1. How many days this week did you do your morning pages?
Every day so far though I will miss tomorrow because we're going out of town.
2. Did you do your Artist's Date? Where did you go? How did it feel?
I did! I walked around Old Town between rain storms. I'm going to guess these books were written to be executed during the summer. It's hard to get out and take long walks and such when it is always raining.
3. Did you get out on your weekly walk? How did it feel? Were you able to walk more than once?
I went on two. One in the evening with my husband around our neighborhood and one during the day through Old Town. Again, I had to fit them in between rain storms.
4. Were there any issues this week your felt were significant to your self discovery?
I was asked to bake cupcakes for a friend's wedding. This is my first paid baking gig.
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Book of the Month: February
This graphic novel was purchased on a whim from Eureka Books (along with "Lumberjanes") one Saturday afternoon. I admit to feeling compelled to choose between this title and "Ms. Marvel" and while I will read "Ms. Marvel" in the future, I am really glad I picked up this nutty lady. I do not typically enjoy reading superhero comics and I often find them to be one-note affairs and end up causing battle fatigue. This is not the case with Squirrel Girl. She is quirky and actual-human-lady-shaped and highly creative. I had to stop reading the comic after a couple of pages because I found myself thinking about how I would construct her giant tail for cosplay purposed. (Don't worry, I've got it figured out. It shouldn't be any harder to make than assless chaps, right?) This comic inspired me, tickled my fancy and made me reconsider my Halloween costume for 2016.
I am very much looking forward to reading volume two of this tail (haha) and seeing where this lovely lady, her squirrel buddy and her awesome roommate go next.
Monday, February 29, 2016
Week 2: Writing Tasks
1. When I was a small child, I dreamed of growing up to be a ballerina.
2. In my childhood, my interest in what art was encouraged? Singing and writing
3. In my childhood, my interest in what art was discouraged? Any sort of dance
4. If I had had more encouragement, I would have probably tried ballet earlier
5. The teacher who helped me see my gifts was Mrs. Boyd in second grade.
6. The childhood friend who helped me see my gifts was Rachel who also wrote.
7. If I had another life, the art form I would have started exploring early is dance.
8. The reason it is too for me in this lifetime is that I did ballet for four years and every time I got a new teacher, they thought it was my first class.
9. One action I can take in the direction of my childhood love is find some other way I can move my body like yoga.
10. I now commit to this dream by promising to attend more yoga classes and maybe Zumba.
It must be said that while I have always had a great enthusiasm for dance, I have never had a single ounce of talent at it.
1. If I let myself admit it, I think I have a secret gift for longer stories.
2. If I weren't afraid, I'd tell myself to try novel writing.
3. As my own best friend, I would really cheer if I saw myself try some sort of dance class.
4. The compliment I received that seems to good to be true is that I am an excellent storyteller.
5. If I acted on that compliment, I would let myself try stand up.
6. The best person to to cheer me on in my secret identity is my husband.
7. The person I should carefully not tell my dream is... I'm not sure.
8. The tiniest realistic step I could take in my dreamed direction is to finish a short story.
9. The hugest step I could take in my dreamed-of direction would be auditioning for a storytelling event.
10. The step I am able to take that feels about right to me is to not stress about my writing but keep plugging away at it.
1. I wish I were more financially stable.
2. I wish I didn't have to worry about food allergies so much.
3. I wish that taking an opportunity didn't make me feel like a child.
4. I wish my pants fit better.
5. I wish I could mail all my friends a cookie.
6. I wish humans would be less terrible to each other on a national level.
8. I wish I were still in a choral group.
9. I wish I could still hula hoop like a champ.
10. I wish I could make my tiny amount of money last longer.
11. I wish I could stay home and experiment with baking all day.
12. I wish my house would stay clean longer.
13. I wish Chris were more willing to exercise with me.
14. I wish my ebay items would sell.
15. I wish I had more marketable skills.
16. I wish I could see how the illustrations for my book are turning out.
17. I wish I were actually as confident as I act.
18. I wish I wasn't at the mercy of other people's whims.
19. I wish that coconut oil weren't the latest and greatest trend.
20. I wish I didn't have to think about food so much.
1. If it weren't so foolish, I'd love to try theater acting again.
2. If it weren't so expensive, I'd love ot own a writing shack.
3. If I were 21 again, I'd let myself study something more practical... Although I graduated at 21 so it really wouldn't matter at that point.
