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A week without reading!?

Written on: December 3rd, 2008 by: in Learning Journeys

Honoré here: Last Sunday I was reading  the latest  (Dec/Jan) issue of "Quilting Arts Magazine". Award-winning art quilter, Katie Pasquini Masopust was featured and when asked about her process, she replied: "I am very focused and work/play at my art daily." (p.31). Well, bells went off in my head. What a profound thought and immediately, I decided that's just the formula I need to adopt . I decided to do a little more research on Katie and other quilters/artists' takes on how they practice, on a daily basis, their art – whatever the medium.

So, to the Internet I turned. In addition to books, I find blogs a great
resource for discovering an artist's examination of her process. In reading one blog,  I was stunned: the blogger was reading Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way (TAW) and was at Week/Chapter 4: Recovering a Sense of Integrity.  During this week, "the tasks, essays and exercises are designed to catapult you [the reader]  into productive introspection and integration of new self-awareness." One tool Julia Cameron warns us  not to skip is reading deprivation: no reading for a full week – count 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 days! "Say w-h-a-t?" ( in your best Hannah Montana voice).

I immediately scanned my bookshelves for my copy of TAW; found it; found the chapter and read all about Reading Deprivation, p.87 – 89). The blogger, understandably,  was beside herself. And I? Well, I decided I'd re-read TAW; after all, it has been several years…and so I am, along with a few other titles, several are by Katie Pasquini Masopust.

What will I do when I get to chapter 4? I'm steeling myself for that – not that I have to not read for a week – but I might just for the experience (horrors…and this coming from a librarian!). Reading is very much a part of my life; I begin each day reading, journaling, reflecting… I'll let you know when and if I do not read for a week and how it was. And if any of you want to read TAW, just click on the Delaware Library card logo to access the catalog and locate a copy in a library. Oh, and BTW, any one up to the challenge of not reading for a week?

Cheers~