M is for Motion

Keep writing. This is what I tell myself in my morning pages. It’s what I tell myself every time I get to the page, every time I’m away from the page. Just keep writing. Keep moving, keep those fingers moving along the keyboard, keep writing, for the love of myself, just keep writing! And that’s what I did and continue to do. I keep writing, because the creativity wants to be shared and every time I write, I improve. Like anything in life, the more you practice, the more you get better. Seems like a simple concept, but it can also be a hindrance at times. Frustration shows itself from time to time and the ego starts to chime in ‘Gawd, you’ve been writing for years and still you’re not published, what’s wrong with you? You must not be very good, you can’t even put the comma in the right place!’ Wow, the ego sure knows how to dump on you if you’re careful. What do I tell the ego? In a polite way, ‘mess off, creativity and I’ve got this, thank you very much.’

It’s a simple and generous rule of life that whatever you practice, you will improve at. For instance: If I had spent my twenties playing basketball every single day, or making pastry dough every single day, or studying auto mechanic every single day, I’d probably be pretty good at foul shots and croissants and transmissions by now. Instead, I learned how to write.  ~ Elizabeth Gilbert

Every time I went to math class, home economics, shop class, I watched my friends get better at solving mathematical problems, sewing or turning wood into a usable table or bird house. I would day-dream about short stories that I would rather be writing. I was always thinking ‘I’d rather be writing’. Creativity was always whispering hints of ideas, always being there with me, my kindred spirit was watching over me. I persist because I love creativity and I’ll keep writing because I care.

The essential ingredients for creativity remains exactly the same for everybody: courage, enchantment, permission, persistence, trust – and those elements are universally accessible. Which does not mean that creative living is always easy; it merely means that creative living is always possible. ~ Elizabeth Gilbert

And that my friends is pretty much the bottom line, creative living is always possible.

Until next time, keep on typing….

Possibilities

The creativity journey we are all on is a blessed journey, for me this is my truth and sometimes I lose sight of the bigger picture, but there is always a reminder not far away to say “hello, don’t forget me.” my little artists waves at me wearing her shiny red rubber boots and bright yellow rain jacket.  I see her wearing this at times, she is always wearing something red, a color that I never use to care for, but lately I seem to be drawn to the deep color of the root Chakra – I am grounded or need to work on being grounded at times. My creativity that flow through my veins grounds me, keeps me calm and moving forward on a pilgrimage of sorts.

A pilgrimage is a physical process, a process that engages our heart and soul, not merely out well-honed intellect…The dark horseman of intellectual skepticism (also known as doubt) will be your constant traveling companion. As you explore the Kingdoms of Story, Sight, Sound, Attitude, Relationship, Spirituality, and Possibility, you will be learning simply to “do” and you will be learning by simply doing. Ironically, by allowing yourself to make what you conceive of as “bad art” our even “crafts,” you will heal yourself and give yourself the necessary strength and humility required to make good art…In other words, in order to go forward, you must first go back. ~ Julia Cameron

I have gone back a few times, back to the places that trigger my memories, the things I want to write about, places, sounds, smells that are still lingering in my mind that have whispered something to be written about. Being on the BC Ferry either coming or going to the mainland triggers something within me to think about “what if someone ran and jumped off the edge of the ferry into the ocean?” I don’t know why I think this, I just do. Then a character starts to whisper their background, their wishes, their desires, fears and joys. I write these little triggers down and maybe not look at them for days, weeks and in this case, years. Until another time I’m on the ferry and I think “What ever happened to so and so? Are you still a live? Do you still want to share your story?” and the characters wakens with a fresh new perspective “Hell yes!” they cry out and the story shows itself a little more clearly. I love the creative process! My characters come alive, but are they my characters? Yes and No. Yes to the point where they, their lives, their looks, personalities are shown to me, it’s my duty to write these details down. Why do I say no? They come from the creative universe, the very place that I was given my talent. It’s one big circle. It’s part of the journey.

It’s important for me to be here on the page, right here on the page, the words are placed onto the blank page, screen, chalkboard. It’s part of the process, my process, I will intended to start a blog and then when I’m done or feel like I can be done for the moment, I can move onto my manuscript or new idea that has been lounging around, waiting patiently to tell it’s story. I get goose bumps just thinking about the anticipation.

