Tag: The Artist’s Way

  • New Workshop Starting June 14th: Finding Water | The Art of Perseverance (free)

    This is your invitation to come back to your center, to find the water at the bottom of the well, to become your own divining rod for your creativity. Join me. Together, we will find a way through.

    In March of this year, the Pandemic hit in full force and thus began The Great Pause. Stores closed. Supply chains were disrupted. Toilet paper became a hot commodity along with soap and hand sanitizer. People started gardening in record numbers. Children were homeschooled while parents struggled to work from home or, worse, lost their jobs and had to file for unemployment or make other arrangements.

    If you, like me, are heartsick and devastated, know that you are not alone. I am in pain, and yet I know my pain and outrage is nothing compared to what our Black and Brown friends, neighbors, and family members are experiencing: not just today, but all the time.

    As I write this, riots and protests are happening across the globe. The murder of George Floyd has sparked off a powder keg. Our communities are traumatized, enraged, and demand justice.

    I can’t fix that alone. And it’s not even about me, and it’s not about my outrage. If you feel, as I do, that things must change, there are many good resources and voices of color whom you can listen to, learn from, and support. If you need ideas, please PM me and I’ll share what resources I have. If you have resources to share, please PM me so I can learn and amplify their reach.

    But this brings me to you and me. If you are reading this, you are a fellow writer, struggling with your words to find Story and your own Truth. Me too.

    On Sunday, June 14, 2020, I will be hosting a free online workshop using Julia Cameron’s third book in the Artist’s Way trilogy as our guide: Finding Water | the Art of Perseverance. I picked this one because the idea of this book is around how to fend off prolonged creative dry spells, or how to come out of one if you’ve fallen into one. Cameron has given her tools away for free with two stipulations: facilitators must do the work with participants, in her words, “No gurus.” And second, we cannot charge for this work.

    I’ve facilitated Artist’s Way workshops since 2007 both in person and online. I find the tools deeply resonate with me and have helped me become and stay prolific. Right now, I’ve been struggling with finding that place of creativity, even while I have been outwardly creative: I’ve been journaling like crazy and weaving. But I’m not comfortable within myself, and that’s what I want to change. The collective trauma we were already experiencing with the pandemic (and over 100,000 dead in the U.S. alone; over 371,000 thousand worldwide as of this writing) has been added to by excessive police violence and racism. Let’s be clear here: the racist acts have not changed. What’s changed is they’re being filmed. While this is traumatic for many of us, for our beloved POC neighbors, friends, and family members this is daily lived experience. Yes, we are experiencing a trauma. My hope is, though, that we can come through this as a portal, not fall into it as a hole. With hard work we can emerge stronger, more equitable, more aware, and more creative.

    Join me on this journey. The only thing necessary is the willingness to be open, to experience, and to be honest with yourself.

    We begin Sunday, 06/14/2020.

    Workshop details below:

    The workshop will take place on our online forum, located https://writerzengarden.com/forums/

    . If you haven’t already done so, please sign up for a free user account. We will be together for 14 weeks. Each week starts on Sunday. We will use a combination of Zoom calls (in person) and written discussion. I will announce the schedule for the Zoom calls when we get closer to the workshop start date.

    Introductory Week:  Discuss the basic tools.  Share our goals and hopes, and maybe even a fear or two.  Figure out what we’re about so we can get the most out of the coming weeks.

    Week 1:  Uncovering a Sense of Optimism

    Week 2:  Uncovering a Sense of Reality

    Week 3:  Uncovering a Sense of Support

    Week 4:  Uncovering a Sense of Balance

    Week 5:  Uncovering a Sense of Autonomy

    Week 6:  Uncovering a Sense of Resolve

    Week 7:  Uncovering a Sense of Resilience

    Week 8:  Uncovering a Sense of Truth

    Week 9:  Uncovering a Sense of Perspective

    Week 10:  Uncovering a Sense of Safety

    Week 11:  Uncovering a Sense of Discipline

    Week 12:  Uncovering a Sense of Perseverance

    Wrap Up:  Look back and review what we’ve gained.  Look forward and figure out what next steps we want to take.  Honor the work, and play, we’ve done.

    Please let me know if you have any questions or issues. My email is noony AT acatherinenoon DOT com.

