Very often the effort men put into activities that seem completely useless turns out to be extremely important in ways no one could foresee. Play has always been the mainspring of culture. — Italo Calvino (Journalist and writer, 1923-1985) The ego trip of pursuing ART, with a capital A is just another trap which is … Read more
What shakes the eye, but the invisible? – Theodore Roethke In this final chapter of The Artist’s Way, as her bon voyage gift to us, Julia offers a bouquet of ideas. When we begin to understand our creativity in terms of it being a sacred conversation between our Divinity and our human selves, she emphasizes … Read more
You knew I couldn’t totally stay away, didn’t you? So here is an offering for today, as a sort of Artist Date. Yes, another 20 minute investment, for our Artist Self, but very well worth it. Found earlier today from Sia Vogel on the Full Circle Blog. (My deepest apologies for neglecting to ascribe the … Read more
After giving it a lot of thought, including my own Imbolc Tarot reading yesterday, I am taking the advice of the Hermit. Instead of starting our exploration of Chapter Twelve today, I am going to allow myself a much-needed retreat for the rest of the week. I would suggest that you use this time to … Read more
The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web. – Pablo Picasso Today, we complete the second-to-last chapter, Recovering A Sense of Autonomy. We have some exercises to finish, and I … Read more
When God closes a door, She always opens a window, but sometimes it’s hell in the hallway.— AnonymousWe are considering the ways that setbacks and “failures” may be opportunities in disguise. To the artist, whose entire viewpoint is about finding creative, out-of-the-box pathways, you would think such detours would be second nature to us.But as … Read more
Imagination needs moodling – long, inefficient happy idling, dawdling and puttering. — Brenda Ueland Some very important discussions were sparked by yesterday’s post about the morning pages. I hope you’ll check them out! Meantime, we are concluding our work in Chapter Seven. Before we say goodbye to this chapter, Julia asks us to check in: … Read more
Adults are always asking little kids what they want to be when they grow up because they’re looking for ideas. — Paula Poundstone Okay. Take a deep breath. And then sigh in relief. We have made it through some of the most difficult territory on this journey. And I am glad to see you are … Read more
Creativity lives in paradox: serious art is born from serious play. – Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way I love that so many of you have already made a commitment to creating a creative space where you can unleash your artist self freely. Our environment speaks to us constantly about where our priorities are, and is … Read more
For improving your behavior, a supportive environment isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity.— Michael Highstead, CEO of Habit Busters, Ltd. In her recent (free!) newsletter, Elizabeth Genco Purvis, the “Marketing Goddess” wrote, “One of my mentors said something recently that really shook me up. He said, ‘Your environment is stronger than habit.’ When you think … Read more