The Artist's Way Week 3: Recovering a Sense of Power and The Magic of Synchronicity
Week 3: Recovering a Sense of Power
If Week 1 was creating a safe space and rediscovering our inner artist, and Week 2 was about restoring our identity and paying attention to the voice of our inner artist, here on Week 3 of this journey, we are learning to lean into the power of our own actions and beliefs, and continue to nurture our inner artist in the midst of some negative blocks that might come our way.
We’ll talk a little about dealing with shame and criticism, and also about something really special called synchronicity. Hope you enjoy the read!
A Note on Growth and Healing in Week 3
Julia refers to growth as “an erratic forward movement: two steps forward, one step back.” It’s not always smooth sailing, and it’s inevitable that we will encounter setbacks and some heavy blocks along the way. Even in the beginning stages of this journey to creative recovery, it’s common to feel a lot of resistance and negative feelings towards ourselves and sometimes even towards this 12-week process. Morning pages might feel pointless on some days, and we may even want to just give up along the way.
This week was a tough one for me too personally, but the readings and exercises from Week 3 were such a good reminder for me to be kind to myself during this process. Here’s an excerpt from the book that may encourage you if you’re having a tough week as well:
“Try to acquire the habit of checking in with yourself. Several times a day, just take a beat, and ask yourself how you are feeling. Listen to your answer. Respond kindly. If you are doing something very hard, promise yourself a break and a treat afterward.
Yes, I am asking you to baby yourself. We believe that to be artists we must be tough, cynical, and intellectually chilly. Leave that to the critics. As a creative being, you will be more productive when coaxed than when bullied.” - Julia Cameron
Remember that we are dealing with an artist child. Be kind and gentle with yourself. If you need a break, take a break. Just remember to keep going.
Dealing With Shame and Criticism
Shame and criticism are probably two of the toughest things that I still deal with as an artist, and it was even worse when I began this creative journey. During the first few years that I began to pursue art and design as a business, I didn’t even have it in me to share it with some of my family and friends because of shame and fear of criticism. These feelings are things that have long been ingrained in me since I was a child, and it’s taken years for me to get to a point where I’m able to deal with them in a more healthy way.
Self-criticism is the even bigger bully in my life, and I still struggle with this daily. There are so many days that I question what I’m doing and wonder if my work is even good enough. Like Julia says in the book, taking in that first doubt or negative thought is like an alcoholic picking up the first drink. Once it’s in our system, we take in another doubt, and another, and another - and soon enough we find ourselves in this terrible downward spiral.
So how can we counter these thoughts and feelings?
Self-love, positive affirmations, and being able to discern the thoughts and feelings that are worth our validation.
For me, I remind myself that God - the perfect creator of the heavens and the earth - has given me unique gifts and talents that nobody else in this world possesses, and that in itself makes my art and point of view worth sharing. I also lean into the kind words of the people who admire my work and repeat them to myself - “Your work is beautiful”, “Your work is thoughtful”, “Your work is special”. I practice opening my ears to positive feedback and constructive criticism, but I try my best to drown out the criticism that is only there to instill fear, doubt, and inaction.
This week is a great time for you to sit and figure out strategies that will help you fight feelings of shame and negative criticism in your own life. What are some ways that you can practice more self-love and self-affirmation on a daily basis? Write these things down and begin to put them into practice. With time and consistent practice, they will become the strongest armor against all those negative feelings that try to pull you down.
The Magic of Synchronicity
As we continue to take action week by week, you might start to see that things begin to fall into place in strange and sometimes magical ways. New and exciting opportunities may come your way and the things that you’ve been thinking about and praying for may suddenly start to take form. This is what we call synchronicity - a fortuitous intermeshing of events, serendipity, coincidence, things falling into place.
I’ve experienced this so many times as I began this journey of The Artist’s Way. Even the way that this book was given to me was the perfect example of synchronicity. I had been visiting my in-laws for Christmas in December 2015 - a month after I handed in my resignation letter and decided to take a break from my corporate job and PhD program. I knew I wanted to focus on my health at that time, but I wasn’t sure what the future would look like for me. I prayed for guidance and direction, and that Christmas, my sister-in-law had unknowingly brought an extra copy of The Artist’s Way to our trip. She gifted it to me before we headed back home, and I guess the rest is history.
Here’s the note she wrote to me inside the cover of the book:
To Jisun:
Hope you love the journey here as much as I did, and hope it offers you restoration, guidance & inspiration. And! Hope this helps you kick 2016 in the ass. ♡
This has always served as a reminder for me to continue showing up, keep taking action (no matter how imperfect and small it may be), and know that everything that is meant for me will fall into place in God’s perfect timing.
I hope you experience the magic of synchronicity this week and for all the weeks to come.
“Leap, and the net will appear.”
See you next week!