Starting Finding Water-Artist
So I'm sharing my notes from the artist way book-"Finding Water" the last time I did this book it was April 2008...so four years ago, I'm excited to see the growth and changes I've made. I know these books are made or created to help people unblock there creativity but for me I thoroughly enjoy working throw them to keep me focused and on task with life in general, which has to deal with living a more balanced life with my self, home, husband, family and my creative life. So if anyone has the book and wants to follow along please do..
Week I
Uncovering a sense of
optimism
We have five sections in this week’s readings, I will begin
at being a beginner… it’s so
refreshing to know where ever we were last week or a month ago we can begin
again. We are never too old to be young
at heart. Being young at heart means simply being willing to be a beginner.
JC-shares, it’ took courage to allow myself to pursue
something that I loved. I had to allow myself the luxury of learning. I had to
focus on process and not on finished product. (The key here for me at less, though I love process I do have the focus
on the end too.) One might try letting go of the distance and stick with
learning to play.
To being at all I had to resign from competition. I had to
stop comparing myself to my idols. (I
don’t know about some of you but the word out there for us creative types in
the business is to be aware of the competition, and then here it’s like don’t
be….two worlds to live in or is it just me that does this because of being out
there in the more competitive section of things, not all but some areas. Let’s
say I’m aware I do this and I fight it, needing to find the happy medium is the
struggle)
Saw this on face book a few days ago. Quote from Yoda- “Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.”
This is interesting as JC shares..that on days when she
is most resistance and a little rusty at her piano lessons they end up being
her better lessons. Good writing and
painting etc. and good moods do not necessarily go together. She add on some of her worst days is when
some of her best work comes out. Have any of you experienced this before? I’ve
heard some creative types say I can only create when the stars in alignment and
the house is all clean blah..blah..blah..but I know for myself I’ve
worked/played/created through all types of moods and yes some of my better
works come from the most deepest places of emotion or mood.
Our Divining Rod task work- Don’t rob yourself of
the opportunity to be a beginner. Being a beginner is very rewarding. It brings
both excitement and self-respect. Pull
out of the closet a Deferred Dream, possible answer some of her question or
just let the stream flow with pen to paper and see what happens. Allow yourself to explore in your own behalf.
For today all you need is the grace to begin beginning. Think and start very
small.
Encouragement
All artists need coconspirators to cheer them on in their
endeavors…what does an endeavor mean? To
exert oneself to do or effect something; make an
effort; strive: We must constantly endeavor if we are
to succeed.
Well
just needed to full understand the meaning..
JC
shares about trying to count our blessings instead of the costs. Practicing
optimism like a mantra. But for some of
us myself included experience a let
down, not
sure if anyone else has had this feeling. But knowing that others go through
this sort of situation is reassuring and staying the distance is what
important, keeping the optimism and courage (heart) intact, sometimes one needs
help. Not having only one soul things or
creative endeavor but a few going is a key. I’m hearing not putting all the chickens
in one basket might be the idea too, having a few scatter around or something
else in the works. Keeping active in
your creative endeavors in small ways seem to be the answer to left the anxiety
a little and then allow for the Creative Waters to flow where they may flow..
JC shares from her friend Bruce, “it’s good that you’ve got more
than one project to work on. The waiting is hard.
You keep the faith.
Divining Rod Task work- Pen in hand make a list “believing
mirrors” You owe it to yourself to be in regular contact with these
individuals. Try to pick up the phone
and call someone you’ve not called in a long time. Be it the believing mirrors
or sandwich calls we can’t do it alone.
Focusing
Should we all get a
stack of index cards and post an image of our artist date? Well if some of you want to and have time it
might be fun and not to time consuming.
I just had this
conversation with the art teacher about having to continually teach students to
take the time to look, we get going with what we think it looks like and then
before you know it we’ve forgotten to look and take it for granted and then we
miss out.
JC shares, Artists/ us creative types must be schooled in
the particular. It’s not healthy for me as an artist to be tuned to the inner
movie, always watching the “what if, if only I had’s” As they unspool on the
inner screen. (What if I’d keep my ranch in New Mexico?” “If only I still had
my horses.”) What if and if only are poisons for any artist. They throw us into
the past. They dull our lens on the passing world. And it is in the passing
world that inspiration lies in wait for us. For an Artist to be vital, for the
work to hold up, there must be primacy given to the here and now. She shares, I
know this but lately must I must work to practice it. If I live in the “then”
instead of in the “now,” the art dries up.
“Watch out don’t
get sucked down the Rabbit hole”
Lately, the inner movie has been compelling; I have felt
an undertow pulling me out of my daily life and into a twilight world of fears
and regrets. JC shares that she’s been
having trouble holding on to her optimism. And felt she’s slipping away from
life.
“Mundane keeps you sane”
JC shares, I must work to husband my own optimism. I must
cling to the small and positive: walking the dogs, putting words to page, paint
to canvas, thread to fabric, etc. I must not entertain the large and overwhelming
for me that is romancing trouble.
Julia shares about her breakdowns and depressive moments.
And she shares I have had to learn to live each day very carefully, keeping to
a required daily maintenance. For her
self-pity is the rim of the glass. Can’t afford to think “poor me, poor
me. I
know what this feels like I’ve had my own personal demon with the drink, drugs
and for me it’s the sugar tub, bread or pasta… I only share this because of
moments that still rear its ugly head…lesser then before but I just wish I
didn’t go there. I have found out though
keeping the mundane task going, they will pull me out of a funk a lot faster if
I stick to it. I think for myself it mainly
has to deal with the emotional sobriety that I seek.
