Thanks for all your comments. Really impressed that on Kerry's first 'morning pages' jaunt that she got such insights already.

What you learning about yourself this week?

I was annoyed to see me having a conversation about my alcohol intake in my morning pages. I've always been a big drinker – since I was 13 when I sieved my first bottle of cider through my nose! My journalist days didn't help – where I could drink a bottle a day without it touching the side. But I'm older and supposedly wiser but do love to drink a glass or two of wine at night – it helps me relax or that's what I tell myself. But there have been a couple of occasions when I've been out recently – when I have got very tipsy. Not a good look. Yes, I had a tough year last year but now it's over. 

And I've found myself in my morning pages discussing my alcohol intake. And it's boring and repetitive. And it's just not a conversation I want to be having with myself. I know I've always had a dodgy relationship with alcohol. And I don't want dodgy relationships in my life any more.

So in week 1, I think I'm going on the wagon. And see if I can do this 12 week process through without a glass of wine in my hand.

That's going to be interesting!

So what are you discovering about yourselves in your morning pages?

We can discuss it more in the Big Leap zone. Go to www.thebig-leap.com and go to the big leap zone, use LEAP as your password and join the chat room to chat.

P.S we've had loads of volunteers for guest bloggers and we're now taking names for a reserve list. Thank you.

This week we're 're-covering a sense of safety' for our inner artist – identifying the negative beliefs that keep us from creating and creating some new mantras that champion our artist within. I love it.

I have just booked Dr David Hamilton, author of How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body, to come and do a big talk in London on the 25th April.(watch this space)

Hamilton is
a scientist, who was inspired by the field research tests he conducted for drug
companies. Realising that placebo tests produced comparable results with the
sample that received the actual drug, he set about understanding why. “The more
research I did, the more studies I found that showed irrefutable evidence that
the thoughts we think have a massive impact on our bodies and our lives.

The mind cannot tell the difference between real
and imagined," he says.

In context of this first chapter of The Artist's Way, Hamilton's book has made me realise how the negative stories we tell ourselves about our creativity/our talent or lack of it – will profoundly affect what we create in our lives as well as on the page.

But what I've discovered is that it takes immense courage to change the stories that we tell ourselves. When we change our beliefs about what is possible, then things begin to change – and that can be very scary. It's sometimes easier to hide and grumble in the shadows.

I completely resonated with Cameron's description of the shadow artist. I married an 'artist' – a musician and spent a large part of my marriage championing his dreams versus following my own. Much easier! But when I first read the Artist's Way, this first chapter resonated so deeply that I went off and signed up to a screenwriting course, and started writing my novel. I didn't want to live in the shadows. And it's working. Not because I've got a deal or a film optioned but merely because I've dared to see myself as a creative.

What would happen if you dared to see yourself as creative being? I say 'dare' as Cameron also mentions it. "Very often audacity, not talent, makes one person an artist and another a shadow artist – hiding in the shadows, afraid to step out and expose the dream to the light, fearful it will disintegrate to to the touch."

It reminds me of what I always say about the Big Leapers – some of my most successful clients are not successful because they are more talented, more creative, more brainy – they are just braver. They dare to put themselves out there, they dare to fail, they dare to put their head above the parapet and go for it. And to start you off on the journey, that's all you need. 'Leap and the net will appear', indeed.

I've just spend the afternoon watching Kung Fu Panda with my son. It's brilliant. It's about Po, a 'big, fat panda' who 'by accident' is chosen to be the 'dragon warrior' – despite there being a crack team of kung-fu experts who would seemingly be better served to save the valley from the baddie – the scary snow leopard. Better at feeding his face than kung fu, Po discovers that he can use his innate hungry personality to motivate him to learn kung fu in 5 days. And learns the secret from the dragon scroll that 'there is no secret ingredient' to learn. 'It's just believing in yourself.'

Ok, it's a Dreamswork film but there I was weeping on the sofa because it hit the spot. We're not perfect, we may not be a creative genius, we may be 'a big fat panda' but when we use what skills and our innate talents – be that eating or kung fun – and have the courage to believe in ourselves, then who knows where we may end up?

This first chapter of The Artist's Way helps us re-ignite that self belief. And I know from personal experience and from coaching thousands of clients that this can be the biggest leap of all.

