Artist Way: Check-In - Chapter 3 (Week 1)

Another week has flown by and we're at the halfway point for chapter three of the Artist's Way journey.  I realize I missed last week to update everyone on where I was with chapter two.  To be honest, it's because untill Saturday, I wasn't done with the tasks for chapter two.  This past weekend was one of playing catch-up on tasks and reading chapter three.

Chapter 2 Wrap-Up

How are your daily pages going?   Very good.  I did my pages every single day.  Most of them mornings and the full three pages.  Last week, with sickness and sleepiness, there were a few mornings where they were "not quite morning pages" and I am noticing a difference in the own perspective on the days when I start out getting the crap in my head out onto the page.

Gone anywhere nice for your artist date?   on July 30, I went to the Fine Arts Festival at Cooper River Park.  I walked around for about forty minutes, loving so much of the work their, wishing I could paint/draw/create like that, and wishing I had lots of money to buy things.  I was a window-shopper at the festival.  I took a few business cards from places like The Alpha Canvas and Painterly Photography by Linda McAdams.  


This past weekend, on August 6, I took some time to do my tasks from chapter two and read chapter three.  After doing the tasks, I decided to bake, heat be damned, and I made some brownies. I miss baking.  I used to do it a lot more.  My issue is that I try not to eat so many sweets these days, but I enjoy baking.  I think I just need to start making it for work and such!

Which was your favourite task? I found task #3 to be my favorite - the twenty things.  It was interesting to see what popped into my head and how long it had been for some of the items.  It's been over fifteen years since I rode a regular bicycle and considering how close I live to the Jersey shore, it's been way to long since I walked on the beach.  Interesting stuff to see written out.


Did you put one of them aside lightly?  Once I actually sat down to do the tasks, I did them all.  I'll admit that Task # 2 - Where does my time go - was hard simply because I waste a lot of time.  I know this, but never seem to stop myself.  


I don't think I had any tantrums, but then again, I did avoid doing the work for a week, and I'm always best at avoidance.  Maybe that was my way of throwing a tantrum - trying to wish it away by ignoring it.

One thing I had fun doing - I decided that my notebook for my tasks and writing during the Artist's Way journey was too boring, so I created a collage.

my writing notebook after collage

Chapter 3 - Week 1 (Kinda/Sorta)

I did my morning pages every day.  Most of the time they do continue to serve as a place to just dump out the random blahs in my head, my worries, my to do list, and snippets of dreams I remember.  I wonder if there does come a time when it becomes just lovely writing...I'm not too worried as I know I'm doing the writing and these are things that tend to bog down my brain.

This week's artist's date didn't have me leave the house, so I'm not sure it qualified as a date per se, but I allotted time just for the Artist Way tasks and reading and then I baked, something I haven't done in too long. And my brownies were yummy.

Daily Affirmations:  I'm trying to expand my use of daily affirmations in my morning pages.  I always use the same ones and avoid a lot of them.  Working on that.

I found this line from chapter three (p. 62) so true, and yet something I never really think about: "Anger is not the action itself.  It is the action's invitation."

Tomorrow I'm hoping to catch up on everyone else's journeys as I'm about to sign off the computer for the day.  I still haven't been able to find my motivation to be online after work lately - I just wanted to finish this post before I forgot.