Advent 2011, Day 18: Last Check In

We have reached the end of the journey through "The artist´s way" by Julia Cameron.

Twelve chapters, twenty four weeks, twenty two original participants, twelve blog guests,hundreds of read pages, hundreds of written pages, loads of exercises, some dates and quite a number of Aha! moments.

Now it´s time for our last check in.

Are you going to keep your written morning pages? Are you going to keep your practice of writing them?
Are there tasks that you´d do again on a regular basis to keep your goals in sight?
Have you got plans for more artist´s dates?

How to share with MrLinky: you type in your name in the first box (the way you´d introduce yourself) and then the url/link to your post (not your whole blog url) where you share your work with the current chapter. When you come back next week your name will likely automatically be entered but you need to redo or paste over the url/link with your new post's address.



It´s been a pleasure and an honour to share this marvelous adventure with you!

Advent 2011, Day 12: Check In Chapter 11

Coming later in the day. :)

For Creative Every Day check In I only have my June page to show.

You can also see my Full Moon Vision Board on my Saturday post.

For the past 23 weeks I´ve been hosting a group reading through The Artist´s Way by Julia Cameron.

Each Sunday we´ve met here to check in, to share how we´ve been doing with our daily pages, our artist´s dates and the tasks. We have rebelled sometimes, all in good spirits. ;)

Today I´m checking in for my Chapter 11. Yes, I know I´m a week late but I haven´t given up! :D

1) Morning pages: I lost count. *shame* As I´m behind I don´t really know where I should start counting. And these weeks I´ve lost quite a few pages. I hit the floor running every morning and life takes over.

2)Artist´s date: totally off track.

3) Tasks. Ouch. This chapter is going to hurt.

3.1) I reread the Basic Principles but I haven´t recorded myself.

3.2) I reread the Artist´s Prayer but didn´t write it (Notice a trend? ;) ) Only one sentence that resonates with my ideas for 2012. "We welcome your new expansive ideas."

3.3) Lists. I´ll make 5 notes for each (it seems I´m literally half doing these tasks!)

*Health: back to walking, plenty of veg & fruits lunches for summer, get appointments with the three doctors I need for check ups.

*Possessions: pencils (watercolours & metallic), new summer clothes (t shirts & skirts), a beach bag, a lot of magazines for January, cool notebooks & sketchbooks.

*Leisure: Jamie´s workshop, paint, mandalas, chick lit, net surf, go out with kids.

*Relationships: have fun with Daniel & the kids, get my mom & my aunties to tell me more family stories, understand what happened with the friendship that got cold, renew my friendship with my primary schoolmates, deepen my cyberfriendships.

*Creativity: to value my own creations, to experiment with media, to create freely & joyfully, go bigger, not to fear waste.

*Work: participate in Wishcasting Wednesdays, Paint Party Fridays, Creative Every Day and Full Moon Boards. Work on my blog in Spanish. Women´s Circle? Journaling Classes?

*Spirituality: read again, search, practice.

3.4) Honest changes: I´ve been more honest in my pages this time around (I had used the MP for the first AW, another for AW in action and a third one for The Sound of Paper). I didn´t feel the surrender as I did with Faith & Will, maybe because this book was so much longer and I couldn´t keep up the joy all the time. Some pages were loud whinings. :D I´m going to burn them when we are done, just in case. ;)

The most surprising event was when I truly, deeply wanted friends. The following day I received an invitation to lunch and an e-mail. The same week I invited someone who gladly accepted and I met Betty from Singapore too. This week I met with my two mates after 30 years and got a friend´s request in FB. I got warm words on line too. Yups, things are moving.

3.5) Future changes:

Finally admit not everyone will like me (yikes!)

Bravely take a leading position

Get better in my art journaling

Prepare solid content for my blogs

3.6) Five ways to nurture my creativity in the next six months (classes, materials & dates):

Jamie´s Soul Reflections workshop

Watercolour and Metallic pencils for Christmas

A drawing book

Magazines for journals

On line classes & challenges

3.7) A week of nurturing

Monday:

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

Thursday:

Friday: Tati´s graduation party.

Saturday:

Sunday:

3.8) No letter to inner artist.

3.9) Revisit God´s concept.

