“Week one of the Aritist’s Way and I am enjoying the journey although I must admit I have had a little bit of travel sickness.

I love doing my morning pages, although I am not too sure that there is any content in them that anyone else would find of any value or inspiration .  I can easily fill 3 pages and 3 A4 sizes at that.  I had a bit of a heart sink moment when I realised that I hadn’t been writing enough as to begin with warm up week I had been writing in my nice posh moleskine not the right size journal – little miss perfect had a moment where I was ready to throw it all in as I thought shit I can’t even get the page size right (“my inner pessimist shouting why did you sign up for this course, what artistic talents do you have,  you can’t even do the mp’s right, give up” ) , !!!! Now I am writing on my A4 writing pad from the pound shop.I’m saving my moleskine for the tasks. The tasks have been an eye opener , stiring up lots of memories and emotions.  Im not too keen at looking at the monsters.   Pretty Scary !!!! Then moving on to the champions I wasn’t too sure that there were any.  So did that mean I am a crap writer and should give up now on week 1 or does that mean that I’m just choosing not to acknowledge them. ?    I am getting up a little earlier than I normally would and I have told everyone not to disturb me .  That is if they happen to get up at the crack of dawn.

My reason for doing the Artists Way is I have a gut feeling that there is a book in here somewhere, something that I need to get out there in the big wide world . Although my inner critic doesn’t seem to think so and I have had lots of moments this week where I have questioned why I am actually doing it, lots of I’m not good enough, nothing to say that is any different from what has already been said blahblahblah.   I’m writing a self-help book/programmes etc and listening to me I need to hurry up and write and get published as I could do with reading it.

I have already been on one Artist’s Date this week, Julia says that if you feel blocked in anyway then it is good to double up on the dates. Is there anyone out there that feels like me and is worried that they could be in danger of becoming an Artist’s date junkie.    I only went to Starbucks for a coffee and to pretend to be a published author (only pretending to myself, I managed to contain myself and didn’t ask the girl behind the counter if she had read my book) lots of authors have a spot in Starbucks or so I’ve heard.  Anyway Starbucks wasn’t filled with inspiration in fact I’ve realised I write better at home and can sprawl out more . I wonder what the rest of you do.  Are you all neat and tidy or do you sprawl like me, do you have a particular pen/pencil , do you have a writer’s desk, have you got a ritual, a lucky crystal, do you meditate before hand, what are you inspired by?, what gets your creative juices flowing?.. Share please any tips are welcomed.    This is all new to me , I have always wanted to write but somehow never did (or rather never showed anyone my writing) it was interesting to realise Julia would say I’m a shadow artist.   Well I have now decided to step out of the shadows and into the sun ready to shine and share my work with the world .  So hello everyone , great to meet you I’m the one in Starbucks pretending to be an author .  See you next in Waterstone’s under Self Help.”

Here is a tip for you all – Turn off the word count, have some fun, Come out to play, Let yourself Shine.

I love this quote  Every Child is an artist .  The problem is having to remain an artist when he grows up.  Pablo Picasso.

5 things that I have learnt from the AW this week .
1.  No matter how many times I have told myself that I have nothing to say.  The morning pages have proven otherwise.  I    have filled 3 pages each day.  I may well class those pages as drivel.  yet that drivel has been useful.

2.  I have got way too many things going on in my mind.   I could do with making my life more relaxed.  The mp’s have helped me to gain some clarity.  (note point 1, there you go useless drivel isn’t so useless)

3.  I could do with some TLC – I am full of blurts and there I was thinking I had done so much work on myself and I wasn’t writing because I just wasn’t a writer.

4.  Artist dates , although I am going to need to juggle lots around in order to go on my dates deep down I am really looking forward to them as I will be doing something different which will be great writing material .

5.  I like the thought of doing the Artist’s Way as part of a group – We are all in this together.  I’m rooting for you rooting for me feels good.

Here is a quote for all the parents out there that may feel guilty and self indulgent.

Nothing has a stronger influence psychologically on their environment and especially on their children
than the unlived life of the parent.
Carl G. Jung

And one for all of us with the need to follow our dream/our intuition.

Inside you there’s an artist you don’t know about…….say yes quickly,
if you know, if you’ve known it from before the beginning of the universe.
Rumi

Deb Macaulay

I was joined by over 250 of you last year – and it was a brilliant, challenging and creative time. Not all of us finished, many of us resisted, all of us laughed, cried, and some of us punched through some old thinking in order to become more creative, (others melted resistance with a gentle sigh.)

Last year, we communicated via my blog but this year I have invested in a new membership site where we will able to communicate better together, support each other, share our thoughts and journey. Because of the investment, I’m charging a small fee of £3 a week. (Think of it as your bus fare to your class)

But be assured, you’re paying for the room, you’re not paying for me as your ‘self-appointed’ guru. I’m going to facilitate, invite guest bloggers, interview a few artists about their processes but I’m not going to be the expert here.

Cameron says: “If there is any emissary, it is the work itself, as a collective composed of all who take the course, at home or otherwise. Each person is equally a part of the collective, no one more than another. While there may be ‘teachers’, facilitators (that’s me!) who are relied on during the 12 week period to guide others down the path, such facilitators need to be prepared to share their own material and take their own creative risks.”

Be assured, I intend to do that.

I was lucky enough to go and see Julia Cameron live in London last year and got to interview her too. Here’s the interview:
http://www.bigleaplife.com/audios/juliacameron.mp3

If you wish to take part in the Artist’s Way, click here:

The warm-up week starts March 1st. You need to buy The Artist’s Way, if you haven’t already got it. We start week 1 on March 8th.

