The Naked Journal
Thoughts, musings, and meanings behind NakedPastor Art.
The Naked Journal
3 Drawings that Capture the Beauty of Vulnerability
To live in the present moment with authenticity takes courage, no matter who you are. There’s an art to being vulnerable. I’ve talked before about how powerful vulnerability is and the importance of it but it's also something I focus on in my art. Here are 3 of my favorite drawings that capture the beauty of vulnerability. Sophia Vulnerable (Click on the image to see the print, or click HERE!) One stage in the transformation process that we can’t skip is vulnerability. In this Sophia piece, I wanted to show her vulnerability more graphically. As she sits next to a baby seal, one of the most vulnerable animals on the planet, she is naked, exposed and vulnerable. They are both in that space, together. But there is also something very strong and courageous about her. Mysteriously, her vulnerability and her strength aren't mutually exclusive. She's beginning to learn to combine these two and embrace them both. Sophia teaches us that, usually, we have to bare it all in order to repair it all.Here’s to your vulnerability and strength. Sophia Metamorphosis (Click on the image to see the print, or click here!) I always come back to Sophia Metamorphosis because it speaks to so many truths about our lives. We are vulnerable when we transform. Surrounded by beautiful possibilities but still vulnerable. Some people never step out of their cocoon. Going into a new phase of your life means new possibilities AND new vulnerabilities. I say that we take that combination and give every new phase of our transformation our best shot. Nothing beautiful came from staying in our dark, cozy cocoons. Sophia Wild (Click on the image to see the print or click HERE!) Sophia Wild is about being your most authentic self, even when it feels scary. There’s a real risk in exposure. Emotional exposure and physical exposure to new situations, people and feelings.This is a reminder that you can be rooted in your power, even when you feel like there is nothing between you and the elements.
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Why Is It Important To Be Vulnerable?
So many people see vulnerability as a weakness. As a personal failing to “keep it together”. But what they don’t see is the absolute power of vulnerability to break down barriers, connect people and help you claim your inner strength. What does it mean to be vulnerable? The first thing you have to know is that being vulnerable is not being weak. It’s being honest in a radical way. Being vulnerable is being able to feel your feelings and not bury them deep down or bottling them up until you have an angry outburst. Why Is It Important To Be Vulnerable? Vulnerability is crucial because it paves the way for emotional growth and healing. When we allow ourselves to be vulnerable, we confront our inner fears and insecurities, which fosters self-awareness and personal development. By embracing vulnerability, we create a safe space to express and process our emotions, enabling emotional healing from past traumas and difficult experiences. It encourages us to be open with others, deepening connections and fostering empathy, leading to more authentic and supportive relationships. Vulnerability also helps us challenge negative thought patterns and overcome mental barriers, contributing to a healthier and more resilient mindset. In essence, vulnerability is the key to unlocking emotional growth and healing as it empowers us to embrace our vulnerabilities and face life's challenges with courage and authenticity. How to be More Vulnerable Like learning to paint, you have to learn the muscle memory, tools and techniques that allow you to create something beautiful. Being vulnerable takes practice, in recognizing spaces that feel safe enough for you to be vulnerable, and embracing how it feels to express that side of yourself. The art of being vulnerable can be achieved with tools like introspection, patience, kindness and understanding (for yourself!). The final masterpiece of being vulnerable is that you start to uncover your authentic self. A Drawing for Vulnerability One stage in the transformation process that we can’t skip is vulnerability. When drawing my Sophia drawing series I drew this piece, Sophia Vulnerable, because I wanted to Sophia's vulnerability more graphically. As she sits next to a baby seal, one of the most vulnerable animals on the planet, she is naked, exposed, and vulnerable. But there is also something very strong and courageous about her. Mysteriously, her vulnerability and her strength aren't mutually exclusive. She's beginning to learn to combine these two and embrace them both. Sophia teaches us that, usually, we have to bare it all in order to repair it all. You’ll find that once you start being vulnerable, other people tend to find themselves responding in the same way. So let’s make a masterpiece by painting every corner of the world with some vulnerability. Related Vulnerability Resources The Power of Vulnerability for Healing Religious TraumaDrawings about vulnerability
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Do You Feel Suspended Between Life and Death?
