There are times when even the best artists get stumped. I suppose this is equivalent to “writers block” with writers. There are times when we just don’t feel very creative. When we feel so uninspired.  Whenever I start feeling like this I turn to nature. Have you ever noticed how being close to nature has a way of making you feel more calm and at ease with yourself? You don’t have to go mountain climbing or river trekking to be closer to nature. You can simple take a walk in the park or go the beach.

Whenever I need to inspire myself I take a walk on the beach. The sun, the sound of the waves and the feel of the wind on my face has a wonderful effect on me. My favorite time of the day is the sunset. Whenever I feel like painting but lack the inspiration to do so I pack up my painting gear, go to the beach and wait for the sunset. The myriad of blues, reds, oranges and pinks never fail to take my breath away.

Other times I go camping. I take my tent and sketch pad and go up the mountains. There is this trail I follow which ends up in a small clearing. And that is where is set up tent. Of course in going camping be sure that you know the place or you might get lost. Or worse – you could get attacked by wild animals. I’ve been camping in that particular spot ever since I was a kid and I know the place pretty well. At times I go alone. Other times I take a few friends with me.

I have found that being close to nature has a rejuvenating effect on my art. The natural beauty I see when on a nature trek never ceases to amaze me. It is when I appreciate the greatest artist of all – our Creator. It is because of Him that we know how to appreciate beauty. It is because Him that we recognize art when we see it.

“Amy C. is an interior decoration aficionado and online marketer.  She also likes painting and trying new home and office decorating themes.  In addition to being an interior decoration hobbyist, she enjoys designing calming indoor fountains and glass art.  Amy invites you to browse her delightful collection of glass vases”

Every artist has his or her own off days. There are days when you will feel like staying bed, when nothing seems to excite you anymore or when life just seems plain boring. And when you feel bad then it is going to show in your art work. In times like this there is something you can do to change how you are feeling. It is so simple you’ll wonder why you haven’t thought of it before. What is it? It’s music.

Music can influence your thoughts, emotions and yes, your art. After all your art work is a combination of all these and more. Listening to music makes us feel different things. I should know. I’ve experienced this first hand. Because of music my emotions can shift from one thing to the next. For example, listening to a love song makes me want to be in love. Listening to hip-hop music makes me wants to dance. Listening to my high school graduation song makes me melancholic. Listening to classical music inspires me and makes me want to paint. So you see music really can move us from one emotional state to another.

Even kids know this. I’ve seen many high school students categorize themselves according to what music they listen to. There are the punk rocks kids. These are the kids who wear leather jackets, have pierced noses and listen to punk music. Then there are the r&b kids. These kids listen to smooth beats and know how to groove to the music. There are also classical music lovers. These are the kids who are into art, ballet and classical music.

We must never underestimate the power of music. Also, because of the influence it has over us we must chose the music we listen to. If music can make us feel good it can also put us in a bad mood. Hard core metallic music can make people go crazy. Whenever I want to create something that I can call a masterpiece I make it a point to listen to only classical and soothing music.

What about you? What music do you listen to? You decide.

“Amy C. is an interior decoration aficionado and online marketer.  She also likes testing and trying new home and office decorating themes.  In addition to being an interior decoration hobbyist, she enjoys designing calming indoor fountains and glass art.  Amy invites you to browse her delightful collection of glass vases”

I love art. I love to draw, paint and sketch. But sometimes no matter how much I love art there are times when I get stumped. I remember one time when I was still in college and our art teacher asked us to paint something. Now I’ve done several paintings. But for some reason I couldn’t think of a single thing I wanted to paint. I was stumped! I suppose this is an artist’s equivalent for writers block. So I did the only sensible thing I could think of. I went out for a walk.

If you’re an artist I’m sure you’ve experienced being in this situation. Being an artist is hard because you can’t command inspiration. It has to come willingly. And much like a flash of lighting on a stormy night it comes when you least expect it.

Here are 3 ways to get artistic inspiration when you’re stumped.

