FNL_INSPIRED Vol 2_Spring

20 INSPIRED VOL 2 by Michelle Motuzas ORACLE VS. TAROT? –OR–The Differences between Designing and Creating Oracle Cards vs. Tarot Cards (a.k.a. playing it safe vs. facing your deepest, darkest fears. . .) Yikes! I mean . . . hmmmm. How in the world can something so completely personal— my own creative process and particular experiences—pos- sibly educate, inspire, or empower others? I noodled this around for a few months and, true to my nature, here I am the night before this article is due, sitting and staring at a still-blank screen. To say I procrastinate would be an understatement; my friend Meghan tactfully says I am “pressure prompted.” She is southern and has a genetic disposition to put a beautiful- ly lyrical spin on everything. But I am also flipping fantastic at pulling ideas out of my you-know-where. Though this is the night before, I have been thinking and planning this for months. It is my creative process. When I approached my editor about doing a color-your- own deck, it was with the intention to empower people. I had published my first deck, the Shamanic Healing Or- acle , and was continually humbled by people all over the world reaching out and kindly telling me how much the deck spoke to them and how they loved “my” illustrations. Although I did and still do love hearing such appreciation, I found it distinctly uncomfortable that many people placed such emphasis on my illustrations. My mission first and foremost in creating an Oracle deck for publication was to, simply put, empower others in such a way that they would eventually no longer need my or any other Tarot or Oracle decks. (My apologies, Schiffer/RedFeather!) I never wanted to be a guru of any sort. (Hard stop!) About this time, the adult coloring craze was blossom- ing, and I found myself intrigued as I watched people who would never admit to any artistic talent suddenly spending hours coloring page after page. Yes, coloring reduces stress, “ When asked to write about my process, I jumped at the chance to create content that might educate, inspire, and empower readers.