Continuing on with Artists Way

Week 7 Recovering a Sense of Connection

We turn this week to the practice of right attitudes for creativity. The emphasis is on your receptive as well as active skills. The essays, exercises, and task aim at excavating areas of genuine creative interest as you connect with our personal dreams.

Listening

The ability to listen is a skill we are honing with both our morning pages and artist dates. The pages train us to hear past our Censor. The artist dates help us to pick up the voice of inspiration. While both of these activities are apparently unconnected to the actual act of making art, they are critical to the creative process.

·        We are listening for the next right thing creativity.

·        A painter begins with a plan and how that plan is soon surrendered to the painting’s own plan. We are more the conduit than the creator of what we express.

·        The clear moments of inspiration require that we move into them with faith. Practicing daily on our pages and artists dates. Learning only to listen but also to hear with increasing accuracy that inspired, intuitive voice that says, “Do this, try this, say this….

·        Once you accept that it is natural to create, you can begin to accept a second idea-that the creator will hand you whatever you need for the project. Be alert: Second voice, shows itself as synchronicity.

·        Try to remember that God is the Great Artist. Artist like other artists. 

This is the beginning of Week Seven, Connection....and all I can say is I'm overloaded. Connection are coming in waves, and all I know is to put a big ring floaty  and go with the flow of it all. 

1. the piece I'm working on I have an idea and not sure if it will come as I would hope or plan to...but I know well enough that the plan is already there. I've not started collaging the papers yet. There are hints of inspiration still coming in so I can live with that...grateful it's all in process. 

2. Opportunities to have some of work published have knocked at my door and I'm answering. 

3. I've been inundate with inquires for work to be shown at different venues, I'm not saying yes just yet because I know better but I'm responding to the them and seeing about the next step. 

4. My Journal workshop is full....I'm so grateful for that...we all should have a great time this Saturday. 

5. The dream is to have a working studio to house classes and workshop in the next 3 to 5 years...so going to work my butt off. 

6.I have so many books I want to read...I wish I was a speed reader...and my professional Artists magazine came in and I'm trying to read that too.  

7. I'm planning a artist date today and not sure how it will all work out... 

8. I've made the progress to put my work in the Fine Art America and I asked for some help and boy do I have some reading to do for a dear friend on the internet...so kindly shared her heart out...God does love artists...that's for sure...but really he love us all. 

9. I've sent some image out to a few places to see about exhibiting and who know's but I jumped on it and will worry about it later. 

I will be talking and sharing with my class at Mayslake about this all...we've had a break because of the holidays and now it's a New Year and I'm sure new inspiration and aspiration are flowing in.. 

As I walk up stairs now to the studio I think Oh my gosh what a skits'o....but my word this year "acceptance" Knowing I've always worked in Chaos and many things happening good or bad it is what it is...the Life Saver has been breaking things now in to small doable tasks...and I'm the RAW Task Master....as of Real Awesome and Whole....Yip you got pumping myself up for the next flow of water coming in...and having some creative fun with myself. 

 the husband cut my wood for me yesterday for the Tuesday's class at Naperville Fine Art Center and Gallery... we will spend some time making some stamps.  Gluing on fun foam and adding our own creative language to our work.

 Couldn't help myself last night stitch up the journal I use for a demo..

I was also testing a different paper for image transfers...got some good results and then some not so good results.   Always a work in progress.