Earlier this year, for The Woman Inside Project, I was casting the torso of this awesome young woman Alexandra, who had just finished her extensive treatment for breast cancer. I’ve been working on this project for four years, casting breast cancer survivors with plaster bandages, painting the casts with encaustic, and then listening to their stories, which I then transcribe into a narrative about the beauty that is within each woman (and man, are they beautiful!) When I was interviewing Alexandra, I asked her about interests outside of her work as a biologist and environmental consultant. She said, “You are a doctor-slash-artist. I’m still trying to find my slash,” as in, biologist/writer or environmental consultant/ballerina.
What’s Your Slash?
Her comment stuck with me all this time, not just because I meet so many women who are trying to find their slash, but because we all have so many slashes, don’t we? I am a doctor/ artist/ writer/ teacher/ mother/ dog walker/ cook/ yogi/ chauffeur/ daughter/ garbage collector/ hiker/ wife/ sex goddess (okay, the last one is a wild exaggeration). I could go on. And so could you, I’m sure. But I know what Alexandra means. Many of us are still trying to find a way to express ourselves creatively. As in computer programmer/gardener or lawyer/gourmet chef or CEO/finger-painter. I have met very few artists who are desperately trying to find their Ella (left brain) slash. Not often do they say, “Gosh, I wish I was an artist/accountant.”
We all tap into our creative passion differently. For some of us, setting the table is an art form. For others, it’s playing the guitar, cooking, drawing, scrapbooking, writing, making pottery, aromatherapy mixing, candle-making, painting, wood-working, photography, jewelry-making, knitting, or flower-arranging. But we all our Ari (right brain) side- even those of us who are very Ella-dominated.
Have You Found Your Slash?
Or slashes? How do you tap into your creative genius? Don’t say you don’t have one. We all do. Some of ours are just really closeted. If it doesn’t come to you right away, invite your slash to come out of hiding. Ask your dreams to help you. Before you go to sleep tonight, invite your slash to make an appearance and help you figure it out. Keep asking every night until the answer comes to you. If that doesn’t help, choose an object from your home that represents your creativity to you. Don’t think too much about it- just let an object speak to you. Now, sit quietly with your object in your hands and close your eyes. Take a moment of silence and think about why this represents your creativity. Listen to the stories it wants to tell you. Your silent meditation may very well reveal your slash.
Why It’s Worth the Effort
Those who balance their right brain creativity wit their practical, analytical left brain mind life more fully, more healthfully, more vitally, and more successfully. Who doesn’t want that? If you’ve already found your slash but are feeling blocked, check out Annette Colby’s tips for overcoming creative block.
Own Your Slashes: Make A List
If a single creative slash doesn’t come to mind, make a list of all your slashes- every single one you can think of. Own it! These roles we play are all pieces of us, but remember that no single identity defines you. You are more than all of your slashes. A young woman I know once said, “I’m 29 years old. I’m supposed to BE something by now!” We are ALL something. None of your slashes is the essence of you. I am a doctor/artist/writer/teacher, but if I was suddenly not a doctor, I would still be me. If I couldn’t paint, I would still be Lissa. My slashes don’t define me, but they are part of me, and I own them.
Stay tuned to Owning Pink and keep an eye on the Owning Creativity category. I’ll be introducing another member of the Pink Posse soon. Malaya Quinn, our creativity coach, teaches creativity classes to MBA students at Stanford, and she will be coaching us in exercises to help us find our slashes. Hang onto your hats, Pinkies. It’s gonna be quite a ride!
What about you? What are all your slashes? Tell me. Tell yourself. Own it, girlfriend!
Post comments, share your stories, and help me encourage others to do the same.
With love and slashes,
Lissa
PS. If you love artist Tracey Buchanan’s many hat drawing in this post, visit her website or buy a print here.
Tags: breast cancer art, creativity and vitality, creativity coach, creativity exercises, find your slash, Lissa Rankin, Malaya Quinn, MBA, Stanford, The Woman Inside
I want to find my slash and own it! Thank you, Lissa, for encouraging me to love the creativity within me. It’s a journey…a journey without end. And that’s a good thing! This is my first time to your blog. I look forward to following you and your amazing work.
In gratitude…
You Go Girl! Find that slash, baby, and Own the hell out of it! We’ll help you here, if you’re having trouble figuring out what that might be. For my mother, it’s scrapbooking. For my sister, it’s poetry. For my mother-in-law, it’s knitting. For me, it’s painting, making up raw food recipes, flower-arranging, candle-making, jewelry-making….even putting together what I’m going to wear in the morning. You don’t have to take art classes to engage your Ella (your right brain). Figure out what makes your heart sing, and own it, sweetie!
I am an artist/mother/daughter of an aging father/hiker/skier/sailer/tennis player/liberal activist/gardener and can do it all because I draw boundaries and am the captain of my ship.
You tell ‘em Beatrice! We all have so many facets to who we are. Most women are, all at once, a daughter, visionary, teacher, friend, cook, lover, healer, artist, caregiver, mother, seeker, goddess, wife, singer, garbage collector, student, best friend, fashionista, sleeper, maid, girlfriend, enemy, volunteer, aunt, hiker, advocate, hippy, dreamer, partner, chauffeur, entrepreneur, sister, creator, guru, gardener, schemer, widow, model, traveler, babysitter, servant, spiritualist….and on and on and on. What’s your list, girls?
