern world tends to glorify workaholism as the norm. Don’t follow the crowd, follow your heart and peace of mind. When it comes to creating, embrace a leisurely pace; there’s no rush when crafting timeless art. How did you become a part of the Awakened Creators community and what does being an Awakened Creator mean to you? I became part of the community because [Amanda] reached out to me and told me some sweet motivating words of my art. I felt it in my heart, and saw the beautiful page she created and I wanted to be part of that community! Want to connect with Luna? Check out Luna’s bold and unique creations on: Instagram: @lunalaila77 Website: www.lunalaila.com Do you have the desire to align with your authentic creative expression? If you want to feel free to create from the heart, my HeART Alignment Creative Ritual guide will show you a pathway home. I will personally guide you (with quick video lessons) through a simple yet powerful creative ritual that will bring your heART back online so you can start creating from that space again. Access the HeART Alignment Creative Ritual guide for free.

Return to Childhood Joy | Interview w/ Performance & Visual Artist Jesse Learned

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“I love to paint using my intuition and sense of play. I try to nurture a non-judgmental and lovingly curious space for creativity to flow through.” Today’s Awakened Creator Spotlight is on Jesse, a performance and visual artist and Universe Collaborator, who resurrected her childlike wonder and love for creativity after a lengthy hiatus only to find her spirit fully alive and ready to play once more! Connect with Jesse on Instagram @itty.bitty.kitty.pittie Here is Jesse in her own words on the creative journey and what it means to be an Awakened Creator. Tell us about your authentic creative expression. What do you love to create and why? For as long as I can remember, I have been drawn to any and all forms of creative expression. My mom says I was born with a paintbrush in my hand, and my favorite things to do as a child were drawing, painting, making up dances to my favorite songs, and pretending. I got into theater in my teen years and that became the outlet for my creative expression for many years of my life. In my late teens and early adult years in the 1990s, I was blessed to become part of a theater group with an incredible mentor, director, and artist, Mario Lescot. One of Mario’s sayings was “all of theater is music and dance”. Mario valued emotions and honest expression over polished and perfect performances. This theater group was the first time in my life where my traits of being emotional and highly sensitive were seen as positive, and even honored.  Then I had some years where I lost my creative outlet except for the infrequent occasions where I would find a practical reason to be creative. I would experience so much joy in hand making Valentine’s Day cards with my daughter for her classmates at school or hand painting ornaments during the holidays. I loved being creative but felt like I needed a reason or justification for it. In February of 2021 a close friend of mine (Daniela /@art.shewolf) who is a fantastic visual artist offered a one-time art class focused on self love for Valentine’s Day. She guided us to focus on emotions and to choose colors specifically to express them. She cultivated a space of non judgment and self love. Ironically, immediately after her class, I disliked what I had painted, so I put it away out of my sight. But then I came across it about a week later and it looked entirely different to me. I could see it with fresh eyes. It wasn’t good or bad, it just was. There was so much energy in it. Such strong feelings. I wanted to paint more. My friend’s class awakened my love of painting that had been dormant for years and I have been painting on a pretty regular basis ever since. I feel a lot of gratitude and joy to have that creative flow valve wide open. I love to paint using my intuition and sense of play. I try to nurture a non-judgmental and lovingly curious space for creativity to flow through. Right now I have really been enjoying bright colors and childlike content. Who knows what I will explore in the future? I’m looking forward to finding out. What most often gets in your way as a creator and how do you stay in alignment and flow? Self-criticism, judgment, and comparing my art to others’ are the most common culprits, lurking in the shadows aiming to sabotage my creative alignment and flow. I also used to put off painting or creating for years by telling myself all the things I needed to get done first. Like, I shouldn’t be allowed to paint or create anything that makes a mess until I have gotten all other messes cleaned up everywhere first. I don’t do that as much now. I more often can appreciate, celebrate, accept and embrace the ongoing messiness of life. I have created a little outdoor painting space for myself with a filming set up. I think that helps a lot. And spiritual connectedness. I had a spiritual expansion that happened alongside my reawakening to my love of painting, and I feel so much connection to my ancestors and guides now. I talk to them a lot, I hear back from them in creative ways too. And I talk to myself. I give myself epic best-friend-style pep talks when needed. If you could offer words of wisdom or support to your fellow creators, what would you say? As much as you are able to, commit fully to radical self care and radical self love. Do not compare yourself to other artists in any way that diminishes yourself or your work. Frida Kahlo’s work is so different from Georgia O’Keeffe’s … it makes no sense to compare them, they are each needed to exist in the universe, just as our creative expressions need to exist. How did you become a part of the Awakened Creators community and what does being an Awakened Creator mean to you? The day before I became aware of the Awakened Creators community, I got what feels like a spiritual heads up from the universe. I’m a person who loves to paint with bright colors; I focus a lot on color frequency and vibrations, and I tend to notice colors in the world around me. I had this moment at work (I work at a grocery store) where I realized that there were a lot of people shopping in this one small area and that they were all wearing yellow shirts of different shades. I counted 6 of them in yellow shirts, which seemed statistically unusual with no other colors nearby, and as I’m taking this in, a 7th person walks into this little corner area wearing a yellow shirt. It gave me that kind of giddy feeling I get when I realize I might be getting some kind of sign from the universe/my guides. I tend to …

