The Dreamer’s Way

The Practice

I once struggled with artist’s block. It happened right after I graduated from college - almost synchronistically, as it were.

My mom, a fellow artist and life long supporter of me making art, was grappling with the nasty little gremlin of artist’s block herself.

She had found this book and was pretty sure I needed to read it. It was called the Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron.

I did need to read it.

It was such a refreshing perspective on making art, how to stay inspired, and how to keep showing up.

In essence, how to cultivate the making of art into a daily practice.

The ritual of art making.

Morning Pages

As I began to lean into the discomfort of showing up, the biggest reflection of what was holding me back began to appear in my morning pages. I would write my 5 minutes, and once I dumped it all out… It was time to get to the art.

This simple act of transforming the way I showed up to make art started to seep it’s way into how I began to intentionally show up.

With purpose. Seeking expression through this medium.

It shifted the practice of making art into a deeply fulfilling ritual for myself.

At that juncture of my life, I was working in a corporate downtown job in commercial insurance.

This simple act of committing to a mindful practice of self reflection was a total game changer for me.

Within a couple months, I had quit my insurance job, packed up my life into my trusty car Bruno, and started driving up the coastal highway.

Chasing Purpose

Making the leap from the known into the unknown was exhilerating. Also terrifying.

The leap landed me in a place of deep contemplation, questioning every decision I had made….

And dreaming. I began to dream about the future, creating a life that was fulfilling.

One of the excercises in the Artist’s Way prompts you to make a list of 3 careers you would do if there was nothing holding you back.

I began to put down the expectations and obligations of others. Bit by bit, I began to reclaim my own power.

I began to think that I could live life on my own terms. Who does that even?

What about the thing where you find a job, make a career, do it for 50 years and retire??

With the exception of one uncle, everybody was pretty sure I had gone off the deep end.

I was pretty sure it was the only place I could swim and be happy.

Just throwing it out there. If you feel stuck… if you feel uninspired, lackluster, lacking purpose or unable to dream….

Pick up a journal and write it out.

Now read it.

Half the stuff you tell yourself is a lie.

Most of it holds you back from living your dream.

Once you write it down, and actively discard the false narrative…. you get a little power back to dream with.