Inner Voices of Creativity

Authenticity to the Rescue!

Allow your authentic inner voice to remind you that your creativity is yours and yours alone.

By Anne Marie Bennett

When I first created this SoulCollage® card, I had no idea who or what this woman represented to me. I only knew that I was irresistibly drawn to her image in the magazine, and that she seemed to belong on the fiery, billowy background here.

Truth be told, she actually scared me a little bit. There is something very fierce and dark about this woman, don’t you think?

However, when I trusted the SoulCollage® process enough to let her speak, I found great power, authority, and comfort in her words to me:

I am the one who stands strong and tall, who gazes ahead with utmost certainty. I am the one who is bathed in golden light. I am the one who is not distracted, who faces forward with focus and vision. I am the one who lifts my arms to the Source. I am the one who is strong in myself. I am the one who knows exactly who I am and what I stand for. I am the one who stands strong in my own authenticity, who doesn’t care one iota if anyone thinks I’m too glitzy or scary or hostile. I am the one who is ready, willing and able to destroy anything that gets in the way of my golden, shining, powerful, authentic self.

Sometimes I place this SoulCollage® card on my art table while I am working, or next to my laptop when I am writing. She serves as a compelling reminder that my creative work is mine and mine alone. When I see her, I am reminded to stand a little taller, a little straighter, and to be proud of whatever it is I am creating.

Claiming my own authenticity has been a huge step towards freeing myself in my art as well as my writing. This inner voice whispers loudly to me whenever I lose faith in myself, or when I start buying into the worries about what other people are thinking about my work. Ultimately, her message to me is this: You are shedding your light in the world, and this is good. Lift up your hands. Be true to your spirit. Continue to shine. All is well.

Inner Reflection:

Spend an hour or two this week looking through magazines. Rip out any images that call to your soul in ANY way. No judgments! Choose one image and allow it to speak several sentences to you. Let each sentence begin with the words I am the one who… You’ve now begun the exciting, magical, creative process that is SoulCollage®! Also, find some way this week to claim and honor your own authentic self. Create a prayer or a very short ritual you can do every morning in order to remember this vital part of your inner family. •

© 2007 Anne Marie Bennett. All rights reserved.

About the Author | More by Anne Marie Bennett
Anne Marie is a freelance writer and collage artist whose main passion is to spread the power of the SoulCollage process as far as possible. Anne Marie lives, laughs, sings, works, (and makes her own SoulCollage cards!) in Beverly, MA. To learn how to make your own SoulCollage® cards, please visit www.kaleidosoul.com.

06/29/07