4. IF I could take the next five years off, all expensies paid, I'd study astronomy, languages, ballet, and theater.
5. If it weren't so nuts, I'd love ot try baton twirling again.
6. If I gave in to my secret dream, I would let myself spend half of my days baking and the other half writing.
7. If I'd had ideal parents and a perfec childhood, I'd be the same. My childhood was just fine.
8. The dream I have never told anyone is that I hope the children's author thing will actually take off.
9. The artist I admire and think I am a lot like is Angela Hunt. I push myself to be as determined as she is.
10. The artist I secretly look down on because I have more talent is that woman who writes the Twilight books.
2. In my childhood, my interest in what art was encouraged? Singing and writing
3. In my childhood, my interest in what art was discouraged? Any sort of dance
4. If I had had more encouragement, I would have probably tried ballet earlier
5. The teacher who helped me see my gifts was Mrs. Boyd in second grade.
6. The childhood friend who helped me see my gifts was Rachel who also wrote.
7. If I had another life, the art form I would have started exploring early is dance.
8. The reason it is too for me in this lifetime is that I did ballet for four years and every time I got a new teacher, they thought it was my first class.
9. One action I can take in the direction of my childhood love is find some other way I can move my body like yoga.
10. I now commit to this dream by promising to attend more yoga classes and maybe Zumba.
It must be said that while I have always had a great enthusiasm for dance, I have never had a single ounce of talent at it.
1. If I let myself admit it, I think I have a secret gift for longer stories.
2. If I weren't afraid, I'd tell myself to try novel writing.
3. As my own best friend, I would really cheer if I saw myself try some sort of dance class.
4. The compliment I received that seems to good to be true is that I am an excellent storyteller.
5. If I acted on that compliment, I would let myself try stand up.
6. The best person to to cheer me on in my secret identity is my husband.
7. The person I should carefully not tell my dream is... I'm not sure.
8. The tiniest realistic step I could take in my dreamed direction is to finish a short story.
9. The hugest step I could take in my dreamed-of direction would be auditioning for a storytelling event.
10. The step I am able to take that feels about right to me is to not stress about my writing but keep plugging away at it.
1. I wish I were more financially stable.
2. I wish I didn't have to worry about food allergies so much.
3. I wish that taking an opportunity didn't make me feel like a child.
4. I wish my pants fit better.
5. I wish I could mail all my friends a cookie.
6. I wish humans would be less terrible to each other on a national level.
8. I wish I were still in a choral group.
9. I wish I could still hula hoop like a champ.
10. I wish I could make my tiny amount of money last longer.
11. I wish I could stay home and experiment with baking all day.
12. I wish my house would stay clean longer.
13. I wish Chris were more willing to exercise with me.
14. I wish my ebay items would sell.
15. I wish I had more marketable skills.
16. I wish I could see how the illustrations for my book are turning out.
17. I wish I were actually as confident as I act.
18. I wish I wasn't at the mercy of other people's whims.
19. I wish that coconut oil weren't the latest and greatest trend.
20. I wish I didn't have to think about food so much.
1. If it weren't so foolish, I'd love to try theater acting again.
2. If it weren't so expensive, I'd love ot own a writing shack.
3. If I were 21 again, I'd let myself study something more practical... Although I graduated at 21 so it really wouldn't matter at that point.
4. IF I could take the next five years off, all expensies paid, I'd study astronomy, languages, ballet, and theater.
5. If it weren't so nuts, I'd love ot try baton twirling again.
6. If I gave in to my secret dream, I would let myself spend half of my days baking and the other half writing.
7. If I'd had ideal parents and a perfec childhood, I'd be the same. My childhood was just fine.
8. The dream I have never told anyone is that I hope the children's author thing will actually take off.
9. The artist I admire and think I am a lot like is Angela Hunt. I push myself to be as determined as she is.
10. The artist I secretly look down on because I have more talent is that woman who writes the Twilight books.
Friday, February 26, 2016
Week 1: Check In
1. How many days this week did you do morning pages?
Every day. It'd be weird not to.
