19. Light as a Feather
Show Notes
Big 3 Ideas from this episode:
Thoughts are little feathers of insight and empowerment - helping you rise above your confusion.
What are your thoughts about your art?
What are your thoughts about business?
Try this feather on: “Any thoughts you can have about your art, you can have about your business.”
Maat, the goddess of truth, order, seasons, cycles and cosmic harmony
Amy Judd, @amyjuddart on Instagram
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[00:00:00] The metaphor mindset is a podcast for artists and creative thinkers, entrepreneurs and leaders who want to explore ideas around creativity and commerce.
[00:00:09] And this is episode 19 light as a feather.
[00:00:12] In ancient Egypt, the concept of my art was essential. To daily life and to life after death. Maat meant truth justice, cosmic harmony, It was personified or represented. By a percentage in the form of a goddess.
[00:00:44] She sometimes had wings, but always had an ostrich feather. The feather of truth. Coming straight up out of a headband. Around her head.
[00:00:52] She also carried a lotus staff and an ankh sign of life. She regulated the stars, the seasons, the order of things. And kept culture and nature in balance. With the rising of the Nile river and the falling away of the flooding.
[00:01:08] Maat was the ka or life force of the Nile river.
[00:01:12] So day to day balance was maintained by correct public life and ritual observation. And any divergence from this could bring chaos, famine, violence, or war. This may be one reason why Egyptian culture was one of the most. Unified. And stable cultures in the history of the world.
[00:01:37] So this was an incredibly powerful belief.
[00:01:40] With Maat to balance the scale, people needed to speak truth. Be honest, do good. Help. The less fortunate. Feed the hungry.
[00:01:50] This observance and concept created a class of scribes who taught these ideas by writing letters. There are two kinds of writing in ancient Egypt. The sacred writing to teach the bigger ideas about how people should live. And instructive writing, which was more about laws and taxes and measurements.
[00:02:09] Scribes could be either female or male. Male scribes would do more physical training while female scribes learned to dance, sing and play an instrument.
[00:02:19] Scribes would travel from community to community to influence people, to inspire and motivate them. Maybe like today's motivational speakers.
[00:02:30] By not only reading letters from the king, but performing them. They would act out the letters that they had written. I can imagine that this was the first theater.
[00:02:39] We're dancing around a fire. Or acting out. The day's activities then became acting out. A message from the king or from a leader.
[00:02:48] So the concept of ma this balance is super important to the culture. From day to day. Very important to the process of dying and moving into the afterlife. When a person died, [00:03:00] it was believed that they would go to the underworld or do what. And then you would have to go through certain steps in order to pass to your final destination. You'd have to be judged through a ritual called the weighing of the heart.
[00:03:13] So you'd show up with your heart in a pottery jar. They took it out of your body when you died. And in front of the judges. Your heart would be placed on the scale. Like a balancing scale. On one side was the feather of truth. Maat's feather.
[00:03:27] And on the other side was your jar with your heart. If the feather went up and your heart went down, then your heart was burdened with heavy sin or heavy. Darkness.
[00:03:38] At that point. If you were impure and unworthy to go into Egyptian heaven.
[00:03:44] Ammit, the devour of souls. Would eat your heart. Leaving you without a soul. So you could not go any further. And you'd have to remain in Duat kind of like being stuck in limbo.
[00:03:58] But if your heart was at least as light in balance. With the feather of truth or lighter. Then you were deemed worthy.
[00:04:08] To go onto the next stage and enter Egyptian heaven, which was called Aaru.
[00:04:14] I've been thinking a lot about this feather. This idea for this episode came from a friend of mine, a coach named Marcia Gerardi who lives in Oakland. We met in Eric Maisel's, online creativity, coach, community. I highly encourage you to join an online community of like-minded souls. If you have the opportunity. And I'm thinking of creating one myself. In fact, I'm going to be holding a Q and a session. So I can get your ideas about online communities and what an online art and business community might look like.
[00:04:45] If you're interested in coming to that Q and a session online. Visit my show notes page to find a link to that event. It's coming up on March 16th. So my friend Marcia, and I decided to exchange coaching sessions. I helped her with her website. And she helped me by helping me do a visualization to get me past my anxiety about being inconsistent in my business.
