My Creative Peace Presents: Art as Healing - Different Sides of Me

Writer Girl: Resisting the Temptation to Just Give Up

Day 6:

"The more resistance you experience, the more important your unmanifested art/project/enterprise is to you - and the more gratification you will feel when you finally do it."
-Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

 I woke up the other night with these words rolling around in my head: "Why does it seem like whenever you live fully in one thing, some other portion of your life must die?" A question so simple yet, knowing I would not remember it in the morning and intrigued enough to want to explore it further, I immediately wrote it down on paper. I did not attempt to understand its meaning or the implication of the words in this stage of my life; I simply wrote is down and went back to bed!

Priming the Pump:

Do you thrive in chaos?  Are there other obligations in your life that actually encourage the flow of ideas for writing?  Are there some things you need to STOP doing because they are having an adverse effect on your writing?

Write 100 words OR write for 15 minutes (set a timer to help you focus and whatever you get down on paper for 15 minutes let grace hold you – well done!)

To Purchase "Writer Girl"  or my other Faith and Creativity Resources:

CLICK HERE

Writer Girl: Where are you Storing all Your Good Ideas?

Day 5:

In spiritual life there is no room for compromise. Awakening is not negotiable; we cannot bargain to hold on to things that please us while relinquishing things that do not matter to us. A lukewarm yearning for awakening is not enough to sustain us through the difficulties involved in letting go.
It is important to understand that anything that can be lost was never truly ours; anything that we deeply cling to only imprisons us.

-
Jack Kornfield

I find myself in the furious flow of momentum which is something I have never experienced before. Ideas come in the middle of the night and I am making the dreadful mistake of thinking I will remember them in the morning-I NEVER DO! In the past, I would have an idea and I would wake myself up literally every hour and rehearse the idea in my head convinced that this time I would retain the inspired thought only to wake up with NOTHING. The constant awareness of the thought throughout the night would play so vividly, the idea danced in my head like a carousel.  Now if only I would get my tush out of bed and write it down.

The biggest fear in all this flurry is that the flow will end. I admit I am a pessimist when it comes to the idea of a writer being able to make a living from her craft-surely one would run out of ideas after awhile. So, rather than enjoy the bounty of material for as long as it lasts, I calculate the endgame and whether or not this is the most practical use of my time given the length of time a windfall of ideas could possibly last.

These thoughts are hilarious given my state of life at this moment-I am a stay at home mom of a toddler-which, given a certain amount of discipline, offers an incredible amount of time. I am a type A, multitasking woman who has incredible amounts of energy. I have about 10 books I am in the process of reading. Three "books" I am in the process of writing. I have started crocheting a scarf. I am creating a name plate for my little girl's room. I am in the process of co-organizing an abstinence conference for teens. I am organizing a book club.  In a month, I will be training to become a facilitator of a support group. Yeah, time is not really the issue; it's focus.

Now I will cut myself a little slack in that the generation of all these seemingly unrelated projects in part offer incredible solace. I have a tendency to bore easily, hence the need for a three-ring circus in my life. And, thank God, I reach for constructive activities rather than finding a self destructive means of amusing myself. Plus, all of these projects are incredibly flexible in that they have the capacity to be interrupted based on the needs of a toddler. So, if my girl is painting, then I will incorporate my deal with her thing.   She still naps so that is a set amount of time in the day as well that I can write. 

The interesting outcome in this flurry of activity is that when I go back to writing, I find a stream to draw from. For the first time since I can remember, I "thought" of a hook for a fictional short story. I am still staring down the fear of writing a complete story but I did free write with the concept for a few paragraphs just to flesh it out a bit. I took Heather Seller's advice from her book "Page after Page" and used the technique of "butt in chair." Yeah, another one of those simple concepts which simply means sit your tush in the chair and write. Pretty much this advice ranks in importance right alongside the advice of writing an idea down when it comes to you.

 

Priming the Pump:

Do you have any blocked artists around you?  If so, does it fuel your desire to want to break through and write or challenge the idea that writing is a valuable use of time?

