Logo

Welcome to

Login or Signup to meet new friends, find out what's going on, and connect with others on the site.


Forgot Your Password?

A new password will be e-mailed to you.

Member Login

 
 

Sane and Happy

So much of being sane and happy begins with the doing of things that are sane and happy. This means that we must train ourselves to think small rather than large. We become frightened because we have “big decisions” to make. But big decisions can be made gently, a small step at a time. But […]


Why Walk?

When I wrote The Artist’s Way, I got all the way to week twelve and said, P.S. Walk. I have been teaching now for twenty years since the publication of the book, and I now realize that there are three basic tools, not two, and they are Morning Pages, Artist Dates and Walks. I find […]


Facilitating Forgiveness: do you need to “let go”?

There are few things more painful than the feeling of resentment. It has been described as “drinking poison and then waiting for the other person to die.” When we are caught in resentment, we poison our own well. We are the ones who are suffering. And it is for ourselves, as much as for the […]


Walking as Prayer

All large change is made through many small steps. Notice that word in there– “step.” Walking leads us a step at a time. Walking gives us a gentle path. We are talked to as we walk. We hear guidance. It comes from within us and from the world around us. Walking is a potent form […]


Communication

Art is an act of communication, and if we are constantly communicating our smallest thoughts, how will we have time for big ones? Cell phones miniaturize your life, breaking it down into tiny sound bites. I think we call them “bites” for a reason. They tend to devour our time and attention. There’s no room […]


By Teaching I Learn

I first learned that I should teach as I was out on a walk. It was 1980 or 1981. I was praying for a sense of direction and I heard, “teach.” I was shocked. I wanted a creative idea, and teaching seemed punitive to me. I called a girlfriend up, distraught. “I’m praying for my next […]


Reflection

Walking on my treadmill daily, I have made a practice of reading while I walk. I am currently reading my own memoir, Floor Sample. I’m hoping to see what I can learn from reviewing my life as one long, narrative thread. I’m currently in a sad section– my divorce from Mark Bryan. It strikes me […]


Week 6: Let’s Talk About Money

Set aside fifteen minutes and write quickly about your feelings around money. How do you feel today about the state of your finances? How have you felt in the past? Don’t judge yourself. When you are done, take a twenty-minute walk to integrate what you have learned. Your insights may surprise you.


The Road Less Travelled: Artist Date Suggestion

The Artist Date is a once-weekly, festive, solo expedition to explore something that interests you. The Artist Date need not be overtly “artistic”– think mischief more than mastery. Artist Dates fire up the imagination. They spark whimsy. They encourage play. Since art is about the play of ideas, they feed our creative work by replenishing […]


Nietzsche Had it Right: All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking

From the process of creative self-discovery one emerges an artist. More often than not, our internal spiritual restoration is accompanied by a physical transformation.  Weight loss is a frequent by-product of creative recovery. Overeating blocks our creativity. In my book, The Writing Diet–born from over 25 years of experience at the front of a classroom […]