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The Healing Light of Art | Interview w/ Artist Gabrielle Desmarais

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“Finding like-minded/ like-spirited creators is priceless on our journey. Remember, two or more is more powerful than one.” Today’s Awakened Creator Spotlight is on Artist & Creative Connector, Gabrielle Desmarais, whose luminous creations and projects are infused with the light of angelic healing. Connect with her on Instagram: @gabrielle_artist or her project website: www.lilyanddad.com Here is Gabrielle in her own words on her creative journey and what it means to be an Awakened Creator. Tell us about your authentic creative expression. What do you love to create and why? I love to help others find peace, light, hope and happiness through connecting to healing messages in creativity. I work with a partner, Alan. He helps to guard and balance all interactions. Currently we have two projects. The first is a Creative Whispers Workshop. The second is in progress: a children’s book for adults called: ‘My Aven Cher Diry’. The story is about a little angel called Lily in a Heaven space with her Dad. I am the connector and cover creator, and Alan is the illustrator. The Creative Whispers Workshop consists of Art and Healing sessions with personalized drawings completed Live, offering protection from the person’s current challenges. During the sessions, Alan reads poetry from a limited edition poetry book I wrote called: Meaningful Messages on Your Journey. Finally, an Inner Child Light drawing is created for the client and all original pieces are sent to the new owner. Messages of light are transferred through ownership of healing imagery. Love, happiness, goodness and other beautiful desires have the freedom to be released and manifest in peoples’ daily living. What most often gets in your way as a creator and how do you stay in alignment and flow? On occasion, technology needs to be turned off for my intuition to tune in. I believe that my angels like to send me messages and too much technology can interfere with the process. To stay aware and accessible, I sometimes need to practice chakra alignment, prayer, affirmation and art meditation earlier than usual in the morning, before I check my phone or turn on technology. If you could offer words of wisdom or support to your fellow creators, what would you say? It takes community and collaboration to help inspire transformation and lightness of the soul. Finding like minded/ like spirited creators is priceless on our journey. Remember, two or more is more powerful than one. Lastly, stay humble. How did you become a part of the Awakened Creators community and what does being an Awakened Creator mean to you? I was blessed to meet Amanda by chance during her Instagram Live. Her dynamic, present and nurturing energy caught my attention and I deeply resonated with the words which she shared. Immediately, I understood her gift. That is where my link with the Awakened Creators community was formed. To me, being an Awakened Creator means to be a part of a whole. It means to walk with collected Love, to have pure intentions and to work creatively from the heart and soul. It is a wonderful opportunity to help others to connect with their light, to inspire hope in the world. Want to connect with Gabrielle? Check out Gabrielle’s healing light creations on: Instagram: @gabrielle_artist  Project Website: www.lilyanddad.com Do you have the desire to align with your authentic creative expression? If you want to feel free to create from the heart, my HeART Alignment Creative Ritual guide will show you a pathway home. I will personally guide you (with quick video lessons) through a simple yet powerful creative ritual that will bring your heART back online so you can start creating from that space again. Access the HeART Alignment Creative Ritual guide for free.

