Hiya!,
I hope this finds you well :) This was my latest email newsletter.
Hope you find something helpful in here because I found it helpful to write xo
How is it going?? It has been a long time! Like a looooooong time. Even the crickets gave up on this newsletter LOL! And, you might be thinking... "Lisa what is up?? Did you get lost? How is the biz? Is everything cool and harmonious?" Well....yes, ila & alice has been fantastic and I am super thrilled with the work I have been doing. The creativity is flowing! But I didn't reach out sooner because but the truth is, I didn't feel like I had much to say. I've been creating like crazy and have made some great art but I didn't feel that I had anything of value to share with you that was authentic or from the heart. Every month I put "write newsletter" on the to-do list but I always felt the same way....uninspired and unmotivated. Meh. Which is not a great way to feel when you are trying to share your new biz with people.
And sooooo to be honest, it was a difficult start to 2018 for me personally and in the interest of being upfront and authentic (because that is where this is going), the last four years have been difficult as well. I will get into details later in other emails but I wanted to let you know that it's not you, it was me. I have been working through some stuff and wasn't sure what I had to share with you that was of value. The good news is that I feel differently now as I have (finally!) figured a few things out. Let's chat for just a few minutes. I won't keep you long, I promise. It will only take about 5 minutes there are some nice warm and fuzzies in here for you as well.
Friends, I have had issues all over the place. My issues have issues! LOL! I have been working hard on these difficulties and happy to report that I am having success managing my issues. Most importantly, in dealing with these difficulties I have many "ah-ha" moments and realizations that I wouldn't have had if I wasn't going through the healing process. The biggest lightbulb moment was when I realized that my work, my art and WHY I was doing what I was doing was the healing process in itself. That working through my issues of self-worth and value with my art was the best therapy of all. It also was a huge moment when I knew that my pain, anxiety and deep-seated fear of "not being good enough" was oddly enough one of the best ways that I could connect with all of you. Life works in strange ways doesn't it?? Strange but amazing!
My word for 2017 was "connected" and I did well connecting with like-minded gals and I formed a small tribe for myself. It was through these connections I realized that what I was fearful of and had great anxiety about were the same fears as the women I was connecting with. We are all feeling the same things but many of us sit in quiet shame afraid someone else might find out we are not perfect. An imposter even?? I read post, after post, after post, online from the brave few who dared to be truly open and admit these fears and how they ruled their lives.
Ugh. You know the ones I mean?? Fear of not being perfect, not being good enough, fear of being seen and fear of NOT being seen. So many women have great anxiety around their value and sense of self-worth. They (you, me, we) have trouble seeing their value in the world. So many of us go about our days listening and even worse, BELIEVING the nasty things our inner critics and egos tell us. It breaks my heart how many of us berate and belittle ourselves. I mean seriously. We do this to ourselves all.the.time AND half the time we don't even realize it. We go about our day "la la la. you suck! la la la. no one cares!" It is crazy making and it is so pervasive. But here's the thing, we all deserve to have self-loving and kind thoughts run through our minds every day. Now, I realize that this is very complex and primal in its nature and there are no easy answers but the key here is that we don't have to be alone in our struggles.
Soooooo now....this brings me to you. YEP! I've been thinking a lot about you as I move through my journey of healing. I think about your struggles and what holds you back in life. I have thought a lot about what you need to hear, to read and to see to help you heal. And, you ask... "My good woman! How do you know these things??" Well, as much as I would like my superpower to be that I can read minds, I can't. However, I am working on getting much more in tune with my intuition and I would say, I know this because it is (and I feel quite confident in this statement) pretty much the same thing I need.
Why am I thinking about you? Well, not only because you are fabulous Darling but also because I have been considering what to share with you here in the newsletter. I have been thinking about how you and I are similar. We all need words of love, encouragement, kindness and support. We need not only to be listened to but to be heard. We need to hear that we are enough the way we are.....right now in this exact moment...we are enough. We ARE good enough, smart enough, strong enough and we all have immense value. We need to be reminded we are not alone and that we are all connected. I know I need to hear these things every day and there is no shame in needing to hear them.
Connected. I want us to FEEL this. WHY? Because this is the stuff of healing and of an energy that can be felt whether you and I are near or far. Connection through the sharing of our journeys and our stories. That our connection is shared in a way such that you feel seen & heard. There is so much great shizzle in being connected and that, my dear friend, is where the magic lies. And, I don't know about you, but I can always use some good old-fashioned sparkly, mystical magic in my life. Life can be hard enough with going to work, paying bills, doing the same damn dishes over and over every day. Shazam!...bring me some magically-connected-shizzle AND! a glass of wine :)
My work and the art I make is full of sentiments, words and images that I have used to help me heal and grow over the past four years. I have to come to understand that the work I have created is three-fold. It is to help me, it is to help you and it is to help connect all of us. To connect us through this medium but also, with your friends and your tribe. The people who you want to help and reach out to. I know it sounds cliche but we really are all connected and I know that as women, we do connection very well. But, I also know from the hundreds of posts that I've read, many of us still feel alone and many times we feel isolated and ashamed in our fears. But when we share and connect we take away the power that fear has over us. Connection can be our superpower because let's face it.....mind reading would get ugly and weird really fast ;)
So yeah, my goal is to make this newsletter a place where stories are told and where you are inspired. That my words bring support and comfort. That the cards that I make connect you not only to me but to the people in your life who you want to support, cheer on and send love to. Would I like you to buy a card from me?? Of course *smiles big* BUT! what I really want is to connect and share. That is number one because that is the foundation of our healing and support. There is so much empowerment within connection. Oooooooh, did someone say empowerment?? Empowerment is my word 2018 but more on that next time.
I will leave it there for now. I know you are busy and have lots to do and I am sure I should be cleaning something where.... LOL! Thank you for sharing this quick chat with me. Speak kindly to yourself and remember...... you are enough. Much love, Lisa xo
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