oops, i'm a little tardy with my post this week but, i don't know about you, days seem to run away from me at the best of times ~ but in december particularly! can you believe christmas is only round the corner?
i remember when helen and i first started talking about this blog and we were trying to determine whether to run the course in 12, 16 or 24 weeks; it felt very important to me to try and be completed by christmas. for a couple of reasons in particular:
1. most people have less time around the holidays, with all the festivities to contend with, and i was worried that the extra pressure of tasks and morning pages would just be too much.
2. i thought it would be symbolic to complete the journey before the new year, so that we could all start afresh in 2009 with our rediscovered creative selves.
now that we are just over half way through, and can see the merits of spending a fortnight on each week, it was interesting to review my thought process and see how much i've shifted...
for starters, i realise that holidays or not, life is full of unknown obstacles and challenges. despite the best of intentions, i would be lying if i said i've had a single perfect week since the beginning of this journey; in fact it's been as much about learning to embrace the (my) imperfections.
secondly, i am actually quite excited about being immersed in the heart of the programme as one year draws to a close and a new one lies just over the horizon. the importance, significance, meaning, of what TAW represents is very much in the present, and i carry that through with me into the next year which is pretty powerful, don't you think?
so how are you doing so far? how are you feeling in the heart of week 7? do the holidays overwhelm you? or is it more time to relax and focus on yourself? what are you hopes for 2009?
believing mirrors
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on the sense of wonder7 months ago
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Where it exists8 months ago
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reworked figure studies1 year ago
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Will you light a candle?1 year ago
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More Paleo buzz1 year ago
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Living in the Real World1 year ago
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Delicate1 year ago
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I'm baaaaaa...ck1 year ago
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HAPPY NEW YEAR2 years ago
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Fibromyalgia update2 years ago
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Just a note..3 years ago
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(personal update)3 years ago
Labels
- check-in (6)
- week one (3)
- week four (2)
- week three (2)
- week two (2)
- week 11 (1)
- week 12 (1)
- week eight (1)
- week five (1)
- week seven (1)
reading room
- when I loved myself enough ~ kim mcmillen
- taking flight ~ kelly rae roberts
- ordinary sparkling moments ~ christine mason miller
- living out loud ~ keri smith
- the creative license ~ danny gregory
- bird by bird ~ anne lamott
- on writing ~ stephen king
- anything by sark
- wild mind ~ natalie goldberg
- the invitation ~ oriah
inspiring links
basic principles
artist's date ideas
- Watching a heartwarming DVD
- A few hours spent scrapbooking
- A morning spent out and about taking photos
- Collect up old magazines, postcards, old calendars, any images you've saved. Put on some nice music, clear away any distractions and cut and paste pictures into a scrapbook of inspiring images (thanks alison!)
- An afternoon reading children's books
- Browsing a local market
- A film matinee
- An open mike night
- A drive into the country
- Afternoon tea at your local cafe
- A massage or pedicure
- A visit to an art gallery
- A visit to a museum
- An hour at your kitchen table with paper, glue and glitter
- A visit to a bookshop
- A visit to your local library
Blog Archive
CONTRACT
- I....., understand that I am undertaking an intensive, guided encounter with my own creativity. I commit myself to the duration of the course.
- I....., commit to reading, daily morning pages, an artist's date, and the fulfillment of the tasks.
- I....., further understand that this course will raise issues and emotions for me to deal with.
- I...commit myself to excellent self-care: adequate sleep, diet, exercise, and pampering, for the duration of the course.
10 comments:
Week 7 seems to be the turning point for me, I've had a major breakthrough. I've definitely recovered that sense of connection with whatever you wish to call it, now I need to make sure not to lose it again...
In the beginning I also wanted to have wrapped everything up before the holidays, but now I don't care. Some things need time and can't be rushed, so be it. I'm so happy we voted to take 2 weeks per week :)
I especially wanted the course to bridge the two years, for the process to be on-going into 2009.