• Take a hike. Often we may become too overwhelmed with the daily stresses of life we have a hard time being creative. The best thing to do in cases like these is to go out for walk. Take a refreshing stroll in the park or go jogging on the beach. Go to a place where you can relax and rejuvenate. What I often do is go to the beach. I love the water, the sand and the sound of waves pounding on the sea shore. Nothing quite relaxes me like an afternoon stroll at the beach.

• Look at art. Another activity that gives me great inspiration is looking at the work of other artists – especially the good ones. Gazing into a Van Goh painting reminds me what inspired me to be an artist in the first place. It also pushes me to do better in my craft.

• Exercise. I know it may sound crazy but working out not only keeps you healthy but it gets your creative juices flowing as well. When you work out your body produces “happy hormones” called endorphins. This produces a feeling of well-being. Now if you feel good about yourself then obviously you’ll be able to produce better output. You’ll become energized and will be at a better frame of mind to create art.

“Amy C. is an interior decoration aficionado and online marketer.  She also likes testing and trying new home and office decorating themes.  In addition to being an interior decoration hobbyist, she enjoys designing calming indoor fountains and glass art.  Amy invites you to browse her delightful collection of glass vases“

Do you ever think that “creativity” is only for artists?  Talented men and women who make their life’s work about beauty, form, texture, etc.  Sculptors, painters, and sketch-artists come to mind when I hear the word “creative.” 

My family loves to watch the TLC show “Cake Boss.”  If you have not seen the show, Buddy Valastro runs a bakery in Hoboken, New Jersey with his family.  Buddy and his crew are artists.  They are completely creative with all things cake.  From the flavors, to decorating techniques, to hand painting intricate designs, the bakers on the show prove that creativity has a place even with edible art.

Last night I watched him make sugar flowers for a cake.  The flowers were so beautiful and realistic that I honestly wanted to smell them.  It is amazing what gifted people can do with their medium of choice, whether it be modeling chocolate or marble.

I think most people would agree that the above examples connect creativity with art.  But does creativity always have to be connected with art?  Can you be creative without being an artist?  I submit, absolutely!

My step-father just turned a pasture into a scaled-down golf course.  Using pieces of pipe and a lawnmower, he designed the course to suit the lay of the land.  It is not an 18 hole course by any means.  It has four or five holes.  He took the time to make flags for each hole with the number of the hole painted on it.  Not only is the idea creative, but he made it his.  He put his personal touch to the project.  He not only created a mini-golf course, but he did it creatively. 

My husband and I recently worked together to build a fence for a neighbor.  As soon as the last board was secured and the gate was hung, I was done, but not my husband.  We stood back to admire our work, and he began talking about using his router to make the wooden fence posts more attractive.  He is currently trying to figure out the design he is going to cut using his router. 

How many of you like me are in the kitchen everyday?  You can only make the same recipes for so long before you ache for a change.  This morning I changed a basic muffin recipe into an apple-cinnamon cake.  It was delicious.  I have written down my new recipe.  Last Sunday my sister-in-law and I made a marinade for venison ham steaks.  We were limited by what we could use and faced with an interesting array of possible ingredients.  Working together we came up with a recipe.  After we received so many compliments on it, we had to write down what we had done for future use. 

Well the last three examples are not earth-shattering, life-altering art; however, they are examples of everyday creativity.  You might not be able to relate to the creative genius of Michelangelo or Buddy Valastro, but certainly you can relate to using your creativity in the kitchen, at work, on your hobbies, etc.  Using this kind of creativity might not win you worldwide fame, but it is something that enriches your life at a very personal level.  For that reason alone, everyday creativity is arguably more important.

When you find yourself in a creative slump, when you have no new ideas, when you are frustrated and blocked, take time to step back and notice all the examples of creativity at work in your life on a daily basis.  I promise that you will amaze yourself.  One of the things that makes your life unique is everyday creativity.

