With The Artist's Way, believe that your beautiful dreams might just wait around the corner. In my series of blog posts, "Journey Through The Artist's Way", I invite you along my odyssey on Julia Cameron's workbook, The Artist's Way. If you're new, welcome aboard! You might want to read the introduction first, or you'll be lost.
In her fifth chapter, Recovering A Sense Of Possibility, Julia Cameron talks about moving from limiting yourself to opening yourself up to a realm of possibilities; shifting from a scarcity mindset to one of abundance; and shedding the need for keeping up appearances for that of authenticity.
"We are stingy with ourselves — Julia Cameron"
We have to work for possibilities to turn into actualities, but the first step to growing our inner artist is to stop putting breaks to our aspirations before we even try. We need to get rid of our negative thinking and break out of our harmful patterns. To do this, we need to be authentic, honest and clear about what it is that we want. Sounds scary? Don't worry, we're not expected to do all this in one day.
In my experience, change requires time. Take baby steps and be kind to yourself. But positive change won't happen until we admit to ourselves that we need this change in the first place. As far as I'm concerned, this chapter is all about mindfulness in combination with kindness. And that kindness begins with moving from a scarcity mindset to one of abundance.
The scarcity versus abundance mindset
What does this mean? Let's digress a little into psychology for a minute.
You may have heard those terms in pop culture, but they have origins in psychology. A scarcity mindset refers to the belief that a resource is limited and that if others get more of it, you will by default get less. Inversely, if you have more of that resource, it automatically means you are depriving others of it. You can easily see how this mindset can lead you to mixed feelings of both envy, resentment and shame. It also implies you need to compare yourself to others to gauge how rich or poor in that resource you are. In the end you will simultaneously want more, and feel guilt about the amount you already have.
This mindset doesn't bring you much benefit at all. In fact, whether or not it is true that a resource is limited, research shows that you are better off shedding your scarcity mindset to endorse one of abundance.
This mindset stems from the belief that a resource is unlimited. Take creativity, for instance. If you believe that there is a bottomless well of creativity, then you will be free to explore your own to its fullest, without obsessing about how much more of it your artist friend seems to have, or being afraid that your ideas and inspiration will eventually run out.
Hopefully, adopting the abundance mindset will also help you from getting blocked because you want more. Sounds counter-intuitive? Yes, it's true. While a decent amount of ambition might give you that extra boost to put yourself out there and finally put your pens or brushes to use, too much yearning might be counter-productive, as it will push you back into a scarcity mindset, where the fear of not having enough will block your creative flow. Thinking back, have you ever experienced such block? I know I have. And I believe this might be one reason for our imposter syndrome, one that creatives of all kinds are deeply familiar with.
Now I'm no fool, and I know as well as you do that it's easy to say, "just change your mindset", but much harder to put in practice. That's where I believe baby steps are important. Try and be more conscious of the areas of your life where you are more inclined to believe in scarcity. Listen to your inner thoughts, your fears, your jealousy of others perhaps? The more aware you are and the more actively you think of a new way to view a situation, the easier it will be to automatically do that shift toward an abundance mindset over time.
"Open the door to mystery and magic. — Julia Cameron"
Morning pages are obviously a great way to start listening to those thoughts of scarcity and think of alternative and more constructive ways to view the world. The goal is to mindfully set up your thoughts to serve you better in your life.
By listening to your inner thoughts through your Morning Pages, Julia Cameron argues that you will over time become less judgmental of yourself and others. You will acquire a more open and fluid mind, where nothing is set and immovable, but rather the flow of possibilities becomes limitless and as soon as you follow it, you will find the path that feels right for you.
Remember to do nothing
Now this is something that deeply resonates with me. Julia Cameron mentions a phenomenon which she claims is universal to all creatives. It certainly applies to me. Let me know in the comments if it applies to you too!
The way I see it, this phenomenon comes very close to the definition of introverts, which might be why so many artists I know define themselves as such. Julia depicts the need for any creative to take time for themselves to do nothing. Like everyone else, we get caught up in the demands of a very active world, but there comes a time when the artist within you screams for you to stop. Stop being available for others. This may sound selfish (and it is), but it's in everyone's interest that you listen to that inner voice, lest you turn grumpy, disagreeable and altogether antisocial. Cherish your private time, as this is where your artist self will refill the creative well. We cannot create under the exhausting pressure of a constant whirlwind. So take that time and space for yourself, stop feeling guilty for your selfishness, and go create! You and your loved ones will be much happier that way.
