Thursday, November 2, 2006

Go Find a Sandwich Pal!

I've mentioned my Artist Way group here on my blog before. I've gained a lot not so much from the book as from the people in my Circle that I meet with weekly! Being creative is contagious. We're all creative and it's important for us to make time for that creativity each day. So this group has helped me work it into my life without feeling indulgent when I do.

One of my friends (from this group) and I are now what the author of the book refers to as "sandwich pals". I don't know why we're referred to as "sandwich pals" exactly. We don't eat sandwiches together. BUT putting the name aside, it's a good, simple suggestion.

AND THIS IS WHAT IT IS:
Find a friend that you can call when you're taking on some creative task that for some reason you've been avoiding. It might be beginning the first chapter of you memoir, or getting out your brushes and paints for your next painting, or sitting down at your piano and playing around for 20 minutes...It may be small, but it feels daunting and you've been avoiding it. You just call up your friend and you say, "Hey, I'm about to go work on my essay for 30 minutes and I'm going to call you when I'm done." You don't need to waste a lot of time explaining your task or why your dreading it or anything. Just state your intention and GET GOING!

You're not necessarily inviting any feedback from your "pal" , it's basically just someone that's on your side, holding you accountable for doing something that deep down inside, you WANT to do for yourself. Having that small bit of motivation can make a big difference.

My friend has written 3 short stories this week just because of this new "Sandwich Pal" thing we have going on. Lot's of times, that "just 15 minutes" turns into an hour! Or two! Sometimes, when you just take the smallest step you find you want to take more and more and the next thing you know you've really accomplished a lot. But you will accomplish very little (and by very little I mean nothing) if you don't take that first little micro-step.

I've helped my "sandwich pal" just by answering the phone, saying "Okay, good...go!" and then looking forward to hearing from him when he calls me, or emails me later to tell me the task is done and then I just say something like "Rah-Rah!" My job is easy, but yet I feel I'm serving an important purpose.

Try it! It's delicious!

1 comment:

Rrramone said...

Mmmmmmmm.... sandwiches. :-)

Thanks for the link! It works just fine. And I put one of you on my blog too! xo