Betsy Rowe 6/13/25 Betsy Rowe 6/13/25

Abundance vs. Scarcity

I dated a man who was a sculptor. At that time he was finishing one sculpture and had ideas brewing for his next. The message of the next piece was to be a provocative question surrounding guns. He would need parts and pieces of guns for his work. I enlisted myself as a fellow gun-parts-scavenger.

I dated a man who was a sculptor. He was finishing one sculpture and had ideas brewing for his next. The message of the next piece was to be a provocative question surrounding guns. He would need parts and pieces of guns for his work. I enlisted myself as a fellow gun-parts-scavenger.

Since it wasn't typical to find gun parts readily for sale at antique shops and resale stores, especially where we were living in California, I was going to ask some people I knew to help me out. I asked my boyfriend if he minded that I told people what his art piece was going to be. I was fearful of sharing his idea and having someone take it.

When I asked him, he looked at me questioningly. This look was quite common between us due to a language barrier, but this time he had understood exactly what I was asking. I was being protective of his idea and didn’t want others to steal it. He told me in his own words that ideas don't belong to him. Ideas are not to hoard and protect. Their purpose is connection. If ten people have the same idea, their expression will come out differently based on the individuality and unique talents of the artist. He said to tell anyone and everyone, the more thought-provoking art existing in the world, the better.

This perspective blew my mind. I had been operating from a spirit of scarcity, thinking that great ideas were apparently for a chosen few and needed to be guarded so other people wouldn’t do them first. His answer shot holes through the foundation of my understanding (to use a gun metaphor).

This new perspective of abundance as opposed to scarcity changed my whole outlook on ideas and art. It was "just" a perspective shift that day, then I started to notice when I was making decisions from a scarcity-mindset which translated to fear, protection, control, and the need to be first. As I became aware, I was able to shift my thinking to an abundance mindset which translated to acting in love, generosity, freedom, and lifting up others.

I had to consciously choose to act from a spirit of abundance with love and generosity. Not that it was easy. It was hard. And the feelings of scarcity were still there at first.

But the difference of choosing to act in love and generosity was astounding.

It takes effort to change perspectives and actions. I still struggle with it at times, but less and less and less.

What I've learned from operating out of a spirit of abundance is that there is so much freedom! Freedom of expression without the constriction of fear that I have to finish an idea before someone else does it. Freedom to share ideas with others and actually encourage them to make art. Freedom to lift up others and enjoy their wins. There is freedom of releasing my art into the world without the concern of acceptance from everyone because my tribe will connect with my art and there are many different (abundant) tribes out there! There is freedom to enjoy the process of creating without the drive for comparison because it is not a competition for one artist to win. Abundance means every artist can be good in their own way. Abundance means similar artists can stand beside each other and all can be amazing.

I've also found that what I tend to be in the little things, I am in all things. For example, if I'm protective of my art ideas, it stems from something deeper than my art. It stems from the spirit of scarcity. From that foundation of scarcity I see life, not just art, with scarce opportunity (so I need to fight for my place), scarce approval (so I need to be noticed over others), scarce winners (so I have to try to be the best), scarce talent (so if others are “better”, my talent doesn’t count), etc. Living in that spirit generates fear, competition, feeding ego and deciding I've lost before I even try.

In contrast, the spirit of abundance in life looks like being confident in my own uniqueness and standing fully in my own being whether I have a leading role or supporting role. It looks like following my instincts with enthusiasm and joy whether they’re popular or unpopular. It looks like releasing my art into the world with confidence that it’s authentic and that is enough. Abundance looks like encouraging myself and others, celebrating myself and others, connection with self and others, empathy for myself and others, asking for support and supporting others.

Doesn't living in a spirit of abundance feel expansive just thinking about it?! It's so beautiful, strong and wild!

May we all be beautiful, strong and wild.

*If you’d love to have a friend (that’s me!) send you emails of encouragement, insight and suggestions to live a creative life, then click here to sign up for CELEBRATE the newsletter. Or pop in here to the blog whenever the spirit moves you for a creative nudge!

Creating makes me feel alive. I want you to experience that same vibrancy!

Betsy Rowe 5/6/25 Betsy Rowe 5/6/25

I Need Space

In order to best tap into my own creativity, it’s incredibly helpful to have space in several ways and for several reasons.

