A PSA from Martha Graham

Hello coach-y lovelies,

I hope Thanksgiving was as drama-free as possible.

I find myself going back to this Martha Graham quote again and again right now.  She wrote it as a letter to Agnes DeMille (dancer and choreographer) at a time when DeMille felt stuck and thought no one understood her creativity.

A Letter to Agnes De Mille

There is a vitality,

a life force,

a quickening

that is translated through you into action,

and because there is only one of you in all time,

this expression is unique.

And If you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost.

The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine

how good it is

nor how valuable it is

nor how it compares with other expressions.

It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly

to keep the channel open.

You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work.

You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate YOU.

Keep the channel open...

No artist is pleased...

There is no satisfaction whatever at anytime

There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction

a blessed unrest that keeps us marching

and makes "us" MORE alive than the others.

Martha Graham

To me, it speaks to being open to possibility and is a reminder that when I am being my true self, it's not my responsibility to worry about how the world perceives me or what others think of my unique expression.  It's enough that I put it out there. But, it's also my responsibility to keep the channel open so that I can share my gifts with the world because that's how we change the world - or at least our immediate world.  

My channel is all about creativity, so I ask myself every day, "what can I create today to keep my channel open?" As Martha says, you do not even need to believe in yourself or your work; just be open.  Whoosh. That's powerful.

Even if you aren't sure what your gifts are, how are you going to keep your channel open this week?  I'd love to know.

And, if all else fails, there's always this Martha Graham interpretation.

XO,

Patty

Email me if you want to get in touch, set up some time to chat or PM me @pattyfirstcoaching on Instagram.