3.10) Sync: what I wrote in 3.4)

You may remember that at the end of chapter 5 I interviewed Jamie Ridler (Missed that one? Click here to read it & watch Jamie´s video for you). Jamie from Jamie Ridler Studios is a creative living coach. From coaching to workshops, from podcasting to blogging, Jamie´s work helps women find the confidence and courage to discover and express their creative selves so they can be the star they are.

Jamie has kindly given me three copies of Your creative Spark to share with my readers. Camilla won the first one and Serena A. the second one. You still have a chance to win the third one. Leave me a comment and I´ll add you to the draw next week. :)

Advent 2011, Day 11: Mid way Chapter 12 Check In

Our neighbours trees. We think the flowers belong to a bay tree. Any thoughts on that? This is the whole tree, in between our palm tree and the neighbour´s chorisia.

First Check In for our Chapter 12! Only ONE week to go! Amazing, isn´t it?

With the holidays near things get kind of frantic. Breath in deeply and journal your heart away. We need to. ;) Have you been showing up at your daily pages?

Oh, Christmas tree! Have you seen some beautiful displays these days? Any artist´s dates to share?

The tasks ... go darling! You can make it! Our last chapter in the book.

You may remember that at the end of chapter 5 I interviewed Jamie Ridler (Missed that one? Click here to read it & watch Jamie´s video for you). Jamie from Jamie Ridler Studios is a creative living coach. From coaching to workshops, from podcasting to blogging, Jamie´s work helps women find the confidence and courage to discover and express their creative selves so they can be the star they are.

Jamie has kindly given me three copies of Your creative Spark to share with my readers. Camilla won the first one and Serena from Dream with fishes the second one. You have another chance to win one now! Leave a comment at this post stating you want to participate in the draw. :)

How to share with MrLinky: you type in your name in the first box (the way you´d introduce yourself) and then the url/link to your post (not your whole blog url) where you share your work with the current chapter. When you come back next week your name will likely automatically be entered but you need to redo or paste over the url/link with your new post's address.

Advent 2011, Day 4: Chapter 11 Check In

Today we visited the annual neighbourhood fair. It has craft stalls around the park and international food stalls in the middle.

OK, my girlies, time to Check In with your Artist´s Way stories. I know December is quite a hectic, emotional month and slipping on our pages & tasks sound reeeeeeeaaaaallly tempting because "we don´t have time for this". Hang in there! We are close to the final Check In!!! We´ve done so much so far. Give yourself a hug and a little private space to work.

1) Morning pages.

All around the world people are saying things like "I´ll be much calmer this Christmas season and focus on what is important". Others are saying "If she dares even looking at me I will happily wring her neck. No way I´ll spend Christmas with her!". Whichever group you belong to, this is the time to run to your journals and write!

2) Artist´s date

See any cool decorations lately? At a home/school/office/shop? Tell us about it!

3) The tasks

Choose one, keep it close to your heart. Take it to work with you. Take it grocery shopping with you. Doodle it. Hum it. Write it. Draw it. Give it your loving attention. It will take you places.

How to share with MrLinky: you type in your name in the first box (the way you´d introduce yourself) and then the url/link to your post (not your whole blog url) where you share your work with the current chapter. When you come back next week your name will likely automatically be entered but you need to redo or paste over the url/link with your new post's address.

AEDM 2011: Day 27 Check In Mid Way Chapter 11

Sundays are time for our Artist´s Way tribe to check in.

Have you been writing your daily pages? Are you excitedely anticipating the end of them or dreading that?

Any dates? I´ve noticed we mostly gave up on them. *sigh*

For this chapter´s showcase I´d love to introduce to you a wonderful artist: Heather Foust from "Let the journey begin".

I´m totally in love with her girls. They have such clear personalities and the layering work is absolutely delicious. Her frames are pieces of art in themselves too. Some are found, like this one:

Click here to see the whole process of creating "Time ticking in my head" It´s amazing to see her emerge!

Magical girls indeed.

"Look within" is a BIG piece, you can see it´s actual size and process here.

Unframed art waiting for their homes.

To take a closer look at the original framed work pics on Heather´s blog click here. She makes those frames herself!

For Art Every Day Month I show each day what I created the day before. My table on Nov 26th.