  • Darla’s Path to Enlightenment – Another Small Step


    Traditional Chinese dance, instrumentation, costumes, and storytelling all fascinate me. This attraction is one of my earliest memories. As a very small child I actually snuck into my mother’s bedroom and borrowed her Mandarin collared satin pajama top. Too short for the sleep pants, I eschewed them for the look of a Cheongsam style dress.
    (Not that I knew that word then, mind you. Nonetheless, my family still recalls their amusement upon seeing my fashionista strut, long sleeves bunched at the elbows so my little hands were not engulfed.)
    Decades after that incident, the Shen Yun Performing Arts touring company began visiting my part of the United States each winter. Formed in 2006, their group and solo presentations comprise twenty vignettes over some two and a half hours. The posters alone capture my imagination.
    But in the past I could not justify spending the money. Then an idea struck. My birthday celebration traditionally involves a rather expensive gourmet meal. Why not invest in something much more enriching? So instead of anticipating an overpriced meal, I possess two balcony seat tickets for the 2015 production.
    This seemed worth sharing as I cannot help thinking of Julia Cameron’s “Artist’s Way” sensibilities. As Ms. Cameron might say, this cultural extravaganza will surely refill my artistic well.
    Of course, a little research seemed in order. And some quick findings shocked me. Please forgive this downturn, but I already knew Shen Yun does not perform in mainland China. Additionally, the Chinese government has attempted show cancellations via political pressure. Chinese diplomats even lobby Western elected officials to shun what they term propaganda intended to smear China’s image.
    Further reading led me even further down the proverbial rabbit hole. Apparently Shen Yun founders adhere to the spiritual discipline Falun Gong, which literally translates as “Dharma Wheel Practice”. Main focuses center upon morality and virtue. Elements include a mixture from the Buddhist school of thought and Taoist tradition. All this stirred my interest, even my very soul.
    Yet the Communist Party of China persecutes these cultivators. How could anyone oppose truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance? Well, the answer is anyone who believes religious tenets and independence from the state threaten the party line. Reading the reported human rights abuses against uncounted practitioners raised the hair on the back of my neck.
    I sometimes miss being that naïve little girl playing dress up.
    That said, learning all this only makes me more intrigued about the upcoming show. However fervent any sponsoring Falun Dafa Association may be, I do not anticipate some pushy (or even subtle) sort of recruitment before, during, or after the program. At the same time I’m curious if a regional association does exist.
    Quite frankly, I think meditative movements such as the Falun Gong adherents employ are greatly beneficial to both body and mind even without deep spiritual exploration. To my chagrin, I must now admit total reluctance to abandon human desires. Sexy stories are my favored artistic outlet, after all.
    I can certainly respect those willing to rise above earthly attachments they perceive detrimental. In the meantime there exist more elementary outlets through which to explore qigong exercises. Most importantly, I find myself grateful yet again for the incredible freedoms into which this humble soul was born.
    Now that you’ve learned my latest revelation, what recent internet research most surprised you?

    –

  • Darla’s NaNoWriMo Update


    Now that National Novel Writing Month has begun, I’m really finding my stride.
    No, I’m not a horse.  ~rolls eyes~  But I am writing.  My word count is in a range I haven’t produced since last November.  Quite frankly, NaNo inspires me.
    And inspiration is what I’d like to spread today.  I read a terrific pep talk on the NaNoWriMo website.  Author Chuck Wendig shared ideas very much like Julia Cameron with her creative workshops.  He essentially encourages writers to let loose their creative inner child.  Here is his amusing and perceptive insight garnered from observing his own toddler:
    “…He’ll grab a Transformers toy and half-transform it into some lumbering robot-car monstrosity—and when an adult might say, “No, no, it’s like this or it’s like that; it’s a robot or it’s a car,” he’s like, “Uh, yeah, no. Go back to your tax forms and your HGTV, stupid adult, I’ve just created a Frankencarbot and you can go hide your head in the sand-swept banality of grown-up life, sucker.”
    I’m all for creating a Frankencarbot.  What about you?  Has the NaNo bug bitten this fall?