Awakening Your Interdimensionality – Interview with Visionary Artist Cassaundra Marie

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“Share your work, share your true self. Make art that makes You happy, not art that you think people want to see, or will digest easier.” Today’s Awakened Creator Spotlight is on Cassaundra Marie, a Visionary Artist, who’s dream inspired creations are awakening the hearts and minds of others to their own interdimensionality. Connect with her on Instagram: @dreamstatevisions, Facebook: Dreamstate Visions, and Soundcloud: Cassaundra Marie Ikeler Here is Cassaundra Marie in her own words on her creative journey and what it means to be an Awakened Creator. Tell us about your authentic creative expression. What do you love to create and why? I love bringing the imagery from my mind’s eye, and the dream realm, to fruition. Whether that comes out through painting, (which is absolutely my favorite) or through orgonite creations. For me, it is mostly about capturing the emotions, and energetic exchange that is attached to the visual. I am not 100% sure why, but I have a deep inner knowing that I am supposed to open minds, hearts, and eyes to the vast expanse of interdimensional life that exists all around us. I believe that my visions are meant to be shared with the world to help raise collective consciousness, and I feel honored to have found my calling. What most often gets in your way as a creator and how do you stay in alignment and flow? My love of working on several projects at once, sometimes holds me back. I tend to get ahead of myself and start too many things at once, and I can often become overwhelmed. When this happens, I observe these feelings, accept them, tell myself that everything I am already doing is enough, thank my mind for all of the new ideas, and then allow myself a full day of rest and self care.  I personally stay in alignment by keeping a gratitude journal and a dream journal. The gratitude journal keeps me humble and present with what is in my current timeline.  The dream journal provides me with endless streams of artistic inspiration, and also keeps me connected and lucid to the time I spend in the astral plane, giving thanks for the ability to retain the information acquired whilst dreaming.  I have found that flow, for me, comes when I stop planning and worrying about the outcome of a piece. If I just act on intuition and know that any mistake made is part of a more grand plan, it really helps me to stay in flow and alignment. Focusing too much on the outcome, can immediately tear us away from the present moment, and the present moment is key when creating authentic art, in my opinion. If you could offer words of wisdom or support to your fellow creators, what would you say? Share your work, share your true self. Make art that makes You happy, not art that you think people want to see, or will digest easier. I do not remember who this quote is from, but it goes, “art is meant to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.” If someone has a problem with your art, instead of getting offended, let it open up a dialogue and discussion. Ask questions. You would be surprised how many people are just curious, but are unsure of where to begin asking questions about it. Be the type of person you needed when you were younger. Stop doubting yourself. No one is you, and that is your superpower. YOU ARE CAPABLE OF ANYTHING! Your dreams are possible, just by dreaming them, you are halfway through to bringing them into fruition. You can start over and create a new life for yourself at any time, you just have to choose. How did you become a part of the Awakened Creators community and what does being an Awakened Creator mean to you? Perfectly enough, I became part of the Awakened Creators community through my Artwork!!! Amanda found me one day, taking a brave step in showing myself in my pictures with my art and it was a vulnerable day for me. She lit me up like a rainbow, with compliments on my bravery, strength in being vulnerable, and praising my artwork. It was truly a synchronistic meet. It was also one of my first support systems ever founded when I first started to follow my heart and make art priority number 1. At the time, I was craving authentic connections, deeper friendships, and really just trying to find my tribe. Absolutely divinely synchronous.  To me, being an Awakened Creator means being open to every variable of possibility. Not only in my art, but in life. No one person, or group of people can ever know the Right way for someone else to live. We all find our own way, in our own time, and should be accepted and respected as such. Let your freak flag fly! Your “weird” is your personal energy signature and it is Beautiful and unique! Being an Awakened Creator also means to help lift others around you, and inspire everyone to shine their true colors, despite hate or negative reaction. We are here to come together as a collective, and give each other value and purpose. Love and connection, community and friendship. I like to hope that anyone who follows my artistic journey knows that they can come to me any time with questions, seeking advice, or needing a reason to smile. I want everyone to be able to tune in to their inner child and rediscover play, art, relaxation, and whatever the thing is, that lights a spark in their heart.  If you have awakened to your gifts, share them! The universe needs your resonance! If you are still struggling to find yourself, your spark, or the thing that drives you, reach out to us and find a kindred who understands that journey, and can walk arm and arm with you as you explore. As an individual, we can often feel like …

