Thank you Rachael T, Sierra Jeter, Jack, Myesha, and many others for tuning into my live video! I love yall down!
The Dark Divines is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my art, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
This week, we’re diving into Week Two of The Artist’s Way: Recovering a Sense of Identity.
First reminder: you do not need to own the book to follow along. I’m reading and curating each chapter for us, editing it so it fits our community. If you do want to dive deeper, I encourage you to buy a copy from a Black-owned or local bookstore. My preference is always Lit Twist (tell my girl Petra I sent you—she’s phenomenal 💜).
Also note: next week we pause because I’ll be on vacation. Our Week Three session is October 19th. That gives you plenty of time to revisit Prep Week, Week One, and the replay of Week Two with these notes in hand.
Key Themes We Explored
* Going Sane vs. Going Crazy Sometimes recovery feels like unraveling. The closer we move toward clarity, the more chaotic it can feel. That’s normal.
* Self-Sabotage Self-sabotage is sneaky it can look like busyness, “helping others,” or perfectionism. It grows more sophisticated the longer we avoid our art.
* Poisonous Playmates These are blocked artists who want you to stay blocked too. Notice who drains you, who talks you out of your goals, or who mirrors your doubts. Your village should be people who like, love, and respect you, not people who secretly feed on your stagnancy.
* Crazy Makers This section took up a lot of time (and deserved it). Crazy Makers are those who can hijack your entire life if you let them. Sovereignty is key - do not hand them your schedule, your focus, or your peace.
* Traits of Crazy Makers:
* Break deals + destroy schedules
* Expect special treatment
* Discount your reality (steal the energy you need to thrive)
* Spend your time + money
* Triangulate relationships
* Expert blamers
* Create drama, but never own it
* Hate order, love chaos
* Deny being Crazy Makers altogether
What We Didn’t Get To (but is important)
Skepticism
Julia makes it clear that skepticism is one of the greatest enemies of an artist’s recovery. It’s that little voice that says: “This can’t possibly work,” or “I don’t see how writing three messy pages every morning is going to change my life.”
The truth is, skepticism is usually just fear in disguise. It shows up loudest when you’re getting close to a breakthrough. As Black artists especially, many of us have been taught to doubt anything that doesn’t look “practical” or “productive” by capitalist standards. But creativity isn’t linear, and it isn’t logical in the ways we’ve been conditioned to believe.
Here’s the trap: skepticism makes the journey harder than it needs to be. It pulls you into overwork, into obsessing about imaginary details, into chasing perfection that doesn’t matter. None of that adds real impact to your art. It just slows you down.
This is where it’s important to examine your beliefs. Ask yourself: Why do I hold this belief? Where did it come from? Is it still in alignment with who I am and who I’m becoming? A lot of times we’re operating from outdated belief systems or what I like to call outdated BS. And outdated BS will sabotage your artist journey every single time.
So don’t fight skepticism, and don’t let it rule you either. Notice it, name it, and keep going. Think of it like background static: you don’t have to eliminate it, but you also don’t let it drown out the music. The act of showing up, even with doubt in the room, is what dissolves skepticism over time.
Attention
One of the core teachings this week is that attention is energy. Where your attention goes, your life goes. Julia talks about how blocked artists often give their attention away to drama, to toxic relationships, to endless scrolling, to other people’s problems. It feels like being busy, but it’s actually a way to avoid our own work.
Attention, at its root, is prayer. It’s a form of devotion. If you keep giving your attention to chaos, to skepticism, to things that don’t nourish you—guess what multiplies? Chaos, skepticism, and depletion. But when you give attention to your art, even in small, imperfect bursts, you’re feeding your creative spirit.
And here’s where I want to expand with a couple of personal notes:
* First, you can’t heal what you don’t reveal. (Word to Jay-Z.) If you don’t face the fear, the discomfort, or the block, it’ll just keep running the show in the background. This is your life—you’re the one meant to be in charge. EFT is a tool that helps us face those things head-on without being swallowed by them.
* Second, Julia reminds us that pain itself can become a way of paying attention. Pain clarifies perspective. From an energy healing lens, the body often speaks through discomfort because when we feel good, we tend to ignore it. Pain isn’t punishment - it’s communication. Louise Hay, in You Can Heal Your Life, connects things like a toothache to difficulty making decisions. When you understand pain as information, it becomes guidance that can slow you down and bring you back into alignment.
