Week 5: Recovering a Sense of Possibility
In my own words, I describe the core idea of this chapter as "being selfish enough to take the time for yourself to do the creative works."
The chapter has two major ideas: The first idea is that we need to trust in an unlimited river of creative abundance. We just need to TRUST.
We need to have faith that things will work out. We need to feel trust that a thing outside of ourselves will take care of us - that a positive outcome will come for us.
In addition to that we will have a dependecy on the source of the creativity: god/etc.
The other major idea of this chapter is that we must create time and space for ourselves to be the artist. And a common reason that we don't give that to ourselves is because we think we are doing good for others by giving them time instead of us, she names this "the virtue trap."
I think fleshing out what that means is a good idea, or a good practice - doing the morning pages, the artist date, etc. are good - but what about the actual artist part.
We are given examples as easy and entry level as just taking a dance class, but we can also extend this out to making the time to sit and toil and explore at our art in whatever medium it is.
This latter part of the chapter definitely resonated with me. And in general I feel that this chapter resonates more than the previous 4: probably because she starts talking about the ways that we give away our time to others in our lives, instead of - sacrificing/giving up - time to do and be our creative creating selves.
I wrote a few introspective ideas this triggerd in me:
PEOPLE PLEASING
Avoiding (temporary/momentary) failure
Lack of boundaries
Fear of losing a relationship
The virtue trap, by definition leads to self-destruction for our artist selves. "Saying no to ourselves."
The Tasks for this week involve identifying how we stay blocked, and don't give ourselves the time and space we need, as well as reviewing our likes, hopes, dreams: the things we really see ourselves as.
I've written morning pages every day of the week. At times, I've had to refer to tasks to find things to write about. Planning a longer artist date was fun. I had no clue how programmed I was until I paused. I recognize how much I am not of my world when I pause and tune into my own thoughts and compare them with the lives of those around me. At times when I struggle to write more, I write as much I can.
I got out of my own way to visit the zoo. A crane inside a cage was bobbing its head, so I bobbed my head too. It reminded me of the oompa loompa I do sometimes when practicing accordion. I was sending a telepathic message of what my experience is like outside the cage, not knowing whether it was successful or not. A weasel ran around its artificial terrain, reminding me of Pop Goes the Weasel. I felt like I walked too much.
The seller of an accordion that was owned by her late mother had not replied to my messaging. I interpreted this sign from the universe to remember the love of mother.
I feel that it's getting close to that time to take three days off. It's at my fingertips to do so, yet ancestral programming tells me that I have to get out there and do something for society. Someone has got to end the virtue trap. I've been putting block chords (first inversions with the 6th) in Fascination and they didn't sound good as good as in Arabian Enchantment.