On Friday evening I got a message from Shionge: Paula, I´m in Buenos Aires! She had come all the way from Singapore to an ICEM (the 20-million-member International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Union) World Congress here. After a few e-mails we were set to meet on Saturday! Yay!

We had dinner by the riverside at María del Luján and talked for hours. It was a real pleasure.

How to share with MrLinky: you type in your name in the first box (the way you´d introduce yourself) and then the url/link to your post (not your whole blog url) where you share your work with the current chapter. When you come back next week your name will likely automatically be entered but you need to redo or paste over the url/link with your new post's address.

AEDM 2011: Day 26 My own Chapter 10 check in.

For Art Every Day Month I post every day what I created the day before. My working table on Nov 25th was not really a table. :DA quick face sketch. This time I´m not facing my fears. ;)
One I created a couple of weeks ago but had not shared.

Now onto The artist´s way by Julia Cameron. Almost a week late but my tasks are done. :)

1) Morning pages: 13 out of 14. My pages have equal measures of gossip and plans. {Almost} no whining. ;)

2) Artist´s dates: I´m participating in Art Every Day Month. It´s like going to a modern art museum each day. :D

3) Tasks:

3.1) The destructors: housework & food (and sometimes family) are the main, not destructors but interruptors. :D I stand up from my working table and go "do" something.

3.2) My touching stones: almonds, chocolate, coffee, songs by El Cuarteto de Nos, P!nk, Ok Go and The Beatles, notebooks, folders, pens and pencils, books, bookmarks, office supplies in general, necklaces, skirts, sandals, the net.

3.3) The truth:

* The habit that gets in the way: the dispersion

• DISPERSION (noun)

The noun DISPERSION has 3 senses:

1. spreading widely or driving off
2. the spatial property of being scattered about over an area or volume
3. the act of dispersing or diffusing something

Yes, that´s about it for me. I´m widely spread, dispersing my energy and resources. Totally focused ... for about a quarter of a second. Then the next shiny thing requires my attention and I stand up and get away from my working table.

*The problem: everything must be taken care of before I can have time for myself.

*The plan: honestly, to keep going. I´d rather develop better routines to streamline housework and then have some time for me than just take the time.

*The prize: mental peace. Nobody can give me grief for not having fullfilled my duties.

*The friends: I´m not naming names, just in case. ;)

3.4) I think some of the limits suggested by Cameron are not realistic.

3.5.1) Five small victories

* My 365 pictures a year is almost 365. Not perfect score but sooooooo much better than last year!

* The Full Moon Boards were almost all posted on the Full Moon.

* I´m up to date with ART Every Day Month so far. My 6th year. Third with daily posting.

* I dared interviewing artists for The Artist´s Way project.

* I dared leading it!

3.5.2) Three nurturing actions

* I´ll be doing the Soul Reflections Workshop by Jamie Ridler

* I´ll devote some time to the 2012 planning, including art projects.

* I´ll receive art stuff for Christmas

3.5.3) Three comforting actions

* Rest after Art Every Day Month

* Go on artist´s dates

* Connect with people that loves me

3.5.4) Nice promises

* I´ll show up to work every day till the end of the month

* I´ll give myself some time to rest afterwards

* I´ll plan for a great 2012

AEDM 2011: Day 20 Check In Chapter 10

For Art Every Day Month I show each day what I created the day before. My table on Nov 19th. Simple setting this time as one of my uncles and his wife were coming to dinner. Notice I even took the green cloth off the table? I "discovered" somebody else!!! That was SO NOT her plan. She intended to be ninja like and hide in my pages. ;) Another biggie for me: it is the first time I {kind of} journal in English. This is not a quote (I may have done that before) but an original line.

Time for our Chapter 10 of The Artist´s way by Julia Cameron Check In!

1) Did you keep up with the daily pages? Are you hiding out somewhere else? Like in a corn field?

2) Gone anywhere for your artist´s date? Had plans but didn´t?

3) Which was your favourite task? Which one your least favourite? Skipped any?

For this Check In I´d love to introduce to you an inspiring multi talented artist: Tammy Vitale. I met her through Art Every Day Month and was mesmerized by her outdoors pieces. I so want a garden like hers! She is playing along with us by answering several tasks. Thanks Tammy!

