View Full Version : The Artist's Way 90 day continuation
The other thread was getting very long and I thought since we had decided to do check ups for the next 90 days, that it would be good to have a new thread. Happy reporting.
Good idea, starting another thread. I hate it when threads get too long.
So today, I treated myself by buying a book about design, with fun exercises in it and all. I rarely buy books, much less new books, but this one seems like a nice continuation of what I was doing with The Artist's Way.
Besides that, not much. I worked all weekend. I finished my third notebook of morning pages, and now I have to find a fresh one around the house somewhere.
Just thought that I would share a chuckle and some insights that I gained.
My new easyflow 'smoothie' ballpoint pen finally ran out this morning after working on morning pages all this time.
Insights
I love cursive writing and am going back to sending letters as my gift of beauty to the recipients on lovely stationery. We have lost sight of beauty with all our technology, I think. I like the internet and email for communication but for thoughtful correspondence, letters give one time to consider and meditate on what has been said. History is filled with letters from thoughtful people that were kept and treasured.
Also, I live in the now so am focused on where I am now with family relationships and friends not on the past with unfulfilled expectations. Those morning pages have really helped me sort through mental stuff that I did not know was circulating in my head.
Any insights to share from your end?
I keep being surprised that my morning pages, in spite of the whining and recitation of my daily life and focus on sleep or lack of, do result in good ideas and insight into my thinking. It amazed me that 3 pages will do this! I have chosen an artist' day for tomorrow. I signed up for a lecture on Stained Glass windows at the St. Elizabeth Seton Basillica ( only 30 minutes from here) and we will get to make our own little stained glass. It fell in perfectly for me. Just a little thing in the local paper so I emailed her and am signed up. My life has been filled with good social events but I see in my pages I also need to have alone time. I am trying to do that and not feel that I should be doing the othere... Headed outside on this pretty day to be sure I get fresh air and sunshine.
Nice idea about writing letters.
I did a wee artist's day- had a pumpkin milk shake and sat and read. Took a new way home from walking and stopped to take some pictures of a graveyard and church I had been wanting to photograph for years. The sky is a crisp blue so it was wonderful for the pictures.
That sounds like a really beautiful picture, nswef.
I had an Artist date yesterday that was kind of fun and seasonal. We have two larger but private garden centres. I toured one which was loaded with every colour and variety of decorated Christmas tree and really unique decorations, some large, some small but visually a wonderful treat. I then toured my favourite garden centre which has loads of seasonal flowers of all kinds, colours and sizes in addition to a large greenhouse devoted to home crafts. I love seeing all the colours of Christmas cactus, pointsettia, small roses, kalanchoe, mums, anthurium, cyclamen... The crafts were well done generally and interesting to view.
I had tried an Artist Date earlier this week that did not work out too well of taking pictures of various trees to get a really good idea of their shape but kept running into obstacles of hydro lines or clutter or access issues. Yesterday compensated beautifully.
It is a little more challenging to organize Artist Dates in the late fall, I am finding. Anyone have some fresh ideas?
Razz, The scent of all the blooming flowers is such a restorative scent. I enjoy going to gardens in the late fall to see the structure of the trees. I don't do it often. My day at St. Elizabeth's Shrine was grand. It was a group of about 30 people- the lecture was non existant, but the stained glass creation was great. It was glue on stained glass, rather than foil so not what I expected. I had a great time sorting my reds and blues, adding a bit of yellow bead. I left lots of clear glass space and when walking up to get cookies- yea! I noticed how many different ways people used the glass. It was amazing to me and just made me joyful. I spent some time in the Church and looked at the stained glass without the lecture. There is a wonderful garden that I didn't have time to visit so I will go back for another artist's day. I love graveyards, too, and there are several in that area.
That project of stained glass and seeing the real glass in church sounds and would be wonderful to do. Exploring a church yard sounds interesting. I must load up some images that I took at our local landscaping concrete figure supplier. Sunhsine and shadows create some neat images.
Off to walk the dog in the sunshine but will come back to upload pictures later.
Let's see if I can add some photos from the mum flower show and a picture taken at the statuary supply centre. The giraffe is made of mums of different colours on a large frame.
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Razz, Those photos are grand! I don't know that I've ever heard of a mum show, so it is neat to see it. Your statuary shop must be a fun place to explore as well. today was a work outdoors day with my husband. Glorious day. My book writing is going well- I am remembering "you take care of the quantity and spirit will take care of the quality" Sure hope that's right. I've been writing and writing- finishing up now and then will go back to re write or something- not sure of the next steps. But I am excited that words keep coming out of my pen.
Dec. 2 check in...I have kept writing- gotten a little confused on how to proceed from the story to a finished product, but have concluded that I will take care of the quantity and the quality will take care of itself. Still more quantity in my head.
A fun thing I did was write my affirmation words on a paper and used color to connect all of them It came to me to do this while writing my 3 pages. I think it will make me smile every day.
I've been reading my personal artist's prayer that I wrote in Sept. every day as well. I haven't done any of the other exercises in the book that I had skipped.
Having a hard time getting my Artist Dates organized in the dark November weather. Need ideas please. Life keeps getting in the way as well since my free time got hijacked with an ill family member.
Just remembered that I had a wonderful time on my own at the HD Bolshoi Ballet production of Pharoah's Daughter last Sunday so not missing that week's Artist Date.
I am kind of slipping on my morning pages but consciously missing doing them so will start again tomorrow.
I processed 135 digital photos today to make into cards so that finishing the cards will be tomorrow's project, probably take a couple of evenings in total.
Must get started on my watercolour painting this week as well. I did finish a graphite which I must mat and send off.
I had a lot of fun learning how to arrange a large pot of seasonal material finished off with two large red bows for our front entrance. Our horticultural society brings in such wonderful monthly guests and they give really good ideas that I can have fun experimenting doing. October was floral kale and mums, November is greenery of different kinds from our conifers and holly with some additions and December will be lights once I find where I hid them >8)
Razz, sounds as if you are having Artist time, just not dates. The dark and other duties do interfere. Libraries, DVDs- if you can be alone to watch them help me. But, I could have chosen to have one today and just wanted to come home. I'm reading kids' books and enjoying that as well as some "cozy' mysteries. It makes me think about the reading fast, but these do fill my well. Good luck finding time and place for dates. How do you make the photos into cards?
How do you make the photos into cards?
I take an sheet of 8.5x11 inch card stock (67 lb) and cut in half so 5.5x8.5 inches and fold to be 4x5.5.
I trim a 4x6 photo print to fit the folded card stock and glue with the stick from 3M which acts like "Post It notes" stickiness. I have a box of envelopes to match. I managed to get 135 prints made for 10 cents a piece which was wonderful so can make all kinds of cards with a 250 block of paper.
I did a search to see how this group was going (I said when it started I couldn't join in fully, but would be interested in following from a short distance.) Did Christmas/holidays derail the Artist's Way?
I did a search to see how this group was going (I said when it started I couldn't join in fully, but would be interested in following from a short distance.) Did Christmas/holidays derail the Artist's Way?
Life happened and the repercussions are still being felt in my life. I still do the morning pages for half an hour but the artist dates are still sidelined for the next month. I do treasure the moments that I have enjoyed artistic moments like the ballet or a flower show etc., but regularly scheduled dates are a challenge.
Actually, thanks for posting this reminder. It is time to plan for artist dates and now I will be more alert to having my time sidetracked with other things.
What are you doing in the artistic vein, Kay?
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