15:47

The Deficient Artist

by David Gandelman

Rated
4.9
Type
guided
Activity
Meditation
Suitable for
Everyone
Plays
688

This meditation is for the part of you that’s ever said, “I’m not creative” or “That’s not for me.” The deficient artist energy often shows up as self-doubt, judgment, fear of being seen, or the belief that art is only for other people. Together, we’ll uncover where those blocks came from and begin to gently melt them away—so you can reconnect with your creative spirit. Whether your inner artist has been hiding or quietly waiting for permission, this is your moment to let color and inspiration flow again. Let’s sit down, breathe, and bring your creativity back to life.

CreativitySelf DoubtEnergy HealingSelf CriticismVisualizationInner ChildInspirationArtist Energy HealingOvercoming Self CriticismMemory VisualizationEnergy TransformationInner Child HealingColor VisualizationInspiration Cultivation

Transcript

Okay,

Welcome to the deficient artist energy meditation.

And in this one,

We're going to be really working on letting go of the energies that hold us back from really being able to fulfill our artist energy.

I remember when I started taking piano and singing lessons,

I was afraid,

I was nervous,

I thought I would be judged,

Especially for my voice,

Since I'm no Whitney Houston.

So the artist in deficiency might start comparing themselves to others,

Might not value their own creativity,

Might feel overwhelmed and judged.

The artist in deficiency might also lack clear vision or imagination.

Or maybe the artist in deficiency is someone who's so practical all the time.

I have to go to work,

I have to pay my bills.

What matters is getting things done.

Creativity is for children,

Or people who are born into trust funds.

So sometimes the artist in deficiency may look down on creativity and not think it's as important as the other areas of life.

So as we step into balance and really fulfill our inner artist,

We have to face these energies.

So you may have had some life experiences where someone invalidated your inner artist.

I know for me,

I'm a child of immigrants who were poor,

And the value was always in working.

My dad is an engineer,

So everything was very practical and square.

And my mom worked in accounting,

So kind of the same.

There wasn't that much space for creativity.

I had to find that on my own as I got older,

As many of us do.

So in this meditation,

You're going to have the opportunity to let go of some of those energies that have held it back,

That have really held that creativity down or invalidated it,

And bring it up to the surface.

Maybe even heal.

So go ahead,

Close your eyes.

And let's take a few deep breaths.

As always,

We always want to start by calming the body and just drawing our energy into the moment.

A true artist is present.

And a true artist allows the moment that they're in to inspire them.

And when an artist is in deficiency,

There may be a lack of inspiration.

And that lack of inspiration may have come from some kind of invalidation or fear.

So in this meditation,

What I'd like you to do is start by just allowing yourself to bring up a memory,

Some moment in your life where your inner artist was invalidated,

Where someone said,

You can't sing,

You can't paint,

You're not funny,

You can't dance.

Now there may be many moments,

But allow one memory to arise and just let the image of the memory be right in front of you in your mind's eye,

And just freeze it in place.

So take a moment to let that image arise.

This image may be very clear,

It might be a bit vague.

That's okay.

We want to get a sense of what it's made of.

So as you look at this memory,

What's the energy that gives it life?

What's the energy that gives it oxygen?

Is it invalidation,

Criticism,

Fear,

Laziness,

Apathy,

Confusion,

Doubt?

Take a moment and identify the energy.

And once you've really started to identify the energy,

You might just feel it,

And it may be a familiar feeling like,

Oh yeah,

I know this one.

Just acknowledge it.

You don't need to fight it or fix it.

See if you can actually be accepting of it.

Okay,

This moment happened.

Somehow it gets stuck in my memory bank,

In my unconscious.

And I've avoided fully developing my inner artist because of it.

Just like if someone broke our hearts and we avoided a relationship,

Or we failed in a career and avoided going for another one.

So somehow this energy has held you back.

It may have even created some self-criticism,

Some self-talk.

As you look at this memory,

And as you recognize the energy,

See if you can allow the energy to start to melt off of the image.

Notice how the image is colored by the energy.

