Week 9 - Check-In

"A productive artist is quite often a happy person." p. 154

1. Morning notes have morphed into evening notes and I could swear I did them 7/7, but since I can only find 6, I'll own up to 6/7. (One of those was 4 paragraphs before my eyes literally closed over my poised pen!) I find the notes helpful and so far don't see that changing to evening has altered the benefit.

Week 9 was an introspective week for me. I'm finding less and less to relate to in Julia Cameron's essays. I cannot find any U-turns or blocks to creativity, and I do not think my goal in undertaking this study is the same as hers. That said, I found Tasks #1 and #3 to be the sparks for some introspection (more below).

2. I didn't really do any artist date last week, unless indulging myself in 7 straight hours in my beloved new studio yesterday counts! We had heavy rains ALL DAY long yesterday (even lightening last night!), so it was a perfect day for DH to park himself in front of NFL play-off games and for me to high-tail it to my studio. I think I resist artist dates because I just wanna have fun at home--and I did.

3. I didn't feel much synchronicity last week. I'll think about that one.

4. Other significant issues were:

While reading Hilda's blog last week, Sophie commented, "… I know the quality of my life is better when I'm doing [morning notes]," which really shouted to me. The night before, as part of Task #1 I began reading my morning notes that I started writing in early October. Though I read only a few weeks' worth, I was absolutely struck by how unhappy I was, such a short time ago. Genuinely discouraged about ever having a creative life, about ever creating more order in my physical and emotional space, about living with a grumpy husband, about my daughters' respective futures. I was miserable: angry and depressed.

Three months later, the synchronicity gods have smiled on my children (one passes the bar exam and falls in love, making her return to Tennessee seem Providential; the other looks forward to a new baby and her husband's new career as a teacher). The Artist's Way had nothing to do with those things, and neither did I. That was hard work and grand good fortune. But besides all that synchronicity in their lives, I have incorporated a lot of good synchronicity into my own.

I now have a longed-for room dedicated to my creative pursuits for the first time in my life. The grumpy husband, once getting on board with helping me create a studio, has been a big help--even an encouragement--in what I'm doing. I'm in turn appreciative and less resentful, finding enjoyment in my new focus, and a heck of a lot more fun to be around.

I have engaged in an interior dialog that was long overdue.

I have challenged myself technically by creating a blog, which in turn has introduced me to a fascinating bunch of artists (take a bow here, ladies).

I've acquainted myself with my artist child through making a collage, actually sketching (!) pictures, using my camera freely and frequently.

--in short, a lot of discovery leading to a lot of enjoyment of life.

Sophie makes me wonder if the journaling is a bigger part of this improved quality of life than I realized. Just when I thought the morning notes were something of a chore, even as much as I enjoy writing, I think I'll hang with 'em a little longer.

I love the contribution of every person in this group! You give me ways of looking at things, or a fresh approach to something that I could never come up with on my own.