Good Day Everyone – Week One Starting The Artist Way Book

Week One – Starting The Artist Way.

Hello Everyone and welcome to our blog. There is a lot of information so feel free to read at your leisure. Add your comments below and share what you like….

UPDATE: Michael has posted a thread at our meetup group we should read when we have a chance – since it covers the meetings from the meetup, and list of tasks that should be completed before we meet up again on December 12th, 2009. – http://www.meetup.com/NYArtistsWay/boards/thread/8149294/

Our aim is for us to be reading a chapter every two weeks, in consecutive order, and in a group format, to then review, share with one another what we may have learned and have grown from this experience.

Michael will be hosting the meetup today in the city – but for those of us who might not be able to make it to today’s meeting, Michael and I talked on the phone just last night and he has some great experience with this book – I will be adding a variety of pages to help us go forward from here.

Please note this blog has been designed to act as a group for all who wish to grow as artists and be enlightened with their creativity – regardless of any artistic medium you may work in or wish to even work in, regardless of your level of talent you think you may possess or not possess- this book is for all people of all abilities or lack of. This group has been designed to allow the creative part of all us to grow and learn to be better creators – since we are all creative. Enough said, let’s get going….

I will be also sharing a variety of quotes from the book I feel that are worthy being noted and have found inspiring. Feel free to add yours in the comments sections below. I especially enjoy those quotes in the side sections of Julia Cameron’s books – don’t forget to read those to be inspired by people you already respect.

Important for everyone to know and note:
Please be fair and supportive with your comments and take a peek at the ‘rules and sacred circle pages’ I created today on this blog – as they may well be updated as we go forward in time. This is a place for encouragement, a place for support and certainly a place for learning about ourselves in a creative format. As mentioned, today we will be starting with Julia Cameron’s first book titled, “the Artist’s Way”.

During the actual meetup meeting today:

1. We will be reviewing the ‘Introduction’, and covering the ‘Basic Tools & Basic Principles“  to help us familiarize ourselves with the book and its exercises. We will also be covering the Appendixes, in particular Appendix: Trail Mix Forming a Sacred Circle which outlines the use of the Book in Group format, as well as a working set of Rules.
2. We will also be choosing 2 or 3 tasks of the next Chapter [Chap 1] to complete on our own over the next 2 weeks.
3. (For the blog/cyber event – I will list the tasks suggested, and will then update this list for what was chosen at the meetup today so that you can join in on those tasks, and of course feel free to do any additional ones you might like to accomplish)

This is definitely a great opportunity for ‘newbies’ of this group to join us and for others new to the book series. We hope that new members will join us on this meetup to learn a little more about the group and to learn more about the process of  “The Artist Way”, it’s exercises and to even hear from some of us whose experience in utilizing the book’s exercises has aided them with their creative breakthroughs, given them strength and anything else they wished to share in regards to their experience(s) with the book(s).

For Our Cyber Event:
To assist us in keeping up and going along with the meetup group, please familiarize yourself and read the following sections of the book: Introduction, Basic Tools & Basic Principles, Appendix: Trail Mix Forming a Sacred Circle.

Feel free to share your comments and feelings from what you may have learned from reading the introduction, the Appendix and maybe even your ideas for Artist’s Dates.

Adding Comments today and on this week’s post:
If you have started your morning pages, why not share how you felt about the process. Share any quotes you found insightful from the book in the comment section below and maybe even what you hope to get out from reading and doing the various tasks from the book. And if you decided to take and have an artist date  – share where you went, how you felt, what you discovered, etc.

Some of my favorite quotes of Julia Cameron from the introduction section of her first book I’d like to share with you which I have found quite motivating:

“Creativity is like crabgrass – it springs back with the simplest bit of care.”

“People ‘heal’ because creativity is healthy – and practicing it, they find their greater selves. And we are all greater than we can conceive.”

“Creativity is an act of faith, and we must be faithful to that faith, willing to share it to help others, and to be healed in return.”

“I teach people to let themselves be creative”

“Do these things [tasks, artist dates, morning pages] and a breakthrough will follow – whether you believe in it or not. Whether you call it a spiritual awakening or not.”

“What you are doing is creating pathways in your consciousness through which the creative forces can operate. Once you agree to clearing these pathways, your creativity emerges. In a sense, your creativity is like your blood. Just as blood is a fact of your physical body, and nothing you invented, creativity is a fact of your spiritual body and nothing that you must invent.”

“Many times, I’ve heard words to this effect: “Before I took your class, I was completely separate from my creativity. The years of bitterness and loss had taken their toll. Then gradually, the miracle[s] started to happen. I have gone back to school to get my degree in theater, I’m auditioning for the first time in years, I’m writing on a steady basis – and most important of all, I finally feel comfortable calling myself an artist.”"

“Leap and the net will appear” – Julia Cameron has this sign on her desk, and I feel it really let’s you get a sense of faith it takes to realize you need only to take one step out towards space to move forward regardless of where it may take you, but for you to learn and to know they is support underneath your foot as you take that step forward especially when you may not know the direction that your step may take you. – But it takes you forward regardless of its direction. And where is takes you, you just be very and happily surprised.

So have some faith here is all you are asked as you go forward in taking steps in accomplishing your daily morning pages and in choosing some of the tasks from chapter one. Let’s get started!