2. Did you do your artist's date this week? What did you do and how did it feel?
I'm going to do one tomorrow. I haven't decided what it will be yet. That will depend on the weather.
3. Did you get out on your weekly walk? How did it feel?
I did though it was shorter than I would have liked because it was really cold out. It felt nice. I slept well that night.
4. Were there any other issues this week that felt significant to you in you self-discovery?
I feel like I've stopped making out the writing process to be more than just putting words on paper finally. I got an idea and I got the whole thing out within one day. That's pretty good.
Every day. It'd be weird not to.
2. Did you do your artist's date this week? What did you do and how did it feel?
I'm going to do one tomorrow. I haven't decided what it will be yet. That will depend on the weather.
3. Did you get out on your weekly walk? How did it feel?
I did though it was shorter than I would have liked because it was really cold out. It felt nice. I slept well that night.
4. Were there any other issues this week that felt significant to you in you self-discovery?
I feel like I've stopped making out the writing process to be more than just putting words on paper finally. I got an idea and I got the whole thing out within one day. That's pretty good.
Monday, February 22, 2016
Week 1: Tasks
List 20 small, creative actions your could take.
1. Buy throw pillows to liven up the bench in the bedroom
2. Bake brownies.
3. Learn how to make fruit creme brulees.
4. Organize my office space.
5. Help the husband go through his stuff and purge.
6. Finish a coloring page.
7. Make curtains for the kitchen.
8. Buy another sketch book.
9. Clean out my sock drawer.
10. Buy red shoes.
11. Spend an entire afternoon hanging out at the red panda habitat.
12. Figure out if my camera still works.
13. Paint my nails.
14. Plant more herbs.
15. Get a bold new lipstick color.
16. Go to the dog park just to watch.
17. Swing on the swings.
18. Make an actual fort in my living room.
19. Hand-make birthday cards.
20. Make stuffed toys to donate to the humane society.
List 10 positive adjectives used to describe you.
1. creative
2. patient
3. calm
4. easy-going
5. loyal
6. dedicated
7. thoughtful
8. silly
9. thoughtful
10. enthusiastic
1. Buy throw pillows to liven up the bench in the bedroom
2. Bake brownies.
3. Learn how to make fruit creme brulees.
4. Organize my office space.
5. Help the husband go through his stuff and purge.
6. Finish a coloring page.
7. Make curtains for the kitchen.
8. Buy another sketch book.
9. Clean out my sock drawer.
10. Buy red shoes.
11. Spend an entire afternoon hanging out at the red panda habitat.
12. Figure out if my camera still works.
13. Paint my nails.
14. Plant more herbs.
15. Get a bold new lipstick color.
16. Go to the dog park just to watch.
17. Swing on the swings.
18. Make an actual fort in my living room.
19. Hand-make birthday cards.
20. Make stuffed toys to donate to the humane society.
List 10 positive adjectives used to describe you.
1. creative
2. patient
3. calm
4. easy-going
5. loyal
6. dedicated
7. thoughtful
8. silly
9. thoughtful
10. enthusiastic
Friday, February 19, 2016
Week 12: Check In
1. How many days this week did you do your morning pages? Have you accepted them yet as permanent spiritual practice? How was the experience for you?
I wrote every day this week. It is a routine. Sometimes I don't get to it right away, but I always make sure I get to it.
2. Did you do your artist date this week? Will you allow yourself these on a permanent basis as well? What did you do? How did it feel?
I feel like getting to enjoy a pretty spectacular rainstorm should count as an artist's date. I will continue to try to pamper my inner artist and I have been advising others to do the same.
3. Did you experience any synchronicity this week? What was it?
People have been asking about the Masala book which shows that interest continues. I know the illustrations are being worked on.
4. Were there any other issues this week you consider significant for your recovery?
It feels odd to finish. "The Artist's Way," but I know "Walking in this World," will be a new adventure.
