Since all of you who read my blog are artists, and since so many artists are Type 4 on the Enneagram, I thought I’d share some of the personal things I’ve been learning.

It’s your job to bring your creative intense self to relationships without demanding that they see or appreciate or understand or agree. It’s your job to trust that they love you. To let the love in. To laugh with them. It’s your job to trust that they see and appreciate more than you think they do. They are on your side and will champion and protect your creativity even when you give up. They need your perspective, your kindness, your gratitude and your brand of creativity. Let go. You don’t need to protect or control it. It flows from you like a bubbling fountain, a gentle sunrise. You don’t even need to look at it. Trust that it is there.

You don’t need an external endorsement. You are.

It’s your job to encourage and hope and dream. To be a beautiful old soul reminding others of another country.

It’s your job to believe that you are whole. That the longings in your heart do not overpower you but rather are the stars to light your sky. The fireflies right here in your own campground. They are the treasure map you follow right here in the everyday.

It’s your job to delight in your garden. To plant, to delight, to wait. To harvest and eat and call it good.

When you feel depressed and bored and empty, it doesn’t mean that’s what you are. There is no imperative for you to change that to protect your identity or worth.

You can be love. Let the love in.