I am beginning to feel the pull of the Christmas swell and am attempting to anchor myself to the core of the TAW process so as to not get swept completely off course...
I am already accepting of things being a bit ad-hoc through the yule tide though, as they are already...my eldest returned to full-time home schooling ten days ago so my available time is already heavily impacted.
Having the TAW group here helps the connection to the process, my inner wishes to keep returning to the TAW are louder and more emphatic, knowing that no matter how short on time I am, I can just pop to another believing mirror and feel the pull of this tide too!
Pen, Thank you for checking in on me too!
I, like Julia, am trying to anchor myself to the principles of TAW to survive the chaos of the holidays. I have a terrible tendency to try and live my life in chunks. Always looking forward to the current even to end so I can start fresh and "do it right".
The problem with living like that is the transition that I'm waiting for never comes. I started TAW in September thinking that I had finally carved out a space for myself and immediately life tried to take that space away. If not for this group I would have just put the book back on the shelf and given up again.
Even though it feels as though life has conspired to keep me from it, with my husband's accident and subsequent neck surgery, months of my inlaws living with us, and my book actually disappearing... Oh it would be so easy to just toss it all in. But I haven't. You all have kept me coming back, have helped me stay focused on today rather than dreaming about tomorrow, and I have managed to keep writing. Not much, of course, but still writing a little bit every day. Now I'm not waiting for the holidays to end so I can get back to a routine. My routine is taking me through the holidays and into 2009. I can hardly express how hopeful this makes me feel.
congratulations, everybody! ginaagain, i feel exactly the same way. i, too, have conceded to the fact that i seem to be built to live my life in chunks. and i guess it's up to me to create transitions of my own - it's the only way i can make sense of things i guess. and TAW is part of this transition.
thanks, again for everyone's encouragement and here's to very happy holidays to you!
My copy of TAW is well and truly battered, some pages bent and little scribbles and ticks - that feels great!
And things feel as if they are making more sense to me, slotting into place. I was a bit dubious about synchronicity for a while - and then it happened to me! So, I am really beginning to think that if you put the right signals out there, you can be heard.
Am so looking forward to 2009 and sharing more of this journey with everyone here and really pleased we have the two weeks. Same for me, Ginaagain - if not for this group, I would have put TAW on the shelf - probably around week 3! I finally feel I am on the right track.
Thank you everyone for being there :)
This TAW round has been very very good for me...I'm think it's the group and the fantastic people involved in it...BTW are we going to do book 2 of TAW? I hear it's better than book 1. TAW has given me a new found confidence to pursuit my creative stuff and shed some light on why I have not been successful...it's fear...it has also been just was rewarding to support and cheer for other people. It inspires me to get off my butt and do it...it's just been really great...
I couldn't be happier that everyone's decided to extend the program to 14 day weeks! I was truly ready to give up but just like Gina and Stargazer, I'm hanging in there thanks to everyone else in this group. I only hope that I can get back into the groove I was in when I first started this program. It's going to be a bit difficult, but I will try my darndest. In the meantime, the idea of doing book 2 with you guys sounds great! Perhaps I'll have a more specific goal for that program than just getting some creativity going again. Although I must say, as far as THAT goal goes, I think I'm doing considerably well. I don't know that I would've picked up a camera had it not been for this group.
I have to say it's really fabulous to read all your comments and hear about how well you're all doing along with your struggles and doubts. We love that you guys have joined us and we are loving sharing this process with you.
Thanks to all of you for coming with us!!
I've just dropped by to say Hi!
I'm wandering around in week eight at the moment, whilst still feeling I'm not sure I've finished week seven...
I'm ridiculously busy but am happy to say it's all creatve stuff, crafts with the local toddlers, returning to home edding our eldest, making calendars and decorations...I've even painted a few winter pics! Will make it back to my blog soon hopefully.
Good to read that you're all hanging in there with the moments you have too...I found myself thinking today that TAW had become a way of life for me, it's the only way I could fit it in!
Yes indeed. It's very powerful, as are you :)
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