Motivation for Mondays: The Artist's Way check-in for Week 9

We were working on "Recovering a Sense of Strength" last week. So, how did it go?

Feeling stronger?

Chapter 8 visited the concept of strength in various ways: survival, being able to affirm your talents, dealing with loss, understanding early childhood patterns that could undermine your progress. It was also about taking action to regain your sense of self -- the ability and willingness to stand up for your creative self, and to write despite yourself. Thank goodness after all that difficult introspection, chapter 9 will show you the way to self-compassion. You should look forward to this week's chapter.

But for now, we must revisit last week's work.

So, are you feeling stronger, or are you feeling like you'd just like to throw in the towel. TAW may seem like it puts you through the wringer, but it's good work, this deep digging we're doing.

I encourage you to go on. Even if you've set the book aside because of distractions, get it back out. Open the book up and read. Do some of the exercises. Remember, you don't have to do them all. That might be too much. Save some of them for later, or save them for the next time you read the book. You don't have to overdo it or try to impress anyone. There's only one person who matters in this exercise, and that's you.

MORNING PAGES
I will tell you that I'm not feeling the need to go to the page as much as I have in the past. I'm drawn more to write on the computer. And I'm not liking that pull. So I'm going to focus on that more this week. I will tell you that my Morning Pages are starting to look like idea books. Every time I write and read another chapter, I come up with more ideas about the work I'm presently researching. I find that to be an empowering result and hope it continues.

ARTIST'S DATE
I spent most of the week waiting for my daughter to have her baby, which she didn't, so I've been so preoccupied and have not scheduled a date at all with my artist self. I'm not really sure if I did anything particularly creative this past week; however, I did splurge on a bottle of wine for the holiday and spend some time picking it out, admiring the labels. Doubt that it counts, but I suppose if I were stretching, I could make it. But I'll let you be the judge of that.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE CHAPTER
I found this statement interesting:

"Intellectualism seems counter to the creative impulse."

EXERCISES
I did a few of them:

My perfect world five years from now. I want to own an oceanfront cottage in Maine, and now I've decided to be okay with San Diego (closer to family?). That's where I see myself working. I'll still be writing, only then with the crashing waves near my doorstep, the music in the background. I have a studio, brightly lit with natural sunlight through huge windows. I have a comfy area where I read by firelight. My family can visit, so there must be rooms for them as well. The BF is probably off running down the shoreline. He would love that!

I probably still have my home in Arizona, but I don't know if it's this one. If it is, it better have new carpet and be painted. My HOA is requiring that four-five years from now. I probably earn a handsome half a million dollars a year or more. So I'll be living very comfortably. I've probably sold my BIKE book by then, that's why. I'm probably speaking internationally, though not too much. I like my home life too much. Who wouldn't, on the beach, in Arizona, whatever works???

All of this is probably why I've been so focused on writing more book proposals lately. ;-)

My color scheme It's blue, of course. My eyes are blue. I like the song, "Jackie Blue." I look good dressed in blue. My office is half painted blue. It fits my astrological sign, which is Pisces. And it's my favorite color. Here's the list of few quick sentences that describe my blue self:

I am blue.
I am the color of an Arizona clear summer sky.
I blend well with whites, pinks, purples.
I am happy and serene.
I make others laugh.
I give off high energy.
I am bright and cheerful.
I am the color blue.

I cannot recall any specific issues that occured last week, but I think that's only because I was a bit caught up with other things: my daughter, the holiday, work.

How about you? How did your week with Chapter 8 go? Please report your progress here. We're moving on to Chapter 9 now, where, as I mentioned before, we recover a sense of compassion. You're going to like this one, I hope.

Motivation for Mondays is a part of a weekly Twitter party called #MotivatedMondays initiated by Lorrie Shaw, a professional pet sitter, a regular pets contributor at annarbor.com, and pet blogger in Dexter Township, MI. Together, we post a combination of inspirational notes, links to motivational blog posts, and tips to help kickstart your week ahead. Look for us online every Monday morning--and throughout the day--if you need to kick start your week or want to share your own motivational thoughts.