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Feeling Beyond the Words – Interview with Multi-Passionate Artist Amy Frank

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“I can just feel in my body when I’m being called to bring something forth into the world.” Today’s Awakened Creator Spotlight is on Amy Frank, a multi-passionate artist, who taps into a deep emotional well of poetry, fiction, paintings, and so much more, all radiating straight from her heart. Connect with Amy on Instagram @wingsofjewels Here is Amy in her own words on the creative journey and what it means to be an Awakened Creator. Tell us about your authentic creative expression. What do you love to create and why? It’s emotional. Emotion-based. There has to be an emotional connection there, an aspect of emotional expression, or just expression in general; my thoughts and feelings. And my daydreams. I love to create whatever I’m called to create. I create very intuitively.  My primary expression is through writing. I’ve been creating stories since I was a little girl. Before I could even write words, I would draw pictures and put them in chronological order. Writing will always be my first creative love. Language is the thing that comes most easily to me. Any kind of writing, really. I love writing poetry because I can play with abstract imagery, and convey emotion through those images. I see my poems like little movies in my mind. I feel them. Again, there has to be that emotional connection there, or I don’t connect with them.  Poetry is also the thing that comes easiest to me. I used to write fiction, and actually wrote 5 novels in the past. I doubt most of them will ever see the light of day. I did most of them to prove to myself that I could do it. I’ve written some short stories as well, and even a bit of flash fiction! Maybe someday I’ll return to fiction writing, but for now, my main focus is on poetry (which I consider to be a form of visual art).  In 2021, I took up painting for the first time. I love to express myself this way as well. I love to create abstract art because it allows for more freedom of expression and experimentation. I love the wildness of it. I love listening to my intuition when it comes to deciding which colors to pick, what tools to use, etc. I love to work with acrylics, watercolor, and oil pastels. I also love music and the performing arts. I have a strong theatrical streak and I can mimic accents and do funny voices and cool stuff like that! I used to play piano. (Not professional, though.) I basically love variety. I’m a multi-passionate person, that’s for sure! What most often gets in your way as a creator and how do you stay in alignment and flow? Myself, haha. My brain (she likes to think she knows more than my intuition). I stay in alignment and flow by not forcing myself to create. I usually wait for intuition to guide me (though I don’t always listen). I can just feel in my body when I’m being called to bring something forth into the world. I give myself breaks. I’ve taken months-long breaks from writing, only to come back to it and write a whole month’s worth of poems in one week’s time. I also make a conscious choice not to put pressure on myself to be a content machine. I’m a human being!  Also, when it comes to my writing, I don’t censor myself during the creation of the first draft. I let it all pour out. I’ve practiced this. I used to judge everything and edit as I wrote the rough draft and it was so stifling. It’s much better to let the initial flow come out, step away from it for a while, then come back to it and edit it. With painting, I haven’t quite mastered this yet. It’s still hard for me to get into the flow when I’m painting. I still deal with perfectionism, expecting it to look a certain way IMMEDIATELY. It’ll be interesting to see how I’ll reach that point in my painting, where I can create them a bit more freely, like I do with my writing. If you could offer words of wisdom or support to your fellow creators, what would you say? There is so much I want to say. I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I think I’ll write a book about it someday. Surrender to your intuition. It’s your greatest asset. Take care of your body. Take care of YOU in your humanity. Develop an awareness of the stories you’re telling yourself about what you can and can’t do. If your mind starts to trash talk you, deliberately speak loving words to yourself, even when it feels hard (anything new is going to feel hard, btw). Don’t try to be perfect. Start small. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself, especially during the first draft. Take breaks. Take lots of breaks. Creating things takes energy. Replenish yourself. Make time for play. Not all your art needs to be serious. And if you’re struggling, that’s ok. It’s ok. It’s ok if you’re struggling. How did you become a part of the Awakened Creators community and what does being an Awakened Creator mean to you? Amanda started following me on Instagram some time ago, and I remember her interacting with some of my posts. I really liked the way she interacted with my posts, leaving well-thought out comments, instead of the usual “Likes” or “Nice pic” or something.  I joined in on one of Awakened Creators’ live moon meditations on Instagram and really vibed with it. I’ve felt very supported by Amanda and the community of Awakened Creators in general. To me, being an awakened creator means being *alive* to the fact that we were born with the special gift of an artist’s soul, and being awakened to the truth of who you are, your inner self, and expressing that outwards in the ways that speak to you. …