Divining Rod Task- We choose to focus on the
positive or on the negative, we can choose beautiful or the ugly. We’re at a
point now where we can train our eyes on focusing in areas that reward us with
grace and beauty.
If you decided to use the index cards add five things to
a page a night that is beautiful in your life. You might try to write it
nightly.
Grounding
Have you ever had that feeling…you sense it, almost like
an animal senses a storm coming in? We
are on the verge or many things/endeavors are pending. We are told to keep the faith while things
unfold. Unfortunately, Spirit is vague about timing. I relate this feeling
she’s sharing to an in between stage…not stagnant but between knowing and
unknowing and knowing again. I love this
“don’t quit right before the miracle”
You can’t give up just because the goring is tough right now. “Soon
there will be more interest. Being ready to receive that interest by having
kept the faith myself. This means I must
buck the tide of discouragement or disheartening.
I’ve heard this
many times lately…Ours is a youth-oriented culture. We are trained by
television and the media to focus on those who are young. Wow did that all happen? I’m probably a product of it and didn’t even
realize it.. I’m sure we could hang out on this topic for a while.
This is the part
that I think of Lynn sharing the words from Cher saying “Snap out if it” but
it’s a part of us that has to realize that we are the ones that have to care
for ourselves and the better the self-talk is the better off we will be.
Realizing that when the crap comes in…not to take it serious, almost you have
to take the step back and do the childhood saying…Stop Look and Listen. Be an adult
artist about it and consider the bigger picture.
This is when a walk might be in store for you…as JC
shares walk for guidance. “One thing
that I didn’t anticipate when I was younger is how often the going gets
rough. “Oh learning to live on life’s terms is not easy.”
What are your spiritual practices? What works for you in
a case like this of needing to be grounded or find grounding when life throws
you a curve ball or spills bean out all over the floor?
Fatigue can make it hard to have faith. Too much busyness
can make it hard to have faith. Too much or too little solitude can impact
faith. For that matter, so can a bout of hunger or overwork, anything carried
to an extreme. Faith thrives on routine.
Faith keeps on keeping on.
What I’m hearing is
if I don’t’ keep to a good spiritual routine then what happens is I’m
toying with my faith and then when that
happens I do feel that separation from a proper position, my own of course.
So have any of you
had this happen to you where your creativity turns on you? I’m brought to mind that creative takes on
many forms, as of how you clean your home, or prepare to go to work, to
creating a wonderful grilled cheese with a pickle and some mixed fruit.
And JC shares, the
doing of something productive regardless of the outcome is an act of faith. The
doing of a small something when a large something is too much for us is perhaps
especially an act of faith. Faith means going forward by whatever means we can.
“Just do the next right things”
Divining Rod tasks
List five acts that keep you grounded.
Possibilities
Oh to our four legged loves, JC’s Tiger Lily is a perfect
artist dog, always chasing something that is just out of reach-a
possibility.
Here’s where Yoda saying comes in “Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try” …and I
question it as of JC has us try…As artist, we must learn to try. We must learn
to act affirmatively. Wherever
creativity is afoot, so is blossoming. All creative acts are acts of
initiative. We start with nothing-“the verdant void”- and impregnate it with
our own creative spark. Art is born, but not without labor on our part. In
order to make art, we must be willing to labor, reach inside and draw
forth. But it begins with where you are
and what you are. It begins with possibility.
Change what you can with positive thinking.
I can... I think I
can… I will.
Push forward into growth…like the weed through the
concrete floor..
Divining Rod task work
Don’t be your own wet blanket,
Give it a try…write 10 I could try….sentences and see
what happens.
Well to look at a deferred dream...I draw a blank...I've kind of accepted that in my dream of dreams I would be living in more northern state and need to travel in to the town from the my homestead. So let me share a deferred dream. The husband and I have this big piece of property with a nice small lake and a great creek running to it. Wild life all around us, we have this main loft side home built from logs and we finish our breakfast and both head to our studio spaces. His is a big pole barn where he's rebuiling his and other choppers and me I've got a studio space down the ways that I've got to jump into my old pick up truck...dogs too and travel to. The ride is enjoyable as we bump down the road. Dogs all know that they will be spending the day exploring around this part of the property. Well I could go on but I'll stop there...at this point I live across from a Cattail basin which supplies water and protection to some wild life. And I have this large home and a nice size piece of property and I have a studio space and the husband has a garage...so when looking at a deferred dream I don't feel a lost more so I feel that I've got a good thing already.. but some day along the way dreams do come true.
ReplyDeleteMake a list of 5 grounding activities.
ReplyDelete1. morning pages
2. walks in the woods
3. doing mundane household chores
4. walking my dogs
5. working in my yard/gardening.
Love this post, Laura. And your comments to yourself! And love love love your little sketchbook!
ReplyDeletethank you April...
ReplyDeleteI wanted to add my five things that I saw that was beautiful yesterday..
1. the rain and the sound of the rain and thunder and lightening.
2. the winds
3. a clean kitchen after dinner
4. My husband high speed wind blown look at a long motorcycle ride
5. piles of sewn prayer flags.