January 31
The Artist’s Way…Week 2 (Identity)
This week deals with recovering a sense of identity. At 49, I have a strong sense of my identity. I know who I am, but is that who I want to be? Is who I am now, what I truly am or where I’ve settled? Those were the questions in my mind this week.
The readings present “dangers” to discovering who you are, both outer (poisonous playmates and crazymakers) and inner (skepticism). You have to be aware of these because they don’t want you to change; they like you just the way you are. My favorite portion of the readings was about paying attention. This is a practice and an “art” that I want to cultivate more of in my life.
The exercises that I found most helpful to my creative recovery were to examine where my time goes along with people who are supportive or not supportive of those tasks, and a “Life Pie” exercise that pointed out areas in my life that were getting or not getting attention. Both had me draw out these ideas in a pie chart. I found this helpful because the adage “A picture is worth a thousand words” is true. New work and new dreams mean adjustments.
Good thoughts….thanks for sharing!