Write 100 words OR write for 15 minutes (set a timer to help you focus and whatever you get down on paper for 15 minutes let grace hold you – well done!)

To Purchase "Writer Girl"  or my other Faith and Creativity Resources:

CLICK HERE

Writer Girl: Fear and Fearlessness

Day 4:

"The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."-Marcel Proust

 As I continue to write daily trusting God to give me something to write about, I hope I can inspire and encourage others on the way. I do find from past attempts of trying to become more creative that, very similar to my walk with Jesus, I am "simply A BEGGAR trying to show other beggars where the bread is".
I came across the guidelines for a writing contest the other day and decided to settle in and work on an entry, another attempt to cement this "hobby" as a lifestyle.   At the same time, I am going through a support group called "Mending the Soul," a group that helps me work through various types of childhood traumas that I could not seem to figure out how to navigate how faith in God helps me to move past.  One of my assignments is to write about a particularly painful experience from my past. I "somehow" worked on a story about a most unlikely candidate given my past - my father. The piece was very therapeutic personally and therefore a perfect candidate to help me to stick with the re-writes that were ahead. This is the story I was going to submit to the contest.
Well it turns out that the requirement for the short story entry is that it needs to be a fictional work. I sighed, knowing that fiction is not what I "do". I prayed silently: is writing fiction something I have closed myself off to or do I just really stink at it, plain and simple (I think it is the latter!).
As a result of this support group, I have been thinking a lot about my childhood. I remembered that I loved to write and always longed to have one of those diaries with the little lock on it-something about having these secret thoughts that my parents could not know really appealed to me. We have of course upgraded the term "diaries" to "journals" and I guess given the age of reality television, we no longer need to hide the words behind locks.
I remember vividly my dream was to become a playwright. This probably stemmed from a couple of school plays I was in and the whole idea of writing the words that people speak (side note: my husband says to me sometimes when we are arguing 'why don't you give me a script so I know what you want me to say?').

My elementary school had a creativity fair every year where all forms of writing and art were eligible for submission. I remember sitting down and constructing a play called "Torn between Two Lovers" based on a song from the 70's - I was in 3rd grade. I assure you I had no idea what the words of this old song meant. I was incredibly sheltered as a child, barely allowed to watch television and very limited music access other than what my parents wanted to listen to. Lord knows what the judges of the contest thought when they saw the title of my entry. I can't remember the details but I remember the play was based on an episode of "My Three Sons" - I had a crush on the oldest son, Robbie- where he and his girlfriend were going through relationship troubles. I also recall the play had 5 or 6 acts complete with stage direction, having become a "pro" at how plays were structured through my 2 experiences dealing with scripts in my school plays. Diligently I worked on this project, convinced that the judges would be amazed at my plot and flow and character development.
As the deadline drew near for entries, my friend Brenda was lamenting about how she wished she had something to enter into the contest. I began encouraging her to try writing her own short story assuring her that I would assist if need be. She began basting me with compliments about how I was the writer in the friendship.  Somehow by the end of the conversation I agreed to write a story for her to submit. The story was about a resourceful alligator -that's all I can recall. I vividly remember how I cranked it out in lightning speed and even included an illustration of the varmint - oh I draw now too? About a week later, the results are posted. Somehow my brilliant play was overlooked in the standings. However, the alligator story got an honorable mention. My friend received her first writing credential! God's witty way of teaching me not to cheat?

I think about this now as I fight with myself as to whether I really can write fictional short stories. I know that my preferred style of writing is more inspirational. Now to be fair, I have come across fictional work that is incredibly uplifting. I think I might be wound too tight into some kind of box that presupposes inspiration only comes in a certain form.

Perhaps I could free flow better in my "weak spot." One of the exercises in a book called "Drawing on the Right Side of Your Brain" has the student turn a piece of art the opposite way of how it would hang on a wall (a.k.a. upside down). The theory is that your brain will begin to focus on shapes rather than the literal interpretation it perceives when looking at a painting straight on. Once our visual guard is down, we tend to focus more abstractly. In that same vein, perhaps I might experience the same outcome were I to take a chance and write fiction. What's to lose? Fear. What's to gain: fearlessness!

