Hey there, Reader!

Well, this wasn't the email I was expecting to write this week.

If you followed my newsletters these past few weeks, you know I'm currently doing The Artist's Way 12-week program. So far, I'm finding it extremely helpful!

For those who don't know, The Artist's Way is a 12-week program that helps artists reconnect with their creativity. Artistic recovery happens when you unblock your creativity by overcoming limiting beliefs, self-doubt, and fear.

That being said, my original plan for this week's newsletter was to share with you my experience doing Week 1: Recovering a Sense of Safety.

But what I didn't expect was how TRANSFORMATIVE the second week would be. Why? Because I confronted tough limiting beliefs that really pushed me outside my comfort zone as an artist and creative.

Last week's theme was Week 2: Recovering A Sense of Identity. After completing Week 2, my whole plan for how I want to share my Artist's Way journey has completely changed.

So before I share Week 1, I've decided to present this week's newsletter as Week 0: My Backstory and My Why to give you more context about why I'm sharing my Artist's Way journey with you.

My Backstory: Creative Burnout Led Me to The Artist's Way

When I left the online space in order to heal from burnout, I knew I had to stop the unconscious thought patterns and habits that contributed to burnout in the first place.

Therefore, I dove DEEP into learning about psychology. One of the core principles I learned is the importance of strengthening one's self-identity as a strategy for overcoming burnout.

You see, one of the biggest mistakes I made with publishing content online is that for too long, I listened to other people's advice. I trusted experts' strategies. I chased the algorithm to please it. I followed trends occasionally.

Somewhere along the way, I stopped listening to my intuition and I stopped following my heart because I was too focused on other people.

In a heART-centered newsletter titled Healing means learning to walk in a new self-concept, I mentioned that I lost my art style, passion, and purpose. As a result, I lost a huge part of my identity as an artist.

Why? Because I accidentally lost my voice in the noise of the online world. And when I healed from burnout, everything changed for the better.

Now, my identity is positively shifting because I decided to take my voice back. You're hearing it right here, right now, in this newsletter.

Honestly, I don't care about trends. I'm not interested in mainstream culture. As such, Week 2 of The Artist's Way helped me overcome the limiting belief that I can't succeed as an artist and creative if I don't follow trends or conform to online expectations.

Now, I'm taking a chance on me by believing that my art, storytelling, and creativity are good enough for the people who appreciate my work. Now, I'm validating myself instead of searching for external validation.

You see, from my experience so far, I believe that at its core, The Artist's Way is about healing the relationship to yourself.

By healing the relationship to yourself, you reconnect with your creativity and ultimately, your authenticity, Reader.

My Why: The Point of Documenting This Creative Journey

Now that you have more context regarding my backstory, understanding my why is easy.

My why for documenting The Artist's Way is to share my journey of creative and artistic transformation with you.

I want to lead by example by showing you that artistic and creative recovery is possible. And more importantly, I want to show you that it's safe to embrace your authentic self-expression through art.

In a recent newsletter where I polled my audience for feedback, I got these results regarding The Artist's Way:

WOW, right?! I was astonished by how many people voted "Yes." Being the curious creature that I am, I want to know your why, too.

If you read all the way to the end of this newsletter, that means you likely resonate with my story in some way.

So now, I'd like to turn the metaphorical microphone over to you because I'd love to know your opinion. Specifically, I would like to know your why, Reader.

ACTION STEP: Reply to this email and let me know why you're interested in reading or watching content about my Artist's Way journey. Are you interested in the story? Are you looking for connection? Have you done The Artist's Way yourself? Whatever the reason, I'd love to know your why!

Talk to you again soon,

Your friend,

Miranda

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