My relationship to alcohol isn't dependent. There isn't any severe destruction tendencies. There was just a sense that alcohol held me back in life. It felt like a crutch that society allows us to use to numb out and stay small. It felt like poison even in small amounts.
Over the year I travelled through several mental hardships that normally would have been temporarily bandaged by alcohol. Without alcohol I had to face everything life threw at me with a clear mind and an open heart.
It was beautiful. And continues to be amazing. Fifteen months later I am still alcohol free and my spiritual life has expanded so wonderfully that I am more fulfilled than I ever was with alcohol.
This challenge taught me many things and one of the very important things it gave me was the knowing that when I set myself a challenge with clear motives and clear parameters, I tend to open up and do very well at accomplishing my goal. I seem to override the ego mind and access my higher self where all possibilities are at my finger tips.
As of today I am beginning a new journey into challenging myself. Over the next few months, I am going to create & complete 100 pieces of tiny art.
Now this may seem frivolous compared to quitting alcohol but in many ways it is just as worthy to the expansion of my soul and opening of my heart.
I tend to hide. I tend to want to hold my art close to me-- maybe to keep me safe from criticism; safe from being seen. And this keeps me closed. This keeps my ego in charge and lets fear hold the reins.
Because I'm setting a challenge to complete this many pieces I know I will see it through. My tendecy to complete a goal and prove my stamina is usually quite strong and so far I've been nothing but excited about creating new work.
The challenge was created by artist and blogger Kellee Conrad who set up a private Facebook group to create community around it. I will be sharing there as well as on my own FB page and on my blog.
There are some rules to the challenge such as keep the pieces small, uniform in size and create a theme using the same basic subject matter and materials for each piece. I'm not very good at following rules when it comes to creativity because I feel they inhibit me but I am going to make the pieces small and I will likely be using primarily acrylic paint as my medium. I may only work on art board or card board but that could change. I plan to do several mini series on a particular subject but I won't do every piece around one subject only. I plan to sell the pieces for affordable prices. I plan to exhibit them as well.
I'm super pumped for this challenge because I feel it is going to help me break out of my protective zone if only because I will have so many pieces of art that I will have no choice but to send them out into the world to bring joy to others.
After all that is my truest reason to make art. To create joy, spread joy and become joy. Stay tuned for the first tiny art piece to show up later today.
