My favorite practice for the fear of being seen
Decoupling creative expression from constant evaluation
Welcome to Gentle Musings, a publication about reconnecting with yourself, experiencing life as a creative practice, and living out loud. Gentle Musings is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support this work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
One of the fundamental beliefs that drives what I do and how I show up:
You are here on this spinning planet to be creatively expressed.
You are here on this spinning planet to be creatively expressed even if you feel disconnected from your desires and your gifts.
You are here on this spinning planet to be creatively expressed even if you’ve been rejected by the world when you’ve shared your creativity in the past.
You are here on this spinning planet to be creatively expressed even if you hold monumental levels of self-doubt, fear, and painful stories of unbelonging and not being enough.
You are here on this spinning planet to be creatively expressed even if you have tried to ~do the thing~ you are creatively called to do and it has felt draining and confusing.
You are here on this spinning planet to be creatively expressed!
This is something I’m ok being a broken record about. And I’m not actually trying to convince you of this (many of the people reading this letter are deeply connected to their innate creativity, you might be one of them). I’m just here to affirm and encourage a trust in the wisdom of your creativity in a world where its power is demeaned and dismissed.
Regarding Dew was born from the pain and desire to…
1) Be creatively seen and expressed within myself
2) Practice the courage to share my expression as I crafted an ecosystem that felt safe and welcoming for the parts of myself—at that time, major parts—that felt vulnerable and stuck in fear
3) Contribute to a culture where it is safe and fulfilling to be seen and creatively expressed by welcoming you into the ecosystem of Regarding Dew
My earliest ‘mission statement’:
Regarding Dew is about being seen and celebrated in your multiplicity and sweet humanness. Everything that I offer is in service of you living out loud in tenderness and boldness. This work is in honor of your gifts, your lovable idiosyncrasies, your deepest visions, and your multifaceted magnificence.
When, in the words of Émile Zola, we ‘live out loud’, we are vulnerable to shame.
When we live out loud, we are vulnerable to being misunderstood, criticized, and even ostracized. Living out loud can also mean being vulnerable to violence. These vulnerabilities are entrenched systemically, unevenly, and cellularly.
I want you to feel safe in your creative expression, safe in your creative practices, and safe in your most creative self (whatever that means to you).
While ‘living out loud’ is vital, it doesn’t stop there: Creative expression deserves to be received.
I want to share about a creative practice that is so simple and so enriching when it comes to sharing your creative expression—your perspective, your stories, and your distinct presence.