Lately I’ve been looking back, re-assessing, purging, cleaning, re-focusing, clarifying, re-organizing. It’s an interesting process. One thing it has done for me is create a much more pristine space for creative expression. It’s also helped me to lay the ground for a shift in my career focus. I’m great at saying that we should follow our joy, yet I so easily fall into the shoulds (of financial considerations or any other judgemental construct) at the expense of letting my true passion(s) languish.

One of the pitfalls of having so many interests and so many things that I could do (as Melissa Dinwiddie says, I’m a “Passion Pluralite”) is that I can easily start shoulding on myself regarding what I am to spend my time doing. Even though I am constantly creatively expressing, somehow my “fine art” will frequently pull the short straw when it comes to time and attention. I am consciously letting go of my grip on the judgement that that is less than ok. Instead, I’ve decided to embrace the concept that my whole life is my constantly evolving piece of very fine artwork, and that it all falls together just divinely when I release the shoulds about any darned thing.

I woke up at O-dark-thirty involved in a vivid dream for the third night in a row today. Upon review of past experiences and promises, I’ve been once more nudged toward action. This image was a first result. Sharing it was even more of a result.

What do you glean from looking back? Do you ever should on yourself?