Posts Tagged ‘artist date’

How to Get Struck by Inspirational Lightning and Write Your Book

Monday, September 17th, 2012

I believe that every one who operates a fixer upper and rental house business, or anyone who is doing anything that they love, should also consider writing a book (and self-publish it, but that’s another article). Once we have paid our dues, and carved out our niche in our chosen field, we have a moral obligation to share that knowledge with others.

When you write your book, the circle is complete.

Writing blog articles is another way to share, but it doesn’t go far enough. A book is all your experience and wisdom concentrated into one simple package, like frozen orange juice. Someone can read it and be able to follow in your foot steps and do what you do.

Think Like an Artist

Where’s my coffee?

Writing a book requires the same perseverance and gusto that we bring to our chosen profession. However, it also requires something more. We need to be able to think like artists. Don’t worry, you don’t have to walk around with a tortured look on your face, grow a goatee, or sip coffee all day at French Cafés.

Thinking like as artist requires delving into the inspirational and creative natures of our personalities. In short, we have to be struck by inspirational lightning!

Author Julie Cameron, in her book “The Artist’s Way” describes a two-pronged technique designed to plug you into your inner source of creativity.

The two steps are:

1.) Writing morning pages; and,

2.) The artist’s date.

The morning pages allow you to bypass your “logic” brain, which is normally in gear, and shift into the “artist” brain. The artist’s dates are fun things that you do to refill your creative reservoir.

Morning Pages

Up a little too early?

The “morning pages” technique involves getting up an hour earlier than you normally do, and in longhand writing, write three pages using strictly stream of consciousness. Every day, just write three pages of whatever crosses your mind, and don’t stop until the three pages are full.

The purpose of writing morning pages is to get past the things that inhibit us from writing; our fears, our negativity, or our moods. It gets us past them to a place where we can hear that still, small voice. And, when we are in that place past the negativity, we can align with our creative energies.

As Cameron says “It is impossible to write morning pages for any extended period of time without coming into contact with an unexpected inner power.”

The Artist Date

An artist date is a block of time, maybe two hours a week, committed to nurturing your inner artist. It can be things like a walk in the county, a visit to an art gallery, attending a film contest, or visit a great junk store. It’s just you and your inner artist.

Seek out the mysterious.

The artist brain is drawn to sensory stimulation, like sights, sounds, smell, taste, and touch. Do what intrigues you, explore what interests you; follow your sense of the mysterious.

Your inner artist needs to be taken out, indulged, and listened to. Our creativity uses this time to confide in us and to bond with us.

Get Going!

Morning pages and the artist date are a two step process for the aspiring au thor. The Morning Pages draw from your well of inspiration, and the Artist’s Date fill the well again.

“Someday” never comes.

I know, every time you imagine writing that book of yours; you get that glazed, wistful look in your eyes, thinking “yeah, someday I’m going to do that.”

Snap out of it!

You should allow these two techniques to jump start your creative juices, like inspirational lightning, and to begin writing your book!

Julia Cameron on Morning Pages & Artist Date

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Coming Soon!

How to Turn Your Home into a Rental House, Instead of Selling It