Going to fast

Slow down and enjoy life.  It is not only the scenery you miss by going too fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.
Eddie Cantor

Well.... I started my year officially today...  So I also started doing what I usually do:..Hurry and worry about everything about this WHOLE year.  That is a LOT to worry about.  I am often very hard on myself and often have pushed myself to my limits.  I read recently in The Artist way by Julia Cameron that being very demanding and very hard of yourself is artistic abuse.  That made me think a lot.  I have been abusing myself in that respect for a long time.  For some reason reading this phrase made me realize that I have to be gentle with me.  Of course all that rush and all that self demand is fear.  I have to stop a lot of times, breath and remember that all is well.  I literally start to do everything slower and without thinking of the results.  By doing this everything around me appears to be in a whole different dimension, the dimension of the present.

So this morning I started a painting with no particular goal in mind.  Kind of a warm up.  Started to relax.  To my surprise it came out very nice. It looked like I could do something with it.  I do not know yet.  Hurrying and worrying does not make my work better...on the contrary.

I am going to be much more gentle with me.  More loving.

So this morning before I started to paint I took some minutes to read a daily meditation of the Artist Way, it quoted amongst other inspiring sentences;   Marathon runners suggest you log ten slow miles for every fast one. THE SAME HOLDS TRUE FOR CREATIVITY.

I affirm that I will take the proper time to do whatever I have to do.  It will be fair to me, gentle to my soul and it will also nurture my creativity.

I will mention The Artist Way frequently in this blog.  Highly recommend reading.

Your comments on this are very welcome