The Artist’s Way: Week 3

Week three has been rough for me.  As predicted by the book,  I had some real highs and lows emotionally, which I was not really prepared for.  One day I had a little bit of an emotional breakdown.  It was some feelings I’ve been having for a while, but I thought I had them in check.  But it’s probably for the best that they come out.  I feel better now, but it’s been great to work through things on the morning pages.  Speaking of morning pages, I did them every single day!  An improvement!

But my Artist’s Date was not what I was hoping.  I wanted to do other things, but I ended up just baking pies.  It was fun.  An activity I enjoy, but it was kind of a cheat as I was just preparing for the pie contest.  It was not purely for my enjoyment.  So that was a failure this week.

I have noticed one very powerful change, I’m craving music.  For the last few years, I’ve kind of given music up.  It’s not that I don’t like it, I listen to music on the radio in the car and when I’m working out,  but the rest of the time I listen to podcasts.  And I think that’s taken away an important emotional outlet for me.  I’m finding myself seeking out new bands again and downloading albums.  A really good change.  I didn’t know how much I missed it.

The Artist Way does a lot of talk about synchronicity this week.  That’s when you experience two events as meaningfully related.  I have always believed in this, but I definitely experienced this over the last few weeks.  Unhappy with my position at work, I’ve started taking a class at Portland State.  The what do you know?  I get an new assignment at work.  Yes, this probably is cause and effect situation but my first feeling was that of synchronicity.  I think I’ve opened myself up to more opportunity.

This next week: Recovering A Sense of Integrity.   I’m supposed to do a Reading Deprivation, get rid of an outfit that lowers my self worth and write a letter to myself when I’m 80 years old.  Where do you want to be when you’re 80?  Tough questions ahead.