Artist's Way update

I've finished the second part of The Artist's Way after two weeks. I'm not going to beat myself up over this because I had things to do and a life to live. There are two major take aways I see in this: the distractions, and paying attention.The distractions seem to focus more on the outside area such as people telling you that you can't be an artist. I don't think I've ever had that kind of problem. My friends mostly leave my writings alone and don't judge me. It's my inner critic and the lack of motivation that kills me. The inner war is worse than the outer one. I hope she will go over that in a later chapter. The later half of the book focuses on the importance of paying attention, a flaw for me. Autism does not lend itself towards paying attention. The ADD in me jumps at the first distraction. So, to help myself, I decided to write down the Rules of the Road as part of the exercises prescribed to me by the book.

In order to be an artist, I must:

1. Show up at the page. Use the page to rest, to dream, to try.

2. Fill the well by caring for my artist.

3. Set small and gentle goals and meet them.

4. Pray for guidance, courage, and humility.

5. Remember that it is far harder and more painful to be a blocked artist tahn it is to do the work.

6. Be alery, always, for the presence of the Great Creator leading and helping my artist.

7. Choose companions who encourage me to do the work, not just talk about doing the work or why I am not doing the work.

8. Remember that the Great Creator loves creativity.

9. Remember that it is my job to do the work, not judge the work

10. Place this sign in my workplace: Greate Creator, I will take care of the quantity. You take care of the quality. 

I seem to have trouble with rule six and nine. There's no joke there. The next step is to write down the Basic Principles. 

1. Creativity is the natural order of life. Life is energy: pure creative energy. 

2. There is an underlying, in-dwelling creative force infusuing all of life-including ourselves.

3. When we open ourselves to our creativity, we open ourselves to the creator's creativity within us and our lives.

4. We are, ourselves, creations. And we, in turn, are meant to continue creativity by being creative ourselves.

5. Creativity is God's give to us. Using our creativity is our give back to God.

6. The refusal to be creative is self-will and is counter to our true nature.

7. When we open ourselves to exploring our creativity, we open ourselves to God: good orderly direction.

8. As we open our creative channel to the creator, many gentle but powerful changes are to be expected.

9. It is safe to open ourselves up to greater and greater creativity.

10. Our creative dreams and yearnings come from a divine source. As we move toward our dreams, we move toward our divinity.

Ok, so I will dwell on these facts every day for the week while also focusing on the activities assigned to me.