Written by Tammy Machmali
As artists, we work hard all of the time to pursue our dreams and visions. We often don’t have a boss or a deadline -- we are our own bosses. We can be hard on ourselves, constantly wanting to do better, do more, and create more. It’s incredibly easy to lose sight of what we’ve already accomplished, what we’re already achieving, and our present capacity to create.
The artist’s life is full of ups and downs. To fully experience the ups and to soften the blow of the downs, we can practice gratitude. Developing gratitude benefits our minds; being optimistic, motivated, and connected to others – which in turn benefits our art and our ability to keep on creating. Starting a gratitude practice is easy.
Gratitude is what keeps me excited and energized throughout the day when I don’t feel like it. I usually wake up groggy and with a bad attitude! I need a few hours, probably until noon, to feel like myself. I am wired to feel anxious and look for drama and disaster, probably like my ancestors before me who had to look after themselves for survival. I know that in my life I don’t have anything even close to what they experienced, or what they had to go through to live a good life. Still, the energy is there. Usually from the moment I wake up, I am anticipating that something will go wrong. Practicing gratitude helps me to shift and change this way of thinking.
“The more you practice gratitude, the more you see how much there is to be grateful for, and your life becomes an ongoing celebration of joy and happiness.”
What Is The Purpose of Gratitude??
Gratitude is based on the acceptance of all the good and valuable things in life and the experience of appreciating these things freely. It can be explained as a temporary feeling and a personality feature.
Practicing gratitude is a tool or skill I don’t understand, but despite that I added it to my daily routine simply because it is free and easy yet it works wonders. I initially felt skeptical and resistant that gratitude could have any meaningful impact on my state of mind and mood, but -- as with anything new in life -- it can take time to see benefits, so I kept practicing gratitude with an openness to the fact that this is a skill and habit that takes time to cultivate.
Why are gratitude important for artists and creatives?
Practicing gratitude in the face of comparison, jealousy, and negativity helps us artists to:
See the positive, good things about ourselves and our work
Be happy and content with ourselves
Notice the good, positive things about others and their work
Be happy for others; support and compliment their work
Have a sense of motivation to learn and grow
I decided to practice gratitude daily because of the changes I witnessed after only a few days of saying and writing down things in my life that I am grateful for. Let me tell you that when I am in gratitude I have a positive attitude and outlook on life that is full of laughter and lightness. Nothing bothers me on days when I wake up and start with counting my blessings and feeling grateful. All of a sudden I smile at strangers. I am a better mother, wife, neighbor, friend, teacher and artist. Even the art I create on days that I am grateful sells better…
This practice is part of my life today, but I forget that many people haven’t yet tapped into it. Although everyone has access to it, they may forget or don’t know about it. I know it sounds so simple but believe me it is powerful. I start my morning with gratitude like I do with meditation and prayer. It is a combo. Don’t ask me how it works. It does!!! I say out loud what I am grateful for and I write it down; I even text people I am grateful to and let them know about it. This practice keeps me present and grounded to see the good in everything and everyone, instead of listening to my own mind that wants to focus on disasters and what went wrong. I list what I am grateful for when I feel anxious or even when I feel resentment toward someone. This practice allows me to see the good in every human being and situation.
Why Gratitude?
I discovered the gratitude tool 12 years ago during a difficult time when I felt broken, sad, and in dark times. It was the tool that helped me the most throughout these agonizing moments. Just like everyone else I have challenging moments that are part of the human experience. I figure that with gratitude comes a relief that helps to put life in perspective, shifting my focus to things that work and are positive. This is when I began to experience that power and magic of gratitude.
What Are The Benefits Of A Gratitude Practice?
Practicing gratitude is like practicing mindfulness, and its benefits are regularly written about in a variety of mainstream newspapers, magazines and blogs.
In 2014, Forbes magazine published an article entitled “7 Scientifically Proven Benefits Of Gratitude That Will Motivate You To Give Thanks Year-Round” in which were listed the following benefits:
Gratitude helps to cultivate new, deeper relationships
Gratitude improves physical health
Gratitude improves psychological health
Gratitude improves empathy and reduces anger and resentments
Gratitude helps you to sleep better and longer
Gratitude improves self-esteem and energy levels
Gratitude increases mental strength
If you’ve never adopted a gratitude practice before, it may feel strange and there may be moments when you wonder, Is this really making any difference? This is completely normal and happens to almost everyone at the start.
How does it work?
There are lots of ways to increase your gratitude. Whether you choose to count your blessings in a gratitude journal, or you decide to share your appreciation with others, take a few minutes to cultivate gratitude. Feeling thankful can be the simplest, and fastest, way to improve your life.
It can be as simple as just saying or writing:
Today I am grateful for my family, my husband, and my daughters.
I am grateful that I have a roof over my head and food in my fridge.
I am grateful for my art and my creativity.
I am grateful for my health.
Develop an Attitude of Gratitude
Of course there are some days that we go through circumstances that can feel inconvenient, when it’s harder to tap into gratitude, especially after experiencing illness or even death. The positive aspect of it is that when practicing gratitude, harder times no longer feel impossible. The intention with gratitude is not to put pressure on yourself to think positive when you go through painful experiences or to be in denial. The goal is to direct your focus away from dwelling on what is not working well, and instead cultivate an attitude of appreciation for all the blessings you do have in your life. No matter how small, this attitude allows you to make room for more blessings and solutions to come. It’s also possible to work it into everything you do, asking yourself throughout the day, “What is good about this moment?” or “Is there anyone that deserves appreciation right now?” Even if it’s not bound to a specific frequency, just committing to saying thank you more often or writing letters of thanks to people who have been inspirational helps you to get started.
There are clearly lots of benefits to practicing gratitude. If these benefits sound valuable, then decide to start today. There are lots of ways to do it – some that take barely any time at all, and others that are more involved. The first step is to begin.
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog about practicing gratitude, and for considering how it can help you as an artist. I really hope it can be helpful to you in some way (as it has been for me and many, many others).
How does it work?
There are lots of ways to increase your gratitude. Whether you choose to count your blessings in a gratitude journal, or you decide to share your appreciation with others, take a few minutes to cultivate gratitude. Feeling thankful can be the simplest, and fastest, way to improve your life.
It can be as simple as just saying or writing:
Today I am grateful for my family, my husband, and my daughters.
I am grateful that I have a roof over my head and food in my fridge.
I am grateful for my art and my creativity.
I am grateful for my health.
Develop an Attitude of Gratitude
Of course there are some days that we go through circumstances that can feel inconvenient, when it’s harder to tap into gratitude, especially after experiencing illness or even death. The positive aspect of it is that when practicing gratitude, harder times no longer feel impossible. The intention with gratitude is not to put pressure on yourself to think positive when you go through painful experiences or to be in denial. The goal is to direct your focus away from dwelling on what is not working well, and instead cultivate an attitude of appreciation for all the blessings you do have in your life. No matter how small, this attitude allows you to make room for more blessings and solutions to come. It’s also possible to work it into everything you do, asking yourself throughout the day, “What is good about this moment?” or “Is there anyone that deserves appreciation right now?” Even if it’s not bound to a specific frequency, just committing to saying thank you more often or writing letters of thanks to people who have been inspirational helps you to get started.
There are clearly lots of benefits to practicing gratitude. If these benefits sound valuable, then decide to start today. There are lots of ways to do it – some that take barely any time at all, and others that are more involved. The first step is to begin.
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog about practicing gratitude, and for considering how it can help you as an artist. I really hope it can be helpful to you in some way (as it has been for me and many, many others).
Let me know if you have any questions contact.
You can also follow me on Instagram @tammymachmali
