Artist’s Way Week 2-Recovering A Sense of Identity

“Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in this life has a purpose.” –Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

This chapter talks about poisonous playmates, crazymakers, skepticism, and attention.

Cameron mentions that we have people around us that cause us to return to a state of being blocked creatively.  She calls these people poisonous playmates. They are people who see you recovering creatively and it bothers them. This could be because the recovering artist isn’t catering to his/her every need anymore or because they are aware of their own blocked creativity. 

While the recovering artist is attempting to get in touch with their creativity they are still vulnerable to old ways of being or relating that keep them blocked. “As blocked creatives, we focus not on our responsibility to ourselves, but on our responsibilities to others. Blocked creatives are easily manipulated by guilt.” Can you identify with either of these people?

Crazymakers are people who want to absorb all your time and energy.

Characteristic of Crazymakers

•         break deals and destroy schedules
•         expect special treatment
•          discount your reality
•          spend your time and money
•          triangulate those they deal with
•          expert blamers
•          create drama
•          hate schedules/ hate order
•          deny that they are crazymakers

“Creativity flourishes when we have a sense of safety and self-acceptance.” -Julia Cameron

Skepticism

We all have secret doubt that holds us back. For example: when we do our morning pages and artist dates we start to feel different, more alive. We tell ourselves it is just a coincidence. We are quick to discredit any change as chance.

Attention

When we are able to be attentive to our surrounding and our senses our creative self begins to heal.  As we begin to take time for our self we start to notice more and our attention leads us to delight.

Here are some of this week’s task

        1.  Ten Tiny Changes: List ten changes you'd like to make for yourself, from the significant to the small or vice versa.

              2.  List where your time goes and how much time you spend on each activity. How much of your time is spent helping others and ignoring your own desires?

             3.  List 20 things you enjoy. Out beside the item write the last time you let yourself do these things. Pick two things and do them this week.

 all of the above information comes from the Artist Way by Julia Cameron