How to be creative in your #sobriety #12steps (c) 2018

While getting sober, I was fortunate to have a  counselor that introduced me to a book that forever changed my life, The Artist Way. The book is in a format that coincides with 12 step recovery. I did the steps of AA and the steps of The Artist's Way  side by side.

The Artist Way, teaches how to encourage and become reconnected to your inner child. Furthermore, teaches you how to do things that your adult logical side says no to. I'm referring to things you usually won't do because you fear looking silly, or you don't have the time, or you'll do it later.  It could be something like stopping on the side of the road to take a selfie. Some of mine include, playing at openmics, and collecting/reading comics. When first doing drugs and alcohol there are moments when we lose our inhibition. Losing our inhibitions, has some of the feelings of freedom as being connecting to your inner child/peace. Unfortunately, after alcoholics, addicts become trapped in their using they start to think that they have to use more in able to be creative. At that point, we become isolated and live in a fantasy  world. This is obvious. Think of the times you or someone you watched seemed to come up with the greatest ideas when high. Also, comes the part of dreaming of doing something without ever taking action. Also, the ‘I’ll do it when I…’

Personally, a piece/peace of myself was gone from years of using, and the things I did while using. Peace, piece that kept me disconnected. The instructions in Some of the assignments that The Artist Way helped me reconnect with that creative mind set; included writing yourself a letter, going on Artist dates by yourself, writing affirmations.

Another assignment is doing morning pages. Three pages hand written every morning, writing just whatever comes to mind. Through the process I also learned to write again that's why the pages of 2to1, and the book before that, Don Diputs, was written like a journal.  While doing morning pages; I dedicated myself to writing a page a day.

In about three months, I wrote enough to type out ninety pages. Using regular notebook, it takes two pages to equal the average typed out page.

If you don’t know what to write, you can always somehow warp reality. Write about what you know. Don’t be to critical of what you write. Dedicate fifteen to twenty minutes daily. I also write in different environments. Examples like, writing in coffee houses, parks, even graveyards. Sometimes, I use different writing notebooks. I also will change ink.

The most important thing to remember is to do fun things that don’t involve drinking; as well as, other things that are self-destructive. There are other steps in creating content that is attractive to the mainstream, and evolving in your creativity. I will address such issues in another post.