I've been very busy lately doing the 12 week Artist's way course. I came across a video on You Tube of someone who was in the middle of the course, and it got me thinking. So I borrowed the book from our local library and was blown away! It does use some religious thinking but I got over that quickly by replacing the word "God" with my own choice.
Now it's something to do alone, and relatively private, especially morning pages, but I wanted to share my views on it 6 weeks in. It has changed my life, truly. I have struggled with some tasks, found others easy, but instead of skimming over the hard bits I have stuck with it and let it brew. Week 5 I found particularly hard so I just worked on it for 3 weeks until I had a breakthrough. My sticking point was that I didn't realise how hard I found it to write a wish list. After everything that has happened to us I had shut down my 'wants' for fear of lack of money. Sort of protecting myself from disappointment but it had the opposite effect. It shut down any opportunities to allow things to be drawn to me too. This has been a hard lesson but enlightening. The other day I found myself in the charity shop, trying dresses on. I looked in the mirror and saw someone who thought that this was what she was worth. Not the fun of finding something cool in there, but the label of 'its all you can afford'. These limitations that I have imposed on myself have ground me down. I don't mind budgeting and being mindful of how and why and what I spend my money on, but this overall label that I had given myself felt like a degrading tattoo. A reminder of the circumstance we have been put in. No one else did this, it was me who chose to accept this 'label'.
I didn't expect this 'Artist's' course to end up like therapy for my whole life, but it has.
So part of Week 5 was to create an image file of things you wish for. Hmmmmmmm.....
I sat with this concept for a long while. 'What do I wish for' How can I allow the wishes to flow again? I struggled to think of anything! Wishing for a new handbag or fancy sweater seemed so selfish and silly. When did I become so dull and boring? What am I going to do to jumpstart the fun wishes and dreams again?
I need to see these images frequently for them to have an effect on me. It needed it to be a physical thing.
Synchronicity plays a big part of the course. Allowing yourself to experience the flow of the Universe. I sat watching a random You Tube video and I saw someone making a 'gluebook'. Now I know this concept has been around for ages but I'd never really thought about making one. Could this be my Image file? Has this video showed up just at the right time for me to put into practice some serious art magic?
So I set to work and made myself a glue book using two old magazines. Using only cut images and words (and only images and words that I really like - that resonate with my slowly growing new wishes) I sat with my glue stick and had some fun. I am cutting photos of clothes I like, pastimes, food, colours, nature, animals, places to live, places to visit. The list is endless! The only rule is I must love it. I've stopped doom scrolling and getting stuck in a comparison trap and instead I'm searching for pretty things and inspiring images.
It feels holy....like my dream bible. It is not a journal, I am saving the paint and writing for other books. This is just images, gorgeous, colourful, dreams and wishes that are all mine. It took me a while to find the medium that would work for me and I'm so glad I didn't just ignore that task. That is why this book is good. If you do the work, it works.
I'm going to do a little video showing my Dream bible for You Tube after I've been on a hunt for 5 pretty rocks, 5 leaves or flowers and 5 postcards to send out.....
Check out my you tube channel here
What do YOU wish for? xxxxxx
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