AquariJenn
04-14-2002, 10:06 AM
We are nearing the end. Only three more weeks to go. If you're worried about how you will be able to sustain your creative energy, don't despair. These last few chapters will help you learn to care for your creative self and how to sustain what you've learned. This week's chapter is Chapter Ten: Recovering a Sense of Self-Protection in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0874776945/ref=nosim/storknet00">The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity</a>.
Goals for Week Fourteen:
* Read Chapter Ten: Recovering a Sense of Self-Protection
* Write Morning Pages each day.
* Do Workaholism Quiz
* Do five tasks.
* Go on your Artist Date!
* Check in here to let us know how you're doing! http://www.storknet.com/boards/wink.gif
<u>Dangers of the Trail</u>
"When we are clear about who we are and what we are doing, the energy flows freely and we experience no strain," Cameron writes. Everything seems to go our way. For blocked creatives, this is a scary feeling. We suddenly look up and realize we are moving way to fast. Instead of playing it out, seeing where this energy is going to take us our first instinct is to stop. Slam on the breaks. Get yourself out of there. The thing that we reach for to stop this flow of energy is different for each person. Some like to indulge in food or drugs. Some like to bury themselves in work or allow themselves to be overtaken by the agendas of others.
This behavior is hurtful. This behavior leads us away from our creative selves, our true selves. We need to be true to ourselves. To stop blocking, we must identify what we are using as our "drug" of choice. Once we have identified these "dangers of the trail" we can avoid them and keep moving forward on the road to recovery.
<u>Workaholism</u>
Our society encourages us to stay busy, to work hard, to achieve success. Hardly any one would balk at the idea of using work as an excuse not to go out to lunch, to avoid to making time to write or paint, or to get some exercise. Working is a virtue. But it can also be an addictive behavior. The Workaholism Quiz helps us to see how we use our time. Keeping track of how much time you spend on various tasks through out the week will help you figure out if you work too much. It will also show you where you need to set boundaries. Do you bring work home with you? Do you avoid social engagements because you have too much to do? Do you allow the plans of others to monopolize your time at work? To recover from workaholism, you need to establish new behaviors to replace the old ones.
<u>Drought</u>
All creative lives are filled with periods of draught. These are the times in our lives when we do not feel productive. Doubts, grief, and sadness are the mainstay. We lose confidence in ourselves and in our creativity. We don't know how to carry on. The faint-at-heart will give up. The courageus will push on and find the well again.
During a drought .... we are fighting with God. We have lost faith--in the Great Creator and in our creative selves. We have some bone to pick, and bones to pick are everywhere. This is the desert of the heart. Looking for a hopeful sign, all we see are the hulking remains of dreams that died along the path.
How does one get out of this period of doubt? Perserverence. We must push on writing our morning pages every day, even if it's painful...especially if it's painful. Slowly but surely, an answer will come. An insight. A spark. If we do not bring ourselves to that place each day where we can contemplate ourselves, we will miss out on these moments of clarity that challenges can bring.
<u>Fame</u>
For many of us, being creative is not enough. We won't think that we are an artist, writer, actor, etc. until we have reached a level of success where we are famous. Very few people reach that point and, unfortunately, it is the media who often makes them so, not their ability to do good work. We are bombarded with news about famous people. Sometimes it's easy to forget that other people have lives and dreams and triumphs, too. We measure ourselves by their standards and not by our own. We may never reach their levels of notoriety. But we can still be artists. Very good artists, too. In order to keep the "fame bug" away, we must remember to take joy and pleasure in the process of our work. That is why we really do it anyway, right? Don't take yourself too seriously and reward even the simplest accomplishments that you make.
Remember, treating yourself like a precious object will make you strong....Try approving of yourself just as you are--and spoiling yourself rotten with small kid's pleasures.
<u>Competition</u>
Our world is one giant competition. We are competing to get attention drawn to our work. We compete for space in the literary magazines, the art galleries. We compete against those who don't even know we exist. Why do we do this? Approval. We want the world to see that what we are doing is good. We need approval to validate our existence as artists. Cameron states that we must approve of ourselves. Doing the work and being true to ourselves are the keys to a healthy life as an artist. We should look to our fellow artists for ideas and inspiration, not as competition.
The desire to be better than can choke off the simple desire to be. As artists we cannot afford this thinking. It leads us away from our own voices and choices and into a defensive game that centers outside of ourselves and our sphere of influence. It asks us to define our creativity in terms of someone else's.
Topics for Discussion:
* Did you read your morning pages last week? How have you progressed since those first few weeks?
* What are your creative blocks of choice?
* Did you set any boundaries this week? What are they?
* What are your creative goals for this week?
