Hi! welcome back to the series of blogposts i' m making to capture my journey with The Artist's Way! If you haven't caught up with the journey so far, i'll leave some links for you to check out on how week 1, 2 and 3 went. Take a quick peek, and then hop right back here for a delightful scoop on week 4! i will wait 4 u :)
I will be honest, i was not excited for this week, even though i pretty much knew how much i actually needed it. The biggest activity for week 4 in The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron is the task of media deprivation for the whole week. Originally, Julia Cameron called it "reading deprivation," but as we waltz into the digital age, it's more like "media" deprivation. Can you imagine a whole week without media? No social media scrolling, no Netflix binges, no reels... nada!
Now, let's talk about "morning pages." If you're not familiar, these are the secret sauce of creativity in The Artist's Way. It's like your daily brain dump, a chance to clear out the cobwebs and make room for some fresh, innovative thoughts. Morning pages are like your morning coffee for your soul, and they've been my trusty sidekick throughout this journey.
Okay, but back to Week 4. It feels like a teeny-tiny milestone, right? I mean, we're already a month into this incredible creative adventure (not in real life, im actually on week 6 at the time of writing this. whoops.), and I can't wait to share my experiences and insights with you all. Welcome to the tour of my media-free week, where i spill the beans on how my media deprivation week went, how morning pages have been changing my life, and give you a sneak peek into the magic that "The Artist's Way" has been weaving for me so far.
“Does “I feel okay”mean I feel resigned, accepting, comfortable, detached, numb,
tolerant, pleased, or satisfied? What does it mean?”
a refresher on how they're making me feel so far
i think morning pages will stay with me forever. much after i finish the artists way too. i have always been the kind of person to journal and write. so this is something i truly enjoy doing. getting my head clear first thing in the morning, and just letting all that gunk out - no better feeling than that.
im quite prone to letting things build up in my head and stay there and rot. so using this stream of consciousness writing as a tool to let all that out on paper is a precious thing.
just incase you're curious, ive recently started to journal in 2 places - my physical "morning pages journal" where i do stream of consciousness writing and reflection, and the the journal entries like a day summary in the Day One app. Yup, I've also hopped on the digital journaling train.
Now, I used to be all about the physical journals, but this app has won me over big time. Templates, tagging, media features, multiple journals – it's like a journaling wonderland. I can organize my thoughts into different digital realms, add photos and videos directly from my phone (how cool is that?), and even do weekly and monthly reviews.
i know this isn't really related to morning pages, but its just another journaling tit-bit i wanted to share with you. Day One has become my "night pages"- where i summarize my day and have a way to remember it.
anyways, back to morning pages. i do genuinely notice how being able to do morning pages or not affects my mood. if i dont get to write them in the morning time or dont get to write them at all during the day, i begin to feel annoyed. i can actually feel my thoughts building up inside me and eating me up from within. i know that the days that i sit down with my journal will regardless of the circumstances be a slightly bit better than if i didnt write them at all. even though some of my entries in the morning are rambly and complainy and incoherent and angry and annoyed (,,,very annoyed,,,), once i have it down on paper it brings in a sense of calm. its like, ive put this odd feeling out into the universe and a weight is now off of my shoulders.
As the book suggested, whenever i do miss a day or curse the morning pages when i wake up (which is quite a rare occasion for me), i like to remind myself that "i didn't write them, so I am crabby.” is a much more accurate thing than “i was too crabby to write them.” .
Alright, here's the part I wasn't exactly thrilled about. And it's not because I thought it was unfair to be separated from my phone or because I'm secretly admitting I might have a teensy addiction (which, okay, maybe I do, but that's beside the point). It wasn't even about being mad at the book for "taking" my phone away. No, what had me hesitating was the fact that the week leading up to this activity had been a stress-filled rollercoaster. Work had piled up so high that I felt like I was drowning in to-dos. Every week, I'd check off a couple of tasks, only to add a whole bunch more. I kept telling myself I could delay this media detox for a week and tackle my mountain of work first. But then it hit me – a break was exactly what I needed. ya' girl could actually really use this.
