A N O N Y M O U S

Artists Recovering Through the Twelve Steps 
 

Give us Five, see A.R.T.S. Thrive!
 

Five minutes a day keeps our ART Alive.
Five dollars a month supports A.R.T.S. Worldwide.
Five minutes to read so A.R.T.S. Thrives!

• Announcements
• Service and Event Calendars
• Writings on the Steps
• Step Six – A Personal Response
• Step Four Study Workshop – June 14 & 15
• UNofficial Report of the Conference Planning Meeting
• What are all those Conference Committees and Meetings?

Announcements

NEW! Mailing List Sign-Up: Members can now sign up for announcements, newsletters and other communications through the website! Links for signing up are on the News page, the Service Info page and the About A.R.T.S. page. Here is the sign-up link. (A reminder that you can unsubscribe from the mailing list at any time by clicking on the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of any mailing from A.R.T.S. Anonymous.)

Upcoming Workshop - Step Four Study: A series of A.R.T.S. Workshops began in March, and a Step Four Study Workshop is scheduled for June 14 and 15. The workshop is held twice to accommodate your time zone. To register: A.R.T.S. Step 4 Workshop. More details are later in this newsletter.

Mark Your Calendar!: The SHARATHON Summer Event is coming July 27th. In consideration of our members in Europe, our next event will begin an hour earlier with the start time 1:00 pm ET. Full details will be forthcoming in July’s Newsletter.

Next Meeting of the Conference Policies and Procedures (Article 6) Committee: Saturday, July 6 at 1 pm EST is when this group next meets. All interested members of A.R.T.S. are welcome, come “check it out”! The June meeting developed a draft policy for how motions are brought to the Conference. Link to register for the July 6 meeting on Zoom. Link to the entire A.R.T.S. Anonymous Conference Charter, which is posted on the website.

Next Date of the Agenda-Setting Meeting: Saturday, July 6 at 4 pm EST. This is when those in attendance set the agenda for the Conference Planning Meeting, which is scheduled for July 20. If a committee or meeting has something they wish discussed at the Conference Planning meeting, you can get it on the agenda by attending the Agenda-setting Meeting. Link to register for the July 6 meeting on Zoom.

Free Download of the A.R.T.S. Basic Pamphlet: A reminder that the Basic Pamphlet, containing A.R.T.S. Steps, Traditions, Traits, Talents and Tools is available as a free download on the A.R.T.S. website. Please pass this on to the newcomer! A.R.T.S. pamphlets are available for purchase in electronic format on the Literature page of the website.

By a member of A.R.T.S. Anonymous. Acrylic on canvas 24 x 18 inches

In an effort to add some extra pizazz to the A.R.T.S. World Service Conference scheduled for January 2025, I made a motion today at the Conference Planning Meeting offering a prize for any committee report given that makes an effort to deliver the report in an entertaining fashion.  

The motion passed!  Can you believe it?  

I’m not sure what the prize will entail but I am already considering a pizza-pajama party on zoom.  If you have any ideas, please send all suggestions to me, CallMeOrText@gmail.com. 

But then, later, I was thinking about it while walking the dog and became concerned that such lightness and frivolity might in some way diminish the intense amount of work that the committee members donate to A.R.T.S. Personally not being on any committees myself I felt immediate extra guilt. I know many of the members who donate hours and days and nights providing the service needed to make A.R.T.S. operate. More guilt. 

Then I thought of Allegra B, A.R.T.S. Chair, considering giving the financial report as an opera while swearing she had no voice whatsoever and considering the suggestions of wearing the Wagnerian horns on her head and some breastplate.  Well, guilt flew out the window followed by the thought of an Australian puppet or two delivering another committee report.   

When the Mother Ship (a.k.a. Alcoholics Anonymous) proclaimed, “We are not a glum lot,” they had not even heard of A.R.T.S. Anonymous, nor could they have imagined how far we have taken recovery.   

              5-Alive, Donna D., Creative in Florida  

What are all those Meetings and Committees that have something to do with the Conference?

The past two years have shown a revival of the World Service Conference. Tradition 4 reminds the group that they are autonomous, except in matters affecting other groups or A.R.T.S. as a whole. The World Service Conference (WSC) is where matters affecting each other, and the Fellowship are decided. Think of it as a big group conscience for the whole of A.R.T.S. Anonymous, under the guidance of a loving Higher Power, binding the groups together. Just as the individual recovers when there is unity within the group, the Fellowship thrives and grows when the meetings are unified in the primary purpose – to carry its message to the artist who still suffers. The WSC has a critical role in our purpose. 

As it’s only been a couple of years, a lot hasn’t yet been figured out, and this is where any member of A.R.T.S. who wants to contribute can join in rebuilding the foundation of the Fellowship and the vitality of the WSC. Described below are four regularly held meetings concerning the WSC. 
 

Click here for the complete essay

God, grant me the serenity 

To accept the things I cannot change; 

Courage to change the things I can; 

And wisdom to know the difference.