Today, I was without electricity for several hours so I didn’t have internet access. I think sometimes this can be a good thing because it forces me to slow down and READ! I’d like to read more but there always seems so much I need to be DOING!
In Natalie Goldberg’s book, “The True Secret of Writing,” she talks about slowing down and “uprooting the urgency, the feeling that everything is an emergency.” She suggests you sit still for five minutes a day and pay attention to your breath. She also has you slowly walking by not going anywhere but focusing on placing one foot in front of the other and being present in the moment.
I have always dreamed that “some day” I’d be a writer (and an artist). I think this is the reason this book caught my attention. I also like the art and colors on the book cover…
I do believe that blogging has helped me write more but I’d like to learn to create a daily writing practice much like creating art each day. I’m hoping this book will give me the tools to make it happen. I will let you know how it goes…
I created this doodle in my journal with a black pen and watercolor pencils on Sunday after I started reading the book:
I think that silence or quieting my mind, can help me to truly listen. To pay attention in art, writing and life.
What about you, what helps you to slow down and focus?
Happy Creating! 🙂
Jill's Art Journal 
What a nice post! I really like your doodle and the colours you´re using in it. And the book sounds really interesting. Have fun reading it – I hope your dream of writing will come true! I´m also dreaming of becoming a writer – but painting is easier somehow. It´s quicker and it´s more about DOING than THINKING (just as you mentioned in your post). For me I think art itself is kind of a meditation – you really have to focus to not miss the small details or the essence of something. Thanks for making me think a little about this, Jill! ❤️
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Hi Ann, So nice to hear from you! And I agree, art is a form of meditation for me also. I think writing can be a lot like art though, some art mediums come more naturally to me than others. Writing my thoughts comes easier than say writing an article for publication. I think its great how you are pursuing your painting! 🙂
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A little “quiet time” each day is important for all of us, and it’s especially valuable for those who are involved in creative arts — which, IMHO — should be all of us. I like the doodle and what it says. As for writing…just do it. There’s no other way to become a writer than by sitting down and writing. Writing is thinking, and it involves a lot of decision-making, too. If it’s something you truly want to do, stop “thinking” about all the “thinking” and focus instead on the “doing” aspects. As I’ve told myself so many times about learning art, what I produce doesn’t have to be good. I can practice and improve. The same is true with writing. Don’t worry about results. Just write, and then write a little more. And a little more. Don’t ever stop if this is a dream you want to pursue.
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Thanks Judith, good advice! 🙂
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Lovely journal page and really good thought. I totally hear you.
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Thank you Jodi! I guess the older I get, I more I realize I need to start pursuing some of these dreams! Sometimes it helps just to talk about them. I appreciate your support! 🙂
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I hear you!
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I try to do a bit of yoga or stretching each morning, and just pay attention to what I’m doing. But it’s hard, because the “to do” list is always in the back of my mind. You seem to be in the habit of daily art, just add a few minutes of writing to start. But you are so right about the internet…it eats hours and hours each day…(K)
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You are wise to start your day with stretching/yoga each day. I have been trying to walk daily and this has been helping me. And I like your idea of adding a few minutes of writing to start. This seems very doable! 🙂
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Walking is good too! That’s what we did at the beach, and it’s a good way to start the day.
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Thanks Kerfe! 😍
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Good morning Jill!! I love your Summer message on us all slowing down.Your inspiring and loving creativeness shows through in every morning blog.Hugs and your journal page is AWESOME!,just like you are!!
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Thank you, Denise! Hugs to you too! 🙂
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Quiet time for me would mean listening to my own breathing during exercise. The relaxing feeling helps my mind see clearly the things that bothers me. Or if I have an unfinished project, I get a lot of inspiration and light bulb ideas from the exercise. The only time running did not made sense was when I went on a crazy full marathon trail run with my husband. The silence of the trail made me crazy and so afraid. I was crying on and off during my eight hour cut off time because the silence was so deafening.
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This sounds like a good practice to listen to your breath during exercise, Carrie Lynn. I find that walking helps me to find inspiration and relaxation too. I used to be a runner but cannot do it any more. I commend you on running a full marathon! An AMAZING accomplishment although very difficult indeed! It sounds like it helped you discover more about yourself. 🙂
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Oh yes, Jill. That long run helped me a lot – physically and mentally. I stopped running late last year but I am slowly getting back at it. I still want to run another marathon before I turn 50 in 4.5 years.
