Over the past 8 weeks or so, I have been participating in a group that I called together, to work through The Artist's Way. Julia Cameron author of The Artist's Way, suggests that, as a part of the process, that each week to go on an artist's date.
"One basic tool of The Artist's Way may strike you as a non-tool, a diversion. Doing your artist date, you are receiving - opening yourself to insight, inspiration, guidance."
What is an artist date? An artist date is time put aside preferably each week, where you take yourself on an excursion, to somewhere that inspires your inner creative spirit, your inner artist.
executed by Ornamental Iron Work - Sandgate
Week 6 theme from The Artist's Way is Recovering a Sense of Abundance. What does abundance mean for you? Do you feel abundant? Today I opened a book and read this quote; "We have so much already, and can open up to receive so much more, as we let go of the fear of loss and lack that shuts us off from the universal flow of abundance." Alana Fairchild.
This week Julia Cameron suggests a counting exercise. Buy a small notepad and write down every nickel you spend. It doesn't matter what it is for, how tiny the purchase, how petty the amount. Petty cash is still cash. We fritter away cash on things we don't cherish and deny ourselves those things that we do. For many of us, counting is a necessary prelude to learning creative luxury.
Some years ago, when I was paying off my mortgage, I damaged my hands and couldn't work for a while. Budgeting suddenly became very, very important. I started to pay attention to where I was spending little amounts of money. It turned out that when I stopped spending money on small amounts, it became so much easier to save. When I sat down and worked out where my money was being spent, I decided to stop paying out money on media style movie programs. I worked out that over the years, I had paid out thousands of dollars. That really got me starting to think about where I was directing my money and what was more important to me. So Week 6 on The Artist's Way was a reflection on some of those times for me, and a rethink about my finances and what I want to be doing with my money and my abundance.
Another exercise from Week 6 of The Artist's Way this week - what gives you a sense of luxury?
A rather wonderful sculpture I spotted at Sandgate on my artist's date walk. Thank you to the owner for inviting me in to take a photo ;)