I am a woman/artist/Queen of Curiosity and pondering more of my slashes.
Yes! Love the queen of curiosity thing. Just now listening to Meredith Brooks “Bitch” “I’m a bitch/lover/child/mother/sinner/saint…aren’t we all??? So funny. Didn’t even think of that song when I wrote this post…
Wonderful post! I never thought of “finding my slash” before… It’s a great way of realizing that every person is incredibly multi-faceted! Off the top of my head, I’m a daughter/sister/journalism student/environmentalist/musician/cook/traveler of the world. Which are all great things to be.
Absolutely, Amy. Every person IS incredibly multi-faceted. I discovered that from my patients and even more so from my art project, The Woman Inside, for which I’ve been casting the torsos of breast cancer survivors and writing their stories. And their stories. Wowser! We all have our many slashes, and they are only a fragment of our complex story.
Hey Lissa, just out of curiosity, where did you find the graphic you used on this post? A friend of mine here in Paducah, KY did it!
I turned 35 last week and the whole month leading up to that, all I’ve been consumed with is figuring out my slashes. I feel like the 29 year old you mentioned… I’m 35, I’m supposed to BE someone by now! I guess it’s not figuring out who I’m supposed to be anymore, it’s trying to happily accept what I am and know that it’s okay.
I’ve found my slashes–my constraint is time. How have you found time to implement your slashes, be with family, work, stay physically active?
I am a daughter, a wife, a mother, a sister, a grand-daughter, a niece and a friend. I am a partner, a young girl, and a grown woman. I am confident and scared, terrified and excited. I am loving and caring and thoughtful and hopeful. I am sick and tired. I am shy and friendly and careful and careless. I am broken and whole. I am misunderstood, misguided and mislead. I am hard working and determined, but a little scared on the inside. I wish on stars and dream on dreams. I pray to God and cry my tears. I smile on the outside, while I am dying on the inside. I listen to others who won’t listen to me. I walk on eggshells, and walk on fire. I believe in passion and true love. I am everything and nothing all at once. That’s who I AM!
To Kelley- Oh! Sniff! Weep! Bow. Love. Love. Love What a gorgeous, gorgeous tribute to yourself. SO Owning it, sweetheart. Wow. I am utterly speechless.
To Shelley- How you I found time to implement my slashes? Good question. Don’t we all struggle with that? Isn’t the struggle of modern women all about balance? I have to remind myself every day to make room for all of it, understanding that every day, something will have to slide. How do I do that? First off, I’m a total slob. I let the house slide, and if you ever come over to visit me, you’ll see what I mean. My house looks lived in and loved, and every other week a housekeeper makes sure there aren’t critters growing in the eaves. But I decided to let that go long ago. Also, my husband is a stay at home Dad who runs my life. Meaning that I bring home the bacon, but he cooks it, pays the bills, grocery shops, picks up Siena from preschool, runs my art business, helps with Owning Pink, etc.
One thing I do fit in almost always in exercise. Nearly every day, I hike. It’s my most creative, idea-springing, meditative, quiet time of solitude in nature. Even if it means letting important stuff go, I hike.
It’s all about priorities, Pinkies. Some weeks are art weeks for me. Some are for writing. I only work as a doctor at Clear Center 2-3 days/week, which helps. And right now, I’m focusing on you Pinkies! So that’s my priority. There’s a reason I chose the beautiful Tracey Buchanan painting in this post of the woman with all the hats http://www.traceybuchananstudio.com/
That is how I feel much of the time. Don’t you? Aren’t we all like that? That’s the story of today’s woman, I think…I think I’ll write a whole blog post about this question, Shelley. You’ve inspired me…
And now I have the pleasure of the unemployed slash at the end. For every door that closes one more opens…
Very cool post! (By the way, I love the comment above about having someone come in to make sure critters aren’t in teh corners. Made me laugh. Unfortunately, we have to do that around her ourselves! I think so much of our energy and creativity, comes from being in a good place in our minds. Liquid Mirror is a great help to this end. There’s a workbook to help us find unconscious beliefs that run our lives. And it’s made me aware of how much unconscious fear has been holding me back from living my dreams and living life more fully. Now that’s I’ve found a way to find and let go of my fears, I feel fully empowered to dream bigger and live fuller. And that means my creativity has a way to shine through.
Slash makes life exciting! I go through my slashes like a revolving door because I have so many! Being primarily an artist, I can attest to the fact that left brain slashes are on the back burner! Thanks for a great article!
Funny, I never hear people say they need to discover their left brain slashes. No artist ever says, I think I’ll become an accountant. What’s with that?
mother/wife/police-officer/wanna-be-artist…..
perhaps my overall title should be ‘juggler’
I am proud of the person I am – but I know there are still more slashes within me. People who don’t know me well comment on how much I do and achieve ; they don’t see the frantic paddling under water as I try to keep afloat.
I think we all feel that way, SallyAnne. We dog-paddle like mad, just trying to keep our heads above water, when the best thing we can do is FLOAT- and let the current take us where the universe wants us to go.
Re-thinkng my slashes…. I am a woman, an artist, a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a friend and always a listener.
Ooh- I like the listener….very telling.