Excuses and ideas

I'm drowning in a sea of guilt over my atrophying creative muscles. Every flat surface in the house is piled high with things that belong somewhere else. The play/art room is still in upheaval although there has been some progress made on the removal of the old wallpaper.

Since I see things that need cleaning, removing, replacing, organizing in every room of the house, I feel like I need to run out of that room and get somewhere else, fast. EXCEPT, there is no clean, organized, good feeling room of the house at the moment. The bathroom is almost there....I'd say that the bathroom is the most relaxing space at the moment. Problem is, the kids seem to notice if I hide out in there for more than a few minutes at a time. "Moooooooommmy, where arrrrrre youuuuuu??", rings out and bounces off the walls until I am compelled to confess my location.

So the tough part is - overcoming my sense of being overwelmed and just STARTING to get a room under control. It's like a giant game of dominos though. I can't get the diningroom in hand until I list that stuff on craigslist and I can't unload the rest of the junk taking up space in there until I can move it all back into the art room. And I can't move the stuff into the art room until the wallpaper is removed, the walls patched, and then the paint is applied (and dried, of course). Each room has a similar pattern of excuses....I can't clean up X until Y is done and I can't do Y until Z is done.....etc. Etc. ETC....

So, in addition to the long list of excuses (surely I can find a reason to leave the house and go shopping to avoid starting a room??), I thought I would share something cool that I read this morning.

I recently checked out a bunch of creative type books from the library. I have been skimming through the book, "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron. Although she makes a lot of references that sound like she is preaching about God being worshiped through creativity.....which I'm thinking I'm not quite on board with, she has some really cool thoughts and recommendations in there as well. Like for instance, considering our inner CENSOR as a wild beast animal to be ignored and than taken out and shot. Those aren't her words but the idea is there. Sort of viewing those negative, self depricating thoughts as an evil monster to be taken on, battled, and destroyed. I'm thinking of creating a piece based on this concept to remind myself to conquer it and not let it take over.

One of the first things she recommends is a daily routine of opening your eyes in the morning and immediately writing three pages of whatever. Nonsense, self-pity, angry, complaining, brain storming, random words, random fleeting thoughts.....anything. Just filling the pages to get your logic brain to shut up its loud talking and letting your creative brain get in a word edgewise. Here is a cool excerpt from the book:

"Boredom is just "What the use?" in disguise. And "What's the use?" is fear, and fear means you are secretly in despair. So put your fears on the page. Put anything on the page. Put three pages of it on the page."