26 Comments
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Tali Sarnetzky's avatar

It sounds so wonderful to take a couple of hours every week and give myself the space to just do something fun, for the sake of enjoying it. No partner at the moment, but plenty of ideas of what I can do on my own to discover new things.

Kate Valentine's avatar

I can't wait to see what you come up with Tali ❤️

Violet Duchamps's avatar

Right so I am running along behind watching all your asses figure this out - I pick up the book tomorrow and am getting into the morning pages which feels achievable. See how we go!

Kate Valentine's avatar

One thing at a time, we're here ! Take your time x

Thomax's avatar

It’s so fascinating and exciting for me that my first set of morning pages morphed very quickly from a literal description of something into a far more poetic or impressionistic flow of words. A mildly dizzy sense of satisfaction after writing, too. It’s always pleasing to feel a physical reaction after writing.

Kate Valentine's avatar

Yes to all of this! How brilliant and exciting ❤️

T. Vale's avatar

I've never done The Artist's Way before, so I am going into this as a complete noob, but I found that doing my first set of Morning Pages has already sparked something. I wasn't writing creatively, but just making observations and a thought popped into my head that really made me rethink how I do certain things when I write. I'm sure they all won't be massive revelations, but I see how putting pen to paper regularly could shake some things loose.

Kate Valentine's avatar

YES LOVE THIS!!! and you are so welcome as a noob - we loves noobs. Throw yourself in head first

Debbie R's avatar

Morning pages have been a game-changer for me too. Sometimes I make myself wet, but more often I'm just making sense of all the things on my mind. It's like structured thinking. Most of my Substack posts start life as scribbles in the morning. Artist's dates are tricky. I allow myself to bundle writing time in there, because my family get shitty if I want to go out for hours at a time on top of skipping movie night to write and working all day.

Kate Valentine's avatar

I'm a big fan of also trying to find just small pockets of time, twenty minutes here, ten there etc... having to block out huge chunks can be such a barrier so don't. Grab a moment when you find one

T. Vale's avatar

As a compulsive rule person, the flexibility you’re putting out here is soothing. I needed the permission to unclench my jaw and take it one step at a time, even if those steps are stumbles. ❤️💋

Debbie R's avatar

Oh hey, great to see you here!!

T. Vale's avatar

Likewise, Debbie! Hope you’re doing well.

Kate Valentine's avatar

Stumbles are still movement. All welcome

Thomax's avatar

This is awakening a lot in me. When I was a teenage art student, I was into automatic writing and automatic drawing as warm up and inspiration, along with elements of chaos magic (not for any supernatural reason, just for the discipline, ritualisation, and the sense of meaningfulness and structure it gave to my looser, vaguer thoughts and desires). This course is sparking memories of how useful and stimulating those practices were. This will be fun x

Kate Valentine's avatar

Absolutely here for your chaos magic T ❤️

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Mar 6
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Thomax's avatar

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KTMFBYXmvMk 45 mins, but it’s so enjoyable

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Mar 6Edited
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Mar 6
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Kate Valentine's avatar

Pretty sure I've been both the alter and the knife so yes 🔥

Thomax's avatar

Essentially, chaos magic is creating your own personal, meaningful framework for disciplined rituals during which you focus on desires, actions, and outcomes that you want to realise in your life. It isn’t necessarily religious or theistic or even supernatural in any way, it’s more about training yourself to recognise and be sensitive and proactive towards opportunities, synchronicities, coincidences and events that appear pregnant with meaning, possibilities, and potentiality due to your newfound, wide-eyed, enthusiastic, puppyish openness to life. I’ll find a link to a really enjoyable talk about it that I loved.

Dursin's avatar

You're already describing this way better than my last attempt at the Artist's Way here on Substack. That one was very rigid. Your way seems much more fun.

Kate Valentine's avatar

It has to be fun otherwise what's the point right? Lean into what feels good. Then pleasure becomes a ritual and that's where the magic happens.

So pleased it's making sense x

Dursin's avatar

Making sense is the best way to describe it. I liked that you mentioned suggestions on working around having a job and a life. Very encouraging.

Kate Valentine's avatar

Yes we can't all live off trust funds!

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Mar 6
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Kate Valentine's avatar

Also no such thing as a dumb question 💋

Kate Valentine's avatar

Physically writing every time. You don't need to read it

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Mar 6
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Kate Valentine's avatar

So I'd read the intro and maybe week one now, and then I'll send week one essay on Sunday - with a prompt to use the chat to discuss into the week

Invariably people will find the have to take a bit longer on a particular week, so while I'd love us to be in sync all the way through were going to have to roll with it!

But yes R, I'll prompt you 💋