We are all priceless works of art - complex, vulnerable and capable of stirring great emotional reactions in others. As any artist knows putting your work "out there" can be a very challenging and difficult thing - our art is who we are, part of us, something we have created. Our art like our hearts is something we hope others will appreciate, maybe even love. But what if nobody likes us, what if they don't appreciate us, or judge us prematurely. What say they riddicule us, or try to tear us down. What say they simply paint over us, ignoring the quality and uniqueness of what lies below.

As works of art we hope that people take the time to see below the surface and recognise who we really are and who we could become. Perhaps our true beauty is there close to being realised or perhaps it needs time and gentle peeling back and restoration to overcome layers of scum built up over a lifetime of neglect.

Perhaps we have been so forgotten that a major escavation, archaelogy style is needed


As with any work of art the process needs to be gentle. There is so much to gain and so much at risk:
Will someone take the time to restore you to your innate glory?
Will they accept you as you are - splendid in your imperfection?
Will you do the same for others?

The most important legacy you can leave the world is to be loved and to love others in return. If this is an area in which you struggle take a leaf from the artists guide to love:

1) Put yourself out there - you won't be discovered sitting at home with the curtains pulled...except of course if you are working the internet! Dating on-line could be the way to go initially

2) Don't be afraid of rejection - every step you take gets you closer to success. Even some of the most famous artists of all time were rejected at some stage of their career.

3) Stay away from your critics. You can't be everything to everybody.The critics hated french painter Pierre Bonnard's colourful works of art but the public adored them. If someone you care for is critical of you they're not worth paying attention to. Maybe they'll change their mind, maybe they won't. The important thing is not to take their criticism to heart and to continue to be your biggest fan.

4) Surround yourself with your fans - people who support you. The French impressionist painters were famous for getting together and supporting each other. The great people in life are the ones that believe that you are, or could be great too. They encourage and support you and walk with you as you embark bravely on new adventures. Get together with like minded friends - why not join a dating group or buddy up with another single friend and share strategies.

5) Walk away. Nothing you want is upstream. When doors close or relationships fail to seed tread carefully. Doors open for you when you are following your bliss. Every great love I have always had has been a case of instant magic. The relationships that have soured were hard work to begin with. The trick is to find the balance between deciding whether to walk away or put in some effort. Sometimes the best things in life, like a great work of art, do take effort. Let your in-tuition guide you. The right decision is one that fills you with a sense of peace.

6) Perservere As America singer Meat Loaf said, "If you flog what you have endlessly, eventually you will find an audience." Don't let any setbacks stop you in your tracks. Meat Loaf was told endlessly that no one would ever buy his album "Bat Out of Hell." He was told he was too fat, too ugly and too unconventional to ever be taken seriously. As of 2007, it has sold an estimated 34 million copies, and continues to sell approximately 200,000 per year - living proof that passion and individuality, not stereotypical notions of perfection, hold the key to an authentic, successful, love filled life.

7) Go natural. Resist the temptation to try too hard to impress. You are perfect as you are and sometimes less really is more. As one of my favorite artists Helen Frankenthaler says:

"A really good picture looks as if it's happened at once. It's an immediate image. For my own work, when a picture looks labored and overworked, and you can read in it—well, she did this and then she did that, and then she did that—there is something in it that has not got to do with beautiful art to me. And I usually throw these out, though I think very often it takes ten of those over-labored efforts to produce one really beautiful wrist motion that is synchronized with your head and heart, and you have it, and therefore it looks as if it were born in a minute."

Attracting love the artists way is a colourful, inspired way to live. It involves living out loud and actively creating your love and your life. Stay tuned for the next update on how to love, work and live with passion! In the meantime continue to be playful and let your work of heART evolve.

Labels: Life coaching