The Weekly Well
“Art is an image-using system. In order to create, we draw from our inner well. This inner well, an artistic reservoir, is ideally like a well-stocked trout pond. We’ve got big fish, little fish, fat fish, skinny fish– an abundance of artistic fish to fry. As artists, we must realize that we have to maintain this artistic ecosystem.
If we don’t give some attention to upkeep, our well is apt to become depleted, stagnant, or blocked. Any extended period of piece of work draws heavily on our artistic well.
As artists we must learn to be self-nourishing. We must become alert enough to consciously replenish our creative resources as we draw on them– to restock the trout pond, so to speak. I call this process filling the well.” Julia Cameron
In the past on my blog I’ve talked about the process of keeping your “well” full. As an artist and student of life filling the well is a second-nature activity for me. Perhaps my fear of it “running dry,” is greater than any apathy that may keep me from searching and digging for inspiration. When you spend a lot of time online, working, etc. often the last thing you want to do it keep digging for good shit. As a result, the extra digging time can turn into “fuck it, I’m going to watch The Kardashians and scroll through Buzzfeed.” During a podcast I listened to this morning, (more below) Maria Popova of Brain Pickings touched on this and Voila! here I am choosing to share THIS so that if you don’t have the energy to dig…. you can come here for something that will lift you UP.
When you find something really good, how can you NOT want the people around you to take a sip? So, in an attempt to blog consistently again, while also sharing parts of my life that often got let off a blog in the past, I’ll be doing The Weekly Well every Sunday. These are the things that are stirring my soul; articles, film, interviews, music, products...you name it. Without further adieu…. xoxo.
~ Tomorrow, I begin my first meditation class to learn the Transcendental Meditation technique. After having several friends from Fairfield who have studied “T.M.” and now my father who recently learned, mention it to me through the years and trying several other types of meditation; Tibetan Buddhist meditation, Mindfulness, staring at candles and focusing on breath…. I knew I needed something deeper. My anxiety and stress has started to manifest in a way, that without checking it now… could only get harder to bear. I never want to look at the abundance; busyness, packed schedules, opportunities, etc. as something to be overwhelmed by…. or afraid of. I also don’t want to crack under pressure of “too much,” rather welcoming “more,” into my life. However, in order to manage it, I need processes in place to help stay grounded and peaceful from the inside out. David Lynch talks about the intersection of Consciousness and Creativity. Jerry Seinfeld talks about his biggest regret with Howard Stern on T.M. Meditation is profoundly helping at-risk youth. Ellen manages to make talking about it funny and honest. And no, it is not a religion.
~The last two weeks I’ve broken down my to-do list into Urgent vs. Important, thanks to Marie Forleo’s breakdown on the two. Literal game changer. Do it.
~Brain Pickings is easily one of my favorite blogs. Marie Popova is quickly becoming one of my favorite people. Her podcast with Tim Ferriss is soul-filling.
“....if I can persuade one aspiring journalist to consider not working for Buzzfeed and to refuse to feed the public's appetite for mindlessness and mediocrity and to assure this young person to have faith in the possibility of building a life and a career based on E.B. White’s journalistic ideal of lifting people up rather than lowering them down, then it’s worth my time. It is absolutely worth my time.” Marie Popova
~"A life story is written in chalk, not ink, and it can be changed. “You’re both the narrator and the main character of your story,” Adler says. “That can sometimes be a revelation—‘Oh, I’m not just living out this story, I am actually in charge of this story.’ from This fantastic article from The Atlantic, The Story of Your Life
~Erykah Badu is a goddess. I’ll be seeing her at the Hollywood Bowl the end of the month and this essay is for all women who’ve forgotten their power.
“We must remember that we are powerful beyond measure. Each obstacle we are faced with is another opportunity to use our power. It is a step toward our greatness. After all, we have asked to be great.”
~Carling Harps and Patrick Beach are two of my favorite yogi’s and yoga teachers whom I had the pleasure of taking a weekend workshop with a couple months back. Carling also happens to put up delicious foodies recipes on her blog, AND wrote a blog on being an introvert that spoke to my heart. Despite being a performer, I genuinely enjoy my solitude and regain my energy solo-style. Read.
~This weekend I snagged (what is now one of my dearest possessions) a 1930’s Director’s chair from an estate sale that once belonged the the incredible Walter Lang. Which led me down a rabbit hole into his films; The Little Princess. The King and I, State Fair and There’s No Business Like Show Business. To name a few.
~My sister’s boyfriend (also our childhood friends) creates the best music. Just the best. The whole album is dance-your-face-off fun. You’re welcome.
~Stephen Colbert is a feminist and I dig it.
“To be honest, sometimes I wonder whether the world would be a better place if women were in charge. It would be pretty easy to make that happen. Simply tell the men of the world that you're trying to start a campfire. While we're all arguing with one another about proper kindling placement and whether using lighter fluid is cheating,* women can just quietly start getting stuff done.”
~This Inspired by Women playlist by THNKR reminds us that there are incredible people making/doing/impacting behind the scenes that are changing the world. And it’s wonderful.
~...speaking of making an impact, The True Cost is on Netflix and it’ll change the way you shop. Watch it.
~On Friday night, I saw Grace Potter at The Fonda Theater in Hollywood. Her new album is heart-rocking.
~This week I bought a few pieces of art. Investments that I’ve wanted for a long time. A print from LACMA of John Baldessari’s pieces that says, “Wrong,” will soon be hanging on my wall and I’M THE MOST EXCITED. Which got me googling more about the man… who is so fascinating.
“I go back and forth between wanting to be abundantly simple and maddeningly complex. I always compare what I do to the work of a mystery writer—like, you don't want to know the end of the book right away. What a good writer does is give you false clues. You go here, no, that's not right; you go here, no, that's not right, and then ... I much prefer that kind of game. But then you get tired of yourself and you just want to be forthright.”
That’s all for now…. off to see A Night with Janis Joplin at The Pasadena Playhouse…. make your week full of things that lift you up.
x