You will reclaim your keys to the creative gifts locked within you. You will discover that the keys have been yours all along, This means, of coarse, that it is not my place to name you an artists. Such power would be lovely, but it does not reside with me. You are the one who must name yourself, You are the one who must seek – and claim – your creative destiny. No one can do that for you, but you can do it for yourself. ~ Julia Cameron

Exactly! I have so many A-ha moments when I reread Julia’s words. I nodded my head in agreement with intention and run to the page. I sit down and let the words fly onto the page, I let myself go and the creativity takes over. Thank you! The creativity shoots out as my fingers type faster and faster. There is so much to share, and I want to share, I am ready and willing to do the work. So, I’m siting down and sharing at this very moment. Are you on your own writing pilgrimage? What are the steps you are taking to get tot he beginning, to stay on track, is the end an arm’s length away or is it closer than you thought? I can see the end of this particular crusade and another path ready to be started. That’s the beauty of creativity, it’s limitless, full of possibilities. What are you possibilities?

Until next time, keep on typing….

The Possibilities

I am grateful for this fresh new day full of possibilities; I seem to be writing this more and more in my morning pages, and it’s true when you get to that place when you recognize that each day is a blessing, to be alive, to be given the opportunity to experience one more day. I am trying to live each day with the fullest intention of living a creative life and really dive in deep with each experience. Yes, there is a but….but my ego and daily life can take over at times, like going to your 8-9 hr a day job, how much time could you be spending on your passion rather than be at a job that you may not like or know that it’s not what you should be doing, you know that your creativity is calling out to you, well at least that’s what it does to me.Another but….I do like my more-than-full-time job, at times, I am at a place where I am developing myself, I have personal growth and career growth at my job and when it doesn’t feel like work at all. What’s that they say about if you love your job it doesn’t feel like work?

I try to live by Julia Cameron’s, The Artist’s Way to the fullest, and I take my morning pages very seriously. I have been doing them for over seven years now and I feel so connected to myself through these three pages that begin my day. The one thing that my ego has a little bit of old behavior attached to it, is God. Julia refers to the creator as God and that’s fine. We all have a name for our higher power that we put our faith in, ourselves in. Julia does address the word God and for me, it’s a high power, knowing there is a something beyond me, this earth, this physical form. I am very open-minded and I also practice Wicca, prayer and lots of meditation. I would say that I meditate more than anything, I love to sit and be still to get grounded and if there is a message I am to receive it will come through this time of meditation, but then again as a creative person a lot of the story ideas I receive come at any time. Don’t you love when you get a great story idea in the shower?

One of the chief barriers to accepting God’s generosity is out limited notion of what we are in fact able to accomplish. we may tune tot he voice of the creator within, hear a message, and then discount it as crazy or impossible. On the one hand, we take ourselves very seriously and don’t want to look like idiots pursing some patently grandiose scheme. On the other, we don’t take ourselves – or God (higher power) – seriously enough and so we define as grandiose many schemes that, with God’s help, may fall well within out grasp. ~ Julia Cameron

We tend to, and I have, never consider how powerful our higher power really is for us. We will set limits on how much God, or a friend, boyfriend or ourselves can give or help us. We might get or give ourselves a gift but we are the first person who will give it back because we don’t trust, we don’t believe, we set limits that we think we have to set.

I have said before that creativity is a spiritual issue. Any progress is made by leaps of faith, some small and some large. At first, we may want faith to take the first dance class, the first step toward learning a new medium. Later, we may want the faith and the funds for further classes, seminars, a larger work space, a year’s sabbatical…God (higher power) as my source is a simple but completely effective plan for living. It removes negative dependency – and – anxiety – from our lives by assuring us that God will prove. Out job is to listen for how. ~ Julia Cameron

At this point I am itchy from the word God. I have some past stories that make me understand why, but I know that God is just my higher power, the universe, my guardian angels that I trust and have faith in. So I had to let go of the negative past feelings of God to move forward with Julia’s work. I had and have faith in Julia.

One was we listen is by writing our morning pages. At night, before we fall asleep, we can list areas in which we need guidance. In the morning, writing on these dame topics, we find ourselves seeing previously unseen avenues of approach. Experiment with this two-step process: ask for answers in the evening; listen for answers in the morning. Be open to all help. ~ Julia Cameron

I did this very thing; I asked a question and I got an answer and I trusted every moment. I wanted to be off to write but also needed an income to pay for the basic’s; rent and food. I was given an opportunity. I’ve written about this before, but this is a great reminder for me, to remember that the universe provided for me when I trusted faith. I was laid off from my job and I was able to collect unemployment insurance that covered rent and food; and I was able to write when ever I wanted. I wasn’t limited to the times where I had to be at “work”. I could write early in the morning, afternoon or late into the evening, and I did. I was so grateful for such an opportunity and I am still grateful for what I am being provided to maintain this beautiful creative life that is fully intended.

The only limits out there are the ones we put on ourselves. It is time to strip away the limits, the self attack talk, and really jump in with two feet.

Until next time, keep on typing….

gladiators pen