There is an issue that comes up again and again and again in my many painting circles, which is the idea that happiness and joy and ease and pleasure are not REAL spiritual and emotional work. And not to be taken seriously. Because of this belief, there’s an impulse to be constantly looking and digging for what is painful or difficult or challenging as you are creating, because that’s where the REAL art comes from. Of course, I call bullshit on all of this. This attitude is just another version of the starving artist syndrome, except in this scenario artists believe they have to starve themselves of joy. Also, opening yourself to the power of joy can be TERRIFYING. Because on some level it is the most transformational energy of all. We learn not to trust our joy because joy makes us vulnerable. Joy means we are open to life. And open to possibly being hurt. Many of us got all kinds of messages growing up about how joy wasn’t safe. Or welcome. Our joy was part of our natural exuberant expression as children and was often seen as threatening or too much. We were also told that joy can’t […]