Thank you Rachael T, Jack, and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

Week 7 was really about reconnecting with yourself as an artist: mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and creatively. The book gives us the topics, but everything we talked about today came from my interpretation and lived experience, especially as a Black woman who understands creativity through intuition, body awareness, and the way we navigate the world.

This week we explored four core themes: Listening, Perfectionism, Risk, and Jealousy. Each one touches a different part of your creative process and highlights where connection gets blocked or reopened.

The After-Party Notes go deeper into how to take aligned risks, how to work with jealousy without shaming yourself, and how to rebuild trust between your creative self and the guidance that’s trying to come through.

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✨ Key Themes

1. Listening

For me, this section is about changing your perspective on who you are in your creative process and who you believe you’re partnering with — God, Source, your ancestors, your intuition, whatever language feels real to you.

Listening requires two things:

* Detoxing the mind (Morning Pages)

* Feeding the body beauty and slowness (Artist Dates)

You need both because the mind-body connection is what allows you to be fully expressed as an artist. When your mind is cluttered or your body is drained, it’s hard to hear the spiritual insights and nudges that are meant for you.

One thing that really stood out to us:All art waits for you.

Once you understand that the art is already complete spiritually and you’re just expressing it, the pressure drops. You don’t have to “earn” being an artist or force something magical to happen. Your job is to show up, stay open, and let your gifts translate what already exists.This shift alone brings a lot of relief.

2. Perfectionism

We talked about how perfectionism gets framed as something “positive,” when in reality it holds your creativity hostage.

Perfectionism doesn’t make you better.It just keeps you stuck.

It directs your energy toward everything you think is wrong with you or your work, and it delays you from actually creating. It’s not excellence. It’s fear. And it keeps you from feeling satisfied, proud, or connected to your art.

The goal is not to perfect the work — it’s to express it.

3. Risk

Taking risks is necessary if you want to fully express yourself creatively. That doesn’t mean you jump off an emotional cliff. It means you stop waiting for things to feel completely safe, easy, or guaranteed before you make a move.

In the live, I shared where I disagree with the book on this.For Black women and for anyone who is trauma-informed, risk has a different meaning.

Safety is not optional.We can’t bypass that.

To me, risk means stretching in a way that supports who you are, not traumatizes you. It’s trying something new without attaching shame or pressure to the outcome. It’s letting yourself expand even when the voice in your head wants you to shrink.

4. Jealousy

This section was about reframing jealousy as information instead of something you should feel embarrassed about.

Jealousy shows you where desire is being blocked or denied.It’s not about the other person.It’s about what you’re not giving yourself.

When you feel jealous, the invitation is:“How can I give myself what I’m longing for?”

That’s how jealousy becomes joy.That’s how you reconnect with your creative energy instead of suppressing it.

💡 Main Activity: The Jealousy Map

A simple three-column exercise:

* Name the person you feel jealous of.

* Name why. Be specific.

* Write one action you can take that moves you toward what you want.

This works because it turns an emotional reaction into a practical next step.

🧭 Bonus Exercise: Archeology

This exercise helps you uncover parts of your artist child that may have been overlooked or unsupported growing up. It’s a deeper self-awareness practice.

Complete:

* As a kid, I missed a chance to…

* As a kid, I lacked…

* As a kid, I could have used more…

* As a kid, I dreamed of being…

* As a kid, I wanted a…

* In my house, we never had enough…

* As a kid, I needed more…

* I’m sorry that I will never again see…

* For years, I’ve missed and wondered about…

* I beat myself up about the loss of…

Then take inventory of what’s positive and present in your life now:

* I have a loyal friend in…

* One thing I like about my town is…

* I think I have nice…

* Morning Pages have shown me I can…

* I’m taking a greater interest in…

* I believe I’m getting better at…

* My artist has started to pay more attention to…

* My self-care is…

* I feel more…

* Possibly my creativity is…

Weekly Tasks

* Make this your mantra:“Treating myself like a precious object will make me strong.”

* Give yourself 20 minutes to listen to one side of an album. Doodle if you want.

* Visit a sacred space — whatever that means for you — and let yourself be quiet.

* Make your home smell good (soup, incense, candles, branches, etc.)

* Wear your favorite item of clothing for no reason at all.

* Buy yourself one small, comforting thing (socks, gloves, etc.)

* Make a collage or update your Lotus Life Deck vision board page.Include past, present, future, and anything you’re drawn to.

* List your five favorite films. Notice any patterns.

* Name your favorite topics to read about.See if these show up in your collage.

* Give your collage or Life Deck a place of honor — visible or secret.

🪞 Weekly Check-In

* How many days did you complete your Morning Pages?Did you allow yourself any creative risks or daydreams?

* Did you take your Artist Date?What did you do?How did it feel?

* Did you experience any synchronicities?

* Any other breakthroughs, challenges, or shifts?

If there’s one thing to take from this week, it’s the reminder that the art already exists. You’re not forcing anything or trying to manufacture ideas. As artists, our work is to stay open enough — mentally, emotionally, and energetically — to hear what’s already there and express it in the way only we can. So if something came up for you this week, pay attention to it. Sit with it. That’s part of your process. And remember: you’re not “behind” in anything. You’re learning how to reconnect with what’s been waiting for you the whole time.

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