Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. — Steve Jobs
I used to read that quote and only see the part about time and not wasting it. I have an inner clock that just keeps on ticking, reminding me that time is a-wastin’.
It was only recently I really took note of that last sentence in the quote. The one about trusting my heart and intuition.
When I make art from my head it’s almost always about technique and marketability. When I trust my heart, the art speaks. Maybe not to everyone but the ones who do hear it? They’re my peeps.
Besides, even if it only ever speaks to me, that’s enough because in committing to a creative life, art starts with exploring the inner self.
This week, before you sit down to create, take a moment to get out of your head and connect to your heart.
What changes?
Wonderful advice. I always told my daughters to follow their gut instincts. If they felt something was amiss, leave the situation. Don’t wait around to figure out why you feel that way. Just go.
Then a couple of summers ago, I went to two or three workshops focusing on different subjects, but all of them made similar references to “follow your heart.” Research has shown that the same types of cells that are in the brain are also in your heart, but they don’t think. They do, however, react faster than your brain cells. So when you are in a scary situation, the cells in your heart react first. Then they send a signal to your brain, which reacts with thoughts.
So it has now been proven that “follow your heart” is actually a scientific fact.
Works both ways–to inform you of something scary and to prod you into recognizing the brain hasn’t caught up yet, but “here’s what you will think eventually.”
I’ve come across that study as well (or one similar) and found it extremely interesting. We know in our bodies what is good for us (not scary). We use our brains to justify our decisions. 🙂 So good to hear from you, Dale!
I am 100% with you Aprille! I have created art and plenty other things from my head and sure enough it’s never there to stay…I end up tossing it, painting over it or deleting it all together. The art and ideas that come from my art are always something I want to look at and share. I even want to refresh my branding with a painting I created 4 years ago…I LOVE it!