    –

  • Pictures and Pottery


    Today, I had some ridiculous fun.  Hopefully, as “Artist’s Way” author Julian Cameron suggests, the activity will refill my artistic well.
    My adventure started with a visit to my favorite art framer.  All-around gifted, this photographer is working with me to recreate some damaged wedding photos.  I usually bring him something more eclectic, but I feel certain he and his wife will help me create something unique from my cheaply framed ruins.
    After leaving his studio, I visited a pottery store.  There I picked a paint-able piece with a reasonable, all-inclusive price.  Alone on a rainy afternoon, just as I like it, I had my pick of paints and tools.
    What a blast!  A week from now, I anticipate picking up my zombie candy dish.  Flaws and all, the fired and glazed piece should be a cute addition to my extensive Halloween collection.
    Anything fun taking your interest these days?  I’d enjoy reading what you’re up to.
    –

  • Writer Wednesday – Our Artistic Inner Child


    In her multiple books and workshops, Julia Cameron repeatedly affirms that artists must let themselves play.  Her logic?  Our creative selves are much like children.  Her various interpretations make a great deal of sense to me, especially considering how modern Western civilization discourages both artistic endeavor and play in its adults.
    Grown-ups are dissuaded from doing things considered silly or worthless, which is how many people would define play.  The message is that we shouldn’t be goofing off, or doing much of anything society doesn’t find redeeming.  This usually equals monetary gain, though I think anything dubbed as social networking has become acceptable, however mind numbing are some of those Facebook games.
    Personally, I think doodling in a notebook is redeeming.  So is writing a poem or reimagining characters from a book.  Quite literally, play is a form of redemption, its many glorious forms saving sanity and giving this short existence value.  Whether making something with my own two hands or enjoying what others have created, these things improve my perception and very quality of life.
    I’m not saying anything new or profound here.  But today I perused “The Artist’s Way” to read quotes set in the page margins and one in particular stood out.  None other than Pablo Picasso supports these views.
    In his words:
    Every child is an artist.  The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.
    I couldn’t agree more.  Will you join me in some creative fun?  How might you let yourself play this week?

    –

  • Writer Wednesday – Why We Write


    These days I’m enjoying a friend’s gift, a creative writing book called “Rip the Page”.  Geared for the young and young-at-heart, exercises range from the lighthearted (zany word associations) to those darker (like writing about a huge hurt in our lives – powerful mojo there, let me tell you).  Doing them helped me get through Julia Cameron’s prescribed reading deprivation during “The Artist’s Way” workshop.
    Published authors provided encouraging notes, as well.  Young-adult historical writer Karen Cushman inspired this post.  Her final line superbly sums up why we write.
    “The best reason to write is just to find out what happens.”
    That simple truth staggered me.  I think I’ll go write now (right now, in fact), though I don’t see using so much alliteration as in my title.  ~grin~  Happy Wednesday!
    –

  • Reading Deprivation – An Artist’s Way Dilemma


    Entering week four of the Julia Cameron “Artist’s Way” workshop, my friends and I face a difficult challenge.  For this seven day period we are not supposed to read – at all.  Already I have fallen back into my word addiction, haunting the aforementioned forum this fine Tuesday afternoon despite best intentions.

    I succeeded better yesterday, putting back the magazine in my dentist’s waiting room unread.  The periodical leaped into my hands, I swear.  Seriously, without a novel in hand, my brain automatically sought another distraction.

    And mental distraction is exactly the thing Ms. Cameron wishes we would avoid.  Without constant informational inflow, our thoughts might turn inward.  Scary notion, huh?  Less frightening, we might find ourselves doing something constructive.  She hopes a new outflow will nudge aside artistic blockage.
    Admittedly, I still spent some time watching television last night but I’m keeping such mind numbing activity to a minimum.  As a result I found some positive and even playful substitutions.  In one day I enacted several reading alternatives that would not have occurred to me most other weeks.
    Waiting while a loved one received a physician’s care, I called my parents.  Later I flipped through a photo album before recreating a favorite image on manila drawing paper.  The resulting art is amateurish, certainly, yet the process was fun and rewarding.
    A friendly, self-proclaimed comedian friend of mine pointed out that I’m actually reading as I prepare this post.  I had to laugh.  Even Julia Cameron’s writings offer some contradiction.
    For example, in one paragraph she warns against filling our inner silence with things like television (as I mentioned above), gossipy conversations, or constant radio chatter.  On the following page she lists some other things people can do besides read and tops the list with listen to music.  Perhaps her mention of the radio refers to talk shows, for that matter.
    At any rate, I intend to do my best at promoting inner quiet.  Who knows what new activities my brain might cook up next?  On that note, it’s time to check the mailbox and maintain the silly hope my postman didn’t delivery a tempting new comic book.

