Following a Heart of Inspiration

By Carol Woolum Roberts

The focus of Week Seven of “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron in our Sacred Community Garden this week is recovering a sense of connection.

The first subject in the chapter was about listening.  Here is the first paragraph:

          The ability to listen is a skill we are honing with both our morning pages and our artist dates.  The pages train us to hear past our Censor.  The artist dates help us to pick up the voice of inspiration.  While both of these activities are apparently unconnected to the actual art of making art, they are critical to the creative process.

I have had a lot of synchronicities this week regarding listening.  Through my morning pages, or what we like to call “Sowing Seeds”, I have been listening to my more authentic self.  I am figuring out who I am, and what I want to do.  I am listening to the good, the bad and the ugly, and getting it all down on paper.  Inch by inch, row by row, the real Carol is beginning to emerge from the soil and reveal what kind of creation she really is, and how she is being used by the Creator to create.

We had Nancy Hanks back in our podcast studio this week to do some more talking, and one of the subjects we explored was listening.  Nancy shared a fantastic story about listening inside and finding a pleasant place to visualize to calm herself.  It was a pleasant outdoor scene.  She then shared about an encounter with this scene.  To find out about Nancy’s synchronicity, listen to this week’s podcast that will be posted Friday, February 18.  It costs $10 a month to subscribe and you can click here to sign up.

Last Friday I went on an Artist’s Date, or what we like to call a “Creative Rendezvous”. While walking through a vendor mall in Spokane I started taking photos of hearts throughout the mall.  As I took the photos, I heard the voice of inspiration speak to me as I started forming some kind of writing in my head.  I am not sure what it will be.  Maybe a poem.  Maybe an essay.  But it has to do with finding truth in heart idioms.  You know, those phrases like bleeding heart, cross my heart, or don’t break my heart. 

As I put my heart into this project, I cross my heart and hope I can put my whole heart into it.  Writing is not for the faint of heart, because often we bare our heart to those who explore the depths of our heart.  My heart is set on finishing this project and sharing it soon.  I will get to the heart of the matter, not lose heart, and hopefully warm the cockles of your heart.

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Have you ever gone on an artist’s date or creative rendezvous, when you have taken yourself on a fun and playful outing all by yourself?  Has any inspiration whispered in your ear?  What was it?  We would love for you to share with us what you heard.

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