Artist Way Week One

Once again, I have picked up the book The Artist's Way and begun (hopefully) on a journey toward a more creative life. Each week are a series of exercises.

Here's one from this week, which is kind of fun:

IMAGINARY LIVES.
If you could have 5 other lives to lead, what would you do in each of them?

(1) Writer
I almost did go into writing as a career. But I let a high school English teacher convince me that I couldn't write, I was uncreative, my grammar sucked, and whatever I did produce was boring. It's funny how no matter how often or how many people tell you they love your letters, your emails, your blog posts, or your short stories, none of that stands up to ONE naysayer, isn't it?

(2) Adventure Guide
I love to hike. I love to camp. I love to climb and bike and raft and scuba dive. I love just about everything there is to do outdoors. Some people actually make their living taking other people out and showing them how to have a good time. I know. I went on a couple Outward Bound trips and paid good money for somebody else to show me how to play without putting my life in danger. I could totally do that.

(3) Professional Organizer
There is something so calming and rewarding about cleaning things up and putting everything back in it's place. There is something just so soothing about lists and schedules, clearly labeled bins and baskets, books organized by size and subject, shoes paired together and lined up all in a row. Some people hate doing this. I like it.
Of course, once I helped a co-worker move. In work, she appeared completely normal. Then I saw her house and I realized she was certifiably insane. She rented a 3 bedroom house with a 2 car garage for just her. Every room had stuff piled from floor to ceiling with a small path to creep through. I helped her "pack" for 8 hours before I had to go back to my own life. We had just about gotten all the way through that mess (I'm a really fast and organized packer). I was covered with grime. You know when the Q-tips come out of your ears BLACK? That kind of dirty.
If all my clients were like that as an organizer, I may go insane. Or I could quit and become a...

(4) Personal Trainer
I've actually done a little training on the side during the course of my life. It's sometimes hard to change gears from working with sick or injured people to working with well people who want to lose weight or keep in shape. But I'm good at that kind of thing. I'm not so good at self-promotion, which is half the battle as a personal trainer, so I'd probably be really broke and really in shape.

(5) Guitarist in a Rock Band
Just because it's so cool. Of course, I'm a diurnal creature, so I'd be in danger of falling asleep half way through a set. But playing guitar is really fun. And really challenging. And a bit like meditating in that your mind goes clear and you must focus solely upon what your fretting hand is doing and what your strumming hand is doing. At least MY mind does that. I'm not so very good on the guitar. But these are, after all, imaginary lives. And in my imagination, I'm like Hendrix!