THE BASIC TOOLS:

The Morning Pages:

“In order to retrieve your creativity, you need to find it” – Julia Cameron

So what are morning pages you ask? Morning pages are requested of you to do on a daily basis – they are for your eyes only – in fact it is suggested that within the first eight weeks, to literally not reread, review or share them but to simply get to writing your thoughts down on paper first thing in the morning. This might mean you will have to wake up earlier in the morning, but you are making a commitment to yourself here, and not to anyone else for you to grow. You are simply asked to ‘free write’ and have it be three pages long.

It is a great time to start a new journal for this task, a nice notebook if you can afford one, though I use a notebook bought at the dollar store, but have used fancier ones available at book stores when I felt like splurging. Create a place in your home where you can be left undisturbed for the 40 minutes you might need to write down the three pages. This is your moment, your time, your mind, your special place where you can let it all hang out…on paper.

It is also suggested to write in long hand versus using a laptop, since the actual act of writing by hand helps the mind slow down a bit – but I will not tell you otherwise that if it is easier for you to write on your laptop/computer so be it – it is more important to actually get to writing three pages everyday when you wake up. Though Julia Cameron really does recommend writing your Morning Pages by hand (she state her reasons why in her books).

I have written my morning pages (almost) every morning for well over a year, and can tell you it amazes me at times, since there are those mornings where it sounds like I’m simply whining versus shining in my words, then there are times where what I have just written seems poetic and brilliant  – even if in my own little mind’s opinion. But this is the entire point that Julia is trying to get across.

It is perfectly fine to whine about what ails you, or complain about your mother-in-law, these pages are for your eyes only – in fact, do your best not to share them with anyone. And interestingly enough – this sort of ‘free writing’ letting your mind wander to share what ever is on it – helps you get all that crap off and out of your mind and onto paper, there is a sort of release of stress as an aftereffect which believe you me, can be very appealing.

“all that angry, whiny, petty stuff that you write down in the morning stands between you and your creativity. Worrying about the job, the laundry, the funny knock in the car, the weird look in your lover’s eye – this stuff eddied through our subconscious and muddies our days. Get it on the page.” – Julie Cameron

So do “get it on the page” – and out of your mind! Or at the very least, off your chest. Doing these Morning Pages helps the healing process that you may just find you learned you actually needed. Not knowing otherwise that if you didn’t attempt your Morning Pages on a regular basis, that you would not even have been aware of this need for some form of healing. This is what happened to me…

Personally, I would also suggest, not having the morning news on when you are writing your morning pages, music sure, a coffee or tea in front of you, whatever….and learn to think of ‘these morning pages’ as a brain meditation you are doing every morning. Heck, I have even been known to write my afternoon pages since I didn’t get to it that morning, I allow this on occasion, hey I am only human, as you are – but morning is best since it purges you before your start you day with the outside world by strengthening you and your spirit.

And if you seem not to know what to write, well then write that down quite literally. I have found there are moments when I have actually written, “geeze, what do I even write about, I have nothing to say…” and then all of the sudden, the next three pages simply start coming out, in fact start pouring out from me – not knowing where the heck that energy just came from – but I do not fight it, in fact, I want to get my morning pages done with so I can go about my day – free from my mind’s entanglements and pro-occupation with something so trivial, that once written down, I am free of it for the whole day and night.

I also highly suggest reading what Julia Cameron points out as ‘our Censor’  on Page 13 in regards to writing your morning pages since this will allow you to approach your morning pages with strength and vigor knowing and learning the process of one’s brains in editing ourselves mercilessly at times. She shows how to prevent this needless self-editing that gets in the way of self-healing and growth.

The Artist Date:

“The most potent muse of all is our own inner child – Stephen Nachmanovitch”

Quite literally, an Artist Date is just that – a one to three hour date with one’s self to go someplace by yourself to explore art in its many formats. You can be as creative or not as creative, as you wish, when you spend this time  – you are making a date with yourself  – with the artist within which needs to be nurtured.

“Spending time in solitude with your artist child is essential to self-nurturing. A long country [or city] walk,  a solitary expedition to the beach for a sunrise or sunset, a sortie out to a strange church to hear gospel music, to an ethnic neighborhood to taste foreign sights and sounds – your artist might enjoy any of these. Or your artist might like bowling.

Commit yourself to a weekly artist’s date, and then watch your killjoy try to wriggle out of it. Watch how this sacred time gets [so] easily encroached upon. Watch how the sacred time suddenly includes a third party. Learn to guard against these invasions.” (page 19)

Julia Cameron’s approach to doing both the Artist’s Dates once a week and the morning pages easily follows some of the rules of feng shui – the in and out, the ying and yang if you will…the ‘out’ process is writing your morning pages while the ‘in’ process of taking your once a week excursion called an Artist’s Date – this process is extremely effective in getting your creative juices flowing.

And remember, your Artist’s Date can really be anything – most importantly, I have found for the best results, to be sure to go to somewhere I have never been before – could be an art gallery, a town I have never been to, a trail in the woods I have not taken with my dog, anything that is new.

These new unseen sights allows my brain to be refreshed, my sense of self renewed, and inspires me to create. You may just find yourself smiling, finding joy where you thought none existed, feeling grateful, meeting new people, and having new experiences which definitely will add spice to your life and get your creative juices flowing quite nicely.

Peace to all, let’s have some fun with this – and feel free to share your thoughts and wisdom…we all want to learn to live to be even more creative.

Warm regards,

Leah
Co-Coordinator

Advertisement