When you're feeling burnt out, taking a breather is one thing, but diving back into the same old routine just doesn't cut it. You need a change when you return to it, right?
So, I made a conscious decision to make the most of this opportunity. I was ready to lighten my workload, cut back on the social media scroll-a-thons, reduce my research and "inspiration hunting" (which, let's face it, can turn into hours of overstimulation). And trust me, that list was quite long.
I sat down and wrote out what was absolutely essential for me to keep doing this week, like my current client projects that I had already committed to. And then, I jotted down the big "no-no" list – the things I couldn't touch, like Pinterest or Instagram.
how media deprivation made me feel
the first day was incredible. genuinely. i felt like i was on top of the world and i was extremely productive. it felt like i had more hours within my day. Now, I won't deny that the urge to check Instagram did pop up every now and then.
I mean, it's crazy how ingrained that habit can become, right? but the important thing is i recalibrated every time i had this urge. i closed instagram and moved on with my day. so proud of myself.
the media deprivation week actually turned out to be such an experience. it was hard, i wont lie, but it was also so freeing. i was afraid that if i didn't look at Pinterest for inspiration, I COULD NOT POSSIBLY CREATE ART. like it was my fuel or something. but that is untrue. pinterest does provide inspiration, but the source for this inspiration is within me always. I'm making it a practice now to remember that every day going forward.
One of the most remarkable changes I noticed was during mealtime. I used to be the type who needed something on the screen or in my ears while eating. But not anymore. Well, okay, I won't pretend to be perfect – as I'm writing this (once again, I'm in Week 6 now), i do occasionally watch a show or a YouTube video while eating. But the amount of it has dramatically reduced.
It wasn't a walk in the park, I'll admit, but it was liberating.
Ah, let's talk about Day 2 – a day that didn't quite go as planned, but hey, life throws curveballs, right.
Here's the scoop in a nutshell: I was knee-deep in editing a mammoth 14-hour video when disaster struck. Somehow, I managed to mess up my SD card, and poof! Almost all of my precious footage was gone. Heartbreak city, let me tell you. I had a full-blown meltdown, shed tears for a solid two hours, and tried every trick in the book to recover those files, but nothing worked.
Naturally, panic set in, and I tossed my media deprivation plans out the window. I mean, come on, this was a need, a desperation. I had to figure out how to salvage my work. I resorted to Google and YouTube for help on fixing the SD card, but, alas, it was a futile quest.
Now, here's where I stumbled. I used this incident as an excuse to let myself go and dive headfirst into scrolling and watching stuff online. It felt like my way of numbing the panic that was slowly taking over. I had put so much effort into creating visuals for that video, and now it was all gone.
Tuesday was a tear-soaked marathon of watching random YouTube videos, an attempt to keep the sadness at bay. And then, the inner critic chimed in, asking, "Why am I tying my self-worth to a bunch of camera footage?" Emotions were all over the place, like a rollercoaster ride.
But, as I crawled into bed that Tuesday night, after a somewhat restless sleep, I woke up on Wednesday with a fresh burst of energy. I revisited the media deprivation chapter, dusted off the unfortunate incident, and decided to shift my focus to the present moment. I was reminded of something from the previous chapters – "In this very moment, right here, right now, I'm perfectly okay." And you know what? It was the perfect mantra to get back on track.
Now, let's chat about how things went a little wonky towards the end. i have to admit, I caved in a few hours before my "deadline," and I honestly can't even tell you why. It was like a momentary lapse of judgment, and I regretted it deeply afterward.
So, Tuesday wasn't exactly a shining moment, and neither was the tail end of the week. But you know what? I didn't let those blips overshadow all the moments in between. I picked myself up and soldiered on as best as I could. And even after the Tuesday setback, the rest of the week continued to be a journey of freedom, fulfilment, and a whole lot of fun.
heres a few things i did over the week~
i'm absolutely determined to weave this into my monthly routine – a whole day without social media or any kind of media at all. I've tasted that sweet sense of fulfilment during this week, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can carry this feeling with me into the rest of my life. It's like discovering a hidden treasure, and I want to cherish it forever.