Finally, Julia shares a story of a woman who read her grandmother’s letters and noticed that even though her grandmother’s life held both beauty and pain, the letters chose to center beauty. Not because the burdens weren’t real - they sure as hell were - but because beauty helped her carry them. ** I do want to note that her grandma should of just left her husband but thats not the point she was trying to make** That’s the essence of attention: it’s not about denying the burdens of life, but about using beauty as a creative survival tool.
So when you think about attention, remember: your focus is sacred. Don’t hand it over to things that drain you. Feed it to your art, to your joy, and to the beauty that will hold you steady when the weight of life feels heavy.
Rules of the Road (Week Two Affirmations)
By Week Two, many of us are still finding our footing with this journey. The morning pages may feel brand new, the Artist Date might still be a little tricky to define, and we’re just beginning to notice how our energy shifts when we give more attention to our art. That’s why Julia includes the Rules of the Road at this point. They’re not rules meant to restrict you—they’re reminders to help you stay in the frequency of creativity. Think of them as guideposts that keep you connected to your inner artist while you build trust with yourself and with the process. These affirmations remind us that the work doesn’t have to be heavy or complicated; it’s about showing up with consistency, gentleness, and faith that the Creator is already supporting your path forward.
* Show up on the page. Use it to rest, dream, and try.
* Fill the well - take your Artist Dates seriously.
* Set small, gentle goals and meet them.
* Pray for guidance, courage, and bravery. (She says humility, but as a Black woman, I don’t pray for humility.)
* Remember: it’s far more painful to be blocked than to do the work.Stay alert for the presence of the Great Creator guiding you.
* Choose companions who encourage you to do the work, not just talk about it.
* Remember: the Creator loves creativity.
* My job is to do the work, not to judge the work.
Hang this reminder in your space: “Great Creator, I will take care of the quantity. You take care of the quality.”
Week Two Tasks
* Affirmative Reading Morning + night, get quiet and read the Basic Principles. Notice if skepticism loosens its grip.
* Where Does Your Time Go? List your five biggest activities this week. How much was want vs. should? How much was serving others vs. nourishing yourself?
* 20 Things You Enjoy Write them down. When was the last time you did each? Place a date beside them.
* Pick Two Favorites From that list, choose two you’ve avoided. Make them small goals for this week.
* Revisit Week One Affirmations Note which affirmations trigger resistance. Those are the ones with power. Write three chosen affirmations five times each day in your Morning Pages (and yes, these can double as EFT tapping scripts).
* Imaginary Lives (continued) Add five more to your list. How can you live out small pieces of them now?
* Life Pie Draw a circle, divide it into six slices: spirituality, exercise, play, work, friends, romance/adventure. Place dots to measure your fulfillment in each. Connect the dots. Tarantula now, mandala later.
* Ten Tiny Changes List ten shifts you’d like to make - from painting a room to changing a habit.
* Choose One Small Goal Pick one change and commit to it this week.Do It.
Week Two Check-In
* How many days did you complete Morning Pages? How did they feel?
* Did you do your Artist Date? What did you do, and how did it feel?
* Any other significant issues that surfaced in your recovery this week?
This week’s work is big, it’s about reclaiming your identity as an artist, even when it feels a little messy or uncertain. The reminder here is simple: you don’t need perfection, you just need presence. The goal is to complete, not to be “good,” not to be “perfect.” Just show up.
We won’t be live this Sunday, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still come together. Go back and watch the replays, drop your reflections in the Substack group chat, or leave a comment with anything that comes up for you - your words help keep the energy moving and remind us we’re in this together.
As you move through the week, pay attention to how crazy makers show up in your life whether it’s someone outside of you or a pattern you notice within yourself. Take your pace, and lean on the tools you have here. The Artist’s Way notes are one anchor, and EFT tapping is another. If you re-watch the tapping portion, share the timestamp for the community so we can all tap in together.
And please, take care of yourself. Drink your water, get your rest, protect your energy. Especially with the full moon, emotions can run higher than usual, so gentleness is key. Let this week be about moving steady, not fast.
📌 Replay Week Two, revisit Week One, and catch up before we meet again live on October 19th for Week Three. I’ll see y’all soon.
Get full access to The Dark Divines at lotuslaloba.substack.com/subscribe
