The Beauty in the Messy Middle

How many times have you looked at a blank page—or a mirror—and heard that familiar, nagging whisper? That’s not quite right. You aren’t skilled enough for this. It looks messy.

We carry around these inner conversations like heavy luggage. Sometimes they tell us our art isn’t "fine" enough, and other times they turn toward our own reflection, picking apart body image with the same harsh red pen we use on our sketches. We spend so much time trying to polish the edges and hide the "mistakes" that we forget the most beautiful parts of ourselves often live in the layers, the scribbles, and the shadows.

At some point it just clicked….. stop trying to make a perfect likeness and start trying to capture a feeling, the inner critic finally gets bored and leaves the room.

In this video, I’m just playing. No high stakes, no expensive canvases—just newsprint, some marks, and a messy portrait that isn't trying to be anything other than what it is in the moment.

This practice of showing up exactly as you are is the heartbeat of the course I’ll be teaching this June at the Sacred Makers Soul Retreat at Squam Lake. My workshop, Soulful Mixed Media Self-Portraits for Healing the Creative Spirit, is all about this exact conversation.

We’re going to use paint, paper, and even needle and thread to explore our light and our shadow. We aren't just drawing faces; we’re practicing an act of compassion. We’re going to take those parts of ourselves we usually try to "fix" or hide and give them a seat at the table.

If you’ve ever felt like your art (or your spirit) was a bit too messy, I want you to know: that’s where the magic is. We’ll be stitching together the pieces that are ready to be reconnected and remembering that healing only happens when we honor the whole picture.

I would love to have you join me by the water this summer to make some beautiful, soulful messes together.

Join me at Sacred Makers: Class Details & Registration