In order to best tap into my own creativity, it’s incredibly helpful to have space in several ways and for several reasons.

It’s beneficial to have some alone time, a space where I’m away from other people. It’s optimal to have a physical space, like a studio, to create and store creative tools. There is also the idea of giving myself space, as in freedom, to make mistakes, experiment, and have silly ideas.

Having space away from other people helps me to sort out all the other “voices” in the world so I can better hear my own. I’m an empath, meaning I pick up other people’s feeling and energy which can alter my own. Having alone time allows me to feel my own inner inklings more clearly.

A studio or designated room for art is not necessary, but it’s helpful. Since I’ve had a studio I have easy access to my tools, art-friendly work surfaces, and the space to leave creations sit unfinished until I can get to them again without having to put everything away after each session. It’s super convenient and keeps my flow running smoothly.

Freedom of the mind is an inside job and it’s essential for creativity. By definition, creativity is bringing something into the world that didn’t exist before. It’s hard to create something new with a closed mind or being scared to make a mistake. With an open mind, a mind free to explore just to see what happens, creativity flows naturally. Giving yourself unedited freedom to follow your curiosities is a space rich with creative potential.

Don’t be afraid to claim some space for your creativity. You are worth it!

Creating makes me feel alive. I want you to experience that same vibrancy!

Betsy Rowe 3/31/25 Betsy Rowe 3/31/25

Plan to Fail

I plan to fail.

This isn’t a self-deprecating statement. It’s more like a reframe…

I plan to fail.

This isn’t a self-deprecating statement. It’s more like a reframe of the creative process. Such a large part of creativity is giving myself room to play! Giving myself freedom to throw ideas out there and enjoy them for the sake of the adventure of creating, not the immediate outcome.

Planning to fail can be hard for me at times. I want to bring it up and talk about it because the results of planning to fail have allowed me to make my most meaningful art!

I told you earlier in the newsletter about my book and all the forms it took before it felt like it was right. If I had stopped when it didn’t fit well into an online workshop format, well, it would still be a ripe idea stuck lying in my pile of notes.

Using the book as an example, I created my idea of an online workshop. It didn’t work online as I had wanted (fail). I tried it as a pdf download requiring customers to print it (closer, but fail). Next I put it in a workbook format (very close, but fail). I continued and it then became a book.

My steps forward could be considered fails. Okay. So they were fails. MY FIRST FAIL TOOK ME TO MY NEXT FAIL THAT TOOK ME TO MY NEXT FAIL THAT TOOK ME TO MY NEXT FAIL…that took me to the answer, the book!

Get the picture?

And guys, the notes I started two years ago weren’t even close to complete sentences or being spellchecked or in any type of order. I just put my ideas onto paper willy nilly. If I would’ve started editing my thoughts as they came out on paper, I wouldn’t have gotten far. It would have stifled my creative energy.

When I give myself freedom to create as play and accept failure as an important part of the process, I can move forward.

Creating makes me feel alive. I want you to experience that same vibrancy!

Betsy Rowe 3/1/25 Betsy Rowe 3/1/25

Li’l Bit E’ry Day!

“I don’t have time!” This was a continual thought for me.

“I don’t have time!” This was a continual thought for me. I wanted to make art. I had so many ideas, but I didn’t have time. It’s true that I didn’t have time to make art all day, every day. It’s true that I didn’t even have time to make art for one day a week. But, I did have time for 20 minutes a day.

Can I make as much art as I want to make in 20 minutes a day? Of course not! But I can do something.

I asked myself honestly, what are my choices? My choices are, 1) since I don’t have time to do art as much as I prefer, I won’t do any and I won’t feel good about it or 2) I set aside 20 minutes a day for art and do what I’m able.

For me, the answer was to do what I was able in short periods of time because creating is such an integral part of who I am. Everyone’s answer will be different and they are all valid answers. Maybe your passion is painting, writing, dancing, cooking, botany, jewelry making, etc.

Whatever your passion, don’t underestimate the substantial progress you can make after a week or a few months if you work even 20 minutes a day on your project (This would be a great time for me to do the math and create a cute little chart to show you the hours that can be accumulated in a week, month and year by working 20 minutes a day….. but I choose to spend my 20 minutes today NOT doing math)! (big cheesy smile)

There are challenges that arise when I’m only working for short periods. For example, it can take 15 minutes to figure out where I left off yesterday and figure out what I should do today. Last month I wrote about tactics I’ve learned to make the best use of my time for these exact reasons, you can check it out here if you like.