Exercises this week:

1. Read chapter 1
2. Do as many of the exercises at the end of the chapter as you can fit in.
3. And don't forget your daily morning (or er, evening pages) plus your artist's date. There is a blanket of snow where I am today so I think I'm going to start my week with a bit of snowman building.

Well, I procrastinated some more, had a nap, and then finally at 2.30pm got round to doing my morning pages.

only a page and half. (but really, really big pages, honest) and what a load of old drivel. But I'm off the starting blocks.

How are you all doing? And what's the ruling about the pages? Can I make a suggestion that as long as we do our pages every day – we can do them in whatever time frame we want versus just the morning. I know why the morning pages work in the morning but I suspect with my son, the dog-walking, the general chaos in my house – these will be the perfect excuse not to write them.

So I'm giving myself permission to do the afternoon/evening pages.

What will work for you?

I am delighted that so many of you have signed up to walk the Artist's Way with me. (over 250 of us!)

I love The Artist's Way and always name it as one of my top five life changing books. When I first completed Julia Cameron's course, it affected me profoundly. My creativity – always one of my top values – seemed to explode. Yes, I started to write more creatively – I wrote a screenplay, started a novel, a blog and about three new projects but it was more than just that. The Artist's Way helped me think and create from a different paradigm. The Big Peace was directly inspired by this course.

In short, it changed my life. Let see if changes yours.

Let's get started.

This week, let's read the introduction and basic principles so we can start next Monday on week 1.

 I have recommended this book to all my clients and some get very alarmed by the use of the 'God' word but as Julia Cameron explains – you don't have to believe in God or have any kind of spiritual beliefs to do this course. YOu just have to do the work and exercises and suspend judgement.

Cameron suggests that we create a weekly schedule to work through this book. Shall we set a schedule now?

HOw about I post instructions/comments every sunday night and we endeavour to read the chapter and complete the exercises by the following sunday. I will blog on my thoughts and you can post your thoughts and comments as we go along and support each other.

Cameron suggests we spend about an hour a day doing some work on this course – perhaps one or two exercises a night? But she doesn't expect us to do all of them – just the ones that appeal to us and those we most strongly resist.

Homework for this week:

Read Introduction and Basic tools chapters.

Get your head around the morning pages (one habit I still have to this day…but they are usually my 'evening pages) 3 pages of long hand writing – just vomitting out your thoughts on to the page.

"The morning pages are the primary tool of creative recovery," says Cameron.

So try it out this week.

The other exercise is to book your first artist's date. Two hours weekly dedicated to a play date with your inner artist. Last time I did this course, I was so resistant to this, I had to work myself up to two hour slot – starting with a 10 minute artist's date. 

Finally, this week, sign your contract. 

I, ………….., understand that I am undertaking an intensive, guided encounter with my own creativity. I commit myself to the 12 week duration of the course. I, ……………, commit to weekly reading, daily morning pages, a weekly artist's date and the fulfillment of each week's tasks.

I, …………., further understand that this course will raise issues and emotions for me to deal with. I, …………………., commit my self to excellent self care – adequate sleep, diet, exercise, and pampering -for the duration of the course.

———————————-

(signature)

___________

(date)

(Perhaps print this out and stick it on your fridge)

Ok…..we're off the starting blocks.

I was talking this morning about Julia Cameron's best-selling book The Artist's Way. Essentially, it's about creative recovery but often it's a great book for life recovery too.

Just a thought. Would anyone like to do the 12 week course with me via this blog?

There is a weekly chapter with exercises to follow but that might be a wonderful way to start 2009? Perhaps we could start the introduction chapter week commencing 26th January so we're ready to start the 12 week course in February?

I think I may have just got a book deal with Hay House for The Big Peace! Just waiting for contracts to be signed. How exciting is that! Especially wonderful for me as Louise Hay, the founder of Hay House and author of You Can Heal Your Life as been one of my inspirations for so long. And Hay House publish so many of my favourite authors – from Dr David Hamilton to Michael Neill.

So if I'm going to be writing away for the next few months, I may need some creative inspiration so The Artist's Way is just the ticket.If you want to join me, sign up here.