Anyway, that's a wrap for this week. I know im really late with this one, but I genuinely hope this week's blog leaves you with something meaningful to ponder after. Can't wait to catch up with all of you in the Week 5 blog post! Until then, lets keep the positive vibes flowing :)
sending lots of love 🤎
"Just as a recovering alcoholic must avoid the first drink,
the recovering artist must avoid the first think."
Hello hello! welcome to week 2 & 3 of my journey with The Artist's Way. Please be sure to read how week 1 went for me here :)
These two weeks required a lot more journaling and reading rather than physical activities, so i thought i'd give you a scoop of the events of the two weeks together.
So, here's the deal: I may have planned for these two weeks to be super structured, but life had other ideas and i found myself overshooting the tasks by a day or two. Sometimes, it felt like my week was actually 10 days long – but hey, who's counting?
Now, let's talk about the guilt. Guilt is like that unwanted guest at a party - but if there's anything I've learnt during these past five weeks of morning pages (yes, I'm on week four as I spill the beans) it's that it's all about being kinder to myself. Sure, I might not be a stickler for schedules, but that doesn't mean I'm slacking off. I've got my tasks lined up, and I tackle them with gusto. The twist is, I savour each moment a little longer. I reminded myself that i would rather have my tasks done to completion the correct way, than have them rushed to fit a schedule.
And guess what? I do aim to finish that chapter within a week, but if it stretches a tad long er, it's not the end of the world. i can allow myself that permission - everyone's journey is different, and we're all exploring it in our own, quirky ways.
"In creative recovery, it is not necessary that we change any of our beliefs. It is important that we examine them."
my favourite part from the week 2 chapter was "attention" after reading through this bit i had to close the book and take a moment to myself. Julia Cameron, the author of this book, paints a vivid picture of the importance of living in the now- relishing those tiny magical moments that often pass us by.
Too often i've caught myself living in fear of the past or with anxiety about the future. But Julia, the genius wordsmith that she is, manages to articulate something profound: In this very moment, right here, right now, I'm perfectly okay.
She gently reminds us that life might throw curveballs, and things may not always go as planned. There's a chance of bumps in the road, but in this very instant, we have the power to bask in the beauty of the present. If we miss that, well - that's a regret we don't want to carry with us, no matter how bright the future might seem.
the task that followed the learnings from this chapter was the "life-pie" - imagine a delicious pie chart divided into six scrumptious slices, each representing a different aspect of your life.
Julia's message here? It's okay if your life-pie looks like a tarantula, with uneven slices galore. The key is to sprinkle just a tad of attention to each section to bring that sweet, sweet sense of fulfilment.
that has been my goal ever since reading this chapter. its pushed me to truly nurture different aspects of my life, and i can surely say, there is sense of fulfilment slowly making its way to me.
One of the biggest things that came out of this chapter was my reconnection with my favourite activities. the task was to list out 20 things that make your heart do a happy dance - the things you truly enjoy, note when you last indulged in these activities, and then go and do some of them now. and i did that!
While there were a bunch of old favourites to revisit, there was one that tugged at my heartstrings – baking. i used to bake a lot a few years ago, but the college grind put that passion on the back burner. Well, guess who's back in the kitchen, flour flying and oven timer beeping?
Revisiting that phase of my life has been deeply healing, and i've found
myself a lovely new hobby.
making garlic bread, cinnamon buns, banana cake
this part of chapter 3 was a fascinating one. I've always believed in manifestation and the law of attraction, but as I delved into this chapter, it felt like the universe had cranked up its telepathic hotline just for me.
i've always called these weird instances "signs", or the "universe listening to me", But you know what? I've got a new favourite term for them now – "moments of synchronicity." and its crazy how things just felt like they were lining up, once i decided to pay attention to this synchronicity.
I'd have a brilliant idea pop into my noggin, and before I could even utter a word, someone would suggest it. I'd think about doing something in the coming days, and boom! The opportunity would waltz right into my life. Or I'd dream up an idea, and just like that, I'd stumble upon an online sign that screamed, "Bring this idea to life!" its such a refreshing and fulfilling task to notice these small moments of synchronicity.