Morning Pages
This week, I made extensive use of the Morning Pages to debunk my life and current worries or hurdles, and guess what? I got solutions and ways forward out of this! I suppose in a way, brainstorming with myself about solutions really did help open up possibilities, although perhaps not in the sense that Julia Cameron intended: it opened up possibilities for me to be a better person, without judging my current self too harshly for once.
On a minor note, I switched to using my fountain pen to write my pages. I used to write with fountain pens from primary school up until my second year of Bachelor's, and was describing to a friend the scribe's joy it brought me back then. A few months later, he gifted me a new fountain pen, along with a beautiful "Midnight Hour" ink. I dared not use it as I figured it should be for "special occasions". But you know what? Morning pages are special: they're the moment when I reflect on my life for a chance of self-improvement. A great many thanks (again), to my lovely friends and his lovely gift, and the daily reminder of how well surrounded I am.
PS: I regularly have blue ink on my fingertips, and developed a callus on the finger where the fountain pen rests as I write, just like in the olden days. I feel like a child again.
Artists' Date
Oh what a lovely date I've had with my artist self! Although (and don't tell anyone this), I did break one of the rules of artistdatery: I did it with friends. I have neither regrets nor shame.
A friend had the wonderful idea of organizing a creative Sunday. She booked a small workshop for the afternoon, which could just about fit the eight of us, and she even provided materials (paper, paint and more). It reminded me of the Art Sundays I used to have with a dear friend before she moved out, which I miss fondly.
So I came with a project of mine I started some weeks earlier but had set aside after learning through error that regular erasers should not be used on watercolor paper. It scrapes off the paper and ruins it (for a demonstration of my mistake, see the picture below).
Now better educated and properly equipped with a kneading eraser, I brought my idea to the workshop in order to start over and leech of my friends' artistic knowledge to try and give life to my concept. I am no expert in watercolor (check out my last attempt if you don't believe me), but I've plenty of enthusiasm for it.
As you can see, the project isn't finished yet, but I'm hoping to pick it up again in a future artist's date. Stay tuned to find out the complete work! In the meantime, can you guess what it will be? Let me know in the comments.
Growth Tasks
Wishful Thinking
This week, Julia asks us to wish upon a star in various domains. Here is, in a messy mismatch of desires and guilty pleasures, my wish lists in images for items I'd like to have, adventures if I were twenty and rich, and postponed pleasures if I were sixty-five… And rich.
Out with the old, in with the new!
Last week I had to get rid of one item in my closet, but didn't manage. Yet I knew just the one: a country-style, mid-season leather coat, which I never got to wear because it was an ill-advised buy. Mid-season in the Netherlands means rain, and leather does not agree with water.
But then, I realized I also had a whole bag of other clothes I got tired of. Why not give those away too, while I'm at it (I later discovered that this extra step is a task in the next chapter, but no harm in being ahead of oneself).
The town where I live has a large number of second hand shops. But don't get fooled like I was: they're not the thrift shops you might expect. No, they're high-end second hand shops. And to my dismay, as I went from one to other asking if they'd be interested in my clothes, they each politely declined, one by one, because they do not do buy-ins: they have providers from Italy and other fancy fashion places. I still held one hope, and tried that last shop this week. No luck. But I do not despair, I will keep trying to give my clothes a second house and a second life.
While looking for a second hand shop that will take my clothes, I found one that sells beautiful, authentic looking kimonos. Now if you know me, you know how obsessed I am with Kimonos (I must have around ten already), but all the ones I've found so far were western versions, with very thin and fluid fabric. I've been looking for a thicker one that will hold in place better for my collection, and that second hand shop has a nice selection at affordable prices! So I made a deal with myself (not quite the devil, but close): I will gift myself one of those kimonos once I manage to get rid of all the old clothes in my bag. And I'll be happy to post a picture of my new acquisition here on the blog once I complete this task!
What about you, dear reader? If you had to get rid of a garment in your wardrobe, which would it be? And how would you reward yourself afterwards?
Thank you for reading. Stay tuned for week six of my Journey Through The Artist's Way, coming next week!
Комментарии