Motivation on Mondays: The Artist Way check-in for week 7

I know. I know. It's Tuesday. Why did I still title the post "Motivation on Mondays"?

I did that because I want to keep the column consistent, so you can find back posts should you care to review them in the future.

Of course, now you'll want to know why I failed to post yesterday, right? Easy answer. Yesterday, Monday, I spent six hours in the Emergency Room with my BF. He'd been sent there because he'd been having a back pain that had escalated and a very high blood pressure reading, and was thought to be having heart attack.

Yes, it was another stressful day, and I wasn't anywhere near a computer nor was I thinking about being anywhere near a computer once I took the call just before the lunch hour. Of course, he told me I didn't need to go. But what do you do? Sit around and wait? I'm not good at waiting. So I went over to meet him and stay with him--to make sure he was going to be okay. The words "heart" and "attack" are not words that roll lightly off the tongue, as you can imagine. So I wanted to be there with him, in case this was that serious.

After having every kind of test imaginable--EKG, Cat Scan, X-rays (but no MRI)--the ER doc determined it wasn't a heart attack, but he does have a heart issue he needs to see a cardiologist about later, which I don't see as unusual after 55 years of organ operation. But, whew...it was a scare until we knew. It seems he's somehow pulled a muscle in the top mid-section of his back, and he can't figure out where or when. They gave him some meds for that and follow up instructions. But it's good to know that if you ever have such a pain in the back that doesn't go away and, in fact, escalates, it could be a heart problem. You should see your doctor or visit the ER.

So that was my day yesterday. No work to speak of. All stress. And finally relief.

Now, to the actual check-in...

These chapters are really sending a lot of serendipity my way. With Chapter 7 being all about connection, and my losing my dog that same week, there was a lot of that going on. It began with the eulogy, and then moved on to the assignment I had that was due last week. It involved connecting with an historic event. Even after a really short trip there, I was able to feel very connected to this place and time--the Civil Rights Movement.

In fact, I was able to use an actual event that I discovered occurred on my 1-year-old birthday in the story itself. I was able to connect with the gospel music of the times. I was able to put myself in the place of the protesters because of the interactive elements involved in the tour I was on. It was all very experiential. And that really helped me write a story my editor had little to edit away.

Later in the week, I was able to find more connection to my dog, after I picked up her ashes. I went back to that pile of pictures I'd been sorting through on the day I had to take her to the vet hospital (and where she subsequently died), and I found several pictures of her. Pictures I hadn't seen since we'd first gotten her. So I gathered them all and shared them with friends. I miss her. Last week was all about finding some kind of connection with her. I didn't have to work too hard at it. I am still finding this in every room of my house. I very much feel her presence in my office, as this is where we both spent the bulk of our lives together. I haven't yet picked up her toys or removed her bed from the floor. It's all very comforting to me.

And this week, the connections are extending to the human beings in my life. My BF, for example, and the visit to the ER. There was nothing else I could have done but be with him during that scary moment in his life. It was good for him. It was good for me. It was good for us to feel a connected during such a scare. It's what helps bring two people together, when you know you can count on each other. That's the point of connection, I believe, and that's not always easy to do when trying to protect your own time and space and your Artist Self (which is mentioned in this week's chapter).

Further understanding of "connection" occurred this past week when I wrote a short story that involved lost connections. Though it wasn't an animal-based story, I'm sure it was a cathartic release, and also a sign that I am definitely giving my Artist Self the time it needs to explore and grow. I like that. Are you seeing any similar events/experiences unfold in your own TAW work?

Of course, the chapter is further realized in the way I'm reading my daughter's phone calls. Every time I hear her ring on my cell phone, my first question before "hello" is: "Is it time yet?" She's about to give birth any day now, and I'm so in tune with that and preparing for the big moment that I can't help myself but jump at her every call. It could be the one. Ah, yes, connections. I'm glad so many exist in my life, and truly, I've been touched by this chapter.

