As you know, because I won’t stop talking about it, I’m currently working my way through The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. It’s a 12-week program designed to help un-block artists of all kinds, though I’ve found it especially helpful for writing.
(Interestingly, I did not see myself as a “blocked” writer when I first started the course, but that’s a discussion for another day.)
Today, Julia asked me to consider the questions I’m asking myself, because, in her words, “When we are ogling the accomplishments of others, we… ask ourselves the wrong questions, and those wrong questions give us the wrong answers.”
So for instance, when we’re looking at someone else’s book deal or prolific word count, we might ask of ourselves:
- “Why do I have such rotten luck?”
- “Why can’t I be more like [famous person] or [successful friend]?”
- “What’s wrong with me?”
- “Why am I such a miserable failure?”
- “Why am I literally the worst?”
These useless (and often harmful) questions allow us to ignore the Real Questions — the truth-seeking missiles we need to focus on ourselves and our own work, such as:
- “Did I work on my creative project today?”
- “Did I do any marketing for my upcoming book launch?”
- “Why have I been putting off this project deadline?”
- “Have I done any networking on behalf of this project?”
- “What boundaries do I need to set to ensure that I have the time and energy to work on my project this week and feel good about it?”
Ask these Real Questions of yourself, but when you do, I urge you to be kind. Go gently. Do not allow yourself to be cynical or cruel. This is not a blame festival, or yet another reason to feel bad about or find fault within yourself. It’s a gentle foray into who you are as a creator.
If it helps, answer your Real Questions in the words of someone who loves you and cares deeply about nourishing you creatively.
Where is your focus today? Where do you want your focus to be for the rest of the week? How about in the new year? Is this focus on you and your creative work — or someone else’s?
What are the Real Questions you need to be asking yourself?
Words & warmth,
Sarah