An Ebbing Week?

Hello,

Okay, here I am checking in, Friday afternoon, hot sun raining in the window. I was off like the shot early in our week - I was home alone last weekend, so I read the chapter and did all the exercises and now can't recall a thing...but there are notes.

What I learned from the exercises is that I feel fairly supported in my artistic endeavors, though there is still a part of me that feels it was 'easier' to explore this living elsewhere...ie, more progressive or larger communities (anonymity can be a powerful permission slip for expression). I also learned that slowly but surely, like a slow, more mature, mostly sure footed goat I am progressing up the mountain of my various goals. I truly believe there's a powerful ration of both our intentions and our attention to what we manifest and create.

I did 6 out of 7 days of morning pages - I know they are useful, oh yes, and sometimes I feel like a small child stuck with a chore (what's up with that). I'm not sure I'm surprised but I often found myself making lists and lists...the plan, the project, the piece, lists dreaming the dream of what I desire; artistically, personally and professionally - more and more there is little or no separation between these. I like lists :)

The creative bubbles are flowing less this week (like Marion I can attest to the power of the Big Lake and a little spaciousness to stir the pot and those creative impulses flow - this was up for me our first week). So this week was more of an ebbing space perhaps, more integration of those bubbles into a gestational space.

Artist date - I did write out letter and postcards. It wasn't very frivolous...so I'd like to up the anty (sp) on frivolous...I already see some good juice, meat and inquiry in this area. I can be supremely silly...but frivolity is a bit buried...I can be too serious, to intense to freakin' deep....

The last note worthy piece for me was noticing the value (or not) of discrimination. The value of discerning where I want to put my attention, it's kind of like intentionally prioritizing where and when I pull out all the stops and let it rip creatively and when it's okay to use less of that. This is still an unfinished line of thought...

Okay that's me! Have a lovely weekend and thank you - I am very happy to know you and be sharing this experience with you :)

Cheers,
Tracy

Blocking vs Unblocking

I'm back, eager to hear from all of you A great boost to my soul and to my creative connections to have enjoyed12 full days immersed in simply being on the shore of Lake Superior --listening to the wind, the water, watching the moon dance on the water, building a Fairy House for my grand daughters, playing my flutes out across the bouncing water. My artist dates: a trip across the Chequagamon Bay to hear Tracy tell stories at the Madeline Island Library and a visit to the Cornucopia home of visual artist Sally Bowker, a woman whose persistent creative efforts have always inspired me were both the perfect gifts to myself and to this process. I had a realization of the connection between morning pages and my dreams - on at least one night, what I wrote resulted in a vivid dream, unsettling, unresolved stuff rising, unclogging the pathways. The suggested assignments are focusing, sometimes irritating! however, I am beginning to see how the program is helping me to re-write my list of what I have to do every day and to make room for creative experiences. Smart. And I am very thankful for the suggested ways to quiet my inner critic, a sharp and persistent voice,and to identify voices other then my own that are not supportive as I move forward. Ann, thanks for setting up the blog. It's a neat little package! So in the theater, blocking tells the story; in Artists Way, "un-blocking," creates a new story.

Checking in Blue Moon Eve

Hello Wonders,
  I am starting to hear so much...must be opening up to the voices of my spirit guides, The Creator, all of your spirits, my own intuition and the words of our author. It's been a full week!

   The week was full of many different feelings and an overall feeling of movement. Several times, I heard my own intuitive or brave voice tell me what to do...or challenge me.  And I honored it by listening.  Unfortunately, I also had a difficult time doing what I told myself to do.  One morning, I woke up and set 4 goals upon waking...and did just the opposite of two of them within the hour.  I was going to move more (I did do some elliptical walking).  I was going to be nicer to our dog even though I have written her off.  Bob has been gone and, though Emily has been walking her each day, she needs much more and was pretty naughty.  Negative attention better than none.  But, after I did a bunch of nice things for her in the morning and spoke to her lovingly, she stole and began to eat my sunglasses.  As usual, she thought "drop it" is a game you play to make Ann chase you around the kitchen.  I lost it,,,again.  I was also going to avoid talking about people behind their back and I failed over and over.  At the end of the day, I asked myself why I needed to avoid that kind of talk.  I summized it is because of 1. A frequent feeling of loneliness and a great desire to connect with people, 2. A need to process feelings that might have been stirred up by someone and 3. Because I have so many bad thoughts about who I am, I expect perfection from others.

  Today, I started the day by saying "I will not try to be something today.  I will just be and I invite the creator in.  It was a much better day than most have been lately.  I liked the staff of my least favorite school, appreciating all the small gestures of smiles, laughter, honesty, comforting, giving.  I chose to embark on a potentially uncomfortable discussion for the purpose of clearing the air and it allowed for much relief.  I avoided sugar and I took a long walk to start the day...with Nali (the dog).

  I have done my artist's pages every day.  My artist's date will be Saturday but I'm counting that for this week so I can have another one in the middle of next week!

