…you know this one, right?

This week I have been reconnecting with the artist part of me and revisited Julia Cameron’s The Artist Way.

One of the first tools she uses to unblock creativity is turning what she calls negative blurts into positive affirmations.

You just take a pen and paper and write down “I am a brilliant and prolific artist.” and then wait and see what your mind /aka top dog/ throws at you.

Really? Who are you kidding?

Brilliant? Never even been to art school. You would not last out there if declared yourself an artist. (But I have…and I am…? counteracts myself)…you can imagine the dialogue

Prolific? More scattered than anything else, no focus to it. You don’t even know which project to do now…this is getting interesting.

Gem upon gem of negative blurts…which Julia suggests to turn into positive affirmations. I choose not to go mechanically and look at grains of truth in each blurt.

 

So I have not been to art school (as in college). But really consider that to be an advantage.  Got a teaching degree…and art history (which had to unlearn,most of it)

I would not last out there – this is simply untrue. I have done for the past seven years…Teaching, gallery education gigs, commissions even, exhibitions…just recently relocated and trying to navigate the terrain of my new found homeland and newly gained sanity. Taking my time. Slow down, pleasure up.

Scattered? Yes, possibly, had been pursuing quite a few artistic/creative pursuits: photography, nudes, community identity, culture values, participative installations, play, sharing…portraits…coaching work…I have been there…not mentioning the gallery work and therapy work.

Turning my inner critic into my inner coach and going gentle into the deep deep night… So really, the main question now is…what do I wanna do. What is calling me?

Where are you at? What blurts come up, what does your inner coach tell you about them? Slowly slowly catch a monkey.

What is calling you? Let me know.