I'm such a huge fan of the Artist's Way. I first read it in the mid 90s. At that point in time, when I got to the chapter where we had to give up reading, I had my (then) kids reading me headlines from the 3 daily papers I felt I had to read in order to keep the world spinning. I credit that experience with realizing I am not personally responsible for saving the world - just my corner of it.

Here are some of the things I outlined in Chapter 10...they are things that I have since incorporated into my life and the way I live my life:

When we are clear about who we are and what we are doing, the energy flows freely and we experience no strain.
We begin to sense our real potential and the wide range of possibilities open to us. That scares us. (oh, my, yes).

In creative recovery, it is far easier to get people to do the extra work of the morning pages than it it is to get them to do the assigned play of an artist date. Yes indeed! I've got stars around that as it was exactly defining what I was doing at the time. I've gotten better!

The fact is I work all the time now - and I LOVE it because it is always about creativity. Then I was employed outside the home - but when I turned 54 I kept my promise to myself that when I turned 55 I could be a full-time artist (I started a year early - I'm an Aries. We're always early!)

Task # 5.1 * List two small victories: This year I imagined and completed the Garden Goddess with a gathering of women to make tiles for her area and bring gifts to bless the garden; I also kept a promise to myself to write a book, Wylde Women's Wisdom: Story (a Journal). [it's listed on the Wylde Women's Wisdom page]

Task #5.2 * List two nurturing actions you’ve taken: I made myself a necklace and earring set; I'm going to lunch with art girlfriends tomorrow.

Task #5.3 * List two actions you could take to comfort your artist: do my morning and evening gratitudes because that seems to always make my day go better. I also use that time to hold people I love in the light of the Universe and ask for their wellbeing - also for those I know in difficult times. My artist is pretty spoiled. Having been doing art full time for 10 years means that art always comes first for me and "it's my business" is the best excuse I've ever had to be creative! My artist tends to be very happy - which is good because when she is happy she is productive.

Task #5.4 * Make two nice promises to yourself, then keep them: I promise myself that there IS enough time for the important things in my life, and when I feel rushed or stressed to stop and reorient; I promise to give myself time to do something for Art Every Day Month every single day and post it - at the top of my priority list!

Task # 5.5 * Do one lovely thing for yourself each day this week: so far I've raked leaves - I love raking leaves. I love the way my yard looks afterwards (even if only for 1/2 day) and I get this lovely feeling of completion PLUS exercise! Yesterday I had ice cream for dessert. Tomorrow, in addition to lunch, in the evening I will participate in a group we call "Philosophies" which very much satisfies the intellectual side of me in a very laid back and creative atmosphere; Thursday is wide open and I can do anything I want (and I have a mosaic waiting for me - Thursday may be the day); Friday is Full Moon Dream Board day and an artist's date to Colonial Beach VA, about 1.5 hours from me where a client of mine is having a show of mosaics; Saturday at 5pm I will go join my artgal pals and we will continue a discussion about how to break open the art scene in Southern Maryland. We have no art scene but we are imagining and dreaming and intending one. Sunday we celebrate my son-in-law's 40th birthday. I do believe that's 7 days!

I´m sure you now want to know more about Tammy and her work. You will find her at Women, Art, Life.

She is also a coach and you will find a special offer for you for a coaching retreat following this link to her workshop´s section of the site.

If you spend hours perfecting your art but then struggle with putting it out into the world or you are overwhelmed every time you think about selling your art, it´s time to enrole in her Sell Your Art Keep Your Soul learning Modules.

If you want to take a little something away with you, daily wisdom and inspiration from women who have found the goddess and know She is them is provided by Tammy at Wylde Women´s Wisdom.

You may remember that at the end of chapter 5 I interviewed Jamie Ridler (Missed that one? Click here to read it & watch Jamie´s video for you). Jamie from Jamie Ridler Studios is a creative living coach. From coaching to workshops, from podcasting to blogging, Jamie´s work helps women find the confidence and courage to discover and express their creative selves so they can be the star they are.

Jamie has kindly given me copies of Your creative Spark to share with my readers. Camilla won the first one and now it´s time for the second one. Just leave me a comment stating your interest to be added to the draw.