As you can imagine, however, I only wrote Morning Pages two times last week and am counting my picture sorting as my Artist Date. If I took another one, I can no longer recall it, as I spent the bulk of the week too busy stressing about finishing my story for an editor when all I really wanted to do was grieve my dog. I managed to do both. I suppose writing a short story could count...

I did highlight a few things in the chapter and was surprised to see so much that still matters to me, as it did in previous readings, things such as this (paraphrased):

_Listen to your intuitive voice (This came out in my short story, and I needed it in order to manage the health of my dog).

_Letting go is a normal part of creativity.

_I have been that person who wouldn't do something unless I was sure I could do it perfectly. I have learned over the years to take the risk and do it anyway. Some of the things I've taken the risk to try: improvisation classes, reading my poetry in public, a spontaneous vacation. Things I'd like to try that were on her list: whitewater river rafting, figure drawing or watercolor painting and trapeze classes.

_I come up with book ideas and write them in the margins of my TAW book. It's fun to see what I've written in the past. I added two more to the margins in this chapter this year. One I'm working on already, but I like the title I came up with this past week better than the one I already had.

_I liked what the chapter says about jealousy, that it's a mask behind the fear of doing something you're not yet brave enough to try. That's a good point and something to be reminded of when that green monster rears his ugly head.

As far as exercises, I didn't take much time to do them this week and only did one or two.

I'm really glad to be in "Chapter 8 -- Recovering a Sense of Strength." Perfect timing, if I do say so myself.

Be sure to post your progress here, and tell us how you're relating to the last few chapters. Are you seeing the growth you might expect? Are you surprised at what you're experiencing all because of this one little book and the time you are choosing to give your Artist Self? Share your thoughts here.

Motivation for Mondays is a part of a weekly Twitter party called #MotivatedMondays initiated by Lorrie Shaw, a professional pet sitter, a regular pets contributor at annarbor.com, and pet blogger in Dexter Township, MI. Together, we post a combination of inspirational notes, links to motivational blog posts, and tips to help kickstart your week ahead. Look for us online every Monday morning--and throughout the day--if you need to kick start your week or want to share your own motivational thoughts.

Motivation for Mondays: The Arist's Way--Check-in for Week 1

For the next twelve weeks here at B.I.K.E. WITH JACKIE, those of us who are reading The Artist's Way will be checking in on Mondays. I have a small group of writers participating with me, and we'll be posting our progress as comments below.

Week 1
By now, you've read Chapter One, "Recovering a Sense of Safety." You've learned about the Morning Pages and your Artist's Date. You've got a pretty good idea of what's involved in the book and what you might be able to expect in the coming weeks. It's going to be extremely enlightening if you've never read Julia Cameron's work before. It's going to be wonderfully familiar to those of you who have. And, I hope it's going to be a highly encouraging, motivating, positive force for all of us, propelling us into greater success with our creative endeavors--no matter what they are or what they might be.

Here's how the first week panned out on my end:

READING
I remember the very first time I read this chapter, it made me cry. I could quickly recognize where my "blurts" were coming from. But this time, I have a much healthier sense of who I am as a creative person. I don't feel any strong pull from anyone--other than myself--that would suggest I can't live my life creatively. I realize, at this point in my life (past my early 40s), I am in charge of where I take my career, and where I don't. I kind of like to think I have a handle on the blurts. But not always. I did find myself connecting all too well with the need to affirm. I relished the time in the mornings last week when I spent reaffirming myself as a creative person, a successful writer, a person who can "Expect the best" from this world.

In fact, coming back to The Artist's Way for motivation allowed me to hear the above mantra on TV, and I've been using it ever since. "Expect the best." I might have missed it without Cameron. She kind of saved me last week, as I had been having some really down days the month prior--and that's probably what led me back to Cameron's book. I needed it. I needed to be reminded of my strengths. I am glad to have her book to use as a tool to reconnect and work to "Find and protect the artist child."

I have a lot of highlighting in my book, and notes written in the side margins. But I still managed to write more there. I particularly liked to be reminded that beliefs are not facts. Beliefs are not your truths. You can change your beliefs for the better; thus, the need for affirmations, which provide the safety and hope your creative self needs to soar. I liked being reminded of that.