I look forward to walking this 12 week journey with you,

Suzy x

Join The Artist’s Way now:

Once again, he was inspirational, fabulous and rather gorgeous. He also explained how kindness affects the body – makes you look young, thin and makes you feel happy.

I’m now on day 14 of the 21 day kindness challenge that I’m writing about for the Daily Mail on the concept of being kind for 21 days – and although I’m not sure if I look younger, or thinner – I’m definitely feeling rather ecstastically happy. Maybe because I’ve been doing the loving kindness meditation every day that he recommends on page 21 (strangely enough). I’ve just launched The Big Love Experiment (do join us!) and I’ve made it a basic tool of the programme, I’m so impressed with it.

If you’re still not convinced meditation is for you -  listen to the interview I did with David on how and why meditating – especially on loving/kindness will build a citadel of feel-good in your brain and get rid of your wrinkles (better than botox, says David!).

Here’s the interview:

www.bigleaplife.com/audios/davidhamiltonlove.mp3

And here’s how to do it:

HOW TO DO A LOVING KINDNESS MEDITATION (From David’s book)

Start by sitting or lying comfortably. Relax and pay attention to your breathing, breathing in a slow and comfortable rhythm.

Now bring your attention to your heart and say, either out loud or mentally, ‘May I be well. May I be happy. May I be loved.’

Now think of someone you love or care about. This time say, either out loud or mentally. ‘May you be well. May you be happy. May you be loved.

Do this for all of your loved ones. You can name them individually if you like by inserting their name in place of ‘you’.

Now move to other people in your life – friends, work colleagues, people whom you see from time to time and repeat the same process, inserting their name.

The move on to people you don’t get on with.

Keep going in an ever widening circle until you wish wellbeing, happiness, and ease for the whole world, including people you consider to be your enemies.

You don’t have to do all the circles in one go. A shortened version is just to wish wellbeing, happiness and love for your loved ones. You can take the circle as wide as you wish.

the kind Doctor David

As many of you may know, I’m a massive fan of the wonderful Dr David Hamilton, ex-scientist turned inspirational speaker and author.

It would be an underestimation to say that I have been devastated and at a loss of how to process this.

It felt that my Big Peace work had been duped by some kind of evil force. That something so pure and loving that I had created (that had been such a massive part of my own self healing process) had been corrupted and defiled by the darkest of forces. It’s taken me a while to process this all. And I’m not there yet.

But what I do know is that there are people in the world that do terrible, terrible things – but there are others who don’t.

I refuse to lose faith in people that do good.

Love and healing needs to win.

I will always champion love over hate and abuse.

This is all I know for now.

x

2009 has been quite a challenging year for me in many ways. It was the year I got back on my feet after splitting up with my husband in 2008, a good friend and mentor died at the obscenely premature age of 51 and there has been illness in my family.

So on the face of it, not the easiest of years. But I will remember 2009 for the year as the year I committed to the Big Peace, to walking my talk. I have used everything I have learnt to keep coming back to my centre, to come back to being BIG – expanded, loving and laughing versus contracted, scared and bitter. Yes, I get scared and sad but that’s Ok too. I fall into the darkness but now I can always see a glimmer leading me back to the light.

I hope I’ve been able to share this light with you in my blog this year and you have created your own Big Peace practice to help you to come back to your BIG place. And hope you too have found ways to come back to your centre when all around seems dark, hostile and hopeless.

2010 beckons us all and my hope is that with the Big Peace tucked into our backpack of life tools we can face everything that life throws at with humour, integrity and love.

I’m signing off now until the New Year.

See you in 2010!

Suzy x

P.S Remember the Big Peace at Christmas was free in the hope that you will feel inspired to donate money to our wonderful Big Leaper Lynne McNicoll’s charity.

P.P.S Remember that the Big Peace Live starts February 1st. If you book before January 1st, you get three one to one sessions with me for free!

Today, think about someone you can’t stand. Now, for 5 minutes,
step into the other person’s shoes and see life through their eyes.
Get a sheet of paper and write quickly and without thinking too
hard: What does X believe about these 10 issues:
work/motherhood/parenting/love/money/life/sex/relationships/housework/health?
Once you’ve written a phrase or sentence for each, write down why
you think X believes these things. Is it the way they were brought
up? The more you understand where they’re coming from, the easier
it will be to see them as human beings rather than some kind of
monster/enemy. If you can understand and then accept that this is
simply the way they see the world, and nothing to do with a
personal attack on you, you can stop being defensive.

Next, decide to give up your painful story. If you’re struggling
with someone, it’s often because you are telling or re-telling some
kind of ‘painful story’. By telling this story, we label and judge
someone. Then we spend our time constantly searching for evidence
to support this view of them. You may have made a decision that
someone is ‘nice but dim’ or ‘controlling and manipulative’, ‘cold
and competitive’.

So try this exercise.
First, define in two adjectives how you would you describe this
other person. Now ask yourself which painful story do these
adjectives refer back to? For example, the time when your
mother-in-law turned up and the first thing she did was put on her
rubber gloves and clean your kitchen – and you decided she was
controlling and judgemental. Now ask yourself if you’d be willing
to start looking for a new story to tell. Ask yourself what two
new, positive adjectives could you find to describe your
mother-in-law? For example, supportive and helpful. You may not be
able to change the other person, but you can change the way you see
them and the stories you tell yourself about them in your head.

Have a lovely weekend!
Suzy x
P.S remember The Big Peace Live starts February 1st. If you book
before 31st December you get 3 x half hour telephone coaching sessions
with me for free!