Part 1 (Week 1) was BEgin - all about initiating our creative energy and moving forward -- taking a step, any step. Even if it was just imagining what the step would be.
Part 2 (Week 2) was BE Human - all about being gentle with ourselves, forgiving our idiosyncrasies and our mistakes and about being present with ourselves - sitting in the silence (sounds a bit like do nothing, eh?)
And this brings us to Part 3 (Week 3) BE Mindful, which by the way doesn't technically end until Sunday, so you have time to read it (pages 57 - 80; about an hour of reading) and do an exercise or two.
Are you sleeping at the wheel?
We begin with a discussion and challenge for you. Are you asleep in your own life - are you living your life consciously or just going through the motions. If asleep how do we wake up? Sometimes it takes "trauma or drama". This morning I saw an interview with a lady that was on the cruise ship that sank near Antarctica and she talked about how waiting for the life boats really put her life in perspective and made her think about what was really important. Do you need to have a Titanic epiphany to wake up? Although I get put off by many of Mr. Maisel's exercises, he asks two good questions in his first one:
- What would it take to wake you up in your life?
- And if you did wake up, what would you do?
So now that we are asking ourselves are we conscious, our next question is...
Are you conscious or self conscious?
There is a nice little reading here about relaxing into the world being a part of something bigger (conscious) or shrinking into a world where it all revolves around you (self-conscious). it was a good read for me, because it helped me frame some things I have been worrying about and truthfully doing a little obsessing. There is also a mind/body exercise here that is simple.
So now your awake and conscious, but...
Are you thinking?
The next challenge Maisel throws out to us is about our [Americans] adeptness at critical thinking and this is the first time I have found myself appreciating his exercise more than his discussion. I did not get much juice from his reading - no helpful insight on being more thoughtful in a critical way, but his exercise of doing what I call a BRAINSTORM ANALYSIS of a simple observation was unique - try it out - definitely creative stirrings here!
Awake, conscious and willing to contemplate [instead of being spoon fed], so now it's time
Have you looked in the mirror lately?
"Sometimes it seems we lie to ourselves so much that we need to train ourselves in order to obtain self information... we don't paint and we refuse to consider why, we don't sing and we blame our reluctance on a broken air conditioner. The better plan and one each of us is capable of putting into action, is to find the courage to look into the mirror and understand ourselves thoroughly."
What is it you don't want to look at?
What is it you hide or deny about you?
Had an Artist [Play] Date lately?
Maisel gives us a specific date analysis and assignment (study a blade of grass), but any will do. You know the drill, intentionally step out of your life for a moment and revile in the play/ artistry of the moment. Do it! You know it will feel good!
Are you really so busy that you can't take an artist [play] date?
Stuck?
Are you creatively stuck? Are you stuck on a single project or maybe stuck deciding on what the project would be? Take some time and think it through - make a list of options or pros or cons; what would you do if you weren't stuck? Maisel prompts us to analyze the situation/ project/ area and see what things we can come up with.
After your analysis, what is one tiny thing you can do to move/ take action?
Do Nothing.
We end part three with a discussion of "losing ourselves to find ourselves." Again you know the drill. Our lives are full of movement and distraction, externally and internally. Take a moment to sit quietly without activity, "losing the noise to gain our own genius."
Do Nothing. Now Dammit!
So you've just come through Part 3; please briefly check in here for the week:
- Morning Pages
- Artist [play] Dates
- Walks
- Comments about reading/ exercises
- Other creative ruminations
"Art is an act of the soul and ours is a spiritual community."
INjoy,
Michael
6 comments:
Oops - I accidentally hit the close window button instead of the "publish your comment" button and lost my comment. I'll try again.
Thank you MIchael, for putting so much thought and effort into this. Great triggers for me to think about around the topic of being mindful. As I mentioned last night, I think the author's treatment of some of the topics is silly and in a way belittling to the depth of the subject. I particularly felt that way about the "wake up" exercise - and I totally missed the very valuable points that you picked up. I think it will be a good task for me to focus on your questions this week - what would it take for me to wake up, and what will I do when I am awake?
check in
morning pages - no
walks - no, but some yoga classes
artist dates - a couple of jewelry classes and then making some jewelry at home
also cooking - I made some creative from scratch stuff, and also baked two pies with Walter's daughter.
upcoming artist date - probably - London and Madrid in January!
