Morning meditation practice starts simply. Clearing my head with pen in hand, because a double espresso and a Sharpie marker make a happy girl.
Nothing fancy here - just me, a marker, my mother's blue and white antique china, and morning light.
The Power of Letting Go
While drawing this morning, I listened to Mel Robbins discuss her Let Them Theory. The concept resonated immediately: when people's actions upset you or you're tempted to control a situation, just let them. Don't take it personally. Let them do what they're going to do.
The theory in action is beautifully simple: Someone talks smack about you? Let them. Your friends didn't invite you to brunch? Let them. As these ideas settled in, the rose emerged on my page, each petal a lesson in letting go.
A podcast plays most mornings while I draw. When I want to hear artists talk about their work, I pick from my list of 45 art podcasts for artists and art lovers. If you keep a morning practice of your own, start with The Artist's Way Podcast Weekly Check In. It follows Julia Cameron's morning pages, chapter by chapter.
“A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can't Stop Talking About" - Mel Robbins' new book that inspired today's meditation.
Finding Strength in Legacy
These quiet moments are my therapy - a chance to breathe and create before the world rushes in. The vintage china isn't just decor - it's a daily reminder of the strong women who came before me. Their legacy sits beside my sketches every morning, reminding me, as my mother would say, “Everything is going to be okay.”
8 Daily Reminders from Mel Robbins
Start Where You Are
Art therapy isn't just a trendy hashtag. It's real. It works, and it's accessible to everyone. Start somewhere. Start here. Start with what's in front of you.
xo,
Merrill