MORNING PAGES
I wrote my Morning Pages every morning, except for on Saturday. I went on a very long hike instead, and that suited me just fine.

ARTIST DATE
I didn't actually schedule my Artist Date, as I couldn't decide what I wanted to do. So when Sunday came, in between laundry and a little house cleaning, I ran across this game I picked up at a bookstore last year. Called the Color Game, it's a series of cut-out cards of various colors and designs created by an architect named Ted Naos. You mix and match the cards to form different patterns. I played with those for about an hour. I didn't have as much fun as I thought, and I think it's because I forced myself to do it, just so I could say I'd done my Artist Date. I think the date has to have more meaning than that, something that is more consciously chosen. Maybe. Anyway, in my search this morning to try to find the game online, in case you're interested in seeing it for yourself, I found this color game instead. It turned out to be more fun than the one I played.

EXERCISES
I was so not intimidated by the exercises this time around. I wanted to do as many of them as I could. I remember my first reading, when I thought, "Exercises! Bah. I don't want to do that." And I did as few as I thought I could get away with. This time, I, of course, wrote my Morning Pages--such a freeing experience, and I do feel like I let go of a lot of crap that was hanging around in my thoughts for too long. Amen! I did do the Artist Date. I did one of the Time Travel exercises. I wrote a letter to the editor in my defense. That was so fun! I mailed it, but I haven't yet received it. I think I'll wait to read it till the end of our 12 weeks. I did the affirmations. I read affirmations at least four times last week, and I took my artist for a walk.

YOUR TURN
All in all, this was a great first week. I hope you all had a similar experience. If it's your first time, tell us your impressions of the book and the lessons so far. Do you think you'll be able to finish? I remember that one time I read it, I quit midway. I don't remember why. I wasn't ready for it? I don't know. But let's hear from you about your progress. Go ahead and answer the questions that are at the end of the chapter. Or, just post your overall thoughts. Reveal as little or as much as you like. We'll keep checking in every Monday till we've all completed the 12 chapters.

Motivation for Mondays is a part of a weekly Twitter party called #MotivatedMondays initiated by Lorrie Shaw, a professional pet sitter, a regular pets contributor at annarbor.com, and pet blogger in Dexter Township, MI. Together, we post a combination of inspirational notes, links to motivational blog posts, and tips to help kickstart your week ahead. Look for us online every Monday morning--and throughout the day--if you need to kick start your week or want to share your own motivational thoughts.

Motivation for Mondays: The Artist's Way

It's official. I started another 12 weeks of working with Julia Cameron's masterpiece, The Artist's Way, today. It's a book that's been on my reading list for years, probably since the first time I read it in 1999. I've read it at least four more times since.

I especially encourage it for personal growth--and not just what it was written for--to unblock your creative energy.

The book and all that you do because of it becomes a great outside motivational force that transforms into an internal motivational force during the 12 weeks of reading it. But it's not just a book you read. As I mentioned, you do things because of it. It's 12 weeks of DIY therapy.

First, you learn about the benefits of journaling. Only Cameron calls this the act of writing your Morning Pages. You write three pages every morning for the full 12 weeks--and then hopefully continue the process once you've finished the book.

You are also required to take an Artist Date with yourself. This is the kind of date that you do alone, no one else allowed, to help open your mind to see and acknowledge new insights, inspirations, and guidance. Sometimes, we have to be reminded we need to be open to that. These special dates help unblock a stagnant life. And this is the main reason I was drawn back to Cameron's book--I knew I needed to revisit the Artist Date. I've been starved of this kind of self-nurturing. Without it, creativity is stymied, and you don't know what to do exactly with the creativity you have. My creative self has been in need of nourishment for quite some time, in very specific ways. And I am finally acknowledging my Killer instincts, which apparently were not as honed in as they needed to be. So I'm correcting that by working this book and scheduling the Artist Dates. Cameron calls this "filling the well."

