Book 290 - A Year of Magical Learning

Reflection Title: Dip into the well of your experiences and scoop out the visuals!

Book – The Artist’s Way: The Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron

Book Description:

Since its first publication, The Artist's Way phenomena has inspired the genius of Elizabeth Gilbert and millions of readers to embark on a creative journey and find a deeper connection to process and purpose. Julia Cameron's novel approach guides readers in uncovering problems areas and pressure points that may be restricting their creative flow and offers techniques to free up any areas where they might be stuck, opening up opportunities for self-growth and self-discovery.

The program begins with Cameron’s most vital tools for creative recovery – The Morning Pages, a daily writing ritual of three pages of stream-of-conscious, and The Artist Date, a dedicated block of time to nurture your inner artist. From there, she shares hundreds of exercises, activities, and prompts to help readers thoroughly explore each chapter. She also offers guidance on starting a “Creative Cluster” of fellow artists who will support you in your creative endeavors.

Reflection:

I talk a lot! I mean, like…a lot, a lot!

I don’t mean I “talk”, like just words coming out of my mouth and then I don’t back them up with my actions because that would not be true. What I’m referring to is the sheer amount of time that my mouth is moving over the course of a day is ridiculous. I talk when I’m playing tennis, I talk to Luca and Emilia, I talk when I’m at work all day when I’m coaching and leading my team, I talk with our nanny during breaks in the day, I annoy my beautiful wife with off the wall questions at night while she is trying to get work done, and Trieu and I spend an hour talking at the end of every day during our 7th generation Iroquois meeting. I don’t shut up!

This probably comes as no shock to anyone that has been reading my writing over the past few years, because I’m also very long winded with my written word as well. These book reflections were supposed to be quick, fast, and to the point of lessons learned. It kind of started that way, but over time these reflections have gotten longer and longer each morning when I sit down to write. My goal originally was to try to keep them around 300-500 words each. I think they are now probably around 750-1,000 words each.

I know I can do better and get my point across faster, but I just feel compelled to keep on talking through the keyboard and I can’t stop. When I first noticed this trend occurring, it really bugged the hell out of me. I thought, why can’t I just get to the point, share my lesson, and move on?

Now, upon reflection, I’m totally okay with it because I’m realizing that I’m still finding my voice and working on becoming more impeccable with my words. Remember back to our lesson from The 4 Agreements, always be impeccable with your words!

Being impeccable with your words is hard, it is really hard! It is also a long process. You don’t just wake up one morning and the whole world is crystal clear, and you can share the vision in your mind with everyone you meet in one short, concise sentence. To understand what is going on inside your mind and to distill it down to something a complete stranger can instantaneously understand takes time, patience, and a whole lot of trial and error to perfect the message.

Basically, it takes a lot of talk, which is what I’m best at!!!

That process of becoming impeccable with your word is how we slowly refine our thoughts and narrow our focus to one day be able to share our masterpiece work of art with this world.

Keep dipping into the well of your experiences and doing your best to scoop out the visuals to share with the world, as the author shared in her book.

You can bring those visuals in your mind to life with whatever medium that suits you best. It could be writing, drawing, painting, sales, marketing, advertising, mathematics…or whatever else you are called to share with this world.

I know for sure that the longer you try, the more impeccable you become with your word slowly but surely as time passes. Your art will become easier to understand by yourself and all the others that consume it along the way.

That is the journey that I’m on today and I couldn’t be happier. I’m sorry I can’t deliver my words yet faster, clearer, and more easily digestible, but I will get there someday. I imagine myself when I’m 95 waking up to do my morning pages and only putting down 1 simple single sentence each day on paper that will be universally understood by any and all who come across it.

That is the dream, but I can’t get there unless I keep talking.

Question: How are you working to share what is inside of you with the world?

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Links:

What is The Year of Magical Learning? An Introduction

YOML Podcast Discussion - Coming Soon

YOML Bookstore - The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron