Highlights from my sabbatical: Three Notes from a black woman artist on rest & productivity.
One year ago today, I began a sabbatical. A pause. A moment for reflection and rest. (It took me two months to stop working!) And, as I leaned in, I developed a new relationship with my self, to my work and my relationship with others. Here are a few notes from my valuable time of rest and regeneration.
Dear Artist: You Make Great Work! I didn’t know how much I needed to hear this. Again. How about you? Say it out loud. Repeat it to yourself. Speak to the artist in you before you begin your day. “Dear Artist: You Make Great Work.” And when the work is not there that day, you still make good work. So, “Dear Artist: You Make Good Work.”
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Listening to myself about myself, to be the authority voice in my own ears, matured during sabbatical. I am becoming a great self-motivator. It takes practice. First, we must be still, be silent enough to hear what we need to say to ourselves about ourselves for this season.
Ask for Help (I have all the help that I need). Whoa. I have been noticing the ways I block my own help. (what is that, Imposter Syndrome??) First, by not asking for help, second, by not believing that I will receive good quality, real help. (more about this in another newsletter) And so, I learned to dance. Making due in order to get through. I stopped dancing in sabbatical. Many bad habits form when we operate in a spirit of lack, fear and/or disbelief. Now, I wonder,
How much more will work flourish when we ask for and receive help?
Pay it Forward today. Many hands, hearts, and minds gather to birth a new idea, a solution to a problem, a shift in cultural norms. It can be hard to look up and stretch out when our eyes are solely focused on what is in front of us and on our own plates. Look Forward. Pay it forward with more than money. How about crafting a thoughtful experience? Seed into what we don’t see yet but believe in now. I believe in creating memorable experiences with care and enjoyed doing this in small ways for myself and others during my sabbatical. I look forward to sharing some of these moments with you.
In summary, there are so many more notes and so much more to say. My sabbatical gave me renewed confidence and energy, stronger faith and clarity. Rest is not something to be ashamed of, it is instead, a funnel into possibility and productivity.
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Monica
photo by Robyn Twomey