The other night among creative friends, we played
an interesting card game. It was more
than a game and I have heard people talk about these kinds of cards, but never
really felt compelled to participate in that kind of “tarot” like fortune
telling. As we went around the circle
drawing cards and then reading and discussing the interpretation, I was absolutely astounded in how accurate the
cards and the explanations seemed to be.
It was my turn, and I drew a right side up
wolf. The interpretation was a teacher, a
teacher? I thought that was interesting,
but not so sure it was correct. The
truth is I do something that looks like teaching, but I never saw it as
that. For the most part I use Julia
Cameron’s description of what I do, “facilitator”. Facilitator made so much more sense. I cannot teach anyone how to be creative,
they already know . I gently and safely
facilitate their journey to the path of their own creativity and happiness. I only help them see what is already
there. For the most part I feel like
once a year we all go on a journey to the Wizard of OZ, where at the end Dorothy
finds out all she had to do was click her heels and speak out loud what she
wanted. The power was within her all
along.
Throughout the summer, new creatives will often
compliment and thank me for what I do. Although I truly appreciate the accolades, my
first reaction is like the exposed wizard in the movie hiding behind the
curtain. We are both desperately
manipulating levers, and buttons frantically searching for the magic combination
that will produce a big “ta-da” moment in life, while sternly announcing, “Pay no attention to the man behind the
curtain”.
The wolf card says I am a teacher…
Julia Cameron calls it a facilitator;
I just call it a creative.
I have the same fears and am just as scared as everyone else in class. The only difference is I expose my fear and failures so others will see the grief and the joy of being an artist. When I fail, when I succeed, it will give others the courage to do the same,
I just do it out loud.
Julia Cameron calls it a facilitator;
I just call it a creative.
I have the same fears and am just as scared as everyone else in class. The only difference is I expose my fear and failures so others will see the grief and the joy of being an artist. When I fail, when I succeed, it will give others the courage to do the same,
I just do it out loud.
Teacher?
Facilitator?
Pay no attention to the woman-teacher-facilitaror behind the
curtain!
But watch the creative!
But watch the creative!
1 comment:
A picture says 1000 words. It's funny how we see ourselves or don't see ourselves. I have always looked at you with awe of my first grade teacher. I know that she saw me as an incredibly shy little girl with nothing much to say. But it didn't mean I wasn't learning. You are a special teacher in the way that you have shared your wisdom to all of us without holding back your own feelings. You've shown us that it's okay to write down our feelings and that through morning pages we may reach clarity. I know I have encountered many aha moments in my pages. You've shown us that it's okay to go on an artist's date completely alone. You may have passed on what Julia Cameron has written but you've done this in such a way that I would have never gotten the message while just reading the book. Knowledge is power and being exposed to that knowledge gets us half way there. The other half we have to do for ourselves. Because of the Artist's Way wisdom that you have imparted to us, I have continued with my art everyday. Although my life is complicated and busy, as it is for many of us, I continue to thrive as an artist and a creative on my own terms and have learned not to measure my practice or abilities against anyone else. To just be. I am. And that's okay. Cheryl, thank you for being you. Deborah
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