Art as Shadow Work #002: Expanding a world that's too small for you

Have you ever felt like your world is too small to contain your dreams?

We all share the same rock, but our experiences on this rock differ dramatically. A teenager with a college savings account and extracurriculars who got a car for their 16th birthday is going to start adulthood on very different footing than one who took the bus and worked two part-time jobs after school.

Making what you've got work for you is an art form. Sometimes we have to physically expand our world to emotionally and creatively expand it.

Back in 2020 at the very beginning of the pandemic, I moved to Portland from San Francisco and felt the world open up around me. My salary covered more than just the rent; suddenly I could afford to actually go outside!

The process of moving out of state is harrowing, but it was worth the freedom it offered. Kickboxing is a physically taxing hobby, but joining a martial arts gym helped me survive the worst seasonal depression of my life, making new friends and building my community in the process.

If your world feels too small to bear, a hard obstacle might be just what you need to expand it.