Sophia "Suspended" (From my graphic story book The Liberation of Sophia) Of all my work, I get the most emotional and meaningful feedback from mostly women who are reading this book. It's got 59 Sophia images (also available in my shop), each with a meditation describing the journey of my soul (Sophia) out of bondage into freedom. Here's the image of Sophia Suspended with its meditation on one of the most intense, dark, and confusing periods of deconstruction.) At times I didn't know whether I was dead or alive. I was suspended somewhere between them. Suspended between death and life. Somehow I knew I wasn't fully conscious. Yet. Somehow I knew I wasn't fully unconscious. Anymore. Like sleep. The problem with being suspended is that it is full of suspense. Day after day after day I lived in a kind of stupor. I felt like I could sleep forever. Exhausted! Fatigued. I knew the acute intensity of my journey was the main contributing factor. I knew I had to move on but I had no strength to do it. I wasn't dead. But I wasn't alive either. It was my three days in the tomb. Or thirty. Or three-hundred. What do you do in the in-between places? What do you do between life and death? What do you do‚ in a tomb? Rest. Wait. Sleep. I was no longer a captive. But I had not yet fully grown into my freedom. I didn't know how to do it. I didn't know how to do freedom. But I knew it would come. I knew that this long, groggy period of suspension would eventually end. I knew the stone would be rolled away. I knew the grave clothes would be unwrapped. I knew I would be fully alive. Finally! But I had to rest. I had to wait. Intentionally. So I decided to grant myself the fatigue. I made myself rest. I made myself wait. I was full of suspense. But I knew I would be full of surprise. Soon.
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Change Doesn't Always Have to be Difficult and Ugly
I visited a butterfly house. Of course my mind was turned to Sophia, especially my drawing of her, "Metamorphosis". A friend of mine takes care of the chrysalises and butterflies. I was surprised to see many different ones. One is a very shiny silver and the other is a very shiny gold. Amazing and breathtaking beauty! It made me acknowledge that change, transformation, doesn't always have to be difficult and ugly. Of course, often it is. In fact, sometimes it feels impossible. Like... inside those cocoons is goo. Not nice. Which is why so many people resist it. Change can be adventurous, exciting, and full of happiness as we change from one thing into something else. The people I see changing might be experiencing some difficulty and feel ugly at the time, but frequently from my perspective they are becoming even more beautiful, amazing and marvellous. During change, we not only lose things. This can be difficult and ugly. But we also gain things. This can be pleasurable and beautiful. I'm watching this happen all the time in my online communities. I invite you to buy THE LIBERATION OF SOPHIA... a book about my change told through the story of a woman who changes.
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The Importance of Being Creative During Faith Deconstruction
Making art was an important part of my healing and reconstruction process. I didn't know this at the beginning of my deconstruction. It didn't know this consciously after I'd left the ministry and the church. In fact, it wasn't until I published my book, The Liberation of Sophia, that I realized making art helped save me. Let me explain. It was the week after I left the church when I drew my first Sophia drawing. The one with the bear. Sophia Fearless. The inspiration to draw her was unstoppable. It was four years later when I drew my last one. The inspiration to draw her stopped. Stopped cold! It was when it stopped that I realized it was probably important that I did it. Drawing Sophia every week and writing about her journey was, I concluded, a crucial part of my healing. Cathartic! It's strange, but when I stopped drawing Sophia, I learned how important being creative is. Being creative just for creativity's sake! I need to get in that again. I advise people when they are going through deconstruction to be creative and discipline themselves to be creative every day. It helps. It works! (If you’re looking for some ways to spark your creativity read this blog) Why? Because now I realize that creating things does something positive for us: It gives us some happiness, because even while we are crashing and our world is crashing around us, that we can still create something. It inspires us, that even though we might feel ugly in an ugly world, there are still remarkable things of beauty to be enjoyed. It empowers us to know that even while everything seems to be conspiring to stop us, we will still give birth to new and wonderful things. So, here's our exercise: I believe everyone is a creator. Everyone is an artist. What are you making? What can you make? A painting? A dance? A poem? A journal entry? A blog post? A perfect medium rare steak? An awesome daily post? A flower arrangement? An urn? A sound of a crow? A computer code? Anything! I'd love to hear, see, and know what kind of things you guys are creating.
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