Part Way Through Chapter Nine
A weekly catch up to find out how you're all doing.
One of the side effects of reading The Artist’s Way is that I’ve become more focused on the creative activites that I really want to concentrate on over the short, medium and longer term.
I’ve paused YouTube for a while whilst I concentrate all my creative energy on my book proposal and for a few months I found myself struggling with content to write on here, my Substack. I don’t know if this was because I was drained (I’ve also been tutoring a sixteen year old through his English coursework and GCSEs and mentoring a number of other writers), or because I was really concentrating on my proposal and as it was similar to what I write about on Substack I had nothing left, or if it’s because I was trying too hard and needed to refill the well. Maybe it was a mixture of all three.
This readalong feels like such a huge undertaking at this point. We are nine chapters in which is, in fact, eighteen weeks as we are doing two weeks to Julia’s one, and I have regularly occasionally thought ‘oh, God, another week has rolled around and I need to write a post about The Artist’s Way’.
But I am SO glad I’m still here. Because something is happening for me. There has been a lot to process, and often I don’t find her words as easy to read as I’d like - and yes, I have put off writing this ‘in-between post’ until now because sometimes it just feels too blimmin’ much. For want of a better description I have been on a journey over the past four months and I’m feeling like I’m coming out of the fogginess, the (occasional) darkness, and the disinclination to write anything - to a more inspirational and motivational place.
I don’t quite know what’s going to happen next, thoughts are brewing but not cut through as yet, but I’m still here, continuing to do this thing.
Yes, a large part of me cannot wait for it to be over so we can do a different and shorter book for our next readalong but I’m rather proud to have stuck to this for so long - even if I don’t always post on time. And I’m proud of you too.
Additionally, an unexpected and fantastic thing to come out of The Artist’s Way, as Claire has just reminded me via text a few minutes ago whilst I was telling her about my latest artist date with my daughter to watch a Fleetwood Mac tribute band, “we can thank Julia Cameron at least for you two having a lot of fab and fun adventures together.”
How are you feeling this week?
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I was surprised at how many insights/actions I could pull out of my morning pages when I read them back... I feel like part of The Artist's Way's magic sauce is this slow progress that we are not even aware of ... guess that is the uncovering part?!?
I feel I am barely hanging on at the moment with AW. I'm ready to be done and move on to something else. That said, when I read back over my journaling these months I do see growth. One take away from chapter 9- Joy not duty makes for a lasting bond.
I am seeking to discover that joy.