There’s a moment in my life I can trace back to this painting, “Birthing A New Vision,” where something began to shift.
Not all at once. Not dramatically. But quietly… and for good.
I was in my level one Soul Art certification at the time. This piece started as an assignment. But what came through on the canvas was something much deeper than I understood at the time.
It was about boundaries.
Before this, I didn’t think of myself as someone who had boundaries. Or maybe more accurately… I didn’t think I was allowed to have them.
I was accommodating.
Understanding.
Flexible.
Easygoing.
All words that sound good on the surface, but underneath, they often meant:
I overrode myself.
I stayed when I should have stepped back.
I said yes when my body was saying no.
I abandoned myself to keep the peace.
When I created this painting, I was beginning to see that. Not fix it. Not master it. Just… see it.
And that was the beginning.
There are three full-body tracings layered into this piece. At the time, I understood them as the integration of my feminine and masculine energies. Looking back now, I also see something else:
Different versions of me learning how to take up space.
Boundaries aren’t loud, the way I once thought they had to be. They’re not about pushing people away. They’re not about being harsh or rigid.
They’re about staying with yourself.
Even when it’s uncomfortable. Even when someone doesn’t like it. Even when it changes a relationship.
For me, learning boundaries has looked like:
Pausing before I respond.
Listening to my body instead of overriding it.
Letting silence be an answer.
Not explaining myself into exhaustion.
Trusting that “no” can be complete on its own.
It’s not perfect. There are still moments I catch myself slipping back into old patterns. But now I notice. And that noticing… is everything.
This painting holds that beginning. The moment I started to claim something I didn’t even fully have language for yet. The moment I began to understand:
I am allowed to take up space in my own life.
If you’re in that place where you’re just starting to see it…
Where something in you is whispering,
this doesn’t feel right anymore…
You’re not behind.
You’re right on time.
Create boldly. Live beautifully.
I share reflections like this, along with creative practices and quiet encouragement for the journey, in my monthly newsletter, What’s Blooming in the Orchid Garden.
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Wander a little further through the garden...