Last week was the chapter on money for me in TAW, and I have to admit that JC loses her grip on me a little bit with this chapter. I do believe that one should follow one’s bliss, and I do believe that happiness and satisfaction come from making that choice. I also believe that ultimately, people find financial success in some measure in doing what they love. I have a hard time with linking the abundant flow of cash with one’s creative happiness, for all the reasons JC lists as typical objections (and maybe a few more). I’m continuing to work on that part.
But, this week is the week I call Collage Week. One of the tasks is to make a collage and I love this assignment. I do it every time I work through TAW. There’s something so satisfying about seeking out images, then arranging them in a pleasing way – to represent a goal, a vision, a lifestyle choice or even your own self. I love the colours and the mingling of images and just the exercise itself.
There are writers who use collages as part of their creative process in writing a book. I don’t know anything about this process, beyond what I’ve just typed, so it looks like I have a new item on my TAW To Do list. I’m going to find out more about creative collaging.
For my artist date, I went to a greenhouse/nursery last week. Since winter is still hanging on here, it was wonderful to smell the warm earth and see all the little plants growing for spring sales. I bought some daylily bulbs and some potting soil to pot them up this week – although they’re supposed to be dormant, they’ve already started to sprout. They can live in one of the windows until it’s time for them to move outside. Buying them got me to doodling about the garden – what to change, what to move, what to add – and making Action Plans. I can’t wait to get my hands in the soil again.
How about you? Still writing your morning pages? Still going on your artist date? Found any exercises or tasks you particularly love? Or are you – like me – finding new areas to explore?
Deborah Cooke: Author 
2 responses to “TAW #6 Weekly Check-In”
I just did my first collage for a WIP, well, it’s not really a collage but I added pictures to my storyboard poster and it’s generated some cool ideas. I am planning to do more collages.
Regarding financial success for those who follow their bliss, I personally think there is a flow of abundance when people are creatively engaged in their personal happiness. I DO have issues with abundance being related to cash.
Some of the wealthiest people I have known had extremely small portfolios yet their lives were full of love, fun, friends and family, and an abundant sense of self worth in their connection to the world. All of these people have an appreciation of music, art, and story even if their work is not related to any of these.
I personally think a lot of people get tripped up and disillusioned by the law of attraction principles and relating wealth to money. Your speech at ECWC on personal success is the more objective approach. JC might rewrite this chapter in TAW if she heard how you explained it in October. 🙂
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LOL – thanks for the kind words, Terri!
I believe that expecting a very linear link between cash and creativity can be toxic to writers. I’ve seen many writers so focussed on financial success that they overlook the fact that they are actively engaged in doing something they love. That’s a shortcut to burnout – most of those writers are no longer publishing, even though many of them are very talented.
I’m glad you enjoyed my talk at ECWC. I had such a good time at that conference. 🙂
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