Self-Love September

Self-love is not a radical new concept, but it's one that we often overlook. It's easy to wrap ourselves up, not only in our own responsibilities, but in the lives of others as well. And during this process, we tend to forget a fundamental truth.... that we need to care for ourselves before we can be fully open and able to care for others. That a little self love is transitory and spreads out from the source to embrace the spirit of others. Fill yourself with kindness until it spills out on the earth and reaches the tip toes of others.

I stumbled across an amazing YouTube channel hosted by the amazingly personable Kelly-Ann Maddox, who has been doing videos for her Self-Love September sessions for a few years now. Each year, her audience grows, and her encouragement reaches others... including myself, and I realized I'd really like to share this gem with my audience as well.

You can watch her introductory video to last years sessions below.

Though the concept of self-love may be a little "woo-woo", a little too esoteric or neo-pagan for some, I thought the message was an important one to share, because it transcends religion or ideology. It's just a message of support... and we can all use a little more of that, eh? That we need to be told to love ourselves is certainly a sad state of affairs, I know, but I (for one) am accepting the challenge to love and care for myself as I would my own children. And, as a result, be able to share that affection and attention with others.

Kelly-Ann recently released a Sound Cloud session for creative folks that I particularly wanted to share with you, all about owning your own creative process. This has always been hard for me, as I struggled with what might be creatively "expected" of me, while the work I was itching to complete might otherwise be ignored or unappreciated. We're taught, especially in business-minded circles, that giving the customer what they want is the key to success, whether this aligns with your own aesthetics or not. And this audio clip was a beautiful reminder that sometimes we have to show folks what they want, via our own voice and creative tenacity. This is all about giving ourselves permission to create according to our own journey and not that of others. How many times, as a creative business owner, have your heard "You should make (enter random thing totally not in the least connected to your aesthetic or creative voice)." Or, how about "Aren't you a little too old to play with jewelry? Don't you think you should get a real job?" This audio file touches on these types of ingrained expectations and behavioral patterns. Have a listen!