The Artist's Way: One Week Down, Eleven to Go
While I don't have any conflict about being creative or an artist, I have not been happy with my slow output. There's always things getting in the way, and then once those things are resolved, there are other things. Obviously there is blocking and confict on some level, which is an issue for the vast majority of artists. A couple of weeks ago I was reading something online, can't even remember what it was, and it had a link to Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way. I'd read chunks of it in the past, but as it didn't "click" with me at the time, I never really gave it another thought until following the aforementioned link and reading excerpts from it, which in turn caused me to look up the book and readers' reviews of it on Amazon.com. It seemed promising enough, so checked out a copy from the local library to give it a go.
It grabbed me from the first page and I immersed myself in the whole recovery process, doing the morning pages, and even purchasing the workbook in order to get the most out of the twelve-week process. Not only is it helping me to unblock, it's reducing my overall stress levels. Steve has been incredibly supportive of this process, probably because Cameron's approach is Jungian, and much of what she says about creativity and identity and art echoes his own approach. My posts from last summer, dealing with the genius loci, fit in with this, also. Cameron is big on synchronicity, and I find myself increasingly on board with it.
Today is the beginning of the second week of the process, and I have added another element to it, which is the entire week is to be free of domestica--the only house and family thing I am obliged to do this week is the evening meal. We are going to see how this affects my sensibilities, as I often use housewifery to avoid working on art. Not good. At the moment I am letting 'er rip by resuming work on a very large (for me) canvas, an interior scene in a coffee shop. After several small paintings, it feels great to be working large again. Working large is also more conducive to working passionately.
I've several frames, many of them around 24 x 36 or larger, requiring masonite panels, so I took their measurements and went to the local lumber yard and ordered panels cut to size, which will give my hands a major break if I don't have to struggle with big sheets of masonite. Of course it costs more, but there are worse costs, such as pain and fatigue, which I am not willing to pay at all. I'm excited about having a bunch of good-sized panels ready to turn into paintings.
Then there is my assemblage work, which has been languishing badly. I am looking for a way to work on it, and will probably use the basement, which can be left a mess and won't crowd the painting room. I can set it up in a manner similar to a jigsaw puzzle, have all the pertinent bits scattered around the center, and cover it with a cloth when I am not working so Tabby doesn't decide to make off with some of it. It'll feel great to be working on a conceptual piece again.
It grabbed me from the first page and I immersed myself in the whole recovery process, doing the morning pages, and even purchasing the workbook in order to get the most out of the twelve-week process. Not only is it helping me to unblock, it's reducing my overall stress levels. Steve has been incredibly supportive of this process, probably because Cameron's approach is Jungian, and much of what she says about creativity and identity and art echoes his own approach. My posts from last summer, dealing with the genius loci, fit in with this, also. Cameron is big on synchronicity, and I find myself increasingly on board with it.
Today is the beginning of the second week of the process, and I have added another element to it, which is the entire week is to be free of domestica--the only house and family thing I am obliged to do this week is the evening meal. We are going to see how this affects my sensibilities, as I often use housewifery to avoid working on art. Not good. At the moment I am letting 'er rip by resuming work on a very large (for me) canvas, an interior scene in a coffee shop. After several small paintings, it feels great to be working large again. Working large is also more conducive to working passionately.
I've several frames, many of them around 24 x 36 or larger, requiring masonite panels, so I took their measurements and went to the local lumber yard and ordered panels cut to size, which will give my hands a major break if I don't have to struggle with big sheets of masonite. Of course it costs more, but there are worse costs, such as pain and fatigue, which I am not willing to pay at all. I'm excited about having a bunch of good-sized panels ready to turn into paintings.
Then there is my assemblage work, which has been languishing badly. I am looking for a way to work on it, and will probably use the basement, which can be left a mess and won't crowd the painting room. I can set it up in a manner similar to a jigsaw puzzle, have all the pertinent bits scattered around the center, and cover it with a cloth when I am not working so Tabby doesn't decide to make off with some of it. It'll feel great to be working on a conceptual piece again.
posted by meg at 1:26 PM
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