  I read our chapter and did the assignments,  I didn't really relate to the crazy maker stuff,  I loved the direction for the week to make an effort to be open minded.  And, I adored the idea of getting through life by paying attention.  Lovely.  I will hold that image of Julia sitting on the hill in her sweater in the moonlight after her mom died for a long time.  Guess I was paying attention!

  I will stop there lest you call me a crazymaker! I do want to share my excitement, before I close, that I bought w book called The Artist's Date book which I'm eager to share with you.  And, from a favorite little book of mine called "The Woman's book of Empowerment," I leave you with this affirmation: "I am filled with an unlimited, inexhaustible supply of divine love.  There is no greater love than the love that created my soul.  My divine creator fills me with power.  I am comfortable knowing that I am loved for who I am because I am a unique expression of creation.  I am in love with my true self." Charlene M. Proctor

 Happy Birthday Susan,

Just checking in to say - I'm too pooped to write a proper check in this eve, so I will do this properly tomorrow. Look forward to connecting soon. Cheers! Tracy

Hey Creatives! I'm just exploring the options and functions on this blog...it's pretty cool - thanks again Ann :)

I think I can link to a website and add images -like this one of Marion blowing bubbles...

Enjoy your week!
Cheers,
tracy

This is Ann.  I am testing how you comment on a post. For this, I clicked the pencil, then typed my words after the other post.  Next, I am going to click update to the right above.

Susan's Goals

First of all, thanks, Ann, for setting up and figuring out how to use the blog!

My goals are to learn how to nourish the "artist within", to make room in my life for more focused creative activity, and to connect with others who value and celebrate their creativity.

Wow...I just logged into the site where I got that image I posted in my last entry. My goodness! I am really getting a lot out of what I'm reading. You might want to take a look!

Hello artists, OK I have committed the first sin of a Library Media Specialist and an artist and supporter of artists. I have copied that amazing image. Please, go to their "Visionary Art Shop" and spend lots of money. Here's the link...http://solpurpose.com/tag/love/ On with my real post: Susan, Tracy, Amy and I met tonight and had a wonderful conversation. We are all feeling very grateful for the group and the program to which we have opened our beings. We missed you, Marion and hope, Apryl, that you will be able to join us at our next meeting. The reason I posted the above picture is because of our next meeting: It will be September 4 at 6:00 at my house (334 21st Ave. West). You may bring any kind of small snack to share if you wish but really...we don't need to be eating ALL the time so don't feel it necessary. I will provide wine and water. The plans for the evening are to create whatever we feel like in my craft room (lots of supplies everywhere you look) and to take a sauna (clothing optional). As I told the women who were there tonight, there is a very dim light inside. You are welcome to wrap a towel around you and come on in and drop the towel or keep it on (or wear a swimsuit or whatever makes you comfortable). For me, the night is about freedom! For the upcoming week, our goal is to have everyone post to this blog by next Friday morning at 7 a.m. In the blog, do a checkin as is described in the book. Talk about if you've been writing your artist pages and anything about that, tell us about if you went on an artist's date and anything else you wish to say about the reading. If you comment on someone else's post, remember we do not need to evaluate. Just listen and ask if they wish for feedback or talk about your own stuff. We don't want to get in the way of each other's growth...just to tend to it! Much love and light, Ann

Ann's goals

Hello fellow artists, I am hoping, by reading The Artist's Way again, meeting with all of you lovely spirits and treating myself to the practices, I will break through some of the self-imposed blocks I have developed by working too much and losing touch with how to play. I hope, also, to lose fear and become more mindful. Finally, I hope to nurture the artist within who is working with children and stories and who may develop other work as time goes on. Ann

Security

This blog has been we up to only be open to members so we should be able to comment openly if I have done everything correctly. We can all share our goals now. I see this blog has been viewed 18 times today...is it you who have been here?

Welcome fellow artists!

Looks like I figured out how to make this blog so now we can use it to communicate! Tonight, August 16, Amy Reise, Tracy Chipman, Marion Lang and myself had our first meeting. We missed you, Apryl Price and Susan Weston! We will meet on Thursdays from 6:00 to 7:30 through November 15. A few people had scheduling conflicts so here are some revisions to the schedule. They are a proposal. We'd like to make sure they work for as many people as possible and we'd like to hear about any conflict our missing members may have too. Here they are: Meet next week Aug. 23 (without Marion) Skip Aug. 30--but design some question or something we can blog about that week Sept. 4 instead of 6 September 27 meet from 5:30 to 7:00 (early) October 16 instead of 18 October 22 instead of 25 For the upcoming week, we have agreed to: 1. Do 3 pages of "Artist pages" every day--you choose what time of day. 2. Take ourself on an artist's date 3. Read intro, Spiritual Electricity, The Basic Tools, Week 1 chapter and the cluster segment which Amy will get to us. We all shared some of our stories at the meeting and are eager to hear yours, Susan and Apryl. We also shared our goals for the group. Each person please describe your goals in a separate post. To post, you go to the upper menu and hit new post. Have fun!