Artist’s Way: Week 6 Check-In

1.) How many days this week did you do your morning pages?

I may not have penned the morning pages precisely when my personal sun rose, but in the end I penned my way to 100% completion. Though when the sun sailed away, the morning’s success did not echo in the night. I only penned 5 of my 7 night pages. I could easily cop out and remark how the Night Pages were my own creation and strictly optional. I won’t do that. I made a conscious to decision to up the ante with the night pages, and I intend to honor that decision.

2.) Did you do your artist date this week? 

Somewhere inside me a little artist is crying out their lonely heart. Their significant and mortal host stood them up. I went into this vowing to never fall short and already I believe this is the second week I’ve failed to go on a proper artist’s date. Statistically speaking that’s a 66% completion rate. Though, there’s no reason for blood shed.  l love my little artist, and I will romance the tears out of him! In the end, 4 artist’s date in the past 6 weeks is more than I would have done without the Artist’s Way.

3.) Did you experience any synchronicity this week?

I re-discovered a hilarious comic trip, the Perry Bible Fellowship, in book anthology form. The interview in the back was motivational. As the creator’s comments on the creative process echoed the core message of the Artist’s Way.

I was able to pen a new Imagicise. I can’t believe it’s been a year since I added one. I also edited the page on CraveWriting.com. I know these prompts could be bundled into a publishable book. More so than that, I want to be able to give writers more than just a “writing to write” prompt book. The “imagicise” is all about honing skills while using interesting prompts. You don’t have to dig into your soul or your history for these prompts, you do have to exercise your imagination!

On Friday, April 20th and just before 5:00PM, I penned my first new picture book draft in over a year! Yay! It’s called “Outside the Box,” and that’s all you need to know about that! 🙂

4.) Were there any other issues this week that you consider significant for your recovery? 

I’ve had some personal issues with someone I care deeply about and I let our struggles take a toll on my creative output this week. If I had only alloted more time for a creative escape, I maybe would have been stronger to deal with the pressing issues. To date, this was my poorest effort for the tasks, and only 3 were completed. Sending 5 postcards to people you would love to hear from was an empowering experience. While in Japan, I was an apprentice to a master calligrapher and potter. The ever kind Ukei Sensei would invite me into his house and studio each Wednesday for a lesson in Japanese pottery followed by an assortment of his handmade delicacies and spirits. I am blessed to have been on the receiving end of such a beautiful mentorship from a true renaissance man. Though it’s been 9 months since I spoke to him. This task allowed me to break the silent with a postcard. I can’t let the language barrier and the pacific ocean get in the way of communicating and praising one of the greatest human beings I have or will ever encountered. I will continue the correspondence and hope to send him precious American goods as a continued token of my appreciation. The second task I did at the last minute by baking six little berry muffins. Who I am a kidding, I poured the contents of a bag into a bowl and threw in some water. A quick poor into paper cups and that task was complete. The third task told us to accept freebies. When it comes to money, I’m an independent soul. While I’ve been spoiled since birth by my parents, I rarely accept financial kindness from others. If I do, I make sure to immediately repay them. I hadn’t thought much about this tasks but on Saturday while celebrating a friend’s birthday I repeatedly denied requests from others to buy me a drink. When the time came I decided to get myself a drink, of course I offered to buy a around. They were smart enough to accept. In the end, I should have accepted their kindness, especially since I was eager to “pay it forward” with or without compensation. So when Sunday morning rolled and one of the most genuine people I have ever met decided to treat her 31 year old son like he was 7 on a shopping trip, I gladly accept. Ten articles of clothing later, I felt revived and looking rather handsome (in my own unique way) after a troubling week. Mother’s Day is approaching, and I must return the favor. But this time I won’t feel guilty for accepting her generosity. For any reading this who is accustumed to me turning down freebies, be careful, because I’m ready to say “Yes!”