Priming the Pump:

Begin to write a game plan for how you will research other writings around your topic/experiences that you wish to write about

Write 100 words OR write for 15 minutes (set a timer to help you focus and whatever you get down on paper for 15 minutes let grace hold you – well done!)

To Purchase "Writer Girl"  or my other Faith and Creativity Resources:

CLICK HERE

Faith and Creativity: Maybe It's Time that You Got a Hobby

photo credit

Day 3:

Over the next few days, I came up with this idea that I needed a hobby.  I went to a retail chain craft store in my area and roamed up and down the aisles.  My eyes fell upon this children’s make a crocheted scarf  kit and suddenly remembered that my mom taught me some basic crochet stitches when I was a little girl.  And so I purchased it.  Four MONTHS later I completed the scarf.  Can anyone attest to the FACT that trying something new is hard? 

I was so proud of myself!  And I began to crochet another scarf.  In the midst of this, I reconnected with a former coworker who wanted to tap more into her background as an artist so we decided to meet on a regular basis.  And every week, I would make a scarf. 

Once I mastered the pattern I was using, I bought a book on making hats and took a class to help with reading a pattern (yeah I am still kind of hesitant when it comes to reading a pattern!).  And one day…I got my first visit from the “muse.”

I had a vision for a tote bag.  Now I do not know how to sew.  I could only partially understand the pattern that I came across that was similar to this idea that at this point was simply a flash of a picture in my head.  But I kept going.  Could I do it? 

18 hours later (not all in one sitting!): SUCCESS! Crazy, validating, euphoric, calming.

A new connection with God had begun.  Soon I began to think more about God as creator.  I began to consider how I might be creative just like HIM.

 Time to Ponder...

 Spiritual:

This weeks verse: You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body.  You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something.”  Psalm 139:15

1. Spend some time thinking about how this verse is penetrating your life at this time.

Creative:

1.     What do think about this idea of “the muse”?  How does it display itself in a Christian’s life?

 

2.     Have you had a “muse” experience?  Is it a recent experience? Is it a regular experience? If this has not happened to you before, do you believe it is possible?  Is it possible for you?

To Purchase this book "Your Creative Peace"  or to find my other Faith and Creativity Resources 
 CLICK HERE

The Manner in Which We Work at Something

Ready to Try Mixed Media? Let's Put a Bird on It

Ready to try Mixed Media Art?

Find Your Creative Voice Through Mixed Media Art Series:

Session 1: Put a Bird on It

We will be playing with birds and owls in fun and whimsical ways.

What is mixed media art?

A mixed media painting is one which combines different painting and drawing materials and methods, rather than only one medium. Any materials can be used, including collage items such as pages from magazines, newspaper, photographs, fabric, soil, or packaging. Or a mixed media piece can be as 'simple' as using two mediums, such as acrylic paints with pastel on top.

 In these sessions, we will use acrylic paint, watercolors, pens, pencils, collage paper

What can I expect in these sessions?

The workshops are a combination of discussion and exploration into your creative life at whatever stage you are at. The beauty of mixed media art is that you can be a beginner or a seasoned artist and find satisfaction in the work you are creating. Since there are no real 'rules' you are following, you have the freedom to explore and deepen your creative voice without a set of formulas to gauge your creations.

 

What kind of art background do you need to have to take the class?

These workshops are geared to anyone who wants to come and explore this medium for the first time or is a more seasoned artist who wants the community and fun of being in a creative environment.

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Chandler, AZ

 1-3 p.m.

Cost $30

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP

The Possibilities Are Endless... Depending On What You FOCUS On

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

You sit enthroned above the circle of the earth, O God,

And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers.

You stretch out the heavens like a curtain

And spread them out like a tent to dwell in.

-

Isaiah 40:22-23

The Thing That Holds So Many of Us Back...

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

You Uphold all who fall, O Lord,

And lifted up all who are bowed down.

The eyes of who look to You,

And You give them their food at the proper time.

You open your hand

And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

-

Psalm 145: 14-16