ART FIRST, ART ONLY, ART ALWAYS

If you put aside fear for a moment, and the idea that you have to prove yourself to others as being worthy, or cool, can you honestly say that you care about becoming rich or in some way famous more than you care about just doing your work?

Do you care about being seen, being known, being one of the ‘high achievers’, if you can’t show up fully for your art?

Do you care about landing the big gigs, or the big deals, having the red carpet laid out for you, if you can’t show up fully for your children, or the people you love?

I don’t think so.

I think you can tell yourself a story, for your entire life if you’re not careful, about how you REALLY REALLY want those things and by jove you can HAVE them AND SO YOU SHOULD, but let’s get real here –

It’s just a story.
Your PURPOSE was never attached to making the money, building the following, receiving the high notes of acclaim.

Your purpose was always art, your soul work, taking the message inside of you, and letting it out.

And somewhere along the way you got caught up, distracted, or simply bought into the idea that getting to where you make a lot of money and are at the ‘top’ will mean you have made it and can DO WHAT YOU WANT.

The terrifyingly obvious problem with THIS is – made it according to whom?

If your dream
was always
to write
or create
to unleash
to channel
to go DEEP within
and then let out whatever comes out
and to be able to do that and only that
then when exactly along the way did you decide that all of this OTHER stuff had to come before it?

Or that you even wanted it at all?

You’re trying so damn hard to MAKE it, according to some sort of imagined code or standard of what would make you successful, that you’ve lost sight of what making it would mean to YOU.

No, I don’t mean the surface you who lives from or reacts to fear, feelings of unworthiness, and constantly seeks to prove yourself.

I mean the you who you are when it’s quiet
and when it’s still
and when you’re alone
melting
softly
into you
and you realise –

huh.
none of that even matters …
all I want to do, all I’ve EVER wanted to do actually, was this …

how … interesting.

But yet, here you are! Run run running at a million miles an hour to do it all, have it all, be everything, KEEP CLIMBING, keep achieving those dreams!

And I wonder –

When was the last time you looked around and asked, but yes –

Whose dream?

Here’s the cold hard reality, for those of us who are called, as artists, for more, for all of the crazy creator chaos and freedom and flow and NO rules or structure which comes with THAT:

The art must come first.
The art must come first always.
ONLY the art must come first, and nothing else.

You could just as easily say purpose of course, and it would be just as true. But today I speak specifically to those who identiy, as I do, first and foremost as an ARTIST.

For me, it was a shock to realise, some years ago, that actually I’m NOT an entrepreneur. I’m an artist.

If I had to choose one, it would be art. Every damn day and 100x on Sundays.

It was a shock, but it was incredibly LIBERATING, and here is what else, and where this perhaps gets verrrrryyyyy interesting for you if you’re thinking yes art yes art yes, PLEASE, more space to go within and unleash, but I STILL WANT MONEY AND FAME AND SHIT KAT!

When I began to put art first
When I began to put soul first
When I began to put purpose first
When I RUTHLESSLY and RELENTLESSLY and DAILY turned my back on the shoulds of my business AND life, ignoring and tuning out and BLOCKING out every single person and thing until I had done my ART for the day … all of it … well –

I got fucking rich.
I got fucking known.
My audiences began to grow FAST, with ONLY soul aligned people.
I completely let go of my binge eating disorder, and other sabotages to do with not being in ALIGNMENT, not living the life I am MEANT to, not being purposeful
I became a better mother
I became leaner and healthier and more energised
I started sleeping more, and more deeply, and it wasn’t a problem, because I’d let go of the idea that to achieve more I gotta DO more, and I’d started to understand that ALL I have to do, ALWAYS, is flow
Life became lighter
I became lighter, in all senses
Everything MADE sense
Things just got easy
And most of all?

My art got fucking done, and continues to.

The money, the fame, the audience, the achievement of the THINGS, all of that is ALWAYS still available. And, I continue to choose it all.

I get to make as much money as I want.
I get to be known all around the world.
I get to become a famous author.
I get to be in great shape.
I get to have an abundance of time.
Etc!

Because I choose it, not because I DO something for it, except for in that what I DO is what I am MEANT to do, which is wake up and be fucking me.

Art first.
Art only first.
Art ALWAYS first, and fuck anything or anyone else who is pulling at you, wanting you, demanding you.

AND THEN IT JUST WORKS.

It really does, but of course this is a choice.

But here is what else, if you’re wondering ‘what to do’ once your art has been done for the day, so that you CAN get all those things too.

It’s not EVER going to be about doing shit you thought you needed to do to get to where you make a lot of money, are really well known, etc.

It ALL gets to flow.

There is NEVER a need to have to show up like ANYONE else is or do any thing at ALL that doesn’t feel like ‘fuck yes’.

And every single time you SAY ‘yes’ to something because you think it’ll get you seen, noticed, it’ll help you climb that ladder, it’ll position you in a certain way, ETCETERA, what you’re actually doing is saying no to your soul.

Which is saying no to life.

The most amazing thing that I have learned in my entire life, and which continues to feel too good to be true, is this:

When I put my art first, always first, only first, and do it until it’s DONE –

The answers to everything are shown to me.

I know this is true for you also, the only QUESTION is –

Do you dare try it?

Don’t worry, the commitment isn’t too much – !

You only have to be willing to do it until you die.

All in.
Or all the fucking way out.

This is how it is,
to be an artist.

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