From Deficit to Abundance: A Creative Practice

Draw yourself a grateful mindset

Hello, my fine GUT friends!

So, so happy you’re here.

Quick announcement for anyone interested in exploring a fully-funded residency: Applications are open for North Coast Project, a fully-funded, environmentally-focused residency for artists and writers. Deadline to apply is December 15! Check it out.

Last week, we learned about the work of three Indigenous artists I deeply admire: Wendy Red Star, Jeffrey Gibson, and Dyani White Hawk. All three artists incorporate elements of their ancestry into their art, which led to our assignment to draw in collaboration with your ancestors. You created so many moving, beautiful tributes to those who made you who you are. One drawing that really moved me: GUT member Heather shared her experience of being an orphan and choosing the moon as their ancestor since their family was “Somewhere Out There.” Thank you for trusting us with your stories and for the support you give each other. Love you, GUT members, my chosen creative family. ❤️

Maybe it’s turning 50, but I have been feeling extra grateful lately. For the next two weeks, we’ll return to some earlier gratitude-focused drawing lessons, and use our hands to open up our hearts.

As I’ve said here pretty much every year, I have mixed feelings about the holiday. Its origins are in the genocide of the Native American people. At the same time, it’s become an annual celebration of family, community, and care (and food!). It can be hard for us humans (me!) to hold two disparate truths at once as we move forward. But it’s so important that we do. So HOW can we build that non-binary muscle?

One way we can start to hold multiple truths at once is by cultivating an “abundance mindset.” A person with an abundant mindset believes there are enough resources for you AND me to accomplish BOTH our goals. My experience doesn’t threaten yours, and yours doesn’t threaten mine. There is space for us both. We can also call this a “Both/And” world view, instead of an “Either/Or” outlook (also known as a deficit mindset.)

Truth be known, as an only child with a tendency towards “black or white” thinking, I struggle to let go of an “Either/Or” deficit mindset. I have to really practice “Both/And”-ing my way through the world. But I’m finding it’s so worth the effort. With it comes a far a more abundant, curious, hopeful, joyful, and relaxed experience in day-to-day life and relationships. It opens things up instead of closing them down.

I even got a tattoo to remind myself. ❤️❤️

One of the best ways to build an abundance mindset is to practice gratitude. Studies show that in addition to combating depression and burnout, practicing gratitude helps cultivate that abundant “Both/And” outlook.

Two important note about gratitude:

1. If we don’t or can’t muster up gratitude in the moment, that’s okay. Take a breath. Beating ourselves up about not feeling more grateful sure doesn’t help. First and foremost, be kind and gentle with your tender self. Meet yourself where you’re at. Be grateful for being here.

2. Being grateful on the inside does not preclude us from being engaged with the world on the outside. Gratitude is essential to connect with the world in a generative, just and impactful way. When we don’t practice gratitude, it is easy to take things for granted and shift into a deficit mentality. Gratitude helps us tap into our deeper selves and create space. Be present with one another. Stay connected. And take action in ways that move us all towards a more equitable and just future.

Powerful, right? And drawing can help us build it?? Yes it can.

Let’s get into it.

What is gratitude?

In an essay for Greater Good Magazine, leading gratitude researcher Robert Emmons writes:

First, [gratitude] is an affirmation of goodness. We affirm that there are good things in the world, gifts and benefits we’ve received… Second, we recognize that the sources of this goodness are outside of ourselves. … We acknowledge that other people—or even higher powers, if you’re of a spiritual mindset—gave us many gifts, big and small, to help us achieve the goodness in our lives.¹

Often we put our attention on things we have not done, and do not have. All we see is lack. An ungrateful person asks “What don’t I have? What’s next?” That leaves us feeling competitive, anxious, and isolated.

Conversely, a grateful person asks themselves “What do I have? What is now?” That mindset keeps us focused on the present, appreciating the good things around us, recognizing abundance, and reframing challenging moments into positive experiences. You know that old adage “Where we place our attention grows”? Placing our attention on gratitude helps us grow towards abundance for us, and others.

The documented benefits of practicing gratitude are profound.² On a personal level, it makes us feel happier.

It also helps us live longer. From a study out of UC Berkeley:

Focusing on the positive and feeling grateful can improve your sleep quality and reduce feelings of anxiety and depression. Furthermore, levels of gratitude correlate to better moods and less fatigue and inflammation, reducing the risk of heart failure, even for those who are susceptible.³

Zoom out a little, and gratitude sets a course for our day-to-day decisions. How grateful we are can determine how we show up for others in our families, community, and the greater world.

Again, cultivating a grateful mindset is not an excuse to turn away from hardship. Quite the opposite. In the most challenging moments, we need to cultivate that Both/And abundance mentality to move forward in a more equitable and just direction, together. In our families, communities and in the larger world.

Getting Grateful Through Our Senses

When we are experiencing anxiety or stress, one of the best ways to bring ourselves into the moment is to pay attention to our senses. When our feelings are not serving us, paying attention to our senses can also help us focus on what IS around us instead of what is NOT. Focusing on our senses can help us see the world through a gratitude lens.

Some time ago, author Gretchen Rubin joined the Grown-Ups table and taught us about her Five Senses Portrait, and we created one in collaboration with her, GUT style. (Members can access that assignment here.)

Today I’m giving you gratitude-focused twist on that powerful assignment.

(Personally, I found this simple exercise super fun and meditative and helpful. My drawing is below. I’d love to hear what you think of it, too.)

Let’s do this.

Assignment: Drawing Gratitude