Artist Anya Lincoln’s work revolves around one question: What do we do to create the life we want?… And she’s recently written a book about this called I AM.

We come into this world free, and then, in order to survive our personal world, we take on “rules” of what we have to do to get what we want…. such as love, acceptance or belonging.

This set of “rules” is what Anya calls our “identity”. It’s a small collection of thoughts or beliefs that make up who people believe themselves to be. And they formed it long ago. For most people, it isn’t even conscious.

By teaching people how to dig into their deepest beliefs and fears that were created at the early part of their life, based on a misunderstanding, Anya helps people break through their core identities of who they think they are, to open themselves to whoever they want to be. …

Listen to this interview to hear how our identities keep us from having everything we want, including our Art.

A lot of artists come up against old beliefs that tell them things like: “Making art is a useless or selfish pursuit,” OR ” If not everyone likes my art, it must be worthless.”

A classic example of how an Artist creates a “blocked” identity might go like this:

 

Her mother didn’t show approval of her creativity when she was young, because she thought art was frivolous. In fact this artist’s mother became very angry when the girl showed her creativity. So the little girl learned to hide her creativity from her mother, and keep the house clean instead, because that’s how she received her mother’s approval.

 

Then around age 40 or 50 the girl, now a woman, begins to miss that part of herself who was so free and creative when she was younger, and want to get in touch with her again.

 

So basically, a person’s identity serves as protection, but then later in life it becomes a limitation.

 

“Until you undo these assumptions that you’ve incorporated into who you are, and the world shares with you, you can’t see other options.”

 

Sometimes people don’t want to give up their old identities and experience new found freedom, because they believe unconsciously that their survival depends on it.

 

This is because their identities were created SO long ago, at a time when they were young enough to believe that these were behaviors they had to adopt for survival.

 

There are MANY forms of how identity holds people back. From relationships to money, to career success and more – People’s identity creates their reality.  

 

“Everybody creates their reality. Your world is just as defined from the inside as the outside … You can question the very foundations of your world, and start finding these rooms in your house where you have never been… and it’s a beautiful thing.”

 

By teaching people how to dig into their deepest fears that were created at the early part of their life, based on a misunderstanding, Anya helps them break through their core identities of who they think they are, to whatever they want to be.

 

In this interview Anya describes and amazing experience with her own self-limiting identity of when Communist Russia fell, and the limitations people put on her, that she took on…. Which took into her 40’s to realize and release herself from.

 

“Art & Spirituality can feel like such a self indulgent pursuit, but it’s not selfish. In order for it to happen you have to say, “It’s important for me to go there.”

 

Anya’s Book I AM is available on Amazon or on her website here.

 

Anya went to art school in Russia and has been painting since she was 17. She was a practicing artist and a mom of three who had my own gallery in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Her book was born out of a lifelong inquiry and spiritual path that she was on. She is also a Certified Transformative life coach.

 

“If you knew without a shadow of a doubt, that you have all the resources you need, and that you will always belong – none of these questions about ourselves would even exist.”