Artist Way Second Week

The morning pages have been refreshingly helpful. I am finding inspiration and freedom to explore many things in my life from a more creative perspective. Yet, as days go by I begin to experience some growing frustrations and I wonder if it is just me or if others have a similar experience?

Reading the written material in week two brings back to mind one of the frustrations that surfaces every time I read this chapter --- Certainly there are situations where “crazy makers” in our lives could be part of some codependent self-defeating relationship but relationship problems are not always rooted in co-dependency. More often, for most of us, “crazy makers” are just a part of life. At least part of the time the root is unclear or unstated expectations (mine and others). Sometimes problems develop because we have let ourselves become too busy or fragmented and unfocused. Sometimes I may even be the “crazy maker.” Life is about learning to cope with difficult people. “Crazy makers” may be one of the challenges in life but the biggest problem is my response.

I don’t dispute that there are people who seek to control by manipulating us. Some of the time we simply have to get out of the relationship. Other times, it seems to me there may be very important relationship issues that need to be addressed. Before we can address them we need to have the tools to deal with these people who are in our lives. Having the tools and knowing how to use them will go a long way toward giving me/us confidence and can open a path to recovering a sense of identity.