I owe a lot to Julia Cameron for the workbook ‘Artist’s Way’. I am on my third round and I get something new from the experience every-time. If you ve not used it, two main tools to help your creativity flow are ‘Morning Pages’ and ‘Artist’s Dates’. I am great at getting up and unloading a stream of conscious- ness on to a few sides of A4…. I always wake up with thoughts buzzing around my head. This also helps before a meditation session as a head clearer.
The dates are more tricky for a workaholic but I am calling my morning playtime my dates for now which helps me stay loose about my experimentation. I deliberately built a ‘beach hut/play’ room in my studio (a year ago!) and its increasing starting to feel like my teenage bedroom… a good thing because I feel this was my freest time (pre-art education).
What stuffs me up is looking to an end when I am working on the beginning. Focusing on an out come, picturing an audience seems to distort my desired authenticity.
Julia Cameron wrote ‘Focused on process, our creative life retains a sense of adventure. Focused on product, the same creative life can feel foolish or barren.’
I am not too caught up on outcome right now but when finding ways to motivate myself to keep turning up; for example setting a deadlines/goals I can feel a sort of constriction, an up-tightening. I am trying to apply some yoga mind to this… not applying force or control, just letting things flow.