Chapter Six of The Creative Call by Janice Elsheimer is full of creative insight and wisdom. As I read the chapter I kept stopping to underline, circle, or highlight passages.  Janice divides the chapter into seven sections with four exercises for the reader to do.  Janice covers issues that we face when we desire a life as a creative artist. Many of these issues are not that difficult to address.

There is so much meat to this chapter that I feel that if I truly wrote in length about each chapter section the post would end up being much too long. So, I will limit myself to a brief summary of each section. You won’t be able to get the full understanding of the chapter without reading the book itself.

So, here are the sections with a short explanation:

Serving the Work: We are all servants of God. As we serve Him through our creativity, we need to consider that being an artist is a work. It is a work that God wants us to pursue diligently. We need to schedule time for this work.

Modeling Child-Like Behavior: Drawing on the child within we can come up with some inventive and playful ways to be creative. I recently wrote an article about thinking like a child. Click here to see that article.

What’s So Hard About Getting Started: This is a question I ask myself on a continuous basis. I find myself putting off my creating because I need to do the wash,help a friend or any number of reasons. Why is creating the last thing I allow myself to do? Where did I get the idea that creating was play time? I need to remind myself of the first section of the chapter. Creating is the work of an artist, so stop doing what Janice calls the “avoidance dance”.

Facing the Fear: Oh, my goodness. Putting your work out there for others to see is difficult. Your work is a part of you. You have put your heart and soul into it. But, through experience, I have found that it gets easier each time. You learn to not listen to every comment people make about your art work. That fear of rejection and failure can cause some artists to stop dead in their tracks. Praying for God to help you overcome your fear and to deal with it better each time will help.

A Sense of Space: As artists we need our own space to work that is our alone. I never really knew how important that was to me until the last few years. I have been moving a lot lately. The first thing I think about when I move is where am I going to work. Where will my art room be? If there is not room for me to have a room to myself, then I am on the look out for a corner, a nook, a place where I can leave my artwork and know it will remain undisturbed. We need to let our family members know how important this space is to us as artists.

Banishing the Critic: The inner critic is our worst enemy. I feel it is harder to get past the inner critic than it is outside criticism. The inner critic can do damage and cause you to stop creating. Don’t let that happen. Pray for God’s help when the inner critic raises its ugly head!

Attending to the Work: Janice says we can not wait to be inspired. We have to act. We have to be ready. We have to create. As we create we will find the path, the inspiration, the direction we are to go.

If you haven’t read Chapter Six, I hope you will. What I have written in this article is what I got out of the reading. I know others will have a different take on the chapter. So leave some comments. Tell me what you liked about the chapter. Tell me what you struggle with as an artist. I would love to know what your thought were as you read.

I will end the article with a quote from Chapter Six:

We must start producing, and, as we wait on the work, attend the work, serve the work through our own particular mode of the artistic expression, we become open to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in our art, in ourselves, and in our lives.

Here are links to the previous articles I have written about The Creative Call:

The Creative Call

The Creative Call – Introduction

The Creative Call – Chapter One: Beginning

The Creative Call – Chapter Two: Listening

The Creative Call – Chapter Three: Awakening

The Creative Call – Chapter Four: Forgiving

The Creative Call – Chapter Five: Breathing In

The Creative Call – Chapter Seven: Making Time

Hi! Welcome back to my series of articles about The Creative Call written by Janice Elsheimer.  Today we will discuss Chapter Five which is titled, “Breathing In”.  If you missed any articles in the series you can find links at the end of this article. This week I wrote in my journal every morning, did most of the exercises and took some action to get my inspiration pumped. How about you?  Did you read the chapter?

The main focus of this chapter is that the Holy Spirit is our source of inspiration.

In Chapter Five Janice gives us a little historical background showing how even before Christ, there was recognition that creativity sprang from a source outside of and greater than the artist. Artists called on a Muse to inspire them. Now days most Christians believe that inspiration comes from the Holy Spirit. I believe that wholeheartedly. Janice said, ” The Spirit of God is working in us whether or not we are aware of it, but when we consciously choose, with a ‘pure and upright heart,’ to invoke his aid, we can expect that he will ‘illumine….raise and support’ us.”

Knowing that the Holy Spirit is there to inspire us is a great comfort. We can use the gift of inspiration from the Holy Spirit if we remember to breathe the inspiration in.  Have you ever forgotten to breathe? Sounds funny, huh? Who would forget to breathe? I found out that I do sometimes when I am doing yoga. The instructor mentions breathing and I realize I’m holding my breath.

Well, we certainly do not want to hold our breath. When I do meditation I concentrate on my breathing. Thinking about the breath going in and out helps you to relax and to clear you mind. Often when I meditate I try to focus on visualizing a white light flowing in from the top of my head and moving all the way down to my toes as I take in a deep breath. I am comforted by the light and I know in my heart that the light is the spirit of God or the Holy Spirit.

So, if we know inspiration comes from the Holy Spirit then why are so many artists blocked?  It could be that we are holding our breath. We are not allowing the inspiration to flow through us. Maybe instead of being blocked we are locked. We have locked ourselves away from the Holy Spirit’s help.

Janice makes suggestions to help us make sure we do not lock the Holy Spirit out. The first few exercises in the chapter include writing a prayer to invoke the Holy Spirit, writing a list of things that inspire you, and writing about the “out of the blue” inspiration you may receive.  My “out of the blue” place is the shower. I can’t tell you how many times I am enjoying a good scrub when the ideas start flowing. We need to make sure that we listen when those “out of the blue” ideas start rolling in.

This week Janice wants us to pay attention to the world around us and to make time to breathe in the inspiration God offers. I have always felt that artists are more observant than the average person. I think I am pretty observant. I notice things in nature, shapes, light, color, etc. But don’t ask me where I placed my car keys.  One way you can stimulate your creativity is to do an activity that will revitalize you. Janice calls the activities “breathing in.”  Julia Cameron calls them “the artist date.”  The name doesn’t matter. What matter is doing activities that are going to get us moving in our creativity.

Things that have stimulated my inspiration and creativity are going on a trip, to an art gallery, museum, or an art supply store. Even a simple walk down a country road or the beach can recharge my creativity.

The oddest thing happened to me today. I was doing an art chore that I have been dreading. I needed to photograph some of my paintings. The paintings were framed. So in order to get good photos, I had to unframe them because of the glass. Taking paintings out of their frames is a big pain. Can you see why I was dreading it?

Anyway, I decided I wanted to find all the unframed paintings I had first. I searched through several flat file drawers. As I was searching I found a couple of unfinished paintings from years ago. I started looking at them and thinking, “Why did I abandon these?” I pulled the unfinished pieces out and set them where I can look at them tomorrow. Why? Because there was something in the drawing or painting that spoke to me. A simple exercise of looking at old paintings gave me inspiration. This week see if you can discover some activities that will recharge your creativity.

Being alone is another way to receive inspiration from the Holy Spirit. It is so important to take time to be alone, to pray, to meditate, to listen. Doing these things will help you breathe in inspiration.  Writing down your insights and inspiration are suggested also. You may have an incredibly creative idea in a dream, so you may want to keep a notebook near your bed to keep track of those ideas that pop into your subconscious.

The last exercise in the chapter is to make a mixed media collage illustrating some of your favorite things. I have not made my collage yet. I would love to see collages made by my readers. So, if you did one, please email a photo of it to me. My email address is watercolorsbyterry@hotmail.com. I will try to put a few collages on my website if I receive any.  Don’t be shy!

I want to end this article with the uplifting verse from Romans that Janice ends Chapter Five with.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy
and peace as you trust in him,
so that you may overflow with hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit.

~Romans 15:13

Here are some other articles you might be interested in:

The Creative Call

The Creative Call – Introduction

The Creative Call – Chapter One: Beginning

The Creative Call – Chapter Two: Listening

The Creative Call – Chapter Three: Awakening

The Creative Call – Chapter Four: Forgiving

Awakening

Hello and welcome to my series of articles on The Creative Call by Janice Elsheimer. Each Wednesday I post an article about my journey through the book.  This week’s article is about Chapter Three: Awakening. I tried to read the chapter as Janice suggested. I read a little each day, wrote in my journal every morning, worked on memorization, and did the exercises.

Chapter 3 inspired me to read the Bible. I looked up the scriptures Janice mentioned and also found other scriptures about artists and craftsmen. At one point, I was sitting on the couch with my journal, an extra notebook, The Creative Call, three different Bible versions, pencil and pen. I was having a great time!

The memory verse for the week is Exodus 35:10, “All who are skilled among you are to come and make everything the Lord has commanded.”  What a great honor it must have been for those artists to have been called by God to create.

We have been called too!

I had a very productive week creatively. I finished a painting and did two sketches for two more paintings. They are ready to go. One sketch is already on watercolor paper. I also did an experimental painting of pen and ink with watercolor.  For some reason I have been wanting to do that for quite some time. I figured, “Why wait?”

Experimenting was therapeutic for me. I got lost in the process. Maybe that is why Janice says, “Be gentle with yourself, but banish the idea that you can wait until you are ‘in the mood’ or ‘inspired’ to get busy with your art.”  If you begin making art, then the Lord has a chance to work through you. If you don’t do anything, how can he help?

The Exercise 3 assignment on page 45 said to finish the sentence, “If I could trust in the Lord’s provision, I would……”   I wrote a page of these sentences. Some of the things I said I would do were pretty crazy. Some things I wrote were totally out of the blue. I had no idea I had some of these desires. Try this exercise and see what you come up with. You might surprise yourself too.

In Exercise 4, you are to list things you need to be able to practice your art. I did not list the things most people would. My list consisted of things like:  faith in myself and God, courage to get back in the studio and start working, as well as confidence in my abilities.  It isn’t that I am not being creative. It is that I am not being creative in the way I think I should be. But looking back on my week, I think I am (do I dare say?) awakening.

I would like to end this article with words from Janice that come across as a blessing.  She said, “Throughout this week and the weeks to come, whether you are writing in your artist’s daybook, observing the world around you, praying, listening to the prompting of the Spirit, exercising, or taking care of the ordinary tasks of daily living, remind yourself that you are awakening.”  Have a great week!!!!

Dear Lord,

We are trying to awaken our creativity this week.  Please bless us with what we need whether it is supplies, a place to do our art, or a new attitude. Bless us with the ability to see your plan. Give us insight and opportunity.  We ask this in Christ’s name. Amen.

Next Wednesday we will talk about Chapter Four: Forgiving.

You might be interested in these other articles:

The Creative Call

The Creative Call – Introduction

The Creative Call – Chapter One: Beginning

The Creative Call – Chapter Two: Listening

Bones and Roses

I want to paint more often. When I don’t paint I get grouchy. I feel out of sorts. Another thing that happens is I have a problem getting back to painting if I stay away too long.

It is strange. Sometimes when I have time to paint, I don’t.  It is as if I have to overcome a fear of failure, a fear of not being able to paint the way I did before. I find myself coming up with every excuse in the book to not paint. I have to do the dishes or pay the bills or go to the store or…… Does this happen to anyone else?

Anyway, I finally got my act together. I grabbed some things from around the house and yard. I put together a still life. It isn’t your normal still life. It is a combination of old vertebrae from a cow (don’t remember where I got them), roses from my garden, and an old antique wooden box.

I love to draw and paint bones. I guess I have been influenced by Georgia O’Keeffe.  I have family members that painted bones also. My great-aunts, Maisy and Elsie, used to do paintings of cow bones and skulls they had gathered from the Arizona desert.  My grandmother, Merle, used to make necklaces out of rattlesnake bones also. Guess I come by it naturally.

Anyway, I finished the painting above and I wanted to share it with you. Now the ideas come rushing in. I can’t wait to start another painting project. Getting into the studio and finishing a painting seems to have lifted a great weight off of my shoulders, my heart, my mind.  It felt great to hold the paintbrush in my hand again and to lose myself in the form, shape, texture, and color.

Hope you don’t mind the short post, I want to get back to the studio. Hope you have a creative Monday!

By the way, if you click on the image above it will take you to my website on Fine Art America.

Week Nine

Welcome to my series of articles about Julia Cameron’s book, Walking in This World.  Week Nine  is about Discovering a Sense of Resiliency. I post an article each Wednesday as I work my way through the book.

So what is resiliency? According to dictionary.com, resiliency is:

1. the power or ability to return to the original form, position, etc., after being bent, compressed, or stretched; elasticity.

2. ability to recover readily from illness, depression, adversity, or the like; buoyancy.

Julia discusses the inner trials that artists face during their careers.  Artists need to discover a sense of resiliency because there are many struggles that we will face.  We need to be able to bounce back from these struggles. Six common struggles that most artists face are worry, fear, restlessness, insecurity, self-pity, and doubt.  These are all struggles that I have faced at one time or another in my life, especially in my art career.

Julia gives the reader tasks to work through that apply to each of these six.  She also gives encouraging words.  You can tell that Julia writes from experience. She has been there, done that.  The thing that hit me as I read was Julia’s insistence that when you go through one of these awful six there is hope.

Julia suggests that worrying is a sign of  a great imagination, a sign of great creative energy.  Wow! That is very encouraging. As artists we need to release the worries through writing in our morning pages and then focus the excess imagination on our creative projects.

Anyone fearful? Julia says, “Fear is positive and useful.”  Really?  According to Julia we need to look closely at our fear and determine what signal the fear is giving us. Maybe there is a change that needs to be made in our creative contacts, partners, medium, etc. Most of us try to push our fears aside and work past them. Julia suggests figuring out what action you can take in response to the fear.

Any restless artists out there?  I imagine most of us have been there sometime in our life. You might be restless waiting for your next project to begin or restless living in a place where you feel claustrophobic.   I’ve noticed that when people are restless they are like caged animals, pacing back and forth.  It is not pleasant to be around someone like that.  Julia states that “restlessness is a good omen”, that change is on its way.  Good to know!  Once again a positive attitude.

Any one insecure?  Oh my goodness, I almost gave up a one woman show because I was required to give a lecture on the opening night. Yes, I was incredibly insecure.  It was all about what if I am boring, or I use bad grammar, or I stutter!  I thought, “Why would anyone want to hear a lecture about my art? There are so many other artists so much more talented than me.”  That is classic insecurity.

So what do you do when you are hit with a streak of insecurity?  Julia talks about grace, that we need to remember we are partnered with the greatest creator of all, God.  I like this quote of Julia’s about the subject, “The minute we relinquish the notion that our creative dreams are centered in the ego, the minute we begin to see them as spiritual adventures, we allow the Great Creator to shape us as only it can and will.”

Ever have your own “pity party?”  Feel sorry for yourself?  Well, Julia says, “Self-pity is a stalling device.  It is a temper tantrum, a self-inflicted drama that has little to do, ever, with the facts.”  When you are stuck in self-pity, you are going to be blocked. Self-pity can knock you off your feet, throw you off track, derail your creative pursuit. Get the picture?

Self-pity is not good!  So, what can you do when you see self-pity rear its ugly head?  Take notice as to whether or not you are feeling under appreciated.  That can be one of the catalysts.  Also make sure you are well rested.  Ask yourself what you can change or try?  Maybe you just need to show yourself that you can do something you didn’t think you could. Practice self-appreciation.

The last struggle Julia talks about is doubt.  Doubt seems to hit when we are alone.  We get the feeling that we can’t do this or can’t do that. I remember the saying, “It’s always darkest right before the dawn.”  Sometimes that is how it feels when you are doubting your creative path.  Julia gives these suggestions when doubt attacks:  Be self-loving.  Call a friend. Do not self-medicate.  Know that this too shall pass.