After each chapter, for the next 12 weeks, Cameron has her readers doing exercises. There are several listed, but you don't have to do them all. You may spend approximately 10 hours a week with the book and its processes for the next 12 weeks, but it's worth it.

You see results: You'll gain clarity. You'll find solutions to inner challenges you knew you had but didn't know what to do about. You'll free your mind to think more creatively. And you'll get work done. I've doubled my productivity and my income each time I've committed fully to the process.

If you are in need of this kind of motivation and are willing to set aside the time to work this process, you will see positive results. Julia Cameron will change the way you think. And you don't have to be an artist to benefit from her wisdom. Lawyers, teachers, engineers, and artists of all kinds have experienced positive growth because of The Artist's Way.

If you've already heard of this book and have benefited from it, share with us your success story. If you're interested in going through the process with me, I'll be publishing a weekly check-in and would be happy to include you in on the process. We can work the program together for added motivation. Just let me know by posting a comment below.

Motivation for Mondays is a part of a weekly Twitter party called #MotivatedMondays initiated by Lorrie Shaw, a professional pet sitter, a regular pets contributor at annarbor.com, and pet blogger in Dexter Township, MI. Together, we post a combination of inspirational notes, links to motivational blog posts, and tips to help kickstart your week ahead. Look for us online every Monday morning--and throughout the day--if you need to kick start your week or want to share your own motivational thoughts.

Recovery: The importance of journaling

For anyone who really knows me, you know I keep journals. I have dozens of those Mead Composition books filled to the rim with rambling passages about life, love and the pursuit of happiness.

Generally, I write when I'm trying to solve a problem. I pull out an ink pen, sit down with a new or old Mead, and write. I can write like this for hours. Everything falls out onto the page in messy cursive letters that I'm always amazed I can still decipher years later. No one else can. But I can. It's made me realize my handwriting is my own secret code. That's probably a good thing, as what gets written down would probably scare people who don't journal or get inside their head too often.

Inside my journals, you'll find emotional twists and turns, dramatic moments, and sometimes cuss words. I tell on people. I tell on myself. I tell stories. I cry. I yell. I scream. I can be angry on the page, and it won't hurt anyone. I do not show my journals to other people. I write what I write because it makes me feel better.

If you did happen to see inside of my Composition books, you'd find odd doodles as well. When I am anxious about something that's going on in life, I will write my name over and over again. Or I'll draw the same design over and over. It might be flowers. It might be cubed boxes. It might be circles of various sizes and configurations. For whatever reason, this calms me. It probably lets my mind take the rest it needs. By the way, that's what bike riding does for me as well, but I'll get to that in another post later.

I have used writing as a healing tool for as long as I can remember. I also remember when I lost my early childhood ones. I didn't lose them, exactly; I was forced to toss them out by my first husband. He was domineering and didn't know any better. When he learned about my journals (I called them diaries back then), where I'd written about my first love (I was 12; it wasn't a big deal), he made me throw them out. He literally stood over me as I gathered my beloved books together and dropped them in the trash outside. I was 16, newly married and mortified. I felt like I was throwing out a part of me. Four years later, even though he was the biological father of my children, I divorced him. Not because of the journals, necessarily, but because we weren't a good match. I didn't have the guidance a girl needs to realize it beforehand. I figured that out on my own in the journals I started to keep later and kept hidden from him. For whatever reason, I knew I couldn't give that part of me up and found a way to continue. I wrote a lot of poetry in those journals. I still have them, but none of the poetry's any good. So don't worry, I won't publish it here.

My point is that if writing will help you deal with life's trials, especially if you're drawn to it naturally, I recommend using it. If you've never tried it, it's never too late to begin a good habit.

You don't need a fancy writing tool. You don't need an expensive notebook. I buy the Mead books up when I can find them for a dollar a piece. But anything will do. All you need is your basic pen or pencil and paper. If you like, you can use your computer, though I truly believe in the connection of brain to pen to paper. I think something different occurs during the act of writing with a pen that doesn't when typing on a keyboard. But whatever works for you is what works for you.

