What opossums taught me about creativity

An opossum scared me half to death one night after taking the trash out. It clambered across a fence parallel to the side entry door, its pink tail wriggling side to side, rushing past the light. I remember yelling in fear as I ran for the door handle, hoping it wouldn't rear its head and hiss.

Besides seeing one in sixth grade during nature's classroom (it's a Tampa thing, IYKYK), I didn't have many encounters with these furry marsupials. They felt foreign to me, despite knowing their docile nature unless their babies were threatened.

Not much there for creative fodder – or is there?

What changed my mind about opossums

I met my friend Alisha at an aerial school in the Tampa Bay area years back – but I still remember it clearly. I was sitting down, taking a break from doing some drills on silks (my mortal enemy, but an essential for open gym days where you can do conditioning and skills you've already learned). Admittedly, I felt self conscious because I didn't know anyone there.

She had no problem walking right up to me in her colorful galaxy leggings, glasses, and big smile. She said something akin to "Hi! What are you working on?" and the rest is history. I saw her go to Japan and move from Florida to Washington state not long after I did. Fate, it seemed, wanted us to stay close by to each other.

All the while I saw her passion for art re-emerge. For you see, Alisha is an absolutely incredible painter. Her favorite subject matter? Opossums.

Enter Joyful Opossums, her art business where she paints whimsical backdrops of opossums floating up into UFOs, peeking from cute pumpkins, and even driving sports cars. I've watched her grow her page and become one of the top rising creators on Facebook with 1k+ followers, all by sharing her passion and letting curiosity lead her into unknown territory. She's also made it her full-time work currently. As a friend, I'm extremely proud to see what she's accomplished!

I was grateful to be there for her wedding day; to attend The Cure concert with her last year; and even have breakfast with her the day after a breakup.

Opossums through Alisha's skillful brush strokes have shown me not only are these little guys cute, but you can go far with passion and a willingness to learn. She's been a helpful ear anytime I messaged for advice about sole proprietorships, about how she makes time to do art, and more. Her kindness goes for miles, and her energy is infectious in the best way. She's someone who is deserving of the title "ride or die."

We can all learn a lot from Alisha, myself included.

Letting creativity take you places

I always thought you needed a concrete brand and vision before giving yourself "permission" to explore. While I'll always advocate for standard elements in a brand, don't let that stop you from blossoming and seeing where your passion takes you.

Alisha is a perfect example of this. Proclaimed as a self-taught artist since March 2022, her advice is sound when presented with "Why opossums?"

"... I?chose a subject that I enjoy for repetition. I couldn't bear to spend hours with anything I don't love, thus – opossums!"

Her opossums descriptors as both relatable and connecting sparked the impetus for her work – that's something we can all use as a takeaway in our own projects.

Some others to mull on:

• Find something you love, and integrate it into a repetitive model. It's a great way to keep things simple in the beginning as you grow. For me, my projects surround vampirism and its metaphors (which you might see more of later). For instance, my story in a horror anthology explored how a vampire's hunger affects their psyche. Vampire thirst is always externally expressed, but rarely do we get an internal peek on how thoughts deconstruct and dehumanize people as prey.
• Do stream of consciousness journaling to find what sticks. As humans, we're obsessed with finding patterns, so do it for your creative side! Open up a Word Doc, or even the notes app on your phone, and write out what you're thinking. If you do this for a few days, you'll start to see patterns in thoughts or concepts you're having. Use that for some initial ideas on bringing your ideas to life. Then, you can eventually create "pillars" of content you want to have in your brand. That doesn't mean they can't change later – after all, that's what rebrands are for!
• Try a prompt to get you inspired. Whether it's going on Canva for one of their design challenges or a generator online, sometimes you just need a little push to get started. Freebie: I'm working on a playbook to get people inspired during every zodiac season. To help out for your Capricorn season, here's a sneak peek of one you can use –

CAPRICORN SEASON PROMPT: "Shake it up" - You don’t have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. It does get easier. Something as small as a reminder can build our confidence in creativity. Create an album on your phone with your favorite images and affirmations, and when you’re feeling down, change your lock screen to be something happy. A change in routine and visuals can be amazingly healing for the soul. If you already have something similar, make your own and see what kind of visuals and aesthetics resonate with you right now!

So, what's your "opossum?" Comment below and follow for more issues like this one.

Also, please support Joyful Opossums, even if it's liking and sharing her content:

Follow Alisha on Facebook

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I hope I've changed your mind about opossums and creativity.

I, for one, now look at these marsupials as a jumpstart to creativity, and not fear.