“Is my art really worth it? Is what I have to give of real value?”
These are questions that have plagued creative humans for time eternal.
Why is it so hard to embrace our individual gifts and expressions, to recognize our value and our worth? Why do some of the most gifted individuals have the hardest time sharing their work, receiving income on higher levels, and embodying a knowing of how to bring the best of their gifts forward into the world?
The fallacy of the starving artist says: There is not enough; I am not enough. I must choose between my art and having what I need or want. I should cater to popular demand over my own inner voice, because that is what the marketplace requires. I feel shame in asking for anything in return for my services or work. I am unsure of the value of what I have to share. It is possible for others who are stars, but not for a regular person like me. There is not enough to go around. I must scrape by and compete to get what I need and want in life. My fullest and most authentic expression will be rejected by others. I must adapt and edit myself to be accepted and to be successful. Success is a dream, a fantasy, or an illusion.
I’m telling you — it is a fallacy to think this way. Those beliefs above are false.
The knowing of a liberated creator says: There is always more than enough; I am enough. The more I choose my art, the more I am able to have what I need or want. I cater to my own inner voice over popular demand, because that is what my soul requires. I feel pride in asking for a return for my services or work. I am sure of the value of what I have to share. Each of us is a star, shining our unique light, including me. There is infinite prosperity and abundance. I do not need to compete to get what I need and want in life; instead I collaborate, and my connection with others lifts us all up together. I accept and love my most authentic expression. I feel safe to be myself without needing to adapt or edit my truth. I define what success is for myself, and I experience success daily by expressing my fullest self.
A brilliant and famous quote by Marianne Williamson further encapsulates this mindset shift:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
