FOREWORD

In our overstressed and overworked lives today, we are facing a crisis of spiritual hunger, emotional disconnection, and an abandonment of our well-being. We have placed personal fulfillment and the nourishment of our sacred inner selves on the back burner, and as a result, we find ourselves facing burnout and internal emptiness. While creativity is an elixir for so many of our problems today, many think, I don’t have a creative bone in my body; creativity is not for me.

That creativity is reserved for artists or a select chosen few is a myth that needs immediate correction. At an all-too-critical stage in many of our lives, creativity was squashed out of us when we were told “You are not good enough” or “You have no talent.” What could have become the most powerful force in our life toolboxes was extinguished through this form of Post-Traumatic Art Disorder. Yet it is never too late to nurture our spirits through creativity. There is no better time than now for us to rewrite the script of creativity’s potential role in our lives.

The capacity to be creative is within us all. If you are alive, you are creative! From caveman paintings to the creation of cures for the most complex diseases, inner creativity is a channel of authentic expression through which our innermost thoughts, ideas, breakthroughs, emotions, longings, and truths are expressed into the world. When accessed, creativity guides us toward living as the best, most joyous, and authentic version of ourselves.

Years ago, as I overcame my own dark night of the soul, it became clear to me how crucial creative self-expression was in my own life. Paintbrush in hand, the canvas became a sacred, safe place that welcomed the full expression of my soul, guiding me to learn, grow, and blossom as an individual. I felt a life calling to share the uplifting power of creativity with as many people as possible. Tus, in 2004, I founded The Art Studio NY, New York City’s #1-rated art school for ages 2–102. Trough my work with thousands of people from every corner of the earth, I have witnessed firsthand how reconnecting with our inner creativity is a catalyst for personal transformation, increased happiness, and a deepened sense of purpose. As we navigate the twists and turns of life and its mysteries, I know this much is true: When we tap into the creative spiritual force that lives within each and every one of us, we come home to our most authentic selves and learn how to create the most important masterpiece of all—the canvas of our lives.

When Mary contacted me about my newly published book, Release Your Creativity, I felt a kindred spirit was reaching out her hand to join together in a collaborative creative revolution. Naturally, I was honored and thrilled to receive the invitation to write the foreword to her inspiring book.

Weathering many of life’s storms with grace, dignity, and an open heart, Mary reclaimed her inborn creativity well into her adult years. Through her creative reunion, she learned how to transform life’s most painful struggles into opportunities for her own healing, personal transformation, and, ultimately, the creation of a more joyful, purposeful life.

As an accomplished author, public speaker, and community leader, Mary opens the home of her soul to us and shares how creativity can transform our lives into a richer, fuller, more meaningful expression of who we are in the world. In her touching and heartwarming book, Mary acts as a wise, trusted friend who holds our hand, chapter by chapter, through the intimate and vulnerable journey toward reuniting with our creativity.

Part memoir, part inspiration, part education, Mary Potter Kenyon’s Called to Be Creative offers a genuine and thoughtful voice that inspires the reader to reap the rewards of embarking on a creative adventure toward self-discovery.

I trust that you will enjoy and benefit from reading this book, just as I did. In it, you will discover all of the blessings inherent in leading a more creative life.

—Rebecca Schweiger, founder/owner of The Art Studio NY, www.TeArtStudioNY.com and author of Release Your Creativity: Discover Your Inner Artist with 15 Simple Painting Projects