How to share with MrLinky: you type in your name in the first box (the way you´d introduce yourself) and then the url/link to your post (not your whole blog url) where you share your work with the current chapter. When you come back next week your name will likely automatically be entered but you need to redo or paste over the url/link with your new post's address.

AEDM 2011: Day 14 My own chapter 10 Check In

For Art Every Day Month I show each day what I created the day before. This is my working table on November 13th. Yes, I´m working on both sides of it. This side for my Wishcasting Journal and the other one for my art journal. I´m a multitasker. :D

For my art journal (which is indeed my "let´s try this technique" one) I started with a page I didn´t like. This is my first time re-working a page. It was an experiment with wet paper shapes and a brayer that went "wrong". Not wrong as in, well ...awfully wrong but as in "not the result I was looking for".
Collage with scraps torn from a magazine (the same Oh La La issue I used for this month´s Full Moon Board).
Watercolour red wash. Mmmmmm, still showing through too much. Not what I wanted.
Yums, acrylics. Now we are talking.
Let´s play with colours. Eeeeeekkkkk! Bright!
Let´s go over it with red again. Quick! Here´s where we are missing a step as the red was totally covering the yellow and it was a mad dash to get my water spray so I could drip the red off. Squish a cloth over it for good measure.
I´ll leave the background be for a while until I know what goes on top of it.

Have you got a completed piece for today, darling?, you ask. Yes, you always treat me kindly. I nod and show you my Wish #23 from the Wishcasting Journal by Jamie Ridler.

For my Mid way Chapter 10 Check In:

1) Morning Pages: 7 out of 7. Yay! I´m back. :D

2) Artist´s date: went dancing with my hubbie. It was a community affair organized by the kid´s school. Strictly over 18s with 80´s & 90´s music plus pizza. Fun. :)

3) Task # 2 is Touchstones: a list of things we love which reminded me of Julie Andrews singing My favourite things.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things

When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad

AEDM 2011: Day 13 Check In Mid Way Chapter 10

Sunday means it´s time for our Chapter from The Artist´s Way by Julia Cameron Check in. Today we are mid way through Chapter 10.

For this check in I´d like to introduce to you Serena Lewis, an awesome artist from Brisbane, Australia. She will play along completing Task #2: Touchstones, a list of things you love. Here´s her take on it:

If you go to my About Me tab on my blog, I have a list of I LOVE things.

I LOVE

my kids, granddaughter and family

my dogs, Cody and Jack
wolves...my totem animal
to dabble with various forms of art media
keeping sketch journals
knitting and crochet

my camera

reading books, especially dean koontz

animals....i support animal welfare causes when i'm able
a mixed genre of music
watching movies with my kids

nature walks

the awesomeness of the sea
walks on the beach
seashells
mountain views

long, country drives
my bedroom, my sanctuary
the combo of turquoise, greens and purples

hot chocolate

vindaloo prawn curry with basmati rice

As you see here in these examples, she has a very wide range of drawing and painting skills. Enjoy!

If you want to see more of Serena´s art & life, you can find her at the following cyberplaces:

Blog - http://artbyserena.blogspot.com

Website - http://serenalewis.com

ETSY shop - http://www.etsy.com/shop/SerenaLewis

Flickr albums - http://www.flickr.com/photos/searen_art

For Art Every Day Month I show each day what I created the day before. This is my working table on November 12th.

Time to play with Tati´s oil pastels and watercolours.

Circles in oil pastels to try out the amount of colour according to pressure on paper.

Watercolour wash into circles.

Things I learnt today:

* Funny how navy blue and red turn out paler than light blue and pink

* You need quite a lot of water to paint big areas or the brush will run dry before you are finished

* Oil pastels work as resist (I knew that but hadn´t actually tried it out myself) with watercolours

* If dry the previous colour will show through, if wet it will blend in something not always predictable

* Sometimes the brush may seem clean but it´s not. Remember the wash, dry, use clear water process from day 8.

Right hand side is structured and left hand side is not.

How to share with MrLinky: you type in your name in the first box (the way you´d introduce yourself) and then the url/link to your post (not your whole blog url) where you share your work with the current chapter. When you come back next week your name will likely automatically be entered but you need to redo or paste over the url/link with your new post's address.