AN ARTIST'S LIFE AND JOURNEY THROUGH THE UNIVERSE OF CREATIVITY.
My online journal of the process of making goals, turning negative to positive, artistic visualization and practicing gratitude for the talents I've been given.
Be the creative person you are by practicing The Secret of Universal Law, visualization and gratitude.
Without art life is gray - Art brings color to the world!
Here's where I blog about my newest art pieces, how they came to be and how I am creating a better life as an artist through a new attitude.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

DO YOU HAVE TO ASK?

This image is entitled "Why Me, God?" and is available as a free download for personal use only as a 5"x7" card image at PopArtDiva.com.
Post images Copyright 2008 by PopArtDiva.com. All rights reserved. No permission is given to copy, distribute or reproduce without written permission from PopArtDiva.com.
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Hey, You Big Chicken! ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE!

You'll have noticed I've been absent the last couple of weeks. Not really out of choice but out of a case of what I call "the blues". I won't give it that other word that starts with a "D" - it's like if you name something you give it life so I refrain from that as much as possible!

I've been experiencing a block to my creativity or rather a block to the enjoyment of my creativity - something that almost never happens to me! My creativity and my art have been my most reliable saviors. Through the loss of family members, bad economies, broken relationships and all the other "hard knocks" of life I have always been able to use some form of creative outlet to chase away "the blues" or keep them at bay until I could deal with them.

The past two weeks has been difficult for me because, though I worked, I was not enjoying it! To make matters worse I could not, for the life of me, figure out what brought this on. For a control freak like me that's just adding fuel to the fire! Not only was I "blue" I was beginning to get pissed off about it, lol!

So, I ASKED for some prayers and good thoughts from friends. They came through in spades and within 24 hours something absolutely amazing happened! Not only did I realize what it was that was creating this block to my muse, I discovered it was something that had been blocking my way to much of what I have wanted over the course of my life!

What was this block? Simple. It was "ASKING". I have never been able to ASK for anything easily. I had a hard time ASKING for the good thoughts I mentioned above! It was like pulling teeth for me to ASK for just the good thoughts! I spent 2 hours trying to decide if I would ASK. Give me a break!

Whether it is ego (won't admit the need for help) or lack of ego (don't believe the help is deserved) doesn't really matter to me at this point. I could not ASK and if you don't ASK you don't RECEIVE!

But you know what? I freaking DID IT! I girded my loins, looked at the big, ugly block of fear that had barricaded my way to so much of what I wanted in life and I took a flying leap over that ugly Mother of broken dreams! When I looked back I was surprised at how small that road block was! Why it was just a little bit of silliness wrapped up to look like the "Demon of Failure and Rejection"!

You see, what could it do to me? If you ASK, what do you have to lose really? Nothing in the big scheme of things - just the fear of rejection and what is that? Nothing. Fear is nothing. Rejection is nothing. It's only a temporary bruise to the ego and the ego ain't paying your bills or making you happy! Sometimes it's doing exactly the opposite!

ASK! ASK because all people can do is say no and no is just a word! No won't bite you! No can't hurt you if you don't let it. No is nothing. Not if you really want something bad enough! You'll take a No a million times if you have a Yes coming down the pipe!

ABUNDANCE COMETH:
So, how does this relate to abundance? Well, I have a really good idea for a product - I mean a really good idea. But this product would require large amounts of money and some business expertise I don't have.

Dear Me! I would have to ASK for something. I would have to ASK for help! Oh, my ego was having a hissy fit, it was drumming in my head, "No, No, I can't let you do that - you'll embarrass me. You don't have the right to ASK for something. I'm going to make you so sad you won't be able to ASK for anything!"

Something clicked in my head and I screamed back, "Shut up, Ego! Go to your room, you've been a bad Ego for decades and I've had enough of you! You are grounded and I don't want to see you again until you've learned your lesson!" And I sat down and wrote a letter and ASKED.

Whether or not this letter gets me what I desire remains to be seen. But in the simple act of ASKING I have opened up possibilities, possibilities that would not exist had I been to fearful to ASK. And possibilities are the pathway to abundance! Possibilities give you detours around road blocks, possibilities give you hope and hope gives you abundance! All you have to do is ASK!