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4 Steps to Conquer Your Emotional Triggers | Transmute Creative Rejection & Disappointment

by Amanda StoneCreativity, Inspiration, SpiritualityPosted on No Comments

Creative rejection and disappointment can be difficult to process, but it doesn’t have to be. In this article, I’ll share a four-step process to help you move through triggers along your creative journey. Step 1: Listen Objectively The first step is to listen objectively to what your ego and mind are telling you about the experience. It’s important to give voice to the inner dialogues that come up, whether that’s through journaling, speaking out loud, or reaching out to a friend. It’s also important to remember that these dialogues are not necessarily true. Your ego is trying to protect you and will look for conditional circumstances in order to make sense of things. Step 2: Push Conditions to the Side In order to connect to your soul’s truth, you need to push all the conditions to the side. Your soul’s truth is unconditional, pure, and loving. It’s connected to Source and is the thing that really wishes to be expressed. Take a moment to sit in a pool of gooey loving energy and allow yourself to soak it all up. Remind yourself that you are an Awakened Creator, that this is the path you are meant to be on, and that everything that is unfolding for you is for you and is growing you. Step 3: Open Up to Gratitude The fourth and final step is to give gratitude to the entire experience, including gratitude to your ego and mind for showing you what was not in alignment with your soul’s truth. Allow yourself to be thankful for the rejection and for not getting the results you expected. This will help you reaffirm your connection to the divine and open up to the truth of who you are. Step 4: Download My Free Heart Alignment Guide If you want to start strengthening your connection between you and your soul’s truth, I highly recommend you download my free heart alignment guide. This guide will share with you a three-step process that you can do anytime, anywhere to get connected to your heart’s truth. It’s fantastic for getting connected right before you go into an audition or start putting paint to canvas. Conclusion Moving through triggers along your creative journey doesn’t have to be difficult. By following these four steps, you can start to understand how the process works and strengthen your connection to your soul’s truth. I hope this guide has been helpful and I wish you all the best on your creative journey.

Fashion That Flows Without Limits – Interview with Divine Designer JuJu

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“I’ve always felt odd and weird, which I am, but I never knew how to express it until I became an adult and realized I had choices.” Today’s Awakened Creator Spotlight is on Juju, a Divine Designer, who is creating change and expressing their authenticity through unique and colorful fashion designs and spiritual healing offerings. Connect with him on Instagram @ju.universe, @ju.universellc, & @jujumagicllc. Here is Juju in their own words on their creative journey and what it means to be an Awakened Creator. Tell us about your authentic creative expression. What do you love to create and why? I love to create change. I am changing every moment and every second. I also love to create designs for fashion. I’ve always felt odd and weird, which I am, but I never knew how to express it until I became an adult and realized I had choices. I also always struggled within myself and had extreme turmoil in myself, from low self esteem, low self confidence, to suicidal attempts, until I felt drawn in with metaphysics, meditation, crystals, sound healing, and music. I started using self coping tools to cope with everyday pains that I grew accustomed to, until I found out that I can carry my pain in another way and express it in my art.  What most often gets in your way as a creator and how do you stay in alignment and flow? Overthinking!!! And overthinking so much that nothing gets done. I stay in alignment and flow by listening to my inner voice and body and going with the flow. It’s not easy, but with practice it gets easier to flow with that process.https://youtu.be/U6ss71UMQIw If you could offer words of wisdom or support to your fellow creators, what would you say? Keep going! Be authentic. Meaning, be authentic with yourself. Good days. Bad days. Show the world how you cope with that. Life will come with the good and bad, just like our emotions. They change and show us where we are with our emotions. How did you become a part of the Awakened Creators community and what does being an Awakened Creator mean to you? I became a part of the community after Amanda reached out to me. I am just like it sounds, an AWAKENED CREATOR. Want to connect with JuJu? Check out JuJu’s incredible creations on: Instagram: @ju.universe, @ju.universellc, & @jujumagicllc. TikTok: @ju.universellc Do you have the desire to align with your authentic creative expression? If you want to create more from your heart (and less from your head), my HeART Alignment Creative Ritual guide will show you a pathway home. I will personally guide you (with quick video lessons) through a simple yet powerful creative ritual that will bring your heART back online so you can start creating from that space again. Access the HeART Alignment Creative Ritual guide for free.

