Ojalá, Selah, Lateda

Artist’s Way: End of Week 3 - Beginning of Week 4

I wrote the title of this post in a textedit window at about 6:15 this window. I made the window small in the upper left corner of my screen and started my work. I figured that throughout the day I would slowly build up a post. But its now just an hour from time to go and this is all I have. I think the problem may be that I don’t have much to say about week 3 of doing the Artist’s Way, but I didn’t want to go onto Week 4 without giving week 3 so much as a mention. Sooooo, let’s just get ‘er done.

Week 3 was difficult for me. I was in a bad mood most of the week. I thought it had to do with politics and the state of the world in general. I didn’t figure it actually had anything to do with the Artist’s Way process until I started reading other people’s comments on the hub. It made me feel much better to know that I wasn’t alone.I felt especially convicted by the statement, “Many artists begin a piece of work, get well along in it, and then find, as they near completion, that the work seems mysteriously drained of merit.” I have unfinished art work all over the place. I have a painting on my easel that I haven’t worked on in months, a pile of just started paper maché masks from January under the server in the dining room, and a at one time oh so promising relief in the garage, just to name a few. Apparently this is a “routine coping device employed to deny pain and ward off vulnerability.” Wow. So I’m going to be working on finishing some art. I am really really going to try and let go of worrying about whether something is going to turn out good or bad and just finish it and move on. I am going to try and focus on the quantity and “let God take care of the quality.” Illustration Friday has been great for me as far as actually finishing pieces. I’ve finished more in the past few months of doing IF than in the past 4 years combined. And I think this week of not reading is going to really help as well.

Today is my second day going without reading or listening to my podcasts. When I open my internet browser my feed reader comes up first so it has been really hard not to start clicking and reading. But I have been enjoying listening to my music and this morning I was in a great mood when I woke up. And I’m still feeling pretty good. I’m sure it must be related to the absence of political/financial news and opinion in my head. Ignorance is bliss? Back several years ago I wrote a couple of paragraphs about how reading a good book was just like recreational drugs. I’ve been trying to find it but I think it might have been in an email or a comment on someone else’s blog. I may have to try and rewrite it in honor of this week being on the wagon, literarily speaking.