June is also the Month of Love -- Love yourself first

For David Lobenberg

Self portrait
acrylic on canvas
12 x 12 inches
Barbara Muir © 2009
(I did this portrait for David Lobenberg's

June Paint Off in 2009)

I was talking to a friend who was depressed today, and I was suggesting
ways to make himself happy.  Maybe he could do the trick I use of
thinking of five things he loves about his life.  He thought I was
obtuse and simplistic.  Sometimes not a bad way to be.

In the spirit of trying to be happy with one's life, I found this great
blog about self portraits, and loving yourself, and thought I'd share it
tonight. 

"You can read about David Lobenberg's contest here. A fact of a
portrait artist's life is that if there is no one else available to paint,
you always have you, so of course I've painted and drawn myself
 many times. Some of these images stick and make me happy.  

When I taught Positive Psych one of the first things we said

to students was that if you don't know yourself, you won't love 

yourself, and if you don't love yourself you can't love anyone else,

and you won't be happy.

This was not a popular idea when I was growing up -- loving 

yourself smacked of narcissism.  But in fact nothing could be 

further from the truth. If we love and accept ourselves, the world 

is less about us, and more about the people we love.  It's when we 

don't love ourselves that we go around hurting other people, don't end up

doing what we love, and generally don't enjoy our lives.

I credit Louise Hay, excellent therapy and Frank Daley, who

was my boss, and wrote the book Who are you and what are you
doing here? for helping me get that concept, and then of course the
 constant work of quieting the ever present inner critic to keep the
idea going. 

Self-portrait: The Happy Artist
acrylic on canvas
36 x 36 inches
Barbara Muir © 2009

Self portrait at the year's turning

Black marker on Moleskine paper

8 1/4 x 11 3/4 inches

Barbara Muir © 2015

One more cup of coffee please

Self portrait

Watercolour and black marker on

Arches watercolour paper

6 x 10 inches

Barbara Muir © 2012

(this is perhaps the most me of

the bunch.  I run on coffee, and

am not quite in the day until I've had

three.)

I've included a few of my favourite self portraits to underscore the

idea of loving the self.  I know I'm lucky.  I love my life, my husband,
my work, my family, my friends."  And I am very lucky that teaching people
how to be happy taught me how to be happy.   You are a big part of that.

Have a loving yourself day.