Let me ask you a question. Have you ever had an idea or project you’ve wanted to bring to life but haven’t worked on? Then at some point you see someone who has done that type of thing and developed it to a level that you dream of? You get that ache in your belly and think that if you would’ve started when you first had the desire, you’d be there by now!

Please hear me, let that ache in your belly be your message to start now. You’ve got 20 minutes a day, right? Just start. Future-you will be SO grateful you did!

*If you’d love to have a friend (that’s me!) send you emails of encouragement, insight and suggestions to live a creative life, then click here to sign up for CELEBRATE the newsletter. Or pop in here to the blog whenever the spirit moves you for a creative nudge!

Creating makes me feel alive. I want you to experience that same vibrancy!

Betsy Rowe 2/16/25 Betsy Rowe 2/16/25

Unlock Creative Blocks

When I feel creatively blocked I don’t get freaked out (anymore).

What helps me when I’m creatively blocked…

When I feel creatively blocked I don’t get freaked out (anymore). I’ve realized a pattern that informs how I unlock my creative floodgates.

Creativity is play. It’s daydreaming then piecing that dream together in real life with the tools at hand. If I haven’t had time to play, if I haven’t been relaxed enough to daydream, I’ve shut off the floodgates.

I’ve found that scheduling time to rest, just rest, is essential. Another thing that helps is to consume some type of art for the sake of enjoyment, not for the purpose of getting ideas; I listen to music, watch a movie, read a book. I fill this soul up! Stuff it full of soul-food.

Doing something that’s restful for my body & soul, with no goal other than to enjoy myself, is a healing balm for creative block. There are so many things…dancing and going for a walk are two I love. And there’s something about going to a garden center/garden nursery that releases all sorts of stress as well as ignites my passions.

There are two other things I have to mention that get the creative juices flowing again. One is going somewhere totally new. I love doing this! I love exploring and surprising my senses. The other is following my interests. My creativity is unique to me and your creativity will be unique to you. Follow where it leads. Your curiosity holds power to open the floodgates of your imagination and passion.

Next time you feel creatively blocked, try these out and see what happens.

Rest
Consume art
Do something enjoyable with no goal other than to enjoy
Go somewhere totally new
Follow your interests

I hope these can help!

*If you’d love to have a friend (that’s me!) send you emails of encouragement, insight and suggestions to live a creative life, then click here to sign up for CELEBRATE the newsletter. Or pop in here to the blog whenever the spirit moves you for a creative nudge!

Creating makes me feel alive. I want you to experience that same vibrancy!

Betsy Rowe 1/30/25 Betsy Rowe 1/30/25

Start

I tell myself this all the time! …

Start.

Start. Start. Start.

I tell myself this all the time! It doesn’t matter that I love to follow my creative curiosities and I feel vibrant & alive when I do, still many days it’s hard for me to get started.

Seriously, so many days I just don’t feel inspiration. My gumption has melted out and snuck back to bed. Even making stained glass art on these days feels like a great big chore.

What helps me is to think of just the one thing I need to do next (with my current art project). Just that one thing. Then start.

Time after time when I didn’t feel a fire under my hiney to start creating, I focused solely on the next thing to do and made myself start. Soon I’d find myself thinking it really wasn’t so bad after all! I’ve been pleasantly surprised that my gumption usually starts to grow once I’ve started.

I mentioned last month that it helps me to have a detailed to-do list, mine is on a white board in the studio. The specific task I need to do for my current art is always at the top of the list. When I focus on that one thing, instead of thinking about the whole project, it’s much less overwhelming.

The bite-size tasks make it less daunting and it’s incredibly helpful for me to have that next task already decided! If I don’t have a plan, I get overstimulated thinking of everything I want to do and then get bogged down in my head and don’t do anything at all. Have you been there?

I’ve been there many, many times and that’s why I keep a list that’s broken down into small tasks then make myself start the top one. It’s a powerful key for me to get things accomplished.

*If you’d love to have a friend (that’s me!) send you emails of encouragement, insight and suggestions to live a creative life, then click here to sign up for CELEBRATE the newsletter. Or pop in here to the blog whenever the spirit moves you for a creative nudge!