EXPRESS MORE OF YOU
Creatively? YES YOU CAN! BY SALLY FOX
E
veryone is born creative. Over time, many of us are ambushed by a set of critical gremlins who want us to believe that we don’t have the talent or capacity to do what we love. Self-judgment, comparison, and competition form a wicked trio that squashes our innate joy in expressing ourselves creatively. The good news is that with age, we can change that. Our third act comes with a permission slip to abandon the old messages that were never true. Were you told you couldn’t sing? Time to open your mouth. Or couldn’t make art? Bring out the pencils and fingerpaints. Or not to tinker in the garage? Tinker away. Today is your best time ever to create if you’re willing to try. I’m living proof. For years, I belonged to a millionmember chorus of people who believed they couldn’t sing, at least not in public. When we were children, someone probably said, “You can’t carry a tune,” “You’re off-pitch,” or “You call that singing?” Humiliated, we believed what we heard. We retreated, closed down, and started apologizing for our voices. Nobody was there to remind us that anyone can sing if they can talk. All babies are born cooing and crooning. No child says, “I can’t sing,” until something discouraging happens. For me, that moment occurred in third grade. I was standing in our class chorus, front row right, as the teacher, Mrs. Johnson, conducted. As I sang my heart out, too enthusiastically for her taste, she stopped the class and said, with an over-sweetened smile, “Dear, I think you’d be better suited as a soloist.” What a great compliment, I thought, until the real meaning hit: “Your voice sticks out and not in a
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good way.” After that, I only sang when hidden in church or among Christmas carolers. I returned to singing 50-plus years later when, during the pandemic, I decided to take an online course with Chloë Goodchild from England. Goodchild believes everyone can sing once they find their natural “naked” voice. I learned to stop judging every note and instead learned to witness my voice. I enjoyed the power of silence. As I practiced in triads with classmates, I didn’t worry whether my voice would warble, break, or miss a pitch. My voice blossomed. Soon, I even dared to be the one who started the “Happy Birthday” chorus—small for some but big for me. Now you can’t stop me from singing. Many children have had similar, discouraging experiences in art class. In grade school, “artistic students” are often singled out while others, like me, go into the “no talent” pile. Why try when we’re sure we’ll never make “real art?” According to Dana Lynne Andersen, director of the Academy for Art, Creativity and Consciousness at Awakening Arts, this often happens to children by age 10. The good news is that once her students open the door to creating again, they always find an inner seed ready to sprout. I’m the poster child for someone who believed she couldn’t paint. Then, at age 69, I was introduced to an older woman who taught watercolors at the local senior center. “Try my class, you’ll love it,” she said. I responded with my standard-issue remark, “Sorry, I don’t do art.” She refused
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