"The Artist's Way"

I am reading one of my favorite books again for creative inspiration. I wanted to share some of the great quotes found in The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron.
I would like to start off with a quote that I myself wished I lived my life by everyday!

”TRUST IN YOURSELF. YOUR PERCPTIONS ARE OFTEN FAR MORE ACCURATE THAN YOU ARE WILLING TO BELIEVE!”
CLAUDIA BLACK

So often we are afraid of the unknown, but ultimately that anxiety is really trying to motivate us to change.

“Every time you don’t follow your inner guidance, you feel a loss of energy, loss of power, a sense of spiritual deadness.”
Shakti Gawain

These are the times when something just doesn't feel ok; there is something wrong but we can't quite tell what it is. I have come to find that these are the times when I am straying away from God.

I'll admit, it is hard to hear what is coming from God and what is coming from me. I am learning that I need to start exercising my listening skills.

“Listening is a form of accepting.” Stella Terrill Mann

What are we listening for though?

“Explore daily the will of God.” C. G. Jung

All the answers are in His book. I wish I would have realized this a long time ago.

“As we come to trust and love our internal guide, we lose our fear of intimacy because we no longer confuse our intimate others with the higher power we are coming to know!” Cameron

Hmmm, I guess this means that we would actually find satisfaction in our ourselves if we had a relationship with God, instead of trying to find satisfaction in external things, relationships, success, comforting habits!

I love this one! “Dependence on the creator within is really freedom from all other dependencies!” Cameron

Now for years and still to this day perfectionism has haunted me. This is what Cameron has to say about that for creative people out there...writers, artists, performers, composers, ect.

PERFECTIONISM:
“Perfectionism is a refusal to let yourself move ahead. It is a loop, an obsessive, debilitating closed system that causes you to get stuck in the details of what you are writing and lose sight of the whole.” Cameron

“Perfectionism is not a quest for the best. It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves, the part that tells us that nothing we do will ever be good enough, that we should try again.” Cameron

“Artists who seek perfection in everything are those who cannot attain it in anything.” Eugene Delacroix

So what are we supposed to do with that? Get over ourselves, maybe. Stop taking yourself so seriously! Let Go!

I know, letting go seems scary, but I love what Deshavan Nair has to say about being courageous!
“With courage you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate and the wisdom to be humble. Courage is the foundation of integrity.”

FEAR AND COURAGE:
“We cannot escape fear. We can only transform it into a companion that accompanies us on all our exciting adventures. Take a risk a day, one small or bold stroke that will make you feel great once you have done it.”
Susan Jeffers

Does this mean I have to be spontaneous? That's ok, I'm a gemini...I'm either completely spontaneous or hyper rigid!

“There are the risks you cannot afford to take, and there is the risk you cannot afford not to take!” Peter Drucker

“In order to thrive as an artist-and, one could argue, as a person- we need to be available to the universal flow.” Cameron

I'm sure there are many people in my life that know me to be "unavailable." I can get so wrapped up in myself sometimes to even see what is going on around me.

Oh, and what is universal flow? That would be God.

“If we learn to think of receiving God’s good as being an act of worship, cooperating with God’s plan to manifest goodness in our lives, we can begin to let go of having to sabotage ourselves.” Cameron

The basic idea behind all of this is that God should be the center of everything we do in our lives.
P.S. I love quotes!

"God Whispers"

Margaret Feinberg is now one of my favorite Christian writers/speakers. One of her many books, God Whispers, tells how we must open ourselves up to hear God's voice. It is easy to mistake our own voice for God's, so it takes practice and a lot of prayer. Right now at this time in my life, I am going through some major transitions which involve making choices. My desire for God to answer my questions is so great right now.

My dear sister knows about the choices with career decisions and moving possibilities that I am trying to make, and God sent her a scripture to give to me. In Genesis 12: 1-7, God tells Abram to leave the home where he felt comfortable, and start a nation in a different place. Sometimes we may think that the comfortable is where we are supposed to be, but God may be trying to take you to a place of greater service for Him. These verses explain that we shouldn't let comfort and security in the present moment make you miss God's "whisper" or His plan for us.

I'm not sure what is to come for me, but all I know is that God has whispered many plans that I now can't ignore. Too many doors have been opened to not peek on the other side. I guess I just have to trust these creative intuitions. Creative ideas come from God, but we shouldn't act on them with out guided counsel and prayer. So basically, I am filtering out all my thoughts on paper, just hoping to hear something or see something more. I am so blessed to have so many great people to support me and guide me along the way. I have never done anything in my life alone. The support I have has followed me for miles and I am so grateful.

Never give up

Every once in a while I will hear words that stand out and I just can't shake. Like a few Sundays ago, I left church with the message, "don't give up on people," especially family members, friends, and most importantly, God. Everyone goes through their own season of events and God has a timetable for us all. Lately God has put me in my place when it comes to one of my biggest weaknesses, judgment. God is the only one who has the power to judge. Every time I try, I am proven wrong. This is usually a good thing. It was never God's intention for us to turn our back on others, and besides, judgment gets in the way of anyone getting closer to Christ. Now I must admit, judgment is a sticky thing, because what if you judge someone for judging you? I guess it is time to get off my own podium and realize that we have to allow people to be human. I'll admit, there have been people that I considered writing off in my life or basically give up on them. How sad. I never had the right. I thank God for forgiving me at these times. Basically, the easiest way to put it is if God can forgive us everyday through the love of Christ, we should want to practice that same kindness and forgive those who may be having a bad day, or week, or year or life. Thank God I am so wrong!