Nurse and... Artist?
You wouldn't have caught me describing myself as an artist even a year ago, but here we are
Dear Friends,
I am a nurse, caregiver to aging parents, and mom to a 4 month old and a 3 year old. That's a whole lot of caregiving. And I know I am in good company amongst you, friends. We are part of the "sandwich generation," adults who are simultaneously caring for their aging parents while supporting their own children. But we are unique because we are also caring for other peoples' children and aging parents on top of that, our patients.
So what is someone like me, more than full time caregiver, doing calling myself an artist? I stopped the required art elective at school in the 5th grade! I don't have an MFA, nor do I have any published creative work.
I am calling myself an artist and seeking out creative outlets, because I believe (after many years at slowly chipping away at my limited beliefs) that we are all artists. We are all artists because we all have an inner child. And children don't think twice about their inherent creative energy.
Over the past years I have become a devotee of The Artist's Way, a self help manual of sorts published in the 80's, with twelve weeks of ‘tasks’ (“List three enemies of your creative self-worth,” “write a horror story about one of them”) to help you reconnect with your inner artist. From my experience, it’s all one big exercise in play.
I am currently in week ten of twelve weeks, but week 1 started out with a bang. Through some of the exercises around week 1, I learned that I had been carrying this extremely heavy burden of an invisible belief “I have to choose between financial success and an artistic and creative life” Thank you Evangelical upbringing. Something different will hit for everyone, but this hit me straight in the heart. Julia Cameron walks you though creating new affirmations to address your limiting beliefs, and a guiding light for me this time around has been “I can and will be both financially successful and have a creative, artistic, and spiritual life”
She introduces two key practices to the twelve-week endeavor: committing to Morning Pages and a Weekly Artist Date. Morning Pages are three pages of longhand, stream-of-consciousness writing done first thing in the morning, which serve as a brain dump to clear the mind and unlock creativity. To write things is to right things. The Weekly Artist Date is a solo expedition to explore something that interests or enchants the artist, nurturing their inner artist and fostering inspiration and joy. These practices are designed to help individuals connect with their creative selves and overcome blocks, enabling them to live more creatively and authentically.
I think there are a thousand different ways to get the point across that we should take care of ourselves first before we take care of others. Nine hundred and ninety nine will not work for us, but one will. The Artists Date has been that one way for me to embody and experience that feeling of deserving care. It’s simply another frame or way to understand how to carve out time for ourselves. I have not done so every week as she instructs, not even close, but when I have, I am, for lack of a better way to say it, such a happier person! Some of my Artists Dates with myself so far have been making a kumquat liqueur with fruit from my garden, taking a silent walk alone in nature, and taking a solo date to a fancy patisserie and indulging in macarons and the like! When I take care of my inner child first, I notice I can much more cheerfully and productively attend to the adult duties of my life.
If this sounds like fun, it is! However as I was reading today in AW, Fun is scary. As healthcare workers, we are so dedicated to our work, but can hide behind that altruism to avoid ourselves, our experiences, and feelings. Other peoples’ problems, excellent! My own inner world and problems? I’m going to have to pass.
In closing, embracing our creativity is not just about finding time for a hobby, but about nurturing our very souls, or as I have come to believe, our spirituality. We are caregivers, yes, but we are also individuals with rich inner lives that deserve attention and cultivation. By engaging in activities that feed our inner child or creative, we become better equipped to handle the demands of caregiving for others. The Artist's Way has reminded me of the importance of this balance and has given me tools to reclaim my creative spirit amidst the chaos of daily life.
With gratitude,
Anu & Laura
Artist’s Way, Launching Sept 9
We are taking a journey together as a community. Think of it as a book club meets accountability group with fellow healthcare workers seeking a creative challenge. We are trying to announce this early-ish because it’s a fairly big commitment- think taking a college course. But if you jump in with both feet, you will not regret it.
Even though it is a significant commitment, I will also say from both personal experience and friends who have done it before, you can enter in and participate at any level and still be enriched.
Our goal is to launch sign-ups and will host small creative pods of accountability that meet weekly for 45 minutes (pending time zones, availability, etc) to check in how the creative tasks have been going. Where am I going to find an hour a week? I know, I know. I will be the first to come clean that you can find me making dinner, doing dishes during my current weekly accountability group. This is not actually a college course, it’s a chance to bring whatever edges of ourselves we can, out of the mundane, the mountain of tasks related to adulting, to tap into play. Thus, come as you are, where you are and see what happens.
We also will include a paid Substack specific to all who sign up for The Artist’s Way for Healthcare Workers. This will include creative tasks, examples, experiences, and the community chat. So for those who cannot make an in-person accountability group, there is room to still travel with us on this journey asynchronously.
Community spaces are such a rarity in healthcare and it is our great privilege to organize them for our community. We hope you can join us for twelve weeks of creative tasks and accountability check-ins.
Registration is to come July 9.
Summer Art Break - Sign Up Now!
We’re back for more fun with our Expressive Arts Guru, Emma Sullivan.
Our last art break with her was buckets of fun, so we’re offering again this summer as a totally asynchronous format via a whatsapp group!
Starting July 15th, join us for four weeks of art practices that you can do on your own time with a community of healthcare workers!
Check it out, we would love to have you <3 Last chance to sign up on July 14th!
Thank you to The Clinical Problem Solvers: Women in Diagnosis for hosting us on their podcast!
Their mission is powerful: “We hope that our collective work with WDx will bring us closer to a future in which women are regularly recognized for their master diagnostic skills and take the front stage to teach and lead the field of diagnostic reasoning”
Anu and I had the persistent problem we face of immediately wanting to be best friends with the hosts- passionate, mission-driven women, Sharmin and Kaylin. You will fall in love with them too!
Listen Here!
