63: The Artist‘s Way: Recovering a Sense of Autonomy (Week 11)

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁'𝘀 𝗪𝗮𝘆: 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟭𝟭

𝘙𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘚𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘺

This episode is about week 11/12 in the course and book The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron. 

Week 11 is about acceptance, success, movement and ritual.

I really enjoy the section on acceptance because it has a really genuine reflection of self-acceptance. Being honest about who we are opens the door to realizing who we are as an artist. I am messy and clean up in fast bursts when I have time to relax. I’ve always been like this and it’s exactly who I am as an artist! Piles and materials everywhere until I am ready to move onto something else and I miraculously clean up a month’s worth of messes in an hour. 

Self-respect can also be increased from just showing up and doing the work. The more we create and stick to our commitments, the more we feel like an artist and a person we can respect. This makes us more likely to take on bigger projects and less likely to be swayed by external judgements or criticism. 

This connects to the discussion on success because she says that we really cannot measure success by the market value of our work. There is no guarantee as an artist, so success must be from within, by creating work that moves through us from inspiration. At least if a particular piece doesn’t bring in the dollar amount we had in mind, we can feel like we made something to be proud of no matter what. If we create based on what is selling and the financial return doesn’t reflect our expectations, we won’t feel that it was successful at all. 

The section on exercise and movement as meditation really resonates with me. I go for regular walks and receive downloads by pacing in my apartment, showering or doing the dishes. Allowing energy to move through us is a spiritual practice that improves our clarity and openness to inspiration and downloads. It also keeps us grounded in our bodies which reminds us to pay attention to our human self. Balance is something that has come up a lot in messages for me, so my walking practice has really helped! Having a space in your home that is an artist altar can remind you who your inner artist is and make rituals more prominent in your life. I know that I feel like my whole life is connected because I prioritize movement and ritual.

The tasks for Week 1𝟭 were:

1. Voice record yourself reading the basic principles from this book, or any passage that inspires you.
   
2. Write out the Artist’s Prayer or a favourite passage by hand.
3. Buy a creativity notebook. Label pages 1-7 health, possessions, leisure, relationships, creativity, career, spirituality and write 10 wishes for each!
4. Review your Honest Changes section from Week 4 and assess how far you’ve come.
5. List 5 ways you’ll change as you continue.
6. List 5 ways you will nurture yourself in the next 6 months (courses, supplies, vacations)
7. Plan one loving action or nurturing activity for each of the next 7 days!
8. Write and MAIL an encouraging letter to your inner artist. 
9. Re-examine your God/Source concept. Does your current belief limit or support your creative expansion? Are you open to changing your beliefs?
10. List 10 synchronicities that support the possibility of a nurturing creator.

𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨!