Journal With Impact: Vocation Obstacles

Workshop: Six Conversations for Writing Creative Journals

“What’s known but ignored takes its revenge…” Martha Cooley

Recognize Obstacles

James Scott Bell says that we not only need to understand our goals, but also the obstacles in our path, so that we can work around the roadblocks. Then when they try to stop us, we are ready with counter-measures or other routes.

There are three main obstacles for writers: perfectionism, procrastination, and fear. I’m pretty sure they apply to almost all other vocations as well at some level. As we work through goal-setting principles, concentrate not only on the parts you may still need to fill in personally but also, for each step, set up what dilemma you could face. Then note one or two solutions to the problem next to it.

In The Sketchbook Challenge, by Sue Bleiweiss, several artists offer techniques and inspirational prompts to encourage artists to create and explore. The initial challenge begins with three rules, which I think can apply to any creative venture and especially to those of us who are caught up in any of these three obstacles. I’m underlining a few she mentions as emphasis.

            “1. The only way to keep a sketchbook is whatever works for you. Keeping a sketchbook is not about creating a book of perfect pages. It’s about exploring new themes and experimenting with new tools or working with your favorites.

           

             2. We all have different skill sets and styles, and it doesn’t matter what yours is. It’s not about making your sketchbook look like the ones in this book or anyone else’s.

             3. And this is the most important rule: Have fun with it!” (page 29)

My own sketch skills are pretty much non-existent, so a vocation in this field is not a reality for me. But it is an ongoing project that I can keep just for the pleasure of ideas and capturing themes and then letting those creative insights filter into my other commitments.

Being able to identify and deal with our barriers enables us to strengthen all our levels of work. Look for ways to feed your creative process and recognize your own obstacle cycle.

Action Steps:

1.     Return to your action steps from last week and make copy of your list of obstacles.

2.     Mark which main category they fall under: perfectionism, procrastination, or fear.

3.     Now next to each write down ideas of how to dissolve them from the point of view that the sketchbook rules suggest.

Share: What are your first two steps this week for your priority project? Have they changed?

Read deep, marcy