I have been taking my third go-round with The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron lately. It’s a 12-week discovery of sorts on unblocking your inner creative. I have done this process before and I am not sure if I ever finished it previously. It doesn’t really matter. I am finishing it this time although I have taken some liberties, not the least of which is adjusting the time table as needed. Some weeks I have gotten to the end and haven’t spent nearly the time with it that I wanted. After week 2, I had the rather silly epiphany that if I wanted to spend another week on week 2 that I could! I mean I seriously doubt that shock waves are going to reverberate so hard through the ether that Julie Cameron herself will notice and chastise me in some way. In fact, I think she’d give me a hearty applause because as I am learning, we all have our process. It’s up to us to figure it out.

One of the best and also most elusive parts of this course is a weekly artist’s date. It’s a time devoted to doing something creative that you either love to do and don’t make time for or something maybe you’ve never tried. This week I finally got around to a little project someone told me about last May! 

They are called Mindfulness Jars and the overarching gist is that you fill a jar with glitter, food coloring and some glue to create a glorified snow globe. It’s used to help you move toward calm. You shake it up and as the glitter descends back toward the bottom of the jar, more slowly thanks to the glue, you have time to breathe slowly. You focus on the pretty colors, and hopefully once the last glinting piece of sparkle lands you have also found your center.

Of course, when dealing with glitter and the countless ways it can create a mess the irony of it being the main ingredient in a soothing creation can’t be overlooked.

So I called my youngest niece, who is in my germ bubble even though I rarely see her, and asked if she might be interested. Thankfully, I now had a Thelma to my Louise (although it may be the other way around, we didn’t confirm nicknames).

I decided we needed to do most of this creation outside because glitter…

Keep in mind it’s January and in case you don’t know what Ohio feels like in January, it’s not exactly ideal weather for an outdoor project. But we were not deterred by the cold temperatures or the fact that it was dark outside. We put on our coats, got a flashlight and got to work. We learned some valuable lessons, figured out ways we may do it differently next time, but overall this is so satisfying. The closest comparison I can make is a lava lamp. You just sit and watch the glue and the glitter intermingle in a suspended swirl and it brings me happiness. It’s a lot like watching snow fall. There is a mesmerizing quality to it and aside from the clear understanding that glitter, much like sand, will find its way anywhere and everywhere despite your best efforts. Both are worth it. I’ve never regretted going to the beach, no matter how much sand I bring back with me. And glitter never ever disappoints no matter how long I discover it in places I didn’t plan.

Sunshine & Sarcasm,
Lowi & G

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