A Call to Arms | Channeled Messages from Awakened Creators

by Amanda StoneChanneled MessagesPosted on No Comments

Creatives are often held back by lies perpetuated by those in power, and those who are afraid of what they might make. This denial of their creative power keeps them from experiencing the abundance that the universe offers.   In this channeled transmission from Source, Amanda shares a call to arms for creatives to step into their power and do what they came here to do. https://youtu.be/lBTrsP7xJiQ Lies Held By Creatives Creatives often deny their creative power, thinking that their contribution to the world is not valuable. They think that there is no path to living their truth, and no way to experience the joy they crave. They accept what is given to them, and deny themselves access to the abundance that the universe offers. Accessing the Divine Creatives possess within themselves a direct channel to Source itself. They possess within themselves a golden corridor allowing access to the divine, access to wisdom beyond their understanding, and access to illuminated visions of what could be. These pieces of information, insights, and inspirations are offered freely by Source itself to those who are willing and able to take them on, receive them, and bring them into form. Stepping Into Your Power Creatives are asked to boldly step into and allow through their vessel to be who they are, to be proud of who they are, and to no longer deny who they are. They are asked to be present with the All That Is, to receive its messages with an open heart and an open mind, and to form them in the physical so they are accessible to others. There is no right way to create, there is only your way. Your way, connected to the divine, is the divine way. Creatives are asked to step fully and completely into the power of what they are – a master creator, a soul who has opened themselves in this lifetime to allow that which they do not always understand into their awareness to be shared. Forgiveness and Transformation Creatives must release all of the judgment they have for themselves for their past choices and for the causes and effects that they have enacted up to this point. They must forgive themselves for walking a path they knew inside was not their own, and for transgressing against the truth in their heart. All of the experiences leading up to this moment have been a blessing to allow them to step stones through the waters. Creatives are asked to boldly be who they are, to no longer deny who they are, and to do what they have come here to do. They are asked to accept their spiritual gifts, and to recognize that their purpose can only be known by them and Source itself. A Call to Action Creatives are asked to step into their power and do what they came here to do. They are asked to boldly accept the power of what they are, and to no longer deny who they are. They are asked to forgive themselves, and to surrender what they think they know about their future, what they are capable of, and how much they are lovable. When they are ready, they are asked to throw their hands up, bow their head down, and humbly request assistance. Source will intervene only when it is given permission to do so. Creatives are asked to recognize the magnificence that they are and always have been, and to feel the love that Source has for them.

The Deadly Cost of Creative Repression

by Amanda StoneCreativity, InspirationPosted on No Comments

As artists at heart, we have a creative desire that burn within us, but society (and even our own families) can send us negative messages about expressing those desires that encourage us to repress our natural creative impulses. Whether well-intentioned or malicious, this repression of creative energy can be deadly, or at best lead to substance abuse, depression, or anxiety (like it did for me). To make sense of what is happening when we repress our creativity, I was shown an inspired image (which I painted) of a fire-filled cave called, The Cave of Internal Desire. The flames of this cave represent our creative energy, passionate and burning wildly. Because of external and internal pressures we sometimes get stuck in The Cave and it can start to become toxic. In this article, we’ll explore the metaphor of The Cave of Internal Desire: why we get stuck in the cave, what happens when we stay too long, and how to get out of the cave and into alignment with our creative truth. What is the Cave of Internal Desire (really)? As I meditated on The Cave of Internal Desire, I learned that at its core, The Cave is a trial that we must endure as creatives in order to reach our Truth and our authentic way of being. It’s a portal that we must pass through, but if we stay in the cave too long, we can start to burn. Why Do We Get Burnt in the Cave? We get burnt in the cave because we are never intended to stay in the cave. We usually stay there because we are afraid to leave, afraid to step out, and afraid to walk into our creative life and own our creative expression. If we consider this from the perspective of The Cycle of Creative Flow, what may be happening is that we are getting stuck in the conception energy of the mind. We receive the inspiration of a great idea, roll it around in our mind, and maybe even manifest it physically a little bit, but we keep it to ourselves and never share it with anyone. We may start to play mind games with ourselves, our ego gives us excuses as to why it’s not ready yet, why not to share it. Usually it’ll be belittling thoughts like, “Your work isn’t polished enough,” “Your art isn’t refined enough,” “Your writing isn’t eloquent enough,” “Nobody will care,” etc. But the truth is, your soul will care. In fact, it will feel tortured in the fires of your desire until you release it and walk through the cave. At a certain point, that creative energy that is building up has to go somewhere, it has to be released. If we keep it inside ourselves, repressing our natural impulse to express, and don’t manifest it outward, it can start to become toxic. What Does Coming Out of the Cave Require? Walking out of the cave looks like creating, sharing, talking about your creative ideas to other people, anything where you are expressing the energy outward. Creative expression is called that for a reason…it has to be pushed out. By repressing our creative desires, we deny the truth of what that energy intends to be, and that’s a pain that is very hard to explain, but creatives who actively repress their impulses know it well. It’s excruciating and it ends up becoming this thing that frustrates or depresses us. Sometimes it becomes so bad, we turn to substances to numb or worse, consider suicide. Creative expression is called that for a reason…it has to be pushed out. Sometimes creatives will make art but then refuse to share their work with anyone. While it’s true that you don’t have to share it, there comes a certain point at which our hiding our gifts becomes selfish. The inspiration was given to us to first help ourselves, but then also to help others. We are the vessel with which Spirit seeks to share its creative energy with the world. Being visible is hard, being seen is hard, but being trapped in the cave, being eaten alive by the flames of your own creative desire and passion is harder. Freeing Yourself From the Cave Listen closely…you are being called to express your creative gifts. If there is something that needs to be birthed within you that you are holding in tight, release it, let it go, get it out in whatever capacity you possibly can. Creative expression is a noble and valuable thing, and when we repress our creative desires, we deny the truth of what that energy intends to be. Once it’s out, you’ll feel free, you’ll feel expansive, you’ll feel light. You won’t feel like you have an elephant sitting on your chest anymore, you won’t feel bound any longer. Spirit wants you to feel free, and the world needs you to share your creative gifts. The burning pain of the Cave of Internal Desire is a catalyst meant to push us forward through and out of the cave. Listen closely to your soul and if you feel called to express your creative gifts, release it, let it go, get it out in whatever capacity you possibly can. Want help reclaiming your creative expression? Use the FREE Heart Alignment Guide I created to get back in touch with your creative truth. You’ll also find a fiercely supportive creative community in Awakened Creators. Follow us on Instagram or watch hundreds of videos on YouTube.

Love Yourself as an Artist: 4 Powerful Journal Prompts to Get You Going 

by Amanda StoneCreativity, Journal Prompts, SpiritualityPosted on No Comments

Do you find it hard to love what you create? If so, you’re not alone. I understand the difficulty of loving yourself as an artist and I’m here to help. In this video and article, I’ll share four powerful journal prompts to help you start learning to love yourself as an artist. Why Is It So Difficult to Love Yourself as an Artist? Pause and consider for a moment, why it’s so difficult to love yourself as an artist? Is it because you think everyone else is better than you? Is it because of past disappointments? Is it because of things people tell you? One of the keys to effective journaling is learning how to ask the right questions. 4 Powerful Journal Prompts to Grow Love for Your Art These journal prompts are deep and powerful, so create a safe space for yourself to respond to them. Make sure no one’s going to see your answers and that you’re just going to move through it in a very safe and nurturing space for yourself. If you’re having a difficult time tapping into your heart and communicating to your heart, not what your mind thinks or your ego thinks, but what your heart believes to be true, I suggest you check out my Heart Alignment Creative Ritual Guide. This will allow you to become your most authentic version and experience tremendous joy along the creative journey. Conclusion I hope you enjoyed these journal prompts and get a lot out of them. Remember to take care of yourself and nurture yourself as you move through them. If you need to decompress afterwards, reach out to a friend or check out my Forgiveness Video and Forgiveness Meditation. I’m so proud of you for being committed to moving through these issues so that you can have a more joyful experience along your creative journey. Namaste.