The Artist’s Way ~ Weeks 8-9.

Week 8 ~ Recovering a Sense of Strength

1. I did the Morning Pages every day. I vacillate between loving them and feeling like they are a complete waste of time. But the process of showing up for them, no matter what my current state of mind is, is empowering. It helps me to show up to my yoga mat, my meditation cushion, the blank page, regardless of my mood.
2. I created a page in my art journal for my Artist’s Date this week. At first, I was tempted to dismiss this as a cop out since I’ve already done this but getting back to creating, to playing with collage and  aint and words was part of my intention so if I do an art journal page for every Artist’s Date, that’s a win. I’m done with criticizing how I show up to this process when showing up is the point. 
3. I didn’t notice any synchronicity this week or I don’t remember what they were. And that’s okay.
4. I just noticed that each chapter uses the word “recovering” which means that we already have whatever quality is the theme for the week. We have just buried it/them under a bunch of stories that no longer fit with who we are. I had a hard time coming up with things I am not allowed to do so that needs to be revisited. I’ll use it as a writing prompt. I know that when nothing comes up it’s almost always because I am not willing to look at it or I haven’t allowed myself to dig deep enough. I noticed that my ideal day within the life I have now, is all about showing up to my self: to my work, creativity, body, relationships without the distractions that separate my from these things like TV or social media. I plan on taking one day and living it exactly as I imagine my ideal day to be.

Week 9 ~ Recovering a Sense of Compassion

1. I did my Morning Pages every day. Even if it ended up being very late in the day, they still got written. I did not read them yet. Mostly because my writing is generally atrocious and so hard to read and partly because I was busy with my girls who were both home for spring break for the last time together so I was enjoying every minute I had with them.
2. I managed to slip in an Artist’s Date while my daughter was getting her hair cut. I went to a local coffee shop that also sells alcohol and had a glass of wine while writing my Morning Pages and doing some of the tasks.
3. Snychronicty: I was browsing a bookstore at the outlet mall and thought I was done then happened to stroll past the YA section and there was a book that’s been on my radar for a while: “Barbara the Slut and Other People” stories by Lauren Holmes.
4. I absolutely love this from chapter 9: “Over any extended period of time, being an artist requires enthusiasm more than discipline. Enthusiasm is not an emotional state. It is a spiritual commitment, a loving surrender to our creative process, a loving recognition of all the creativity around us. Enthusiasm (from the Greek, “filled with God”) is an ongoing energy supply tapped into the flow of life itself.” I have battered myself over the years with the word “discipline” and I never ever live up to my own exhausting standards of what that means at any given  moment. So I love this idea of focusing my energy on enthusiasm instead. It’s a gentler, more accessible, more compassionate, more sustainable space from which to live and create.