And other tall tales...

"They probably got the wrong person."

That's what I told myself when I didn't hear back.

I was approached about my work being in a local exhibition late last year, and when I didn't hear back from the person, my initial assumption was confirmed: of course, I wasn't the person they **meant** to ask.

Obviously, it wasn't me who they wanted in the exhibition, and when they realised, they just contacted the person they wanted.

Simple.

Then, out of the blue, I get an email, "We are hoping you can send an artwork shot for the exhibition poster. We need it by next week"… Ummm, OK, but I don't have any other information. Maybe they DO want my work in the show?

Do I reply and tell them? Will they think I am weird? How did I miss the previous emails?

Fast forward, and they do still want my work, Reader, can you believe it?
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No one had made a mistake, and they loved the direction my more recent pieces had been going. “Can I also paint a few MORE?” They asked.

When I told my friend about this interaction, she said, "Wow, Delphie, your imposter syndrome is on fire."

She wasn’t wrong.

Despite all the work I have done with my creative play and mental health, and in building confidence around my art that I truly LOVE, I still suspect that others think nothing of my art, or, worse, might confuse me with someone more worthy.

And there's something about the Permission to Play community that makes room for this uncertainty. In this space, we don't ask folks to have it all figured out before they belong. In this space, "wrong" emails and confused identities aren't failures; these are part of the messy, human experience of creating, and we get to do that alongside others who care and support these vulnerabilities.

So, Reader, I'm sharing this because I know others carry this same quiet fear. I know folks on the other side of this email are also worried that someone will suspect they are showing up in a space they don’t belong, that someone will call them out for showing their work, that someone will question their validity in daring to be creative at all…

If you're reading this and wondering if you belong, if your work has a place in this world, you do, and it does.

All you need to do is care enough to show up.

At the end of the day, I realised that maybe the point isn't to silence the voice that says "wrong person." Maybe it's to keep creating anyway, and let the work speak for itself.

If you are looking to find your voice enough to start making and sharing your work with the world, perhaps the Permission to Play community is your next stop. We have a gorgeous community on Discord, and we meet live every fortnight on Zoom to create, play and connect.

Reply with “PLAY” to join us on Sunday for the live session or forward this to a friend who might be interested.

Finally, Reader, if you want to show your work, you don’t need to be in an exhibition, you don’t need to be selected or chosen, your work is needed in the world as much as you are and I hope you can remind yourself this and start making and sharing.

With love on the wind,

Delphie Joy xox

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Loving these musings? I pour a lot of heart and soul into these emails. If you think someone you know might enjoy, forward it on!

Thanks for being here and sharing,

DelphieJoy xox

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I live and work on the traditional lands of the Jaggera and Turrabal First Nations People. I honour and respect this Country and the Elders, past, present and emerging and thank them for their continued care.

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So, look at you, all the way down the bottom of the page… a quick note here to say that I only want to send you things you are interested in. I respect your time and attention. While I really don't want to see you go, I also understand if this info is no longer for you, and you need a break. If that is the case, don't hesitate to Unsubscribe from all emails, I'll cry a little, BUT all emotions are valid so its AOK. You can also just Update your profile | THANKS!! Spinkbrae Street, Fig Tree Pocket, QLD 4069