I have used journals for specific purposes. For instance, when I wanted to focus my mind on a specific challenge, I wrote only about that challenge. During moments of frustration, for example, when I'm having a difficult time seeing the good things in life, I have Grateful Journals. Those are where I write nothing inside the pages but words that describe what I'm grateful for on that day. Nothing else goes in there. And I'll do that for a month, until my mind accepts the better perspective.

I've journaled in the early days of grief, after my second husband died in a car accident. Those journals are filled with cries and tears and fears--and pictures of the man I loved who died too young.

And then I have my Divorce Journals--the ones that stem from what happened with my third husband. I have dozens of those--and they will some day be a book, as the words inside those pages all relate to what I write about here. He's why I discovered my special brand of BIKE, and for that I'm grateful. It says so in one of my journals. :-)

You see, writing has always been a source of comfort for me. It could be one for you as well.

If you have never tried journaling, a good source of inspiration, and one way to learn about its powerful effects is by reading Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way. I speak a lot about her here. So do other creatives, such as Quinn McDonald. Cameron considers journal writing a means to connect with your creativity, or unblock it. She espouses its healing effects. She suggests you use journaling, what she calls The Morning Pages, to help get the crap out of your head so you can find the source of whatever holds you back--and solve the problem.

So there you have it. Journaling. Blogging is a form of journaling, in case you hadn't thought of that. Except, with blogging you're writing to help others and not just yourself. Regardless, if you are having a difficult time right now and don't know what to do about it, journaling might be the way to go. If nothing else, it will release the crap out of your head. On a higher note, the connection you make on the page by dragging out with your pen all the thoughts jumbled inside of your brain will lead you where you need to go in your pursuit of happiness. It just will. So give it a try.

For those of you who have a journaling case study and would like to share it with us so the rest of you can see I'm not as crazy as I seem, please do.

Let's talk spiritual creativity

Man's greatest asset is his mind. With it, he has the power to turn negative thoughts into positive, a question into an answer, and tragedy into triumph--a power which I believe resides in a person's spirituality, in other words, who that person is at his very core.

Maybe not always (if we consider the Edgar Allen Poes in the world), but for the most part I think the creative mind has the ability to think it's way out of trouble. Yet, it's the follow-up action that will make the most impact on how a challenge is addressed. Therefore, I think a person who denies his creativity also denies his ability to problem-solve--and he does it at the detriment of who he really is.

I think this is why Julia Cameron's book, The Artist's Way, has been so successful. It addresses this internal struggle. And it has helped so many people learn how to tap into their own creativity and live a more complete life. That's where a person's ultimate success lies--within his potential, that part of him that illustrates who he really is as a spiritual being, his inner core.

I remember telling my son something like this when he was having a terrible time in high school. He wasn't spending enough time studying. He expected to just know things. He wasn't developing his mind's ability to absorb information. He wasn't developing his confidence. He was just getting by. When his grades didn't match what he thought his grades should be, he had a hard time dealing with the truth; he needed to spend more time studying. I tried explaining to him that he wasn't living up to his ability, but he didn't want to hear that. He wanted it to be because his teachers wouldn't let him debate things. Or, because this or that teacher didn't like him.

It was only later, a few years after he'd dropped out of college, when he realized he could have done better. But now he has a family, and it's not as simple to go back to school. He's a good example of how we can do ourselves a huge disservice when we fail to grow our potential in order to discover who we really are inside. Rather than risk failing, he failed to do. He had put so much emphasis on the grade itself that he didn't realize the growth he would have gotten had he put more emphasis on the work.

This doesn't mean he'll never grow his potential. It just means he'll have to be much more creative about it. He'll have to work even harder. And if he's smart, he won't allow giving up to be an option. He needs to do some more work on who he really is within so that he can discern what he needs to do without. But how, you ask? He might consider looking to Holy Scripture for thoughts on how to connect with your greater good. For me, that would be a derivation of 1 Corinthians 13:

TRUST
First and foremost, you have to trust that the creativity is there. Just by being you, the living human being that you are, you've been given a mind. You can choose to use it to think through any challenge set before you.