[00:05:09] That idea of consistency felt like that heavy jar. Oh, I'm not consistent. I want to be more consistent. It's so hard to put out a podcast every week or newsletter. Why am I doing this? All of these thoughts came up.
[00:05:27] But Marcia led me through a visualization exercise. And she helped me realize that consistency could be light as a feather. Rather than heavy. And I started to think about feathers and their symbolism. Also, I've been reading a lot of Egyptian art history.
[00:05:44] And I was interested in the story of Maat. But I wanted to take it further. So I spent some time learning and thinking about this idea as a creative concept, but also as a way that I could help teach and persuade and perform here on this podcast, just like the [00:06:00] scribes in Egypt.
[00:06:01] So I want to do a little exercise. That I recently did an, a class that I taught at the Schack art center in Everett, Washington. I taught my class, the four hats of artists in business. It was such a fun day. I worked with artists to help them think about their businesses in a broader way. To understand all the different parts of their businesses, all the different hats they have to wear.
[00:06:23] I'm thinking about the mindset to have for each part.
[00:06:26] If you're interested in this idea, you can go to my website. I have a free course. That you can sign up for on my home page. You'll get five emails, one every day for five days. And. Watch a short video. Each day about the four hats.
[00:06:43] And tips to think about the different parts of your business.
[00:06:46] So during that class, I did this exercise with the artists that were there and it was very fun.
[00:06:51] So let's go. First, just get a blank piece of paper. And draw a line right down the middle of it from top to bottom.
[00:06:57] On the left-hand side at the top. Right. Art thoughts.
[00:07:01] And on the right-hand side.
[00:07:03] And on the right-hand side. Right. Business thoughts.
[00:07:08] So this is our scale. So let's start with the art thoughts.
[00:07:12] On the left-hand side, write down everything that you think about your art, all of those sentences that are in your head. They might look something like this. And these are some of the thoughts that the artists in my class wrote. I love art. I love color.
[00:07:29] I love expressing human emotions through drawing the human face.
[00:07:33] I love experimenting with new techniques.
[00:07:36] The overarching words that kept coming up was love confidence, excitement, willingness to spend time. These are our thoughts about our art. Even if we have anxiety or trepidation, or we may not think we're as good as we want to be. Usually we're very excited and passionate about. What we create.
[00:07:55] Okay. Now to the right-hand side, under business thoughts, write down all the thoughts you have about business. You can even pause the podcast for a minute, if you wish to do that.
[00:08:05] Anyway, some of the people in my class wrote down. Taxes scary. Should I get a bookkeeper? Business is hard.
[00:08:13] I need a new website. I need to make more money. I'm desperate.
[00:08:17] Do I need a newsletter?
[00:08:18] I'm not confident. What about social media? What platform should I focus on?
[00:08:26] Do I really have to do reels. These are some of the business thoughts. That people wrote down. And a lot of the words that came up were scary. Ugh. Confusion inconsistent, anxiety insecurity and even hate.
[00:08:43] So if you were a soul new to the land of the dead, And you were in the underworld, you walked up to the scale and you have your list of thoughts. Your art thoughts and your business thoughts. And you hand it over to the Lord of the [00:09:00] underworld. And they adjust the scales and put your thoughts on the scale.
[00:09:04] How would it balance? Remember on one side is the feather of truth. So you can't lie to this scale. If you put your art thoughts up there. They would feel light as a feather, love, confidence, excitement, willingness, openness, experimentation, freedom. But if you put your business thoughts up against the feather of truth.
[00:09:25] Feelings of confusion, inconsistency. Unwillingness avoidance resistance.
[00:09:31] That's what a lot of artists. I know, in fact. Feel.
[00:09:37] And this is real. We want to have businesses. Because we love our art and we want to share it. And we want to create a business out of it.
[00:09:46] So I want you to think about all that we have. On our scale.
[00:09:51] Between our art thoughts and our business thoughts.
[00:09:54] It's my aunt's job as a goddess to keep things in balance. So when you have your scale out of balance, Your art thoughts, our light and your business thoughts are heavy. Everything seems out of balance.
[00:10:07] We don't want the business part to drag everything down.
[00:10:10] No wonder if your thoughts around art are light and joyful and fun, you will want to spend more time on that side of the scale.
