Week 2 of The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron is all about “Recovering a Sense of Identity.” This week focuses on setting boundaries, recognizing toxic influences, and strengthening your creative self.
Week Two is an important week in The Artist’s Way journey. You’ve been writing your morning pages for a couple of weeks now and hopefully have had an Artist’s Date or two. Hopefully, you’ve done the exercises shared last week.
Week 2 : Recovering A Sense of Identity
This week is all about making space for your inner artist to flourish by shutting up that inner critic and moving away from attacks to our creativity from external sources. The artist (and remember, that is YOU) must safeguard herself from allowing self-doubt to lead to self-sabotage.
Cameron describes the external sources of sabotage and recommends that both these kinds of people must be avoided:
Poisonous Playmates – Sometimes the people we are friends with don’t want to move and when they find that you are moving ahead and finding new ways to express yourself, they might,consciously or unconsciously, do or say things that lead you to doubt yourself.
Crazy-makers – These are people who love drama and and suck up your time and energy. Divorce yourself from the drama.
Some suggested exercises this week besides the Morning Pages and the Artist Date are:
Life Pie
Divide a circle into six parts. Label them – spirituality, exercise, romance, play, work, friends and family.
Place a dot in each section at the level to which you are fulfilled in that area — out on the rim if you’re very pleased with that part of your life, toward the center if you are less fulfilled. Connect the dots. You will soon see the areas that need focus. Choose one and work on it this week.
10 Tiny Changes
List 10 changes you’d like to make, big or small.
Do it this way:
I would like to… get a
I would like to… go on an African safari
I would like to… get rid of….
Choose one item and make it your goal for this week. You could even take on the big ones. For example, you can’t go on safari this week, but you can find out details, connect with a travel agent, check costs etc. Do that one thing and see if it frees up some energy for you.
Questions for Reflection
- Who are the “Crazymakers” in your life? How can you set boundaries with them?
- Where do you waste time that could be used for creativity?
- What limiting beliefs about creativity do you hold? How can you challenge them?
How’s the journey going for you so far?
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