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Wow! You go girl!! 🌟🌟🌟
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Good morning Jill!! Thank you for your morning blogs the are so lovely.Your picture is AWESOME and the love and creativeness always shines through my dear friend!!
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Thank you, again, Denise! I’m glad you are enjoying my blog. That makes me happy to hear! 🙂
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Oooh….I will have to check out that book. Keep us updated on your thoughts!
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Thanks Kathy! I will do that! 🙂
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Thank you Jill for your thoughtful post. Slowing and being mindful of our moments makes for a beautiful day.
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You are so wise, Sharon! 🙂 Thank you for your understanding, my friend! 🙂
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I swear I’m so ADD, I can’t focus well most of the time, but I think my best thinking-focusing times are when I’m showering and right before falling asleep. 🙂
I read Goldberg’s “Writing Down the Bones” about 25 years ago and it was very helpful. Will have to check this one out!
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I have trouble focusing too, Teresa! Maybe it’s because there are so many distractions in our lives! 😉 I read her first book many years ago also. I want to go back and read it again once I am done with this book. Do you sit down and just write for a certain period of time each day, without editing your thoughts? I used to do this but got out of the practice. I like that Goldberg gives permission in her book to do just that – to write without critiquing it. 🙂
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I don’t free-write much anymore though I had occasionally in the past. I really should but I’m frozen over the format. Do I want to do it in an anonymous blog? Do I want to in a journal? So many decisions. :} But I do think it’d help me “prime the pump,” so to speak, and prepare me for writing the other official things I should be doing.
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I like my dog walks for being in the moment and watching hockey lol. Love that cover! Maybe you are a poet, Jill. Haiku?
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Dog walking is the perfect way to slow down, Catherine. I don’t have a dog but I do try to walk outside each day. My Fitbit helps motivate me! 🙂 And isn’t that book cover just gorgeous! I like Haiku, like you Catherine but I think I’d like to try writing for magazines about my art. I know I “should” just go for it. I guess I need to figure it out in my head first, if that makes sense! 😉
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Oh how exciting!
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Sounds like an interesting read. Silence and quieting the mind always seems to raise an awareness and allow for more focus. I am easily distracted but setting aside time to sketch and write helps me to quiet down the noise and focus. I look forward to seeing what your learn from the book and how you apply it…sounds like a wonderful journey of discovery.
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I think setting aside time is the key, Haunani. I’d like to make writing a daily practice along with my art. I used to make the time to write but got away from it – and miss it. I will post my discoveries as I continue reading this book. 🙂
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Hi my friend! Great drawing…..looks like a bicycle! So creative and fun! A bicycle built for two! Wahoo! 🙂
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Lol! I “trained” you too well! 🙂
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Colorful doodle! Yes sometimes I have to remember to slow down too. Looks like an interesting book.
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Thanks Jennifer! Doodles are always so relaxing for me! 🙂
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Yes doodling is… thats why I enjoy it too.
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Beautiful post Jill! 😍Love this! I too have always wanted to be an artist and writer. Blogging is all I can do at the present, but we’re both doing it already! 😉So yay!! Hehe 🎨✏️💕
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So true, Charlie! 😄💕 Thanks for the reminder, my friend! 😊🎨✏️🌟
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I love this artwork, Jill, and I love her book Writing Down the Bones, I didn’t know about this other one. I find yoga and meditation both helpful, but haven’t made time to do either one in a long while. Thanks for the reminder. Also, the Calm app (it is free) is great for little, simple guided meditations and just turning electronics off is great. Power outages can be great things, as you’ve shown us here. Your “doodles” are gorgeous things!
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Thanks Laura, I will check out the Calm app. Happy you like my doodle – they are a form of meditation for me. 😃
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You do them really beautifully. My doodles aren’t nearly as attractive. 😍🎨👏
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I think doodling is a great way to relax your mind. It’s expressive and simple. However, I also try to do a 20 minutes yoga routine each day just to loosen my bones and get my mind to slow down. There is something about focusing entirely on your body and your breathing that frees your mind.
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I agree, Nancy! 😍 Can you recommend a book or DVD that you use for your yoga? I’d like to find a simple stretching routine that I can do with arthritis. 💕😃✨
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I actually use an app on my iPad called “Simply Yoga.” I’ve had it for a couple of years so I can’t remember how much it was but there is a free version. I really like it because, not only does it have routines all set for you to follow, you can also make up your own with whatever poses you want for whatever amount of time you want.
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Thanks Nancy, I will check it out. 😄
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