six word memoir

this week's assignment in Beyond Layers class is to write your 6 word memoir. 

 i believe it's gonna take more than 6 words but the first thing that came to mind was...

the truth is,

i find i look for outside approval more than i should.

my whole life i have tried to curb the impulse to check with others,

my first instinct is to look to them for reassurance...

but as i get older,

 i am learning to measure my growth against me.

not others. 

so when i ultimately grow up,

i grow into ME...

my mother was my first measuring stick.  especially when it came to anything artistic or creative. 

she was my biggest cheerleader, to the point that no piece of artwork or craft item was complete until she oooh'd and aaah'd over it.  she nurtured creativity in a big way.

at work, i look to my boss for the same reassurance, and cheerleading. 

 i always have. 

and when that support is there, i flourish.  when its not, i flounder.

over the years, i came to realize it is a weakness.   i want to be more sure of myself.  

but more than that, i want to develop my own voice, my own vision. 

so i have put myself out there, with my best attempts, knowing the biggest stretch for me is in the reveal.  and the goal, for me, is to watch myself grow.

 i may be a small tree out there among the taller trees, but i am out there. 

 and i am growing :)

picture enhanced with kim klassen's textures - providence and not-too-shabby

six word memoir   www.smithmag.net/