Back in the creative groove

“The receptivity of the artist must never be confused with passivity.” 
― Rollo May, The Courage to Create

It's been a while since I've felt like this.

Don't ask me why, but I couldn't summon anything more than enough creative juice to produce this blog and a few posts and recordings to Patreon.

I know it's tempting fate to report on my renewed sense of purpose but, right now, I've this overwhelming sense of needing to create:

poetry

brush calligraphy

sketching

photography

and books.

I don't have a modus operandi. 

I show up.

I either write to my computer or I sit at my other desk on the other side of the room which I reserved for the other stuff, 

and wait...

If something happens, it happens.

If it doesn't. 

So what!

I don't know your thing but even if you have to work for 'The Man', never forget that under all those layers of self-doubt and negative thinking lies a creative genius. 

I'm serious.

It's not just my theory but I believe with all my heart that we're all possessed of something beyond the ken of our current understanding.

My advice: don't waste it watching TV, getting drunk and engaging in social media.

Create as if your life depended on it.

Take care.

Blessings and big love,

Julian

Photo by Clark Young

Mindfulness

A short monologue that I recorded today on mindfulness.

Blessings,

Julian

10 Reasons Why You Should Blog

#1 - Because you can.

#2 - You've something to say.

#3 - It's a way to get closer to the real you.

#4 - To help others.

#5 - To make a difference.

#6 - To build a body of work that, one day, might ignite a bigger spark than you ever dreamed possible.

#7 - Because it's fun.

#8 - To learn from others who are prepared to comment.

#9 - To leave a legacy.

#10 - To connect soul with role.

Of course, there are as many reasons not to blog, but if you've learned anything over the course of your life, it's the power of words to change lives.

Take care.

Blessings,

Julian

PS. The picture is of Charles Bukowski in reflective mood.

Go all the way

But we never do.

We hold back.

We hesitate.

We hide.

Why?

Why is it we're not prepared to go all the way and commit to something all body, mind and spirit?

Name it.

Fear.

Shame.

Guilt.

In my case, I know there have been many times I've started something only to give up because I found something else to pursue. Not necessarily more interesting but it showed up, and grabbed my attention. How pathetic is that?

I can't say now that things are different, but perhaps with the passing of time and the fact that I know I've got less of it to waste, I'm more committed than ever to my Art -- whatever that truly means.

What about you?

What do you need to do to turn your life around?

Take care.

Blessings,

Julian

Note: If you're interested I'd love you to jump across to my Patreon page to check out more of my work. 

Writing online

I'm a big fan of Charles Bukowski.

One thing that's evident if you've read any of the books written on his life is that writing all those poems was bloody hard work.

No, I mean really hard.

I can't now recall the exact figure, but if he got five or seven poems written of a night, he was doing well.

He did eventually get given an early Apple Mac and he was astonished to find how easy it was to write, not least because he could easily see and correct his errors. Unfortunately, it came too late for us fans as he died within a couple of years of being gifted it.

I mean just think about. Writing online that is. I think we sometimes forget how easy it is to write and share our material.

Imagine not having all this technology.

Anyhow, given the ease of writing, I hope in the coming year you start to flex your writing muscles and blog or post in a way that helps you connect more deeply with your true self.

Blessings,

Julian