I wrote every day this week. It is a routine. Sometimes I don't get to it right away, but I always make sure I get to it.
2. Did you do your artist date this week? Will you allow yourself these on a permanent basis as well? What did you do? How did it feel?
I feel like getting to enjoy a pretty spectacular rainstorm should count as an artist's date. I will continue to try to pamper my inner artist and I have been advising others to do the same.
3. Did you experience any synchronicity this week? What was it?
People have been asking about the Masala book which shows that interest continues. I know the illustrations are being worked on.
4. Were there any other issues this week you consider significant for your recovery?
It feels odd to finish. "The Artist's Way," but I know "Walking in this World," will be a new adventure.
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Week 12: Writing Tasks
1. Write down any resistance, angers, and fears you have about going on from here.
- I'm afraid that I'm not going to keep with my habits.
- I'm afraid that I'll find more reasons to not write.
- I'm angry that there is an infinite number of reasons to not write.
- I'm afraid that trying to do the entire "The Complete Artist's Way" in one go is going to wreck me.
- I'm afraid I can't deal with this intense of a program for the next six months.
2. Take a look at your current areas of procrastination. What are the payoffs in your waiting? Locate the hidden fears. Make a list.
- Reading is always the biggest procrastination. I get wrapped up in making sure I finish the books people have lent me or the books for book club and I neglect my writing time.
- There will always be chores to do instead of writing.
- The scrapbook is done now so I don't have that as an excuse anymore.
3. Look back on week one, Core Negative Believes. Laugh. Write some affirmations about your continued creativity as you end the course.
- I can succeed.
- I can finish a project.
- I will get something published.
- If one project isn't what the public wants, I will make another.
- I will not spend my entire life obsessing about one project.
- Being a writer means keeping your mind limber.
4. Give attention to household chores that may have been forgotten. Mend any mending. Repot plants.
I have planned a dinner party, we're borrowing a steam cleaner for our carpets, I'm working through it...
5. What would you most like to create? Open-minded, what oddball paths would you dare to try? What appearances are you willing to shed to pursue your dream?
I really enjoyed the children's book I wrote and I would love to write more of those. If I could bounce back and forth between short stories and children's books, I think that would make me happy. I don't need to write a novel.
I need to stop pretending art is hard and maybe I should learn to draw a little? Probably not.
6. List five people you can talk to about your dreams and with whom you feel supported to dream and then plan.
- Chris
- Kelsey
- Xach
- Angela
- Ashley
- I'm afraid that I'm not going to keep with my habits.
- I'm afraid that I'll find more reasons to not write.
- I'm angry that there is an infinite number of reasons to not write.
- I'm afraid that trying to do the entire "The Complete Artist's Way" in one go is going to wreck me.
- I'm afraid I can't deal with this intense of a program for the next six months.
2. Take a look at your current areas of procrastination. What are the payoffs in your waiting? Locate the hidden fears. Make a list.
- Reading is always the biggest procrastination. I get wrapped up in making sure I finish the books people have lent me or the books for book club and I neglect my writing time.
- There will always be chores to do instead of writing.
- The scrapbook is done now so I don't have that as an excuse anymore.
3. Look back on week one, Core Negative Believes. Laugh. Write some affirmations about your continued creativity as you end the course.
- I can succeed.
- I can finish a project.
- I will get something published.
- If one project isn't what the public wants, I will make another.
- I will not spend my entire life obsessing about one project.
- Being a writer means keeping your mind limber.
4. Give attention to household chores that may have been forgotten. Mend any mending. Repot plants.
I have planned a dinner party, we're borrowing a steam cleaner for our carpets, I'm working through it...
5. What would you most like to create? Open-minded, what oddball paths would you dare to try? What appearances are you willing to shed to pursue your dream?
I really enjoyed the children's book I wrote and I would love to write more of those. If I could bounce back and forth between short stories and children's books, I think that would make me happy. I don't need to write a novel.
I need to stop pretending art is hard and maybe I should learn to draw a little? Probably not.
6. List five people you can talk to about your dreams and with whom you feel supported to dream and then plan.
- Chris
- Kelsey
- Xach
- Angela
- Ashley
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