I kind of like this ASKING. I think I'll do more of it in the future!

VISUALIZE VISUALIZE:
I am going to be visualizing my letter winging it's way into the "right" hands. I am going to visualize millions of bills floating gently down upon my product(s) from the sky. I am going to visualize some food too because right now I'm hungry. ASKING requires calories, lol!

IT'S ALL IN HOW YOU LOOK AT IT:
I don't like being "blue". But if I had not had this bout of temporary "blueness" right now, at this moment in time I might never have seen that silly roadblock for what it was - just a bump and not a mountain.
For the first time in my life I see how the words "bad" and "good" are only concepts we apply to situations. What may be bad now might be a good thing for the future. Bad blues, Good blues? - Yup, it's all in how you look at it.

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE:
I am deeply grateful that the thoughts and prayers that I ASKED for were sent my way.
I am grateful that I am, once again, free of the "blues" and happily regurgitating more ideas and doodling away.
I am grateful that I finally saw my fear of ASKING for the silly boogyman that it really was.
I am grateful for spaghetti - especially spaghetti with Italian Sausage!

Bye and go forth and ASK!

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10 comments:

Joyce Mason said...

This post is so great, I e-mailed it to myself to put in my Keepers! I promise myself--and my Pop Art Diva!--to review it every time I send out a batch of queries on any of my writing.

On prosperity, we have similar taste in visualizations. As a young Catholic school girl (imagine navy uniform and beanie with split-ends tassel), we often sang a hymn called Holy God, We Praise Thy Name. One line went, "Infinite Thy vast domain." (Imagine how that might apply to the Internet!) At any rate, I once drew in crayon with my kindergarten-level of artspertise a picture of me with large bills raining down from every direction from On High. My caption was Infinite, Thy Vast Doughmain."

Here's to a torrent of falling dough!

Anonymous said...

Excellent post! The concept of asking for what you want and need, is wonderful.

Best of Success to you,

Sally

www.drsallywitt.com

Anonymous said...

Oh, Joyce - I'm stealing your caption for your drawing "my vast doughmain", I love it!!!!!!!! Too cool, lol!

Sally - yeah and it only took me a half a century to get it!

Anonymous said...

Terri,
The Bible tells us to ask and we shall receive, knock and the door shall be opened, seek and you shall find. My prayer for you is that now that you have asked and knocked, that you will find, and in abundance.

Your experience will inspire others who are struggling with the 'blues'.

God loves His children, and I love you too!

Anonymous said...

Terri--

I've always admired your creativity, your wonderful sense of humor and your sparkling personality. Now, I add "wisdom" to the list. Your words are profound and I'm taking them to heart.

Thank you so much for sharing your inner thoughts with us--your readers. You are one wise woman, my friend!

Anonymous said...

Pam - Thank you. I have already been blessed by all the good friends who sent out the "good thoughts" and prayers I asked for, and from the learning experience and gained knowledge of my inner workings!

If more blessings are to come it will be the icing on the cake!

Feisty - I don't know how wise I am, after all it took me a few decades to figure this one out, lol. I'm just thankful I got there finally!

Melodieann Whiteley said...

I'm stealing your post to motivate my team! How inspirational you are. I have been trying for a while to get some of them to just ask - ask for the sale, ask for the referral, ask them to join your team. No luck. Then you come along a explain it so well. You are a very wise woman indeed! Congratulations on your breakthrough and thanks for sharing it with the rest of us.

Anonymous said...

Melodieann - Better yet, just e-mail them the link to this post and let them read it and comment on it here!

Theres a little envelope below each of my posts that will allow you to e-mail it to anyone!

Parents Rule! said...

I am truly grateful to have read this post. Thanks for sharing--I believe that many of us go through the same thing and this will help someone else.

God teaches us little lessons all the time. You showed great wisdom recognizing yours.

I love the visualization. It is hard for me but I am working on it.

Pop Art Diva Enterprises said...

Pat - thanks for stopping by! I don't know how much wisdom I showed - like I said above it took me decades to figure this out, lol!