(Note: This post is part of a series I am doing on my progress through Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way with a cadre of creative ladies. More info about this venture can be found in an earlier post and all of my related posts are under one category.)

We’ve been at it a month, and it has been blissful and a trial, inspiring and exhausting. I think I did more writing this week than any previous one, perhaps a response to this week’s reading deprivation. I discovered and revived interests (printmaking and book arts), acknowledged things I’d love to try, even just once (bellydancing and welding), eeked out a poem/prayer and wrote a letter to myself that actually made me cry.

I am refreshed and directed. I have projects on the table, am teaching myself new things every week, and feel more committed to myself than ever before. Committed and, for a brief moment, unafraid. Week 3 was obviously something a slump for me, but now I feel almost revived.

Week-end check-in

Morning pages:  I wrote six out of seven days; weekends are a spot of difficulty for me since they usually have a set routine, as opposed to weekday mornings when writing out my pages is more of a habit. I get a lot of good ideas whilst writing out my pages, but now need a system to sort of capture them and put them in a place where I can locate them again and have the opportunity to pursue them.

Artist date:  I accomplished two things on my artist date:  I went to a bicycle shop and purchased a new tube for my bike and helmet and went to the thrift store ostensibly to buy some non-black tank tops and generally to explore. The bike shop may not seem very artsy, but since I don’t have a car for about seventy percent of the week, having a working bike will give me significantly more freedom. Plus, instead of just going to Target and picking these things up, I went to a little local shop and had a great experience talking to the owner about my bike and got ridiculously good service and advice. The thrift store had its rewards, too—not only did I get some good summery clothing and have fun just going through things and imagining their possibilities, but I also found a small mold and deckle for papermaking. How random is that? I have a great huge one my husband made me last year, but having a small one (about 8×6 inches) is also useful. When I was standing in line to check out, the woman ahead of me mentioned that she had picked up the mold and deckle, but couldn’t figure out what it was. I explained its purpose and the basics of papermaking to her, and she was genuinely impressed at my craftiness.

So, not only did I get useful and unexpected items, I also got that little bit of ego boost.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 7th, 2008 at 12:08 pm and is filed under artist's way, crafty, creativity. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Unless otherwise stated, all images and content herein are copyright 2008 by Angelique Weger/miscellaneaarts.com.