Progress Along The Way: Week 2

Well, I have at least managed to keep on track this week with Week 2 of The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. This week there is a lot of talking & writing about the people that are in your life. "Crazymakers", "Poisonous Playmates" etc. I am, I believe, blessed in that the friends that I have are all very understanding of me and all are also very encouraging as well. They accept me as I am, which includes the parts of me that surely must at times drive them crazy! Friendships take time to nurture - so maybe that's why I have some very close friends and many acquaintences. Other topics that are covered are "Skepticism" and "Attention". Both of these sections were very helpful to me - as this is the year I have set aside to be a year of increased focus and a decrease in unnecessary wastes of energy. At the end of each week there are questions to work through. S0me of them are difficult for me as they dredge up some of the little child I want to keep silent! One way or another things come up - and I have to believe that this is a good thing. I may not think that I am blocked, but I am beginning to understand the idea of this book. We may not believe that we have blocks as an artist, but dang but we all do - in one form or another!

The quotes that surround the pages of the book continue to be a source of inspiration to me - and I have written many down in my journal. The books comes off at first glance as a bit too 'religious' for my tastes- but I am finding that one can interpolate the religious sounding words to more closly align with one's own belief system. So - that problem I have had with the book is melting away. I am, however cautiously, optimistic about working through this book. and the positive effects that it will have on me as a person and as an artist. I am beginning to see how the lessons and the writing parts could, in fact, really help me to discover so much more about myself, which in turn can be funneld into my art work. Very interesting - far more so than I had originally anticipated. On to a third week !