1.13.2008

Check!

Week #1 Check In for Walking in this World by Julia Cameron

A group of quilting.about.com forum members are reading this book, which is sort of a workbook for opening oneself to creativity. Yes, it's a little touchy-feely, ,but it's also very interesting to learn about what keeps us from fulfilling our creative dreams.

So, here's the rundown:
1) Morning Pages: 2/7, which isn't very good. I was surprised that these were hard to do -- not so much the time (I knew that would be hard!) but actually having enough to say for three pages.

2) Artist's Date: Yes, although it was more of a busman's holiday than a play date! I actually sat in the concert hall for an hour and listened to the music. My mind was free to wander (it's well-traveled after that hour!) but I just relaxed and tried to enjoy the experience. It was refreshing, and I left the concert feeling better than I did went I went in.

3) Walk: Nope. This is going to be my biggest problem, hands down. I've got to find a place and/or a way to do this -- given my asthma, I can't walk outdoors when it's cold. My artist's date this week did serve a similar function, though, so I refuse to feel guilty.

4) Tasks: I did the first two (What the Hell, Might as Well and Express Yourself). The first was easy, and the second was difficult. The third (Do Nothing) didn't happen. I do enough "almost nothing" as it is -- no need to encourage more, thanks!

I've been reading a little about productivity and personal organization this fall, and it struck me that some of what Julia is saying (take one baby step at a time and don't worry about the end product) is kind of like David Allen's GTD. Not exactly -- Getting Things Done is much more structured -- but the concept of just doing something without getting weighed down by the next ten things is very powerful. Difficult, sometimes, too!

2 comments:

Marianne said...

Thanks for your feedback on my check in. We both seem to struggle with the morning pages so let's see if we can do betternext week. What a pity your astma is preventing you from walking when the weather is cold. It will be challenging to find more sheltered places to make your miles.

Anonymous said...

Hi Amy,
Getting Things Done is new to me. I'll have to check it out when I finish this course. I do get a lot done all in all, but the ratio of what I start to what I finish is alarming!
VaNella