How far do you think ahead?

For many weeks I have been making steps to develop my creativity, but pursuing The Artist’s Way programme is also about planning ahead.

I want to keep week eight of Artist’s Way a secret. It’s all about finding strength and taking steps towards your ultimate goals. I don’t mind talking in general terms that my goal is to get creative work published but fantasizing about your dream life: that should be private

What Cameron is asking you to do is to look at those goals then break them down into five year, year, month and week plans. It’s a little intimidating and to be honest my resolution has been “finish the damn draft” for a long time.

What was interesting was reflecting on the other dreams that came up for me. This relates to the exercise she sets in week seven around jealousy. Cameron tells us “jealousy is a map” again, it’s horrible to admit that you feel professional jealousy towards others but it’s also a useful tool.

If you care so much about what someone else is doing, you may understand what would really make you happy.

In completing the tasks she set I identified my desire to work on a play, to write poetry. I think writing a novel is a very isolated experience. Both these other dreams require me putting myself out there more. It also identified for me that I really didn’t know what the next steps were to pursue these dreams. And she does want you to make practical steps.

I think I am very good at dreaming about the end result but visions of finding your book at the airport, don’t help you get to the finish line. In thinking about my goals it motivated me to work more. I have worked on a short story, written and promoted more blog posts and started to develop the early parts of my novel as I am switching my timeline around. And I have to admit it’s yielding results, my readership though small was more this month than all previous months and I feel a renewed vigour for my work that I haven’t for a while.

Hope is one thing, but I think as you are working towards your creative recovery, Cameron wants you to work forward, step-by-step.