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Apr9
Mar16
Start with the End in Mind
In order for the blog posts to read sequentially I’m starting with Theme 12 in ‘ Walking in the World.’ If all goes well, I’ll arrive at Theme 1 by summer when I’m on the road once more north of the border. But this time, I’m leaving an established home here in Mexico to travel by Amtrak in the United States and to accomplish the final liquidation on my storage locker in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada.
I am now a Residente Temporale. Still a proud Canadian citizen but a newly minted resident in Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico.
Feb10
Altered Book & Book Arts Opening Reception at MarinMOCA – Marin Matters – April 2016
This exhibit has come and gone but…I’m posting this link because of the excellent definition of altered books.
Dec1
Jen Morris Creative & a Deliberate December
https://www.jenmorriscreative.com/deliberatedecember2016/ As 2017 draws to a close it’s a great time to reflect upon and give thanks for all the abundance in our lives and yes, the lessons, losses and challenges on our life journey. Some sections are smooth sailing and some sections we threaten to capsize without a trace but our incredible resilience for weathering life storms sometimes surprises even us at our darkest hour. The Artist, Jen Morris has a no cost 30 day writing prompt schedule that is easy and fun to do as we count down the remaining days in this year. 
Aug30
How About Trying This Out For Your Artist Walk?
A New Way of Walking
http://www.utne.com/community/a-new-way-of-walking?pageid=2#PageContent2
In between the routine and the random something called psychgeographical walking based on algorithms has actually been around since the 50s but it only entered my consciousness this very week as I continue to sift/ sort/ donate and discard anything I don’t want to leave behind in my rented storage locker.
Check this interesting article out and give it a try especially in a very familiar neighbourhood where you almost don’t even notice anything new anymore. The urban landscape is constantly shifting, changing and evolving!
Jun1
Once More with Feeling!
Group #12 has started with five participants in attendance and another joining us next week. This week our theme is
Igniting a Sense of Wonder
and we are using Julia Cameron’s newest book called, ‘ It’s Never Too Late; Creative Adventures in Midlife and Beyond.
Besides the three ongong artist way tools of morning pages, artist dates and walks Julia is asking us to excavate our personal histories by dividing our age by 12. This week we discussed what our earliest personal memories might be and we spent some time writing about these very early memories using our new Bic disposible fountain pens. We also got our swag bags with a folder for handouts and a DIY binding kit.
We went over the three Artist Way tools and discussed the addition of memoir writing. The following questions were read and written about.
Age ____
Where did you live?
Who took care of you?
What’s your earliest memory?
What was your favorite book and toy?
Describe a smell that you remember from this stage of your life.
What was your favorite food?
Describe a sound from this part of your life.
Describe a location from this part of your life.
What other memories occur to you from this period. Perhaps they could be incorporated into an upcoming Artist Date.
Task
Never Too Late
Take pen in hand and finish the following 1 to 5.
1. If it werent too late I’d …
2. If it werent too late I’d…
3. If it werent too late I’d…
4. If it werent too late I’d…
5. If it were’nt too late I’d…
In our check in on session two we will also talk about our inner critic. Julia Cameron calls her’s Nigel!
One section of the chapter is entitled, Shrink Your Critic.
Do YOU have an inner crictic or sensor? Does he/she/it have a name?
May17
Return to Salt Spring Island?
At Large Workshops – Salt Spring arts Council
http://ssartscouncil.com/at-large-workshops
I was an Airbnb manager last summer on Salt Spring Island so I’m going to keep posting artistic opportunities both near and a bit farther away. The picturesque SSI as well as the slightly closer Gabriola are now on my Artist Way ‘radar’. I post then strictly for FYI purposes. I’m not advertising or endorsing any particular artist; just bringing to your attention some upcoming wonderful classes and workshops scheduled at various working artist’s studios.
The May 25th start for the 12th, yes 12th Artist Way creative cluster is a ‘go’! I started facilitating groups originally in the dining room of my character house in downtown Penticton. My friends said that I had the biggest dining room AND a table with two leaves to expand the table to accommodate twelve participants so I was the other-appointed, not self appointed leader!
We collectively journeyed through the 12 themes of the first book which led to the second, ‘ Walking in the World’ book which almost led to the third book ‘ Finding Water, the Art of Perseverance but alas the momentum was sadly lost over the Christmas, season not to be picked up until a few years later.
When I sold my home shortly after I retired to move to Nanaimo I contacted the Unity Church of Nanaimo to see if they’d like to sponsor an Artist Way group in their building on East Wellington Road.
They did! So I conducted a number of successful sessions which led me to seek off site locations. I remember vividly that I strongly felt that I wanted to be near or overlooking the ocean because I felt drawn to facilitate Julia Cameron’s book ‘ Finding Water.’
And it came to pass better than I could have possibly imagined because a penthouse condo was offered to us as a location for all twelve weeks! So we were both near AND overlooking the ocean and the Nanaimo Yacht Club right in the heart of the city.
Because I was a snowbird in Mexico for half a year I have also led groups in Mexico. The first group was right in my living room in Centro Ajijic and for the second group I pulled out all the stops and booked space in the Wellspring Retreat Centre in Centro San Miquel de Allende. In both Mexican grupos we even attracted one lone male in each group!
So that’s the basic time line which leads up to this exact moment in time where we are once more on the brink of stepping on that magic carpet ride. 25th of May; a new moon, no less!
Miracles/ milagros guaranteed.
Seriously. Of course, this was also my reaction to Julia Cameron’s book jacket with her perhaps twenty year old picture.
Seriously?
