Oh, Wow! (The Importance of Thinking Differently)

— We’re a funny lot. People, I mean. For all our claims of wanting better and more interesting lives, we actually tend to simmer in our sameness day after day after day.

The thoughts you think and the feelings you feel today are all too often the exact same thoughts and feelings you felt yesterday. And last week. And a month ago.

We need to shake something up — make ourselves think a little differently — to break lose of our old patterns and wake up a bit and see the world afresh.

This is why travel can be so much fun. And it’s why getting involved in a new creative endeavor can spark all sorts of changes in our lives.

And it’s also one of the reasons I think Photoshop Artistry, our advanced “AWAKE” group, and the magazine we publish each month are so valuable.

Not only are you exposed to new ideas, new training, new content every month, but in the private Facebook group you’re continually hit with new ideas, new approaches, new creative directions that make you think, “Oh, wow!” and set your mind humming in a new key.

This is partly what makes being here so much fun. Every day you’re being exposed to new work and new possibilities.

Thinking a little differently each day, feeling inspired in new ways each day, your creativity and imagination are able to thrive in a way they simply wouldn’t if you were off on your own stewing in the same old thoughts, same old everything, month after month.

Without question, being part of “AWAKE” changes all of that.

It’s one of the most thrilling parts of what we’ve created as a group, I think.

Every day there’s something new to inspire you, something fresh to learn, something fun and exciting to explore.

Keeps you on your toes.

And keeps your toes tapping.

Every day you’re learning to think a bit differently. You’re learning to explore ideas you might never have explored otherwise. You’re taking chances you would never before have taken.

And ultimately, because of all this, you’re creating a vibrant artistic life you can savor and take pride in.

Stay with it. Keep challenging yourself. Return again and again (to the training, to the magazines, to the group on Facebook if you’re part of “AWAKE”) and let it all fuel your imagination.

Allow the adventure of each day to carry you along.

Live this way, strike a fresh path again and again, and your heart will speed with the promise of magic around every corner.

– Sebastian

 

The image featured on this post is by AWAKE artist Jill Capper. Just the sort of piece that serves up a fresh bit of wonder!