The Artist’s Way

Hi All,

It’s been about a week! If you played trivia, thank for you playing. That is always fun for me to do and share with you. However, it is a different kind of creativity for me, and I used my brain differently to do it. I like doing it, but I don’t give myself as much creative credit for preparing those kinds of posts because I sometimes feel that facts are facts and besides coming up with the idea for the questions, I am not really creating anything. Plus, sometimes the questions are borrowed from other sources.  Even so, it is fun and stimulating for me to lead that activity, so thank you for playing.

Here’s a confession that I wasn’t going to make, but I guess I am. I have been journaling heavily on and off since last May. I learned about this book called The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron and she advocates for doing an activity called The Morning Pages, where every day you write three pages longhand not long after you get up in the morning. According to Ms. Cameron, the pages are a stream of consciousness and are not to be overthought. Sometimes I just set a timer and write for 30 minutes, without thinking, and if it fills up three pages, that’s great. I also don’t always do my pages in the morning, sometimes it is the afternoon or evening before I have time to do them.

Friends, honestly I feel a little funny admitting that I am doing this exercise almost daily because it does take up 30 minutes of my time every day that I do them (which is most days lately). To my ears this sounds very extravagant. It is sort of little secret of mine.

I don’t even know why I am worried about telling you this because I probably spend at least 30 minutes every day surfing the internet and I do not feel embarrassed about admitting that (and maybe I should be). I think probably most Americans spend 30 minutes a day reading the internet. Yet, it sound extremely extravagant to my ears for me to admit out loud that I have been spending 30 minutes a day journaling and it is a secret I have not told many people until I told you right now.

In any case, after doing my Daily Pages, I always feel better. I really, really do. Sometimes I don’t even think that I am feeling especially bad when I start writing but when I am done, I usually feel great. I don’t have much experience with talk therapy but I imagine that I feel the way that some people feel when they walk out of a therapy session.

 Just so you know, the point of these pages in not to produce high art. The point is according to Cameron to “provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritize and synchronize the day at hand. Honestly, I haven’t even read most of Ms. Cameron’s book yet. I don’t own it. (But I will). I got started doing my own Morning Pages when I read about another blogger doing them daily as a creative exercise. Strangley enough, out of nowhere, a person I actually know book talked The Artist’s Way to me and I learned that this was where the concept came from.

You know what they say, When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.

And I feel ready, I feel ready to learn how to wield my sword of creativity. It might not be as mighty as some swords but it is my sword.

Anywho. . .

 Lately, I have been giving a lot of thought to the purpose of this blog. What is this blog about?

If I had to answer this for myself, I would say that this blog is a way for me to share my life. It is also a way for me to express myself. It seems pretentious to say that this is art but maybe on some level this is art.

I wish I had something insightful to express. Instead, what I have for you today is this drawing that I made in Microsoft Paint today. It looks like the one that I drew in my Morning Pages yesterday.

Last week, when I made the Bumper Sticker post, was the first time I ever used Microsoft Paint. (I’m too old to have learned how to use it in school, but it does remind me of computer programs I used the dinosaur days of the mid-90’s). Baby steps Man, I’m learning!

This is me expressing my sudden, intense need for all things pumpkin spice at this time of year.

Dear Friends, I want so badly to distract you from the suffering that is inherent in everyday life. . .I really do.

I want to come up with something that is so gut-bustingly funny. . .

Instead, I came up with more bumper sticker ideas.

It’s something right?

This should be a bit of a distraction.

This one is for my child’s Preschool Teachers.

Here’s a sticker I created to applaud my self-control when I chose not to go overboard when I was making dinner.

That’s what’s been going on in my head.

Where is your artistic journey taking you? Reply Below

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