Category: Lucky typewriter ribbon

A few days before the attacks on the World Trade Center (funny how life is "before" and "after" that day), my ex and I had a sometimes-bandmate of his over for a picnic and swimming in our co-op pool.  I talked to Peter about my frustrations with writing, and he suggested that I pick up Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, so I did.  It was a few months before I made the commitment to work through the book, but when I did, my life changed.  Really.  Not a life change like when I find a pair of pants that make my butt look fantastic, but fundamental changes in my thought process and understanding of myself.  I have volumes of morning pages that I wrote, and when I look back through them, I see the shift as I went from making myself secondary to my ex’s creative process to writing my first novel draft to dealing with my separation and divorce to falling in love with the man I will marry in eight days.

Less easy for me were the artist’s dates.  I enjoyed them when I did them, but I let myself ditch them too often.  My dear friend Cae was working through the book at about the same time, and she recalls having a similar difficulty with the artist’s dates.

Well, it’s been too long since I’ve written morning pages, and yesterday I decided that after the wedding I would go through the program again.  I have about 12 weeks off from work and a big project to complete this summer, so it feels right.  I also have a tendency to put my creativity aside for things such as washing floors, and as I enter my new life I want to ensure that I live every hour in such a way that will let my creativity blossom.  It’s time, in other words, for some tweaking of the creative recovery I experienced in 2002.

Back to the artist’s dates.  I decided one way make sure I do them would be to involve others.  Not on the dates themselves; those are meant to be solo.  I started a swap to exchange packages to spark artist’s dates ideas.  If this is something that goes well, I’ll do it every month. 

If you’re interested in The Artist’s Way, whether you once worked through the book and want to go back to some of the tasks, or you want to learn what it’s all about, head over and join the swap. It could be the start of something creative and wonderful for you.

About ten minutes ago I finished the grant I’ve been working on for ages.  Tomorrow I print everything out, make a copy of the whole piece for me, and I give this baby a kiss and send it on its way.

Could you send a little luck, karma, whatever ya got out there for me, too?  Because I’d really like to get this grant.  And I’d really like to run the program I developed for it. 

I’m taking tomorrow off from writing as I put in seven hours today.  I’ve got my lovely lunch plans, followed by a walk with the dogs, followed by…something every engaged couple probably does.  I did the first time I was engaged.  Any guesses, K.?

Ahh, hand me a bottle of water and that towel, will you?  I just finished with the treadmill after a short hiatus, and it feels good to get back on.  Ok, it’s the writing treadmill.  My goal in the next two weeks is to get 80 pages of my dissertation written, which works out to roughly 5 pages a day.  I was a real slacker during the fall semester.  Sure, I worked the treadmill more than I had ever before, but I avoided the crux of what I need to accomplish.  This means an extra semester before I’m done with school, but the one day during vacation, after I finished grading, when I looked about and realized with glee that I had nothing that had to get done?  That’s inspired me to finish up the dang degree asap.  I have a few other projects in mind for the next few weeks, so my days will be full.  Yesterday’s project: sew buttons on Neal’s shirts.  There has been a pile of shirts hanging around on a chair in our bedroom, one button short of wearable…now they’re happily completed and in the laundry.

Can I confess?  I love being a hausfrau, which is what I call myself when I have breaks from school.  I love having the few hours of writing in the morning, then housekeeping for a few hours, then walking the dogs, then relaxing in the evening.  I need a lot of mental stimulation to be a happy hausfrau, but I’ve got it in the books I read, the stories I write, the communities I’ve joined.

My hausfrau task for today coincides with my resolution.  I’m going to use Gina’s spreadsheet that she so generously shared with me and document all of my yarn.  I’ll have a clear picture by the end of the day of just what I have to use for the next nine months.  It’s kind of thrilling, but I’m an organizing geek.

For those interested in organizing, I’ve got the nascent Organized Elf blog up.  There is lots more work to be done, and I’m trying to figure things out on my own, but I may come begging for help…I’m not that comfortable with WordPress, but it would cost me about $60 to upgrade my Typepad account in order to allow others to post.  I may end up at Blogspot as I can add as many people as are interested and am more familiar with using it.  But go on over and have a gander and join if you’re so inclined. 

I’m off to whistle while I work and have a happy hausfrau day.

I do, I do.  Yesterday I bought my first skein of Lisa Souza, in the Violet’s Pink Ribbon, of course.  Part of the proceeds goes to help one of my favorite podcasters with her medical expenses, so send good wishes Violet’s way, and go buy pretty yarn from Lisa. 

When Scout asked this summer if I would be interested in writing an article she’d pitched, I agreed.  I had so much fun interviewing different hand painted yarn artists, and I hope you enjoy reading the article.  I wish I could have been even more comprehensive–every day I run across hand painters who are new to me whose work I love. 

I’ve published a few poems (the first was about the American hostages held in Iran, published by my local weekly…I started young!), some prose work, tons of pr crap (paid practice), but having an article in Knitty is exciting to me.  It’s a publication I love (who doesn’t?), and it is so much fun to write about my other obsession: fiber.  If you’re visiting me for the first time from Knitty: hi and welcome!

There was an enthusiastic response to the idea of The Organized Elf, so I’m working on a blog for us.  I don’t want to wear out my welcome with my usual source for fantastic banners as she is already stretched pretty far, so if anyone is interested in making buttons, I’d love to have them. Maybe one of them will become a banner for our year-long project.  Scout tried to school me on the art of buttons and banners last year, but I spent some time getting frustrated last night, unable to recall my lessons.  I’m a bad student!

Once again Carole has shown me love with her elegant banner design.  Head over and take a look at the swank new Treadmill Journal banner, complete with a quote from Horace.  Then go visit her and let her know she’s great.  Because she is.

You know why else?  Because she finds cool ways to raise awareness of breast cancer and to try to help those in the fight.

Thanks, Carole!  xx

Want to keep tabs on my commitment to having integrity as a writer?  Visit me at my Treadmill Journal. 

Want to keep one of your own?  Leave a comment, and I’ll link to you.