Listen to your own voice
Losing Myself in the Crowd
Do you ever look up and realize an hour has gone by after scrolling through reel after reel on instagram, or trying to clear out emails and emails of “irresistible offers”? This happens to me more than I’d like. I often fill my mind and thoughts with an endless cycle of entertainment, jibberish, other people’s concerns, lives, and input to where I don’t even have space for my own wonderings. It’s as if I swung the doors of my mind open and said “come on in y’all!”
Since I’m a curious person by nature and genuinely love knowing people and subjects that interest me, I tend to dig deep and fit more of whatever I’m learning about, often overlooking what I’m feeling or experiencing personally. Therefore, it’s easy for me to get stuck in space where I don’t give myself a chance to digest and take action as a result of what I’m learning.
Last week I found myself realizing, I can’t fit anything else in. From former experience, when I hit that point, I know I need to stop, get quiet, and listen inward. By listening inward, I don’t mean listen to that interrogating voice of doubt that asks if something is safe or imagines what all could go wrong. I hear that one easily often. I mean the little whisper that some refer to as intuition, spirit, or soul. The voice that truly knows me best, knows I am created as worthy and good, and invites me to dream and move into my purpose.
I know I need to stop, get quiet, and listen inward.
Mixed media collage journal page “Create for You” by Sarah King
Accessing My Own Voice
One of my favorite ways of listening inward, as you may have heard me say, is through creating with my hands. Creating, no matter the medium tends to calm the waters of my turbulent mind. I find that when my hands are working on something, my thoughts and feelings can arise that were previously covered up in the wake of noise or fear. I can hear my inner voice, or sense my intuition, more clearly.
Once I quiet my mind, I can sense how I’m feeling. I’ve been learning lately, primarily through teachings from Dr. Tracy Timberlake, that sometimes just being able to identify how I feel is helpful in order to know what my next steps should be.
Letting those emotions rise is an important step in releasing them from me and taking action. After I name how I feel, then I can ask myself, “What do you need in this moment?” and take action on that. That is a place of empowerment. Otherwise, I’m wandering around aimlessly feeling stuck and not sure why.
I find that when my hands are working on something, my thoughts and feelings can arise that were previously covered up in the wake of noise or fear.
Collage Journal Page
In response to this realization that I needed to get quiet and access my voice, I chose to create a mixed media collage journal page. I didn’t know beforehand what it was going to say, but as I started looking through a magazine for images or words that stuck out, the phrase, “Create for you” jumped off the page.
Not for the crowd of voices and messages surrounding me, but for me. It ended up being a message to myself that I needed to hear and will keep it close as a future reminder.
Now the next goal is to create more regular time to get in touch with my inner voice, so I don’t have to be practically hitting the wall before realizing I need it. Ah, the learning continues :)
The Process
Supplies:
Watercolor paint for the background (you could use any type of paint, markers, or colored pencils)
Paintbrush, water, paper towel
Foam brush
Film negative
Mod podge
Magazine clippings
Wrapping paper clippings
Scissors
Planning the layout before gluing the collage to the page.
First, I played with watercolors to fill a page in my journal. To do that, I brushed water on the page then dropped hefty blobs of wet watercolor paint and smeared it around. When you wet the page first with a thin layer of paint, it helps the paint colors mix together more fluidly.
Next, while the watercolor was drying, I found the words from a magazine and foilage images from old wrapping paper and cut them out. I also colored around the edges of the words with a colored pencil and used a black marker around the quote to create some definition.
After I had my collage materials, I moved them around on the page until layed them out on the page until I found a layout I liked. I moved them off to be able to glue them on, but kept them generally in the same layout on the table for my reference.
Then, using a foam brush, I applied a thin layer of modpodge to the page, then to the back of the paper, and again over the top once I placed each collage piece on the page. This helps create a smooth surface.
Click the demo video below to watch my process of the assembling/gluing step.
Want to learn more about accessing your inner voice?
If you would like help accessing your intuition, and operate in the power of your personal voice, I invite you to join in our next Personal Power Retreat! This event is a meaningful, immersive collaboration by Tia Norman, Andrea Mosley, and myself. We’ll guide you through the phases of:
Releasing what holds us back through mediation led by Tia
Opening to our dreams through manifestation coaching from Andrea
Creating a physical representation to welcome our desires through a creative activity led by yours truly
Save the date for an evening of personal power in Houston, Texas on Saturday, April 23, 2022. Details & registration coming soon.
