I remember I started drawing myself when I was around 18 or 19. It started with sketches of my face, which was a big deal for me because as a young girl I had disliked many things about my face; I thought my nose was too straight, my eyebrows were too dark and thick, my dark hair was constantly messy and I felt my mole next to my mouth was too big. Being of Mexican descent, growing up I did not really see myself reflected in the images of women that were promoted in American beauty and fashion.
But something inside me lead to me start drawing my portraits, and it was actually one of the most courageous things I could’ve done in my self-love journey. It was also one of the most challenging since I had to switch from self-judgement to being an observer. And being an observer of myself was hard in the beginning. But I kept at it no matter how strange I felt, and somehow it became easier.
After feeling comfortable with my face, I then began drawing my body. And that was another challenge! Again, I was “re-training” my mind to let go of judgement and be more objective by observing my body, as opposed to overwhelming myself with self-criticism. It was an intimate process. It forced me to look at myself in the mirror, all of me, every part I felt was “undesirable” or “ugly.” I took pictures of myself and explored expressing myself through posing for my own sketches and artworks. It was scary at first. I felt weird. Many times I thought “who am I to be doing this?”
But a very big part of me felt free and loved because, interestingly, through drawing my body I actually felt I was giving quality time to myself!
Somehow, through this intimate time with myself I learned to love myself more and to see my uniqueness stand out. The things I felt were “undesirable” were in fact the things that made me, me, and that realization was all I needed to feel more bold and sexy.
Drawing myself extended to self-care routines, and I began to note how more and more my art process was like a self-care routine in and of itself. It basically inspired me to be aware of my “me time.”
I believe women deserve to feel like queens and goddesses by giving time to themselves as if they were their own lover. By learning to glow from within instead of searching for validation externally, you begin to burn your own fire and feel a new kind of love for yourself that isn’t scarce or limited, but rather abundant, grounding and powerful.