    –

  • My Quote of the Day, by Darla M Sands


    A lucky accident today led me to a documentary about English writer Alan Moore.  I’d been trying to find an airing of a movie called “Mindscape” when “The Mindscape of Alan Moore” popped up in my search.  Intrigued, I began to watch.  His 1980’s contributions to the British comic “2000 AD” amazed me well before Hollywood got its claws into his art.
    As much as his story drew me in I suddenly stopped, compelled to share a quote.  I love this:
    “Quitting my day job and starting my life as a writer was a tremendous risk.  It was a fool’s leap; a shot in the dark.  But anything of any value in our lives – whether that be a career, a work of art, a relationship – will always start with such a leap.  And in order to be able to make it you have to put aside the fear of failing and the desire of succeeding.”
    This reiterates my personal beliefs and aligns well with Julia Cameron’s teachings.  Of course we can’t all achieve world renown, but I would choose a modest existence and creative contentment over Wall Street riches any day.
    Alan Moore goes on to say, “You have to do these things completely purely – without fear, without desire – because things that we do without lust of result are the purest actions that we shall ever take.”
    I shall take these words to heart.  I hope you will, as well.

  • Keep the Drama on the Page

    Having been introduced to Julia Cameron’s “Artist’s Way” creative workshops a few years ago, I continue appreciating the maxim advising students “keep the drama on the page”.  Or the stage, or canvas, or whatever your favorite artistic medium.

    Of course that is not always easy.  Personally, as I slid a meatloaf into the oven several minutes ago I could not help recalling the nuisances inflicting my household in 2014.  It started with the early January meatloaf I cooked.  The oven element caught fire during the last five minutes of cook time.  Fortunately dinner was delicious but the next day my vacuum sweeper failed, its slipped belt actually burning through the plastic outer cover.  Neither could be fixed, and even replacement proved trickier than reason dictates.

    Add to that the veterinarian telling me my sweet, overweight cat was on the fast track to diabetes and a Saturday night spent racing a human to the emergency room.  Thank heaven everyone is on a healthier road now.  However, these surmountable but sometimes expensive and definitely stressful inconveniences have been compounded by a friend’s emotionally draining phone calls.  Again, I must count my blessings because the friend is not what Ms. Cameron would call a “crazymaker”.  Also, i can happily report that she is in a better place as of this very afternoon.

    Opening Julia Cameron’s prescribed morning page “brain dump” with a list of five blessings the last few months, I make regular note of positives.  I could live in a war torn country with no electricity or flush toilets, after all.  And I have the luxury of art.  Every day, small creative endeavors boost my spirits.  Alongside Julia Cameron’s user friendly tools and gentle wisdom, I have dear friends encouraging me to play.  A book of mandalas in an adult coloring book, wild bird feeding, a craft package suitable for eight-year-olds, and even enjoying my Christmas tree beyond January first have elevated my spirit beyond everyday doldrums.

    What activities brighten your day? Can you maybe take a few minutes to pamper yourself with fun? I sincerely hope you can sprinkle a little innocent pleasure into a what I imagine is a very busy modern schedule.

    –

  • Writer Wednesday – Finding Balance


    I just finished reading an interview featuring a very gifted artist.  Amongst his other comments, he underlined the importance of mental and physical balance.  One colleague, upon seeing the man’s most private project, asked how he could possibly be sane and produce such work.
    The answer?  Martial arts.  In this artist’s case, that translated to thirty years practicing Kung Fu and several also instructing.  His peer replied in the manner of “Ah!  Of course.”  They both understood that physical discipline grounded him to the real world.
    While the most remedial martial arts routine would probably put me in agony the next day, walking is an activity most of us can quite easily undertake.  The key lies in making time.
    On a scale I find achievable, Julia Cameron’s “Walking in This World” teachings promote weekly walks.  She advocates thirty minutes or more, and doing it more than once if we feel so motivated.  I find the activity lets me enjoy my surroundings and/or muse over blessings.  When I suffer impotent anger, it helps clear away obsession over little injustices.
    For nearly a month, I’ve reincorporated regular workouts on my ski machine alongside walking.  Feeling a bit more fit, I want to keep the momentum going.  I have never obtained the enviable endorphin high such as I’ve heard marathon runners extol, but my small accomplishments give me a definite mental boost.
    What type of exercise are you getting or might consider undertaking?  I hope you can make the effort and reap the rewards.  Just be safe if you’re walking an icy path or attempting something physically advanced.  Equally important, enjoy yourself.
    –