FAITH
You have to have faith in your ability to look at a challenge as only the beginning. When you do that, you'll realize that it has to have an end. That's the only logical conclusion. Beginnings beget endings. They just do.

HOPE
You must have hope that you will find the solution. Nothing in life is worse than a person without hope, a person who cannot see light at the end of that dark tunnel. We've all been there. We've all seen it in one form or another. Without hope, the darkness stays. With hope, you know you'll find your way out. And you will be prepared to do what it takes to get there.

LOVE
You must love yourself enough to accept your weaknesses so that you can seek out what you need to build on your strengths. That means you will gladly reach out to others who might know better than you. You will not let pride get in the way. Instead, you embrace humility.

From there, you will find peace. You have done all that you can. The rest is up to the universe.

I am also a big fan of concentrating on the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22):

• Love
• Joy
• Peace
• Patience
• Kindness
• Goodness
• Faithfulness
• Gentleness
• Self-control

When I was going through my divorce, I wrote these words out on a Post-it Note and stuck it up on a kitchen cupboard I looked at daily. The words reminded me of what I wanted in my life. I saw them as a guide, my values. By focusing on what you value, you can tap into who you really are, thus, freeing up your ability to tap into the more productive and creative way to respond to any challenge. In the end, how you respond is what really matters. Don't you agree?

(Photo of the creatively painted truck was taken by Jackie Dishner in Globe, Ariz., 2009)

Write it down

It's the first piece of advice I give everyone I know who is in some kind of mental turmoil.

"Write it down," I tell them. "Get yourself a journal, a notebook or a napkin, if that's all you can afford, and get that stuff out of your head."

Write it down.

It's what I've been doing since I was a little girl. I've kept a journal since long before junior high school. I think I developed the habit in 4th grade. That was the year my teacher had us write our own life story. It was, essentially, my very first book. Not like the real one I have coming out this year, but it was a compilation of my thoughts and dreams. I still have a copy of it.

In junior high, I kept journals to deal with some tough stuff going on at home. Later, when I married the first time, my then-husband made me throw them all out. I couldn't tell you why, other than he must have felt threatened by them. I had made mention of my first boyfriend in them; I was 12, for goodness sakes. But, since that was only four years earlier, I guess, in his mind, it was a threat. Out they went. I remember telling him in tears, "Fine! You can make me throw these out, but you can't erase my memories." I was heartbroken. The written word has always been important in my world.

For a while afterward, I stopped keeping journals. I wrote poetry, instead. It's sort of the same. My poems were just shortened versions of my thoughts and fears. Since I married young--I was still in high school--I could tell him that I was doing homework. It really helped to have a way and a place to express thoughts that made me feel too vulnerable to share with anyone out loud. When I was 21, we divorced, and I resumed my journal writing habit. I felt empowered by the process, and I needed the mental escape.

That's why I suggest it to anyone I think might find this writing process beneficial, no matter the stressor. Journal writing, or journaling, as it's sometimes called, offers the writer the opportunity to build on three things:

• your creativity.
• your spirituality.
• your inner wisdom.

In my view, it's another way to find your BIKE. As you write down your thoughts, you begin to develop an awareness. The words on paper challenge you to seek solutions. All you have to do is keep writing regularly and trust in the process.

I have kept travel journals, food journals, journals where I did nothing more than doodle, and diaries where I wrote about all that was wrong in my world at the time. I especially relied on my journals after my second husband died; we'd only been married 7 weeks. And when my third husband left me for his secretary, I not only rode my bike but I wrote in my journal daily to deal. Nowadays, I especially like to keep a thankful journal. That's the one where nothing goes on the page except passages that describe what I'm thankful for--I do this especially when I'm NOT feeling very grateful. Then, it's just a matter of days before my attitude relaxes. Journaling is a very healthy way to squash mental anguish.

