Chandeleur Sketchbooks
November 13, 2009 by Janice
I’m searching the good stuff some more today. Like these sketchbooks from Chandeleur Island and some files I have on my table. Looking for two more decisions. That’s what creativity is after all, decisions. That’s what any art work is, one decision, then another. Best made in the much acclaimed zone when in studio mode.
We love that, being in the zone. Things flow. Paint appears to be wondered at later, sometimes puzzled over, “Did I do that? Really?”
Sigh.
The zone.
Love it.
We want to be in the zone with no distractions to get our highest best self as artists.
So other noises have to be made quiet.
I’m creating a specific body of work, a unified performance. It has many facets, in and out of studio. Intent has to be set. The why has to be firmly in place so the how and everything else, follows the vision. Up front conceptualization. Practical and material matters. All of these come first. But execution…that needs happen in the zone. And you don’t want distractions in the zone. So some loops have to be closed. Boundaries set. Planning. Add time into the mix. And tick tock. You get pressure.
I could paint on Deer Tracks this morning, or I could get some other decisions made.
I want to build in some assurances that all is on track. Outcomes are in the works. That’s actually worth a lot to the practicing artist. Constraints put in place to define the scope of the project at hand. Achievable, actionable steps to get where we want to be. In the artist’s case, the result is a piece of art, or a body of work. Sometimes themed. Sometimes not. Could be experimental. But it is tangible. We bring things into being.
I have a body of work to rebuild, and I put a timeline on it. That creates all kinds of pressure. Pressure not needed in the zone. If I pick up that brush this morning, these need to be made decisions will still be with me. As I push into the mink or compare and contrast, or just work on the edges, these unmade decisions will be there, syphoning energy from the flow.
So I need to close those loops.
I made a commitment to myself. A timeline of expectation. An outcome expectation. Captured outcomes that are vital to me. So …
Which hat to put on this morning?
I will search through some good stuff today.
Quiet some distracting voices. The ones that are saying, tick tock, what about me, and…this:
You must perform to a standard unlike any that have come before and in spite of any obstacles that lay before you.
That’s the big one.
It’s a challenge.
It’s pressure.
It’s my life.
You have to learn to manage. To problem solve. If I want to not only comeback, but to thrive. Be whole.
So some loops need to be closed.
To get to the performance.
To get back into the zone.
Which is kind of like going home.
Right into the heart of what it is that makes you get up in the morning.
That urges you to work through it all.
In spite of everything that has happened.
So I will go through some good stuff today, in spite of the emotional ambushes I find there.
Because the why is firm.
The why is to face my true heart.
You know that one that got broken.
The one inside that I have been nurturing and protecting..no wind or water or person can make me give that up. It’s who I am.
It’s mine.
I’ve carried it with me. It’s needs to be in the zone.
But first, a couple more decisions. Some pre-painting, some vision, to put firmly in place.
And then hello baby, hand me that brush, and put me right there in the squishy paint…..LOL…That’s what I am talkin’ bout…
And yes, I will be so ready for a HUGE Naughty Margarita at five. You’ll join me, right?
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Another butterfly unfurlling beautiful wings. Oh how I do enjoy watching the painting that is your world coming back to life.
5:00.
I will be SO ready.
This week is full of celebrations.
Wendi,
You make me smile everytime I see your face. I am there with a pitcher to share with you.