If you were a very loving,

Compassionate,

Neutral friend,

And you were looking at somebody else's memory,

A friend's memory,

Notice if your attitude would be a bit different,

Perhaps less judgmental.

You might notice the judgment,

The invalidation,

The fear,

Whatever it is,

Begin to melt off almost like a color or a liquid just draining out of a fish tank.

But it's draining out of this image and just going into the ground.

And the secret here is energy tends to drain when we find real acceptance.

If it doesn't move,

Then we may still be resisting it and fighting it.

And that's okay.

And perhaps it's time to stop resisting the resistance and letting the resistance drain off.

Or the confusion.

What you're really doing here is giving your inner artist a healing.

Perhaps your inner artist even needs a hug or some words of affirmation.

What if your inner artist was a child and you were here to validate it and show it love?

Allow the energy to really start to shift.

You don't need to be the victim of somebody else's judgment or invalidation from the past or just an experience of confusion.

You can heal and grow out of it.

Take a moment here and really validate your inner artist.

Perhaps it's the deficiency itself,

The experience,

That's held you back,

That will inspire your next art.

It's very common for an artist to use their challenges,

Their pain,

And their experiences to create.

So perhaps you can look at this from another angle and mold this experience into a beautiful piece of art.

When you're ready,

You can take this memory and let it go off into the stars.

Thank it for the lesson,

For the inspiration.

And then lastly,

What I'd like you to do is imagine a beautiful ball of light above your head.

And this ball of light is just full of colors,

A whole palette of colors that you would expect an artist to have if they were painting something really colorful.

And let this ball of light just start to pour down,

Almost like a liquid coming out of it,

In through the top of your head and just fill your entire body and being with colors.

Almost like if someone poured watercolors on your head and they just poured down all over you.

But energetically,

It's pouring through you and in through your head.

Into you and expressing out of you.

Let yourself be full of color,

Full of light.

Perhaps somebody later today will say,

Hey,

You look bright.

Maybe you'll be full of inspiration or enthusiasm.

Let colors come out of the palms of your hands,

Out of your heart,

Out of your throat.

Really embrace your inner artist.

Great work in this meditation.

You're really starting to come out of deficiency.

Take a deep breath in and easy,

Soft,

Sigh out.

And when you're ready,

You can open your eyes.

As always,

Thank you for sitting with me and really doing the deep work that's necessary to bring balance to your soul,

Balance to your humanity.

And I will see you in the next meditation.

Go be colorful.

Take care.

Meet your Teacher

David GandelmanBoulder, CO, USA

4.9 (101)

Recent Reviews

Deb

February 20, 2026

Thank you you helped me fill a hole That needs filling

saraha

February 7, 2026

Thank you for your light ✨🌌🌞✨💎

Carol

January 29, 2026

This is great and helpful. I had an interesting experience where my image was of an art teacher and it turned into me being compassionate to her. I felt completed and it felt she needed me. Thanks David.

Stacey

December 1, 2025

Thanks, David. This was pretty insightful. I really enjoyed it.

Marilyn

October 11, 2025

Super but some artsy music would be fun

Lynn

September 12, 2025

Thank you so much for this amazingly courful meditation which has helped me to hopefully unlock my potential as an Artist 🙏

Christine

August 4, 2025

David this is outstanding! 🤗 This is a brilliant insight you have here. I have been one who was injured at a young age in my creativity. Namaste 🙏🏻👍👍♥️♥️

Amira

August 1, 2025

very well led. the energetic melting or falling off is such a nice moment. thanks.

Joy

July 30, 2025

Thank you, thank you for this, David. Really freeing, really helpful. So needed. Peace to you 💜

Lisa

July 29, 2025

Great insight as always. Thank you

Vanessa

July 29, 2025

Thanks David useful work for me preparing for Bottle Alley Art Market here in Hastings town with my ceramics. Will tune in again to pay full attention. Hope all is well with your creativity. 🙏🏼❤️

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© 2026 David Gandelman. All rights reserved. All copyright in this work remains with the original creator. No part of this material may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

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