Week 4’s task work from the Artists Way....

Task 2

Time travel, describe yourself at eighty. What did you do after fifty that you enjoyed? This is so wild because I’m 52 now and what I enjoy doing is what I’m doing… but I want it to be simpler more spiritual and me to be more accepting of all change,  but I keep hearing from influences all around me that I have to keep working hard and harder and more and more. I hear from elders that are in there 70’s, You have enough, you are enough.  I don’t feel that way and I wonder how I can get to the other side of this all and still be an artists, with some income and hang on to the spiritual side of things.

 So with this task you’re to write a letter from you at eighty to you at your current age.

Ok here goes….

Dear Laura,

You’ve made it this far and quietly well might I add and accomplished all that you have set out to do.  What makes you think that you can’t continue and keep changing what you need to?  I remember writing a letter to you some years ago when you were 48.  I remember sharing with you how important it is to enjoy, slow down and simplify your life so that you can be present to what life has to offer.  But I don’t mean to slow down and be a bump on a log now. Take warning there.  So you will have to continue playing the balancing act with this and many other things. Always questioning and seeking. Nothing wrong there it can only help keep you alive and fresh. You have a strong sense of seeking the answers to things and you grab at many formats to find it, but Stop and just breathe girl you’ll find it and receive all you need. Trust in what you’ve been trusting in but only stronger now and you’ll get there but do it wiser now and with purpose. and lastly don't give a ____ about what others are doing or saying...where you poke dots with strips proudly.

 

Task 3

So now let’s turn that all around,  time to write another letter, I’m eight and I’m to write to myself at the age I am now.

 Dear Laura,

 Not too many cares at this age….8 that is but it’s just before all the puberty started and the major influences by society and peers. I totally enjoy a very imaginary life I pretended quite bit at that age of being an animal and how that animal would be if I were it. Mostly I was a Male Lion and I remember my sister would pretend with me.  I remember playing for hours in the sand box, my sister would play too.  I would take up the whole sand box and create a farm and broke off branches from my mom’s bushes and prop them up in the sand. I remember doing a lot of bicycle riding. Like every day I would go out and ride my bike but not just up and down the street I would venture out past the first couple of blocks and see what was there.  I also enjoyed the feeling of going down the big hill on our road and how the wind felt…awesome. I was big into girl scouts and my mom would help out. I so enjoyed the woods and the camp fires.  I always wanted to be the one to help with the fire…now I tend one pretty well in my own back yard. At this point I’m to tell myself something.  I think I would like to say... Let go of being so serious….allow life to flow and quite blocking it up with should do's and have to's.

 

Task 4 Environment: look at your house is there a room that you could make into a secret or private space for yourself?

I have to say I’ve claimed the North West counter of the kitchen table and at its center is a turn table with a big bowl on it and a jar in the center. The bowl has affirming rocks in it and the jar has pieces of paper that I’ve wrote good things that have happened to the family and myself all year and folded them up and put them in there.  Come New Year’s Eve or morning we will open them.  Then I have a spot in my studio where I’ve created space to do yoga. Started in August and had a big sale in September and have enjoyed many session of yoga there and more space to create. I’ve moving things around so that it would be cohesive to my needs and not anyone else’s. It feels so good.

coffee, first artist prayer on a post note, candle, bowl of rocks, jar, artists way book and of course the computer.

 

Task 5

Life pie….where did I put that thing? 

Julia has us reviewing our growth…Has the nasty tarantula changed shape yet? I think mine does this expand and contract kind of things or a lopsided circle effect. She asks, Haven’t you been more active, less rigid, more expressive? Be careful not to expect too much too soon. Growth must have time to solidify into health. One day at a time, you are building the habit patterns of a healthy artist. Easy does do it. List ongoing self-nurturing toys you could buy your artist: books on tape, magazine subscriptions, theater tickets and a bowling ball.

 

Life pie and a book I want to read...soon I hope.

 

Well I bought a tape about the 100 mustangs and 100 days that they have to be trained with 100 trainers and then auctioned off to be part of a good home. And the movie about Buck the Horse Whisper, plus I have a book I purchased a while back that I want to read…Nurturing toys are things like art supplies which I just did yesterday in preparing for a new class and my own continued projects.

Task 6

Artist Prayer

Stand up

Show up
Move with a new freedom
Express yourselves
Open your heart, your eyes and mind
Allow the flow of Good Orderly Direction to guide you
Stay present, share your gifts and rejoice in others joys of creativity,
and connection, trust, peace and honesty will be your rewards through this process of spirituality.

 Task 9

Look at one situation in your life that you feel you should change but haven’t yet.  What is the payoff for you in staying stuck? ….my emotional eating….  Right now it’s my everything, a friend, and seems to always be there for me, when I’m lonely, sad, angry, happy, anxious and over excited and lastly when I’m bored. Change it for sure…It’s a life time. what I need to know that all this is what a god of my understand can fill.  Otherwise though I’ve fought through many other things,  I would say despite what others think or know to keep doing my art to be able to self-express. Well it’s early and dark out still and even though I’ve done my morning pages there are still dark areas or areas I emotionally have some muck in. 

 

All week I’ve been making journals at night time getting ready for holiday art bazaar….And some of things that have been popping up are a question of what does work?  like just allowing it to flow where it may and not trying to be so planned out…I’ve gotten people around me lately who are seeing me and hinting around that Plans are Plan’s but  stay open…and it’s very hard to do when in advice you have to set up a spot and description and market and promote so that you  have a job….the balance of it all, one can never have it all perfectly planned out and know that it will flow that way…that is a fantasy.  I’ve also heard that I’ve been in a bit of a fantasy world myself…not sure how to take that or dare I even pick it up. Part of a part of me....set a plan up and expect it to work out just so...I know that's a fantasy to believe it works that way...got to be open for life and her changes that help us grow and be who were suppose to be.

 

Ok time to move on today and do the daily stuff…and spend some time in the studio, supplies came in and need to put them away and maybe I’ll clean out a dresser drawer yet. All of thanksgiving is put away, big platters, cups, plates etc and the counter is filled with our normal stuff and tables and chairs are back in storage.  Life is good and all part of living the dream.

 

Oh I did slip in an artist date at the stables yesterday and shed a few tears and stood in awe of these big beautiful creatures and came home took a nap and hugged up to my two four legged friends.

 

This morning my space expanded...I'm taking care of my own personal artists way and getting prepared for class. I've got my white lights hanging around my kitchen window's which I feel very special about and kind of happen to be up so early before the rest of the homesteaders wake up and moved in on the kitchen table.  I like this spot because I turn to my right and I can see all the morning doves, sparrow, house finches, junko's a few bluejays and cardinals come for a little morning seed. Every once in a while we all get a flash of the cooper hawks then everyone scatters.