​What we don't get to see is what happens behind the scenes: the sweat, the endless hours of work and the patience that goes into every masterpiece. 
​
Few people talk about the middle part. Because, the middle of the creative process is actually the hardest part. When your inspiration is gone, you are exhausted and not sure where this is going. It's when you lie awake in bed wondering where it had gone wrong. This uncomfortable feeling of being lost. You feel like shit. Feeling miserable and vulnerable. Feeling stuck. Some also call it a creative block. We try harder, push harder,....or think about giving up. 

As any artist can tell you, there comes a point in creation where the maker start to become filled with self-doubt. Ready to give it all up. This is the messy middle.

​When we are right within the messy middle, we don't see where this is going. And we don't see that this is part of the journey.
When you are going right through it's hell.
It's struggle.
It's disappointment.
It's heartbreak. 

In these moments, it is crucial to stick with it.

It is important to embrace the struggle, to follow through it and to turn that beautiful mess into something that you really love. ​To embrace the messy middle. 

I can tell you from experience that it is such a relief when you realise, that there is nothing wrong with you! When we realise that we are still worthy of love and belonging within our struggles. And maybe just because of them! This mess will go over and it's normal. It is just part of the process.

Actually, it is a very common thing: In the script of a novel, for example, the messy middle is when the main character must face a tough journey to learn a lesson. That's rule number one in every storytelling, movie or novel. 
​We have to get used to the idea that we will fail, but that this is not a problem. It's the challenge to get through it. To not let it stop us from finishing our projects.

It is normal to fall down. And to get up again. 
Or as amazing Brene Brown puts it in: 

Happy new year!
Yeah, I'm pretty late with this, hahahaha! But HEYO, it's still january and I still wish you all a wonderful, colourful year and a lot of exciting soultravel in 2017.
​I might not know what's up for you in the next 12 month - but I am up for some pretty big undertakings. Let's have an adventures year together!

After the holidays I was so enthusiastic to get back into my studio to paint, which means actually to first make myself a "studio" place. So as all family was back and life went back to normal, I morphed the spare room back into my art studio. Anyhow, I was so happy to be back with my dear friends turquoise, orange, magenta and green - I couldn't get myself in front of my laptop to write a blogpost and greet you.

That also remembered me that writing is not really my thing. I petty myself about it (no, not really) but sometimes I wish I would be über-communicative and rocking all kinds of social media platforms with my fantastic quotes and writings. Well, it's not me. So I am very grateful that you actually still read this and keep following me. It's also nothing new that I am more a visual person and less a language-freak, I already wrote that on my very first blogpost in june 2016, which reminds me, that I am actually quite proud that this blog is already running for half a year. Pretty nice.
Well, so I might change this blog format during the year and I definitely will add a lot of pictures. And here comes my newest feature: an instagram recap from my week! Tons of visuals promised :)

Instagram is my favorite online place to post pics and to get inspired by other creatives. Here’s a roundup from the last days, and for those of you who aren’t on Instagram, come and join me!

I wish you all the very best!
Big hugs, 
​Lisa