Positive Affirmations

Every month during the 2nd week of my Studio Workshop, I ask everyone to lie on the floor, close their eyes, and then repeat the following affirmations out loud:

• I am a creative genius.

• The world needs what I have to give.

• I practice my craft every day, and I am ready.

• I am an artist, therefore I choose faith over fear.

• I love my voice.

We spend about 5 minutes total on this, repeating each affirmation out loud, over and over and over again. Repetition is the key here. Our self-talk becomes mental muscle memory whether we like it or not. So CHOOSE to harness the power of self-talk and use it for good rather than repeating nasty things like “I can’t”, “I won’t”, “I’m scared to”, etc. Replace that negative and exclusive self-talk with affirmative and inclusive self-talk.

After we finish the Five JWS Affirmations, I ask everyone to identify an area of their life that they know would benefit from positive affirmation. With that mind, they are then asked to create their own affirmation and start repeating it out loud, over and over and over again. This moment is pretty scary for everyone. It is one thing to repeat the words I have placed in their mouths. It is another thing entirely to use their own words and speak them out loud so that everyone can hear. We have just repeated “I am an artist, therefore I choose faith over fear,” so the choice has already been made. We CHOOSE faith. But that doesn’t mean the fear just vanishes.

The hesitation, the FOPO (Fear Of People’s Opinions), and the doubt are all still present, but the artists CHOOSE faith instead.

They take a deep breath and start repeating their affirmations out loud. After several repetitions, I can feel the tension start to ease, the trust begin to grow, and the creativity begin to flow.

So, give it a try. Use my 5 affirmations and then write the 6th on your own. When you write your own affirmation follow these two guidelines:

Keep it in the present.

Keep it in the affirmative.

PRESENT - Rather than “I will trust my gut,” simply eliminate the “will” and it becomes “I trust my gut.”

AFFIRMATIVE - Rather than “I won’t hold back”, rewrite from negative to affirmative and it becomes “I give it everything I’ve got.”

What are you ready to affirm?