Sara's Blog

Have you ever been on an information diet? For the past 4 weeks, I’ve been doing Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, which is a 12-week program to inspire creativity and focus on nurturing a creative mindset. Actually, according to the book, it’s “a spiritual path to higher creativity” and couldn’t we all use a bit of that?

Anyway, one of the challenges this week is what Julia Cameron describes as “reading deprivation”. To an avid reader like me, this very idea inspires not creativity, but panic. The premise is that, without distractions, we are forced to become present in the here and now…and without distractions, we’re compelled to fill the silence with something—hopefully, something creative, or mindful.

It has been a challenge, to say the least. No flipping through magazines while making dinner, no pre-bedtime novel, no newspapers, blogs, Facebook,or website browsing. No information. And as agonizing as it can be, I’ve found that it works. You know how you can find yourself spending hours online or flipping through magazines? Not for me this week.

So what can you do when you’re not reading, surfing or collecting information? Well, the idea is to fill the time with creativity, play and rest. So this week I’ve tried new recipes, finished my embossed-metal platter project (that’s been half-done for two weeks), cleaned all the goo from my craft mat, planted tulips, organized the closet, wrote three chapters in a book I’m working on, finished an oil painting and started a collage, celebrated Passover with friends, gone for coffee and done more yoga than anyone really needs to. A friend asked me how I felt last Saturday, after being faced with a long day devoid of reading. The answer was tired…in a good way. I felt, for the first time in a long time, that I had really been present and creative—without distractions.

Take this candle, for example. I’ve wanted to decorate a candle with Dazzles™ for awhile…this week I had no excuses. And it was easy. I bought an inexpensive candle at the grocery store, and added Gold Heart Dazzles™ and red rhinestone stickers. Done—in about 5 minutes and under $5.00. As for the candle/sticker combination…these pillar candles burn straight down, so the wax won’t run over the sides and spoil all my “hard work”!

(But I’m still looking forward to Saturday, when I can pick up a book again!)