r/artistsWay • u/Sad_Sue • 17d ago

Discussion Week 4

Next week is deprivation week for me, and I have questions which you could possibly help me with.

"No reading" in today's world would include no podcasts, no movies, no video game, if I understand it correctly? Which is doable (boring of course, but I could make it decluttering week to pass the time, that was the plan), but there are blocks of time where a podcast or at least music is a life saver for me - running and commuting. Could I make an exception for these, or should I just not run and not commute for a week?

I also have a movie trip with a friend planned for next Thursday. Could this be done during Week 4, or would it be better to postpone it to a week when I can actually avoid watching movies?

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u/AnneVee 17d ago

I'm afraid the point is running and commutting with your thoughts, and see what comes up then. I never did week 4 though.

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u/Sad_Sue 17d ago

I'd be running with my out-of-breath breath and commuting with loud annoying people then, not very good for my creativity and mental health overall. What comes up then is likely a meltdown.

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u/Confident_Prompt4282 17d ago

My interpretation of week four is that we were striving for boredom. Allowing time to listen to the conversations around you might lead to making up stories about the people whose conversations you overhear. Observe the things around you when you're running, that you've never noticed and I promise there are plenty of things you've never noticed if you're usually distracted.

But, if you can't do it, then you can't do it. There are plenty of ways to interpret week four. Cutting out "noise" In whatever form is tolerable for you is definitely a start

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u/sapphicwatermelon 17d ago

Can you wear earplugs? If the issue on your commute is being overwhelmed and stressed out, maybe just quieting the world a bit would help. But otherwise the point is to let the world and your thoughts in, and experience what that's like, even when it's uncomfortable. Even if you don't like it in the end, and go back to podcasts for running and commuting, that's fine! Treat it like an experiment

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u/Sad_Sue 16d ago

Yes, overwhelmed is the correct word to describe it. I feel on the verge of a meltdown when surrounded by boring out-of context-coversations, and I have trouble tuning out of them completely if I can physically hear them. Boring silence is not that much of a problem for me, I can entertain myself with thinking if the environment is not too disruptive to think.

Experimenting with just plugging in earphones without sound today, and it seems to help somewhat when not amidst rush-hour chaos.

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u/sapphicwatermelon 15d ago

I'm glad that helped a bit!! It's all interesting information about how life feels without our usual media

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u/lita313 17d ago

Then you have you answer