[00:10:17] This often comes up in my classes. I just went to paint.
[00:10:21] The problem is that if you actually deep down want a business and you want to grow, you need to spend time on the business side. But no wonder if your business thoughts are heavy and dark and insecure, you won't want to spend time on that side of the scale.
[00:10:37] So I have three ideas that might help you balance your scale a bit. One create a baby step thought. Two create a bridge thought. And three, create a breakthrough thought.
[00:10:49] Okay. Number one.
[00:10:50] Create a baby step thought.
[00:10:52] Take your. Scale sheet with your art thoughts and your business thoughts and put it up on the wall.
[00:10:59] Then take three of your art thoughts and write them on little stickies. And stick them to your sheet. So you have. I love color. I love to connect with humans by drawing faces.
[00:11:12] And put them on the wall under your art thoughts.
[00:11:15] Then consider this. Here's a thought I've been practicing recently. Any thought I can think about my art. I can also think about my business.
[00:11:25] I'm going to say that again. Any thought I can think about my art. I can also think about my business. So. I love color for instance.
[00:11:36] How could I nudge it over to the business side of the scale?
[00:11:39] Maybe you create a new class. Or a painting. Or a series really focused on your color and then you reach out and try to offer it. Maybe you write a blog post about your favorite color.
[00:11:52] How can you take that thought? And help it make baby steps over to the business side.
[00:11:58] Number two. Build [00:12:00] a bridge thought.
[00:12:01] If you can't quite get to, I love my business. You might try building a bridge thought instead.
[00:12:07] Instead of, I love my business. You might try. I have a business. If you make art and you sell your art, you do have a business. I notice a lot of artists don't really want to admit or embrace their business. They say, oh, I just sell a few things on the side.
[00:12:24] Or I just do this for fun, and I sell things once in awhile, but deep down, they'd like to make money from their art.
[00:12:30] But they're having these thoughts that are really getting in the way.
[00:12:34] So if you practice the thought. I have a business.
[00:12:38] It might help.
[00:12:39] Say the thought over and over to yourself, write it on a sticky note, put it up on your mirror, or write it into your journal. It takes energy and time to create new beliefs.
[00:12:50] I know it has for me.
[00:12:52] After all a belief is just a thought that you think over and over. Okay. So now we have the baby step thought. And we have the bridge thought. And now we need a breakthrough thought. This might be something you don't believe yet, but you'd like to.
[00:13:08] Perhaps, I love my business as much as I love my art.
[00:13:11] In my Egyptian story about Maat. She wears a big, beautiful ostrich feather of truth on her head. And to me, this represents the idea. That we carry. Aspirational thoughts around with us. We aspire. These are our dreams. They float over our heads like feathers.
[00:13:35] Light is a breeze. And it helps her to fly to new places in her imagination.
[00:13:41] Many artists and coaches, I know want to help people, but what's holding them back. Is there business thoughts? They're heavy and confused and full of anxiety.
[00:13:52] No wonder it's hard to do the business side. When you have thoughts, this business stuff is hard. So my friend Marsha helped me create this vision. That consistency can be light as a feather. And it led me down the road of creating this podcast episode. About the metaphor of feathers. Which led me to study Egyptian history, which I love.
[00:14:13] And create a training and a concept around the feather of truth for you today. So, I just want you to see that as artists and teachers. We do not have to create businesses that look like everyone else's.
[00:14:29] Business is a safe space. Business is a creative space and you can create it however you wish. And I know that I say this on every episode that you get to make your own decisions. But I won't quit saying that. Because we forget. I hope this idea of balancing your art thoughts.
[00:14:47] And your business thoughts
[00:14:48] Are helpful to you in finding ways to tip the balance of the scale.
[00:14:55] So you can.
[00:14:56] Create that cosmic harmony that we all wish for.
[00:14:59] [00:15:00] Thanks everyone and have a courageously creative week
[00:15:03] If you're an artist who wants to sell and market your work more effectively join us in the metaphor mindset studio an online program for artists who want to love their business as much as they love their art
[00:15:23] metaphor mindset studio think like an artist work like a boss
Resources
Marcia Girardi, Creativity Coach. https://clearfocuscoach.com/
