Several weeks back I was at a gallery opening with some creative women, and they were each sharing what they did. After hearing one woman say she was a mixed media artist and another say she was a photograph, the third said, “I’m just a longarm quilter.”

Why did this person’s passion become a “just a?” I know those of us who grew up in the 60s with the women’s liberation movement remember hearing people saying “just a housewife,” and thinking I would never be know as “just a.” There is so much more to us.

And, I know she is not the only one who says “just a” and then has second thoughts about what she said.

When I started to reflect on what she said, I wondered where she placed her value. Did she value herself and her work to the same degree as the mixed media artist and the photographer? How did she value her work? If that is where you fit in this equation, take some time to go back and look at what your value is and why you might refer to your passion and profession as “just a.”

The other thought is that she was scared to think bigger. We have all been there. Stepping into something bigger is scary. We wonder if we can really do it, if we have what it takes. And, of course, the answer is yes.

So the next time you start to say you are just a, stop and think about what you are saying to yourself and leave out the “just.”

Maybe you had an aha moment when you realized you dropped the “just” and learned to confidently establish your title in the creative arts? I would love to hear how ICAP helped you in that area?

See the ICAP blog at http://www.creativeartsprofessionals.com/weblog/
 

Tags: self-value, self-worth

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 8th, 2015 at 10:15 am and is filed under Success. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.