The Artist’s Way: Week Three
Week three of The Artist’s Way covers four main topics:
Anger
Synchronicity
Shame
Growth
Julia Cameron says that anger is meant to be listened to (not used against) in order to set forth into new territory. At this point in an artist’s recovery, we may feel anger against the system or people we think are holding us back. This may or may not include ourselves. It also means we have discovered our boundaries and what we can give into and what we are going to fight for.
When we ask for what we want and we get it, Julia Cameron refers to this as synchronicity. Sometimes we fight against this out of fear. She states we are more afraid of actually getting what we want than being held back.
When we get criticized over and over, we tend to hide back in our shell. We remain blocked as artists, and we stop creating because we don’t think we’re any good. Criticism that is harmful is the type that condemns, dismisses and ridicules. The good criticism, like constructive feedback helps in our growth process.
We grow when we can accept what the universe sends our way. We can grow by saying yes more often and going through the open doors instead of closing them again. Julia Cameron says that solitude (quiet time) is essential for growth because we can determine who we are without someone else telling us who they think we are.
Thoughts:
I don’t think I’ve ever felt angry, since I don’t feel like my creativity or my artistry is blocked. I do feel like I have no time for my art however, but that’s more of a life stage that I’m currently going through as opposed to someone else (or myself) deliberately blocking me. Technically, one could argue that I am blocking myself or self-sabotaging in that I’m not allowing purposeful time for art. I’m giving the excuse that my work is already artistic, so there’s no time for play. (More to be said next week on this when we talk about reading deprivation).
Each week, Julia Cameron asks if we have experienced any synchronizes in the week. Currently, I have not. However, I am a firm believer that there are no such thing as coincidences. If I do ask the universe for something and I get it, I’m always sure to say thank you. I am spiritual in nature - not religious (yes, there is a difference!) and I firmly believe that the universe is on our side. But we also need to help ourselves first. I ask for help, or I ask a question, and I’m at the point where I don’t need to ask whether it was me or the universe who answered.
The only time I have ever experienced shame is when I didn’t do the best job on a project. Sometimes when I evaluate my own work, I am very critical of it. (Aren’t we all?) I wouldn’t say I’m a perfectionist, but I do truly believe that you should always put your best foot forward, and if you’re going to do anything, you should do it to the best of your ability. That being said, there were a few, very rare times that I wasn’t impressed with myself when it came to an art piece and I redid it. Simple. It teaches a lesson for sure - why waste time doing something half-way when you can give it your best shot the first time!
The only criticism I have received (other than my own) was from my mother or art critics (aka art teachers). Usually, this was constructive feedback contributing to my growth.
I believe that every time I put time and effort into a project, I’m contributing to my mastery of that task. The more I hand letter, the better I get. The more I edit videos over the years, the faster I get and I learned short cuts that made the work easier. When you work on a skill, you add or contribute to the mastery of that skill. Also, the way you handle criticism contributes to your growth as a human being. It’s called being emotionally intelligent.
Morning Pages
My experience:
I did my morning pages every day this week. Again, I did struggle every day with sleeping in, so my morning pages got procrastinated quite a bit. Once my kids are up, I sometimes take hours to do the three pages of writing. I find that when I can focus on the writing in complete solitude, I find it to be a more enjoyable task.
I also worked through quite a few emotions this week in my morning pages. For those of you who don’t know, my dog, Gizmo is old and sick. She would have been 14 years old on August 8, 2025. She had developed a fast growing tumor on her mammary glands. I had to make the decision to end her misery and it was the hardest thing I’ve had to do thus far in my life. Even though I knew the answer of what I had to do, I just didn’t (and couldn’t) do it. So the time came that her pain got to a breaking point as well as my indecision, and the decision had to be made. It took a few weeks of processing, but in the end, it was best for my girl to go out with some dignity.
Artist Date
My experience:
I actually completed my Artist Date this week! Mind you, it was on Sunday and not for an entire hour, but I made time to do something that was fun, enjoyable, and something that I considered playtime outside of my scope of creative work.
My thoughts:
I started a reverse colouring book, and I drew in some leaves. I started easy and small (there was truly not much to the imagination in this date), but I still consider it progress!
Tasks
My Experience:
I did seven out of the ten tasks this week. Again, I found the tasks to be very enjoyable and worthwhile. I found it basically explored my childhood memories. I do have a lot of pain from my childhood, but I was able to recall only the good things.
My Thoughts:
Some of the good things from my childhood were very simple. Some of my favourites:
In my room, the way the light from the sun shone into it, dappled between our weeping willow in the front yard.
With my bedroom window open, the sound of a dog barking down the street or the sound of the train.
In the kitchen, the way the it would feel and smell in summer. The windows would be open, and the sounds of kids shouting, playing and laughing outside.
These were the things I think about when I think about my childhood.
Conclusion
Even though I didn’t complete my tasks until Saturday (I waited almost all week to do them and procrastinated a lot!), I really and thoroughly enjoyed this week’s lessons and hindsights. Even as I re-read my notes and thoughts in order to write the blog, I feel like I got even more out of the process. In a way, I feel like I’m studying for a test that I don’t have to take. Instead, the tests are weekly through how I explore my creativity. I feel more positive toward the morning pages again - I feel like the hidden meaning behind them is going to become unhidden and I’m going to uncover all of these amazing secrets and facts about myself that I never knew existed!
Thanks for reading and we’ll see you again next week at the end of Week 4!
❤️Sandra
