What it really means to design a life you love
Today I want to talk about screenprinting.
Or more broadly, what taking an art class has taught me about living my life on my own terms.
Recently I got it into my head that I wanted to sign up for an art class.
Now if you’ve been with me for a while, you know that my relationship with my creativity has been a little fraught.
For many years I didn’t “do” art. I might have thought of myself as a creative person – but actually create something? No way.
Then COVID hit and the only thing that made sense to me was to pull out my watercolors.
Fast forward a few years, and I started to embrace my identity as an art “dabbler”. I drew stick figures, occasionally painted, and even put a few of my designs on t-shirts and tote bags.
But did that make me an artist? I wasn’t convinced.
Nonetheless, two months ago – on a whim – I signed up for a new art class: screenprinting.
Screenprinting…with its massive LED exposure machines, chemical emulsions, transparencies and layered inks.
Screenprinting…done in a big, crowded workshop, side by side with lots of really talented illustrators and artists.
Basically the opposite of sitting in the quiet of my home and tinkering with my watercolors.
For the next 6 weeks, I diligently went to the workroom and spent 3 hours completely out of my element.
The process was confusing. I was on my feet, sweating in the heat, trying to follow very specific steps. And none of my designs came out the way I wanted.
It wasn’t just uncomfortable. It was embarrassing.
I was embarrassed to ask for help and sheepish to admit when I didn’t understand the instructor’s feedback. I doubted myself and felt so self-conscious, always feeling in the way or like I didn’t know where to put my hands.
There were many times when I wondered why I had done this to myself.
As we neared the end of the 7 week course, I started to see that I was running out of class time to finish the project I was working on.
If I wanted to finish my design, I’d need to book time and come into the studio on my own.
[cue the scary music]
See, it was one thing to feel like a total newbie when the instructor was there to double check my work. But to have the confidence to stride into the workshop, on my own, and screenprint without that “safety net”? Yikes.
Still, finishing my project was important to me. I decided to give it a try.
You know that feeling when you go to the gym and see all the other strong men (and women) lifting free weights and doing machines and you’re like, OHMYGOD I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO OR HOW ANY OF THIS WORKS?
Yeah, walking into the screenprinting studio on my own was just like that.
I pulled out my supplies and placed them on the big work table, finding a spot to squeeze into beside the other artists. I listened to them chat about their process and stole glances at the beautiful prints they were making.
I felt intimidated. But I stuck with it.
And a funny thing happened, something I didn’t expect: I held my own.
In this room full of other artists, I found my groove. And my confidence.
Mixing inks, taping off my registration marks, flooding my paper and pushing the ink through the screens.
Using the industrial hose at the wash station to clean my tools.
Making noise.
Making ART.
I might have missed some steps here and there. I still felt a little awkward. But I did it.
And I did it on my own terms.
When I think about how I define the concept of designing your career and life, what comes to mind is the notion of living your life on your own terms.
Getting to decide and choose – who you are, how you make money, what you value, how you take action, all of it.
When you design your life, you may not do it the way everyone else does it – but you do it YOUR way.
It can feel awkward, vulnerable, visible. It requires bravery and a willingness to step out of your comfort zone. And also?
Your life becomes art. A bespoke, one-of-a-kind masterpiece – one that’s uniquely yours.
Try This Out
Today I invite you to contemplate what it means to be the artist or designer of your career and life.
To me it means getting to live my life on my own terms, but it may mean something different to you. Use these questions to dive in:
What does it mean to you to design a career and life you love?
What might change if you decided to step up to the “artist’s workbench” of your life and start intentionally creating?
What’s at stake if you don’t?
What to Do Next
Your next assignment?
Sign up for the class. Take the trip. Say yes to the unexpected dinner invite. Step into the flow.
If there’s something you’ve been wanting to stretch into, take this as your sign to do it. And if you feel the need to justify it to anyone? Tell them Ashley told you to 😆
And stay tuned – next week I’m sharing the news about my biggest, boldest creative project yet. I can’t wait to tell you all about it!!
Onward,
