Thursday, January 27, 2011

Things I Enjoy Doing

List twenty one things you enjoy doing. When was the last time you let yourself do these things?

**Don't feel bad if you don't read through the list. Some of these things I could do for my artist date (which has yet to happen)

1. Baking/Cooking (last week/two nights ago)

2. Writing (today)

3. Playing flute (a couple of months)

4. Playing piano (a couple of months)

5. Making love (that's my business :D)

6. Running (last week)

7. Reading (yesterday)

8. Playing with my baby (today)

9. Going to the movies (last week)

10. Going on walks (yesterday)

11. Going to the beach (months ago)

12. Going to art museums (months ago)

13. Eating delicious pastries (last month)

14. Traveling without baby (love that girl, but it's hard!) (last April)

15. Writing letters to my husband (months ago)

16. Girls' Night (last week)

17. Taking naps (last Saturday)

18. Driving with nowhere to go (especially to see nature) (can't remember! couple of years)

19. Camping (couple of years)

20. Going to the temple (last May? can't remember. so sad.)

21. Chatting with friends on the phone (a couple of days ago)

Monday, January 24, 2011

Imaginary Lives

If you had five other lives to lead, what would you do in each of them?

1. Peace Corps worker

2. Pastry Chef

3. Secret Agent

4. Actor

5. Anthropologist


What about y'all? What would you do? Julia Cameron encouraged me to do something in one of those lives this week. Perhaps I can learn how to make that yummy pastry I had in Barcelona?

Now in THIS life, I did not submit anything to the BYU thing. The deadline was today. Blerg. I have, however, started working on my story for the short story writing contest that is due March 1st. At least I'm working towards something!

Sunday out.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Time Travel

List old enemies of your creative self-worth.
1. My dad. This is specifically towards writing. (Let the record state, however, he was extremely supportive in my flute and piano playing). I just remember when I told him that I wanted to be a journalist (this is when I was about 10), he said "I don't want to be paying your bills until you're 40."

2. BYU peeps that rejected me twice from doing the program that helped you prepare to go to graduate school in English. They were verifying the fears I had all along, that I didn't fit the mold to be literary in any way. I would have to wear five different layers of clothes (all different colors, of course) and carry around a mac laptop. I would have to be single and perhaps have very short hair.

3. ME. I am extremely critical of myself, to the point where it is easier to just get distracted with something else, instead of trying and then making a fool of myself.


List champions of your creative self-worth.

1. My junior high English teacher, Mrs. Boyle. My short story was selected to represent my junior high in a short story competition. I remember it won honorable mention or something...Anyway, I remember Mrs. Boyle beaming with pride when she told me. For the first time, I had the thought that maybe I could be a writer.

2. My mom. She has ALWAYS supported me creatively. She signed me up for acting lessons. She let me take voice lessons, flute lessons, piano lessons...when it comes to anything creative she is definitely supportive. It helps that she is a creative junkie herself. :)

3. My husband. He is supporting me in this 12-week process, and has given me the words of affirmation that I need to repeat in my head when I am doubting myself. Oh and he's supporting the family too, which is enabling me to stay at home and write to my heart's content (while my baby naps).

Sunday out.

I love deadlines

So far I'm starting off the program well. I did not do a task yesterday (my in-laws came in town), but I did do my morning pages. My plan is to do one to two tasks today (some of them are fairly short), and to start on a new project!

I just got an email this morning from the editor of Inscape, which is the literary journal at Brigham Young University. I worked on three editions of this journal as an editor when I attended BYU, so I'm pretty familiar with it.

Anyway they have just decided to open up submissions to this journal to alumni! They take poems, fiction, and nonfiction. The due date is January 24th. I love deadlines. I have a hard time getting going without them.

I definitely think that if you make a decision to work on something and actually get started, God helps you out. But you have to take the first step. This is not to say that I am destined to be published in this journal, but I may be destined to try.

Sunday out.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Julia Cameron's 12 Week Program

This is my new project, peeps! I just got the book The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. I am so excited to tackle her 12 week program and to actually move forward with my writing.

Her book is not geared specifically towards writers. It is a book that helps artists of any kind to break out of their creative shell and emerge as beautiful artist butterflies. {Yes, I realize I just combined two metaphors in one sentence. Hehe.} This book is about helping you be in tune with your Creator; whether it is the creator inside you, or the Creator that you believe in {in my case, it is God}.

Two things that I am supposed to do no matter what week of the program it is, include the following:

1. Morning Pages--These are three pages I will write longhand. No editing, and no one looks at it except for me. And I don't even read it until the 8th week.

2. Artist Date--At least once a week I will take myself on a two hour date. Just me and the artist within. Sounds corny, I know. But I'm stoked. I rarely have any time to myself when I am not worrying about the house, baby, husband, etc. etc.

I'll keep you posted on the tasks I'm tackling, and the writing projects I am doing. Currently I don't have very many writing projects, but I am determined to change that soon!

Sunday out.
 

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