* Have you experienced any synchronicity? Have any opportunities presented themselve to you unexpectedly?
* What insights into your creativity and/or blocks did this week's tasks bring out for you?
* What did you do for your artist date? How did it feel?
Edited for links.
Goals for Week Fourteen:
* Read Chapter Ten: Recovering a Sense of Self-Protection
* Write Morning Pages each day.
* Do Workaholism Quiz
* Do five tasks.
* Go on your Artist Date!
* Check in here to let us know how you're doing! http://www.storknet.com/boards/wink.gif
<u>Dangers of the Trail</u>
"When we are clear about who we are and what we are doing, the energy flows freely and we experience no strain," Cameron writes. Everything seems to go our way. For blocked creatives, this is a scary feeling. We suddenly look up and realize we are moving way to fast. Instead of playing it out, seeing where this energy is going to take us our first instinct is to stop. Slam on the breaks. Get yourself out of there. The thing that we reach for to stop this flow of energy is different for each person. Some like to indulge in food or drugs. Some like to bury themselves in work or allow themselves to be overtaken by the agendas of others.
This behavior is hurtful. This behavior leads us away from our creative selves, our true selves. We need to be true to ourselves. To stop blocking, we must identify what we are using as our "drug" of choice. Once we have identified these "dangers of the trail" we can avoid them and keep moving forward on the road to recovery.
<u>Workaholism</u>
Our society encourages us to stay busy, to work hard, to achieve success. Hardly any one would balk at the idea of using work as an excuse not to go out to lunch, to avoid to making time to write or paint, or to get some exercise. Working is a virtue. But it can also be an addictive behavior. The Workaholism Quiz helps us to see how we use our time. Keeping track of how much time you spend on various tasks through out the week will help you figure out if you work too much. It will also show you where you need to set boundaries. Do you bring work home with you? Do you avoid social engagements because you have too much to do? Do you allow the plans of others to monopolize your time at work? To recover from workaholism, you need to establish new behaviors to replace the old ones.
<u>Drought</u>
All creative lives are filled with periods of draught. These are the times in our lives when we do not feel productive. Doubts, grief, and sadness are the mainstay. We lose confidence in ourselves and in our creativity. We don't know how to carry on. The faint-at-heart will give up. The courageus will push on and find the well again.
During a drought .... we are fighting with God. We have lost faith--in the Great Creator and in our creative selves. We have some bone to pick, and bones to pick are everywhere. This is the desert of the heart. Looking for a hopeful sign, all we see are the hulking remains of dreams that died along the path.
How does one get out of this period of doubt? Perserverence. We must push on writing our morning pages every day, even if it's painful...especially if it's painful. Slowly but surely, an answer will come. An insight. A spark. If we do not bring ourselves to that place each day where we can contemplate ourselves, we will miss out on these moments of clarity that challenges can bring.
<u>Fame</u>
For many of us, being creative is not enough. We won't think that we are an artist, writer, actor, etc. until we have reached a level of success where we are famous. Very few people reach that point and, unfortunately, it is the media who often makes them so, not their ability to do good work. We are bombarded with news about famous people. Sometimes it's easy to forget that other people have lives and dreams and triumphs, too. We measure ourselves by their standards and not by our own. We may never reach their levels of notoriety. But we can still be artists. Very good artists, too. In order to keep the "fame bug" away, we must remember to take joy and pleasure in the process of our work. That is why we really do it anyway, right? Don't take yourself too seriously and reward even the simplest accomplishments that you make.
Remember, treating yourself like a precious object will make you strong....Try approving of yourself just as you are--and spoiling yourself rotten with small kid's pleasures.
<u>Competition</u>
Our world is one giant competition. We are competing to get attention drawn to our work. We compete for space in the literary magazines, the art galleries. We compete against those who don't even know we exist. Why do we do this? Approval. We want the world to see that what we are doing is good. We need approval to validate our existence as artists. Cameron states that we must approve of ourselves. Doing the work and being true to ourselves are the keys to a healthy life as an artist. We should look to our fellow artists for ideas and inspiration, not as competition.
The desire to be better than can choke off the simple desire to be. As artists we cannot afford this thinking. It leads us away from our own voices and choices and into a defensive game that centers outside of ourselves and our sphere of influence. It asks us to define our creativity in terms of someone else's.
Topics for Discussion:
* Did you read your morning pages last week? How have you progressed since those first few weeks?
* What are your creative blocks of choice?
* Did you set any boundaries this week? What are they?
* What are your creative goals for this week?
* Have you experienced any synchronicity? Have any opportunities presented themselve to you unexpectedly?
* What insights into your creativity and/or blocks did this week's tasks bring out for you?
* What did you do for your artist date? How did it feel?
Edited for links.