Think big! (I'm doing The Artist's Way)
I'm not big on New Year's resolutions so much as resolutions in general. Resolving to do something and then doing it, no matter what time of year it is. But I do appreciate the natural lull in my schedule that comes in January, and it was that pause that led me to tackle The Artist's Way. You know this book, right? The huge and influential course/self-help/creativity book by Julia Cameron, first published in 1992? I think it's a book most creative people know about, and we do it when the time is right.
This is my second try at The Artist's Way; I gave it a go in 1994 or so, and for whatever reason, couldn't do it all the way through. It was too much for me. Or I wasn't ready. Who knows. Maybe I was scared of really and truly embracing creativity.
I think I'm ready this time. At any rate, the three pages of morning writing (the famous "morning pages") are functioning as therapy for me, and we all love therapy.
The biggest thing I've realized so far is how much I've been putting my work and my writing down. I talked about it on Instagram here, mostly that I have been thinking of my writing as this tiny little walnut I could keep in my pocket, thinking of myself as a small and insignificant writer, while at the same time hoping for big things. I'm pretty sure you don't get the big things you hope for if you think your work is small. I'm working on it. I'm imagining my work as huge and important, and so big and beautiful that distractions and interruptions won't matter, because here is my enormous work to tend to. It's helping me to stop sabotaging my own work.
The other big factor of The Artist's Way is taking yourself on a weekly artist date, which is a problem during a pandemic, since the most frequent suggestions involve going out in public, like to a museum or an art supply store.
The first thing I did was go to the thrift store and buy some paintings, and then write words on them. Why not. It was fun. I have also watched some episodes of The Art Assignment and took a long walk while listening to Jeff Tweedy's excellent new book about writing.
The point of the artist date is to do something that sounds fun, by yourself, and also that is not necessarily for your "work." So you don't worry about monetizing it or even posting about it on social media. You don't worry about what anyone thinks, but you do it for you. It has made me remember that that's how I want my writing to be -- yes, I want to monetize it, but first it has to be fun for me. If I have fun writing it, I think the book will be better.
Now I'm going to give these paintings back to the thrift store. It's important to shove your creativity back into the world. If it's not to surprise and delight, then why is it?