"Shaming someone is an attempt to prevent the person from behaving
in a way that embarrasses us."
this was not one of the main tasks for this chapter, but it was a beautiful one nonetheless. Chapter 3 unveiled a little treasure trove of questions that sent me on an adventure back to my childhood, secret wishes, and deepest beliefs. Let me tell you, it was like a rollercoaster for the soul. These questions, some as easy as pie and others that required a little soul searching, led me down a path of reflection that was both exhilarating and, at times, a tad uncomfortable.
literally the first question on this list asked me to list my favourite childhood toy.. this I did not have to think twice. i wrote down 3 names - Rudolf, Chutki, and Jojo.
These weren't just toys; they were my trusty companions, my security blankets. Right after jotting down those names, I felt an almost primal urge to hold them again. So, I did what any intrepid explorer would do – I went on a treasure hunt! Thirty minutes of excavation later, there they were, resting in my hands like old friends reunited after years apart. (And yes, I did eventually return to that list, but not before admiring my favourite childhood treasures.)
now these 3 live alongside Ice Bear on my bed. And every night as I tuck myself in, I do so with a profound sense of calm. It's like I've created a protective fortress for my inner child.
oh i loved this activity. describing and drawing my childhood bedroom was deeply healing. ive always been that artsy kid. During my teen years, I was the DIY master, especially when it came to jazzing up my room with unique decor pieces. It was like sprinkling pieces of my soul all around my space, making it truly my own. i loved using my hands.
as i was drawing out each of the highlights i remembered from my room i had a profound realization - That 13-year-old spark of creativity, the one that made my room a masterpiece, is still very much alive in me. I realized that I'm constantly crafting and creating, just like I did back then.
honestly, whether you are reading The Artist's Way or not, everyone's gotta give this activity a try. Full disclosure, this activity did bring a tear to my eye, but hey, I'm the type to tear up at just about anything. But let me assure you, it's totally worth it.
So, that's where we are in our journey – currently cruising through Week 4 of the course, and it's been an absolute blast. I can't wait to see what exciting paths unfold in the chapters to come, and I'm thrilled to have you right there with me, experiencing it all :)
see you in week 5!
"The reward for attention is always healing."
Updated: Oct 10
let's take a look at the journey that CIBO, my final year graduation project went through.
incase you need a little backstory, "CIBO; YOUR MEAL PREP PARTNER" was my graduation project i presented for uni in May of 2023. CIBO is a full-service solution that provides you with pre-measured, pre-cut and "pre-ready" raw ingredients for recipes that make your life easier. This project involved the entire branding for this fictitious company, and the brand-building from scratch.
this is a journal entry of some of the behind-the-scenes photos of the process of bringing CIBO to life.
started from the bottom,
a little experiment before the project began - trying to
recreate the CIBO logo for my ceramics class
a another experiment - exploring a
3D model of the (then initial packaging)
the very first die-cuts that led to the final packaging - my initial design was inspired by a lunchbox shape. i later adopted a shape inspired by a grocery bag which fit the vibes of my project much better
the final packaging!
i also made some stickers with the illustrations that came out of CIBO to hand out
to the people who walked by my stall. also yes, i did cut them all out by hand.
some people also got these "NESSART16 Samplers", which was a little package I put together
containing my resume, the CIBO illustration memoir, an art print, some stickers and my business card
the illustration memoir i put together - immediately after i got them printed. this felt really special.
another incredible moment - my project brand manual, fresh off the printer.
some test prints ~
getting a laser cut acrylic logo done - this process was so interesting to watch!
photography exploration for the ad campaigns - i wanted to recreate
a simple kitchen scene at home that featured CIBO in use
the picture that came from the set-up
this is the idea i had initially - the fact that sundays can
be reserved for kitchen dance parties; and CIBO would take care of the meals
the other idea - a version of this one made it to the final display
getting some sunboard displays printed - these were so huge!
my initial idea for my stall design - apart from a few things, i was really able to bring my vision to life
the night before the final show - hours and hours of setting up
is masking tape my best friend???
we were making a placeholder for the display boards here to see what they looked like in action
the final set up
and we're done :)
the and that's me! and yes, i matched my outfit to my stall colours for all the days we were set up.
and then we got to here.
