We all Need Advice, but…

We all need advice, but…..

When the previous pope was dying he was asked to name his successor and he refused because he said the cardinals should rely on themselves.

We all require guidance, in particular when we are learning a new craft.  In the early days (so long ago) of my having discovered polymer clay I followed chosen tutorials to the letter.  In the process I learned a lot.  But was I being creative?   I think not. 

The change came when I attended a course by Christine Dumont.

Christine did not teach me how to make something.  She taught me how to create something, with guidance.  She advised on composition, on symmetry (or asymmetry), on colour and on depth – she taught me how to rely on my creative self.

So it is with life experiences.   There are many times when we need guidance but ultimately we are responsible for our responses to what happens in our lives.

In this currently changing world people are being tested.  The US is an example of where people need to actively choose how they will respond to what is happening. There are many well-known creatives from the polymer clay world in the US. Some are wanting to retreat in understandable fear, whilst others may do so out of shire exhaustion.  But unless most chose to act, what is happening will continue.  It has happened in other countries resulting in untold pain and suffering. 

This example is extreme, but how often have you heard me say we are responsible for our response to what is happening in our lives?   It is worth repeating constantly.  Yes we often need guidance, but unless we take responsibility and act, we will inevitably fall into dependence, and that results in disappointment and negativity.  If you are an artistic creative, how much can you learn and develop when you are dependent?  

Of course we are not islands, and we need other humans.  We thrive on collecting opinions.  But eventually we must make our own decisions and act accordingly.