The Artist's Way journey continues! Here are the replays of weeks 6 and 7 for you to watch. Week 6: Recovering a Sense of Abundance and Week 7: Recovering a Sense of Connection:
As you know, I wasn't a big fan of this book in the beginning. I'm mellowing a bit as I get further into the journey. I'm less hostile and more open. I feel less like I need to take every word in the book to heart and more like I can pick and choose what works for me. As a recovering "good girl perfectionist," it's always difficult for me not to complete the assignments and get my "A." But, I do find that I am always happier when I go towards the things that interest me instead of what I'm "supposed to do."
The general goal I'm currently pursuing, within the confines of the process that The Artist's Way offers, is to streamline (rather than awaken) my creativity and tweak it as necessary. Here are some notes I've made for myself, perhaps they can help you too. It's three questions and three pieces of advice.
1. What is my creative process? Part of Design Book Camp: Level 2 is about taking the time to reflect on how you approach creating art and the methods and techniques you use to produce it. I know the nuts and bolts of my process, so I'm currently asking more esoteric questions such as: What energizes me? In what ways do I waste time?
2. What are my creative goals? I have a lot of deadlines, but what are my big picture goals? When you run a creative business, it's so easy to fall into the trap of working project to project rather than thinking ahead, which leads me to….
3. What inspires me? I tend to be inspired by what's around me at the moment. Because of this, I keep reminding myself to GET OUT OF MY HOUSE and go for a walk or go see some art. In many ways, I think this is the point of the Artist's Date. It's making sure that you go looking for new stimulus at least once a week.
4. Take time to brainstorm. Brainstorming is essential for sparking new ideas and coming up with innovative approaches. I'm trying to give myself a few minutes every day to think about the big picture. This could be a use for the Morning Pages in a slightly altered way. I'm trying it out.
5. Take time to experiment. Similar to taking time to brainstorm, experimentation is like physical brainstorming. Don’t be afraid to try new things and experiment with your art. This is where a sketchbook or art journal can be extremely useful. I also encourage you to keep your experimentations to yourself — almost the same way the Morning Pages are meant not to be shared. These experiments should be without expectation or judgment.
6. It's okay to take breaks, Julie. I am a workaholic. But I am trying to stop being that way. I feel panicked because there's always more to do, always unanswered emails, always tasks not getting done, always someone being disappointed…but I also recognize that that's no way to live. So I'm trying to regularly take breaks to give myself the time to recharge and reflect.
So overall, the message to myself seems to be to take time — time to brainstorm, time to experiment, time to reflect, time to think, time to explore. Hopefully I can listen to that message and do it. See you at Book Club next Wednesday for week 8!
PS: I have a handful of pre-order spots left for scrap paper packs!
Grab one before they're gone!
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