new beginnings!

Finally! Week 1: Uncovering a Sense of Optimism.

I've spent the past week slowly reading "The Basics" and "Week 1: Uncovering a Sense of Optimism." And well...let me just say that I am looking forward to this! For the past several weeks I have been thinking about and preparing myself for the extra time I will need for things like morning pages and artist's dates and long walks. Since I already have a lot on my plate right now, I have (quite a few times!) doubted my sanity in taking on another commitment, let alone one that is 12 weeks long! But, the more I read of Cameron's book, the more I look forward to whatever this experience might have in store for me. Intuition tells me that this might be just the thing that helps me to accomplish the things I've already set out to do.

I suppose we have all had our share of doubt and excitement when thinking about the creative journey we are about to embark on. We are a community of fellow bloggers, together, adventuring into the creative unknown. Seek one another out for support, but don't be afraid to make this journey your own. There is no set method and no rigid rules. But, in case you are looking for some direction, here are some of the (abridged) guidelines, offered by Julia Cameron:

• Do your Morning Pages and Artist's Dates.
• Do not share you Morning Pages with anyone else.
• Do not reread your Morning Pages until later in the course.
• As a group, each person is equally a part of the collective, no one more than another. This is dialectic rather than a monologue--an egalitarian group process rather than a hierarchical one.
  
• Listen. We each get what we need from the group process by sharing our own material and listening to others. We don't need to comment on another person's sharing in order to help that person. Please leave a comment if you feel inspired to do so, but refrain from trying to "fix" someone else.
  
• Respect one another. Each person must be able to speak her or his own wounds and dreams. This is a deep and powerful internal process. There is no one right way to do this. Love is important. Be kind to yourself. Be kind to one another.
• Expect change in the group makeup. Many people will--some will not--fulfill the twelve-week process.
• Be autonomous. You cannot control your own process, let alone anyone else's. Know that you will feel rebellious occasionally--that you won't want to do all of your Morning Pages and exercises at times in the twelve weeks. Relapse is okay. You cannot do this process perfectly, so relax, be kind to yourself, and hold onto your hat. Even when you feel nothing is happening, you will be changing at great velocity. This change is deepening into your own intuition, your own creative self. The structure of the course is about safely getting across the bridge into new realms of creative spiritual awareness.
• Be self-loving. Continually seek your own inner guidance rather than outer guidance. You are seeking to form an artist-to-artist relationship with the Great Creator. You have your own answers within you.

The complete version of this can be found in the "Creative Cluster Guide" at the back of the book (pages 272-276).

Cameron writes: "Creativity is like breathing--pointers may help, but we do the process ourselves. Creative clusters [like this one], where we gather as peers to develop our strength, are best regarded as tribal gatherings, where creative beings raise, celebrate, and actualize the creative power which runs through us all."

In the end, do what feels most comfortable to you. The content and quantity of what you share on your blog is up to your discretion. And so...

Here's to new beginnings!
I wish you the best!

Namaste,

Jessie

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