Next Week: Week Ten – Discovering a Sense of Camaraderie

My other articles about Walking in This World:

Week One – Discovering a Sense of Origin
Week Two – Discovering a Sense of Proportion
Week Three – Discovering a Sense of Perspective
Week Four – Discovering a Sense of Adventure
Week Five – Discovering a Sense of  Personal Territory
Week Six – Discovering a Sense of Boundaries
Week Seven – Discovering a Sense of Momentum
Week Eight – Discovering a Sense of Discernment
Week Ten – Discovering a Sense of Camaraderie
Week Eleven – Discovering a Sense of Authenticity
Week Twelve – Discovering a Sense of Dignity

Week Eight

Welcome to my series of articles about Julia Cameron’s book, Walking in This World.  Week Eight  is about Discovering a Sense of Discernment. I post an article each Wednesday as I work my way through the book.

Julia starts Week Eight off with a discussion about the desire for fame and worrying about the public perception of whether or not we are “a serious artist”.  I think this desire has probably hit most artists if they are truly honest with themselves.  I think we all have a little wish in the back of our mind to get that lucky break, to be discovered and to sky-rocket to fame and fortune.

When we obsess about fame then we get into creative trouble.  We lose our zeal for creating.  Julia said, “When we surrender to becoming what we are meant to be instead of trying to convince the world of who we think we are, we find our proper creative shoes and can walk in them comfortably.”  I like that.  That is what I want.

One task in the chapter was to make a list of 5 people you are closely connected to.  You were asked to write down a creative project you could do for each person to show love and gratitude.  Then you were asked to choose one project and actually do it.  Since this past week was the Thanksgiving holiday, I did not have time to devote to this task. But I have done this sort of thing before.

When I moved to Hawaii and was away from my grandchildren for the first time I decided to do some projects for them.  I wanted to keep a close connection with them. I was used to seeing them on a daily basis. So, I made silly birthday videos, filmed myself reading books, and even did a writing project with the oldest grandson.  In one movie I made for Clayton, I fake played the guitar, sang, wore a Cowboy hat with a mask with snorkel.   I looked ridiculous, but I had fun.

Making these movies has become a new avenue for my creativity. I have started making short devotional movies and am currently working on a larger project I hope to finish soon.  Strange how doing a silly movie project sent me in a different creative direction.

In Week Eight, Julia also discusses how artists need to protect themselves from people that try to take advantage of them.  She calls them “piggybackers.”  We all know what is means to ride piggyback. Piggybackers tend to use you as they tell you how much they are helping you out.  Keep that in mind when someone is offering you a great opportunity to catapult you to fame.  That is where the discernment comes into play. Julia defines “discernment” as a combination of gut instinct and a little careful reportorial work.  Use your intuition. Listen carefully.

Week Eight seems to be full of warnings. Julia talks about “creative saboteurs”.  These people crush your enthusiasm, make you doubt yourself and your projects.  Julia names the saboteurs.  Don’t you just love the names?

• Wet Blanket Saboteur

• Amateur Expert

• Bad News Fairy

• and two Art Snobs – Very Important People and Very Serious People

We should steer clear of these saboteurs. So, be on the look out. Surround yourself with people that will support you and that truly want to help you.  Sometime in our life we will most likely be hurt by a saboteur. So remember this quote from Julia.

“Creative saboteurs hurt us, but they can be survived.”

Next Week is Week Nine – Discovering a Sense of Resiliency.

My other articles about Walking in This World:

Week One – Discovering a Sense of Origin
Week Two – Discovering a Sense of Proportion
Week Three – Discovering a Sense of Perspective
Week Four – Discovering a Sense of Adventure
Week Five – Discovering a Sense of  Personal Territory
Week Six – Discovering a Sense of Boundaries
Week Seven – Discovering a Sense of Momentum
Week Nine – Discovering a Sence of Resiliency
Week Ten – Discovering a Sense of Camaraderie
Week Eleven – Discovering a Sense of Authenticity
Week Twelve – Discovering a Sense of Dignity