Dear Friend,

Thank you for stopping by the Mindfulness Painting Experience Weekly Blog. I hope that you enjoy what you read and come back for more. This weekly blog focuses on weaving creativity into the foundation of good mental health. Today’s blog is about Managing Your Inner-Critic.

Self-ish?

It’s not selfish or bothersome to let others know how you are doing. In fact, it is a gift to share yourself and what you’ve been feeling. Sharing who you are is how you connect and heal as friends, family, and community. It helps people to share in our celebrations and to support each other when we are down. The biggest gift is that no one needs to feel alone on this journey we call life.

What holds me back?

We all have an inner critic. I call mine “Brutta” because she is brutal. The name means “ugly” or brutal in Italian, but also indicates a “rough copy, a first draft.” Aha! That’s a clue to what she wants. Let me explain: if I’m thinking about doing anything differently, “Brutta” will give me hell. When this happens, her voice says I’m not good enough. I’m just a “first draft” at best. My Brutta speaks only to the insecure or insufficient parts of me, though. Brutta is my judge and a bit of a bully.

Shame comes up when Brutta speaks. My self-image begins to crash and burn, and I had better have the fire extinguisher handy. I am faced with a divided self: expectation vs. reality. For example, maybe I am insecure about the direction that my business is going, or I had a different idea of the level of success I would be at this point in my career. Bingo! That’s the only opening a judgmental Brutta type needs.

When her criticism comes, I need to be ready to hear it. I need to be ready to wade through the shaming to what it really means in a positive way. For more about this topic and others, sign up for the Mindfulness Painting Experience Weekly Newsletter. You can sign-up by clicking the link at the top of this page. If you have any questions about Mindfulness Painting and how these topics are applicable, feel free to contact me at jody@mindfulnesspainting.com.

Creatively Yours,

Jody

Jody Tompros, Intuitive Artist & LCSW

Mindfulness Painting Experience: Creating Art from the Soul