Reflections from the Artist’s Way, Week 2: Recovering a Sense of Identity
The goal of this week's work was to get closer to defining your identity as an artist. When we try to move towards this new identity, skepticism often arises. After all, we're just getting started, and it's still difficult for us to fully trust our creativity. Julia Cameron writes:
You may also encounter a great deal of doubt on the part of loved ones who are often lost themselves. During this period of creative recovery, your peace of mind is a top priority. Protect your time and energy from such people.
As far as my identity as a writer goes, I got a huge boost of confidence this week. My blog post that I shared a few days ago has been awarded first place in the Eye on Global Health Writing Competition!
Morning pages. This week, I spent a lot of time thinking about accountability. I wouldn't have written much if I hadn't promised myself to blog and made it public. I only made my first zine this week because I signed up for zine workshops. So much of my creative work would not have happened if I hadn't had an accountability partner. I'm glad I can recognize this pattern and I'm taking steps to improve accountability in my life I also used my morning pages to plan out future blog posts. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: there's something about putting pen to paper and writing for a while that always brings solutions.
One of this week's tasks was to make a list of twenty things I enjoy doing. This exercise was much more difficult than I anticipated. It shows that I am still a little blocked, and it is difficult for me to relax and think about myself. For some of them, it's been over a year since I did them, like cycling or taking my camera for a walk. These are excellent suggestions for how to spend the next artist date.
Using the list above as a guide, I went on an artist date to Kinokuniya, a Japanese bookstore. I love how elegant and kawaii everything there is. I also took a moment to go through some art by Shaun Levin that I received last year.
Cameron also asked us to write down ten changes we want to make in our lives and to take a step toward putting them into action this week. One of my goals was to start making zines and attend a zine festival. As a result, I made my first zine and documented the process. Now I'm much more confident in continuing to make them. I also hope to publish my first nonfiction book this year. I attended a workshop on how to create ebooks using Kindle Create hosted by my local library, which was extremely beneficial. After reading the book Inspiring Library Stories, I try to use my library's resources more.
Finally, there was an exercise known as the Life Pie. We were instructed to draw a circle, divide it into six pieces, and label each with a key domain in our lives. By drawing dots into each piece, you can visualize better where you are in those areas at this point in your life. To be honest, I think I'm average in all of them, with a few uncomfortable exceptions, such as Friends and Exercise. In the coming weeks, I plan to devote more time to these areas.
