Gold from the Grit
“Let everything have it’s time - don’t bully it into moving faster” - David Whyte
I’m panning for gold. Sitting close to a roaring fire in the early evening gloom, with the temperature set to fall below zero tonight, I’m using this cosy time to travel back through my journal, collecting quotes and notes and gems of learning and inspiration gathered over the past 12 months.
I wanted to see what gold could be found amidst the grit and struggle of the year; what could I salvage and take with me, as shiny keep-sakes into 2021.
I don’t claim authorship of any of these fine nuggets of wisdom. They come from a sweet plethora of sources and they are all things that have helped me and I hope they will do the same for you. Simply snatch up the ones that chime with you and bag them up for yourself, as you slip across the threshold into a brighter, more hope-filled year.
Some of these quotes and statements use arty-language, but don’t be put off, because they certainly apply to all areas of creativity and to every aspect of human life and our desire to flourish. So, filter them through your own situation.
We do best what we love most
Learn to live with uncertainty
Collect things and ideas and don’t worry about whether they make sense
Pay attention to what’s working and what isn’t (in your life and in your art)
Allow everything to move you forward
Thoughts become feelings, so hold them and explore them and let them run through you
7. Struggle makes you more determined
8. Just show up - stay committed
9. Trust that your art will emerge
10. When you get stuck, go back to basics and ask, ‘What is blocking my journey?’
11. Keep asking yourself, ‘Am I still taking risks?’
12. Keep PLAY central to everything - that’s where the juice is
13. Don’t strive to try to perform for yourself or others
14. It’s OK if you feel lost
15. Find your own voice - don’t just copy
16. Make art, no matter how you feel
17. Get clarity about your direction, your purpose and how it’s connected to your life
18. Learn why certain things move you and matter to you
19. Get to understand why and how you make decisions
20. It’s the falling down that creates the way for becoming more authentically you
21. Let things go - push away from the shore and let the current take you
22. Don’t be shocked that life is tough and messy
23. Love new experiences
24. Sink-in and listen to your heart and be OK with whatever the answer is that you hear
25. Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time
26. Discover what lights you up and start there
27. Everything is an invitation for growth - the universe is rigged towards your growth
28. Drop down into the part of you that hasn’t yet put words to how you feel
29. The soul wants to feel alive, so go there, push yourself and take risks, even if it feels scary
30. Let everything have it’s time - don’t bully it into moving faster
Go well, with courage and hope into 2021.
Love & Peace
Jane