After suggesting this coping mechanism, I'll often hear, "But I don't know how to write like that." Even writers will say this. Well, the good news is you don't have to know. There's nothing to it. It's just like in a college composition class where you learned free writing. That's all it is. Just stream of consciousness writing. Put down whatever's on your mind. It doesn't have to make sense or be in compete sentences. There are no rules, though, Julia Cameron, one of the more famous advocates of journal writing (She calls it writing in your Morning Pages.), suggests doing the exercise first thing in the morning. Still, if you're really in turmoil, I wouldn't skip it just because it's already afternoon.

If you're at all resistant, look for a journal writing class. I've seen them listed in almost every city I've ever visited. I bet you can find one near you. Check with your local community center or college.

Before you know it, you'll see things more clearly, find the solutions to your problems, and become an advocate yourself.

What do you think? Do you journal? Tell us your story. We'd love to read it.

Nurturing the artist within

I love art.

I look for it everywhere I go, and it's pretty easy to find. When I used to teach elementary school children art appreciation workshops, I told my students, "Art is everywhere you look--in the fabric and design of your clothes, on the furniture at home, in the architecture of buildings, in the design of the cars your parents drive, in the food that you eat." And, of course, art was also in the prints I took with me into their classrooms. We'd talk about the artists, the works of art, and then we'd do an art project together.

Once, when I taught them about Jackson Pollock, I filled several dozen water guns with water-based paint, and we went outside to squirt multiple colors onto large stretches of butcher paper to create our own interpretations of a Jackson Pollock painting. (For fun, try it online.) This uninhibited break from their normal routine helped them grasp their own ability to be creative. The students looked forward to my visits--to see what me might do next--and I looked forward to crafting new ideas to make my visits enlightening and fun for them.

Part of my interest in working with the children stemmed from my natural love of art. I've always been attracted to color, texture, fibers, buildings and design. I took art classes in college. I write about art and design for various magazines. And I do look for art everywhere I go. I've even tried my hand at practicing different art forms...drawing, painting, working with water colors and markers. I play around with photography. I'll do anything to nurture the artist within and help others do the same. But lately, I haven't designated enough time for this.

That occured to me at the end of October, when I attended a writers' conference in Tampa, Fla. On our last night together, a small group of writers, including Barb Freda and I, went out to dinner at a restaurant called Fly, known for its tapas and live jazz. On the walls were these amazing paintings (part of one pictured above) of jazz musicians. And I just had to walk around and look at them. I took my digital camera with me and snapped a few photos of the vibrantly painted murals. I wanted to bring the color home with me. At the time, I didn't know who the artist was, but I've since discovered he's Sean Spoto, a Tampa-based artist popular for his surfboard art. I really love the energy of this painting above; it looks as though you can hear it.

To notice the way art speaks to you is to nurture your artist within, that is, to tap into your own creativity. The more you practice it, the more tuned in you become. I learned to appreciate this when studying Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way, a book which teaches a "spiritual path to higher creativity." In 1999, when I needed to grow my freelance business, a writer I met online at the Poets & Writers Speakeasy introducted me to it. Since then, I must have read her book and done the work in it three or four times. Each time I did, I became more empowered as an "artist." And I've noticed it's time for another dose of Cameron, as I'm in need of nurturing my artist within.

I actually give Cameron credit for fueling the work I've done here. I give her credit for inspiring me, for showing me that to produce art or anything else creative is an act of faith. And faith takes practice, too.

To nurture the artist within, Cameron suggests keeping a daily journal, but you must write in it first thing in the morning. She calls them the Morning Pages. Her book includes weekly exercises and questions to answer. She also suggests weekly artist dates that you must take alone. You can do anything creative, anything at all, including visit a museum, color in a coloring book, make a homemade necklace out of dried macaroni, attend a concert or theatrical production, whatever you might be interested in. Her point is that you must schedule the dates and the work on your calendar because nurturing the artist within takes time, practice and dedication.

If you're like me right now and feel as though your work isn't quite what you think it could be, if you're in need of inspiration or motivation, if you just need a kick in the pants on a particular project that seems stalled, nurturing your artist within might help.

You'll find yourself on a spiritual path of empowerment that will grow something very important to your success--faith.

I like the sound of that. Don't you?