Working on Week Two of Finding Water by Julia Cameron

 
I have to write this out again…the beginning of the intro to this weeks section. 

As you explore your inner world, your outer world will come more sharply into focus. As you face your imagined barriers, you will encounter real ones as well. This week’s work will help you to become more grounded and farseeing. As you seek your own internal support, as well as the support of friends, you creativity will become more steady. As you undertake small actions on your own behalf-watering the garden, as I were- larger actions will seem more possible. A sense of your own power will return to you…

There’s the words I like to hear, that is a sense of your own power…that makes me feel so strong.

Claustrophobia

I’m going to sum this up in this one simple statement- For creative sanity, I must believe that if I just do the next right thing or small act, a path will unfold for me. I must believe there is a divine plan for me and my work.

Divining Rod Task work…list of 10 things that you can cherish in the life you’ve actually got.

Inhabiting the Present

I love what she asks; can you afford to romance your past? And does it serve you? And that we must focus on the here and now.

Divining Rod task work- write about yourself in the third person, sketch in your life and surroundings exactly as they are now, talk about what you love and what you hate. Talk about what you want more of and what you want less of. Can I say this sounds like a fun exercise?

Staying in Training

Making art has taught me that the tiniest smidgen of progress is something to be savored.

As an artist I must cherish each tiny bit of track as I am able to lay it down.
A career must be husbanded or should I say our lives must be husbanded too. Care must be taken. Everyday must bring some small bit of progress.
It is all too easy as an artist/person to allow the shape of our career and lives to be dictated to us by others.
To remain healthy and vital, artists must stay proactive in their own behalf. Have we not read this before? Writers must write for the love of writing and not merely or only to fulfill a book contract.
Artists are very must like athletes. As an artist we must be alert to keeping ourselves in effect training. One must take care to be well rounded. Or as we read in the first book a full time person. One must take stock of their talents and take the time and car to try to use them fully.

Divining Rod task work- Write 5 small action steps, this can lead up to a large sense of optimism.

Perfectionism

Creativity is a spiral path: we pass through the same issues over and over again at slightly differing altitudes.

Personally this scares me as I’m a perfection on some level and I know I don’t have my critic always tame in the back cage so when I started reading this I wanted to skip over it.
JC, has us looking at our critic again and I personal don’t want to…I want to buck the system on this one.
The one quote by John Barrymore… The artist is extremely lucky who is presented with the worst possible ordeal which will not actually kill him. At this point he is in business. This bring to mind about how I feel sometimes about a project or idea…it’s problem to be solved…and the creative kicks in and off I go trying to figure out how to fix it, not that I’m an expert at fixing things I just like to do it.
Word of caution when going out on an artist date, “Don’t’bring your Critic.”

Divining Rod task work- Darn you draw or write about what your critic looks like? Facing your fears head on.

Taking Action

Sometimes wanting to move forward and uncertain just how to do that, one might get frustrated. Sounds like JC is telling herself as much as us the tricks of creative life is to maintain that optimism and forward motion. Doing the next right thing, however tiny. So much consists of doing the next right thing, however tiny. Often we get discouraged because we are unable, left to our own devices, to see the next right step. Discouragement acts as blinders. This is where friends come in handy. This is where brainstorming matters.

A little help from a friend is all we need. “What a difference it makes to be able to take an action. It is the difference between optimism and despair”

Divining Rod task work- Give this a try this week, jot down a list of actions you would like to share with your friend, and report back.