Coming back to myself

For a long time I’ve been ignoring what I really want to do in favour of what I should do.

For me, I finished a degree in psychology when I wanted to study art and creative writing, and then I became a teacher when I wanted to do anything but that. My graduate degree, which was in art therapy, was finally a step toward something I actually wanted to do with my life, but it was what I’d call the practical choice—something that can still function as a day job while skirting what I really wanted to do. In other words, I was still veering away from the life I wanted to live in favour of one I thought I should live.

So I’ve come up with a solution: the creative year, which is.. exactly what it sounds like. During this next year, I’m going to do as many creative things as I can, be it writing, or visual art, or knitting, or making pottery. I’m going to prioritise creativity in any way I can, and push up against the fear I have of letting go and just doing things, rather than thinking them to death and leaving them undone.

During this year, I’m going to work on all the projects I’ve set to the side while in university—like editing my next poetry book, and finishing my novel, and buying a kiln, and completing the patchwork cardigan I’ve been knitting for a year and a half and still haven’t finished. I’m also going to open up a private practice in art therapy, as well as an online store, if I decide I want to sell any of the things I create throughout the year.

Finding Creativity Through The Artist’s Way

While I’m doing all these fun, creative things, I’m also going to be working through Julia Cameron’s book on creativity, The Artist’s Way. But, instead of taking each chapter a week at a time, I’m going to turn each section into a month-long process, which I’m going to document here and on my website, where I’ll also write related posts on anything to do with the creative process (and anything else that comes to mind during this year). 

I don’t want to commit to a certain number of posts in any given month—because I already know putting parameters on myself kills my creativity—but I will say that you’ll be hearing from me more frequently than you have been in the past few months.

Beginnings

At this point, I’ve already read through the introduction of The Artist’s Way, and am feeling super excited about the process. In the first few pages, I’m already noticing the parallels between the methods in the book and art therapy, and it’s already making me question my relationship to creativity—and not in a negative way. In fact, I’m already feeling a shift in how, what, and when I create. And I can already tell this year is going to be significant.

I’ll leave you one quote from the introduction of the book, one that’s already sticking with me, that I can tell I’ll be coming back to again and again through this process:

“No matter what your age or your life path, whether making art is a career or your hobby or your dream, it is not too late or too egotistical or too selfish or too silly to work on your creativity.”

Thanks for reading. I’ll talk to you soon!

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