Hi
I have been wrestling with my demons.
1) the on-line newsletter. Some of you will be happy to know I gave them a date when I will quit, it is January 16. I feel a responsibility to the team but the bigger responsibility is to me, knowing I need to move on.
2) my son. He has finally driven us to the point of making an appointment for an evaluation. Meanwhile we have to stay on top of him about everything. It is draining. I am looking forward to the appt. but there might not be any magic solution.
3) I came down with bronchitis but in a way I wonder if it is due to the law of attraction!
Artist date: Does Youtube count? I hope so. I am having a blast looking up old interviews of eighties pop icons. Unfortunately this doesn't require me to get out of my pajamas.
Morning pages: half the time. The other half is eaten up by sudoku, that is, if I allow myself to open the paper first, sudoku will get me. It is a form of procrastination, for sure.
Good news: My "community voice" comments are regularly making it into the paper (Dallas metro section) and that is the fulfillment of one of my creative ambitions, as you all know. Somehow I am keeping up with that. I have to have a column ready by Dec 17.
So anyway, I require an intervention, I hope I'm not bringing you all down. I am still taking prescription cough medicine, but the first day I feel like WALKING (maybe this afternoon) I will be on the road to recovery, I think.
thanks for listening
Hi, Ellen - I'm sorry to hear you feel like you have so many challenges going on! I hope a lot of it is because things seem so much worse when we feel lousy - I hope your bronchitis clears up and everything else looks better, too.
Yea for clearing the newsletter off your calendar - I know what a drain projects like that can be. Relentless, sometimes.
Good luck with your son! I hope all's well with him soon, too.
I'm looking forward to reading your article. Do you mind posting a link to it on this blog when it comes out?
As far as the intervention - do you want to come with me and Sylvia to an opening of Dale Chihuly glass at the Peters Gallery (new location) tomorrow night? It should be an awesome artist date. We're working on beading before then (at my house), then to the gallery.
Thank you Kim, that is so sweet! If not for the fact that I have jury duty today and woke up at about 5:00 to take care of some things at home-- I know I will be really tired tonight, so can't make it. But if it were another time I would definitely try extra hard to go with the two of you. Have a wonderful time!
Hi, All--
I have had a cold this week and today I locked my keys in the car at Walgreen's and had to walk home about a mile in a chashmere sweater that was hot as Hades today since the weather was warmer.
But it is nice someone gave me a chashmere sweater....
Walks, well, obviously today and one other day before I knew I had a cold.
Art--just a little--but planning more this weekend.
Morning pages. Not so much.
Cool, Ellen, that your writing is making the paper...I would like a link also, as I don't take the paper.
And thanks, Michael for reminding us of the structure we can call on if we are so inclined!
I like Maisel mostly but haven't picked it up lately as I read it a little while ago. Not with the program but I love it that I don't have to be. I guess the Artemis stuff was for me about mindfulness even though I did not check out the pages in the book.
MP's--not every day right now and I can't even explain why not except that I am the selp help book reading QUEEN which is probably the time I should be spending on MP's. For some reason I keep thinking I will find "the answer" out there in one of those books instead of in here in me. At least I am mindful of THAT, Michael Bailey!
Artist Dates--tonight I requested that part of the family go with me to Dickens Christmas in downtown Plano. Nothing to rave about there.
Walks--yes, yes, yes. 3 mornings this week. I'm so grateful the weather has been this warm.
Reading/Exercises--As I mentioned in class last night, I am unlikely to do any exercise that I can't stop and do right then and there when I am reading so all these ones requiring 3 days worth of chanting or timekeeping or whatever will probably never get done by me
Other creative: This is big. I took the leap today into a creative entrepreneurial venture which will begin in earnest in January. I truly believe this is something I should try right now but the fear reared its ugly head as soon as I signed the application and handed over the check. More on this to come. I'll probably be needing a lot of support and encouragement from all of you!
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