41 Comments

Dear Marloes. After reading about your way to understand where things are coming from and why you do tend to please others first then yourself, I would like to recommend PCM. I do have my profile since 2022 and since then I do understand my personality, my psychological needs and the why I do communicate in a certain way - it helped me a lot in my personal way to get closer to myself, to understand and most of all to take care of my specific needs. It was one of the best investments into myself besides therapy.

If ever this interest you for your way - this is the official page. There are coaches and certified trainers all over the world.

https://processcommunicationmodel.com/discover-pcm/

Wishing you all the best.

Karoline

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Yay for you and I love the vibrant colors—beautiful paintings!

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This is so true. We should always fight the urge to 'monetise' every hobby, every pleasurable activity.

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Loved this so much and the paintings are beautiful, there's JOY to them and I think we can feel it. I can relate so much to what you wrote, thank you, it served me deeply.

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What an amazing comment, Patricia. That touches me!

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Personal work is so important, it lets you play and we need to play! Burnout recepie: Take a playtime-moment (speelkwartiertje) every day to warm up or ease down… the best explor-education you can have on yourself or your creativity!

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I really like what Rick Ruben has to say about trying to please others in his wonderful book: "the Creative Act". The audience comes last. You create art from your heart and it's authentic so it will probably resonate wih others too. <3

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Sometimes we really need to draw something that put a smile on our face. 😊

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Yes!🙌 I’m all about this, this year. Social media has really changed things and I feel like I have people looking over my shoulder all of the time. I feel this. Good for you.

My last post was on exact this same topic. Let’s play more.

PS LOVE YOUR yummy colour choices !

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Loved this post Marloes, thank you for sharing. It really resonated. There’s nothing quite like the sheer joy of making something that you are loving making simply for you 💕 Absolutely gorgeous painting too! x

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Hoi Marloes.

I so understand your pickle.

As an artist I’ve made a lot of art ‘for others’.

And it’s only recently, after an illness and the need to cope with it that I have moved to ‘art for me’ where I journal, play and simply have fun. It’s the best therapy.

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ohhhh zo herkenbaar, en wat mooi dat je een weg aan het vinden bent om (weer) te genieten van iets wat je blij maakt, zonder dat het een ander doel heeft of 'approval' nodig heeft. En het inspireert mij ook weer om te gaan maken om het maken. Dank je wel (en prachtig schilderij trouwens, het plezier spat er van af)

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Beautiful paintings 😍 inspiring post

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O Marloes, wat heerlijk voor je! En ook zo herkenbaar. Ik wil al jaren weer lekker tekenen, maar op de een of andere manier zet het nooit door. Ik ben er nu achter dat àls ik iets maak, ik het ook perfect wil doen, maar daardoor geef ik mezelf nul kans om me te ontwikkelen, een eigen stijl te creëren en te genieten van wat ik ooit zo leuk vond. Zoiets als: ‘als ik iets niet goed kan, dan maar helemaal niet.’ De aanschaf van een iPad Pro en een Procreate cursus bleek dé oplossing! Want ik kan daarmee fouten maken zonder dat ik ‘papier en materialen verspil’ en daardoor komt de vreugde weer terug! Ik maak nu elke avond een klein tekeningetje en leer niet alleen Procreate kennen, maar ook mijn eigen stijl en ik geniet ervan! Dank voor je stukken Marloes, ze inspireren me altijd erg ❤️.

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Wat goed om te lezen, Brenda! Ik snap heel goed dat de iPad goed werkt: de drempel voor mij is ook vrij laag in Procreate. Fijn is dat!

Ook fijn om te lezen dat je wat aan mijn schrijven had hier, want ik heb soms een beetje last van een 'vulnerability hangover' als ik iets eerlijks schrijf :)

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Heel fijn juist, jouw kwetsbaarheid en eerlijkheid. Geeft mij ook weer inzichten over mijn eigen proces en laat het me soms weer van een andere kant bekijken!

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Wonderful paintings and wonderful post. Your progress gives me hope. I am devoting lots of time to my sketchbook practice because it makes me happy and my sketchbooks will never be for sale. My sketchbooks are my galleries that I can visit anytime to see art that I made that I love. I have even decided to devote my Substack to "Save Your Life" sketchbooking this year because doing art for yourself - about what you enjoy in your life - is actually a stress-reducing life saver.

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This is exactly what art should be like: stress reducing and joyful. I'm so happy to hear you've found that!

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So awesome! I’m feeling exactly the same way right now, experimenting with new materials and just painting whatever pops into my head. It’s so liberating! Also, I love your little landscape. ☺️

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Oh, you’re in good company here!

I just started a sketchbook for the joy of it after years of being a professional illustrator and thinking I never had enough creative energy leftover to expend on a sketchbook.

Now I sketch first thing in the morning, while my creative juices are most active, to prove to myself that I can use my very best energy for personal exploration & play 💥

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I love sketchbooking :) I never did it, until 2021 (I think). I love playing around in it, just doodling without thinking. I think when you get in the flow of not overthinking, what you really want to be doing comes to the surface.

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