by Heather Plett | Dec 1, 2009 | Creativity
Well, Art Every Day Month is over in just a few hours. I wasn’t fully successful at creating art every day – life got in the way a few too many times – but I made an effort, and that’s good enough for me.
This afternoon, I showed a friend the “Strength of her hands” painting, and he marveled at how I find the time – with a demanding career (that involves travel), three active children (who like it when I show up for volleyball games, soccer games, and band concerts as often as possible), and all the other things that need to be done like housework, laundry, grocery shopping, etc. – to paint and write.
There are a few answers to that question. For one thing, I do as little housework as possible, and (sadly) it shows. Marcel does a fair bit (because he’s home more than I am), and the girls are old enough to contribute, but we’ve grown used to living with “good enough” when it comes to housework.
For another thing, I find snippets of time when I can – while I’m doing laundry (it helps that my studio is right next to the laundry room, so I can sneak in there), when the youngest (and most demanding of my energy) member of the household is asleep, etc. – and I make do with that. Since I travel, I bank time now and then, and occasionally take a day all to myself when I can get longer periods for more concentrated work. The TV holds very little temptation for me, so most of my leisure time is spent with a book, a computer, or a paint brush.
This month, one of the things that worked for me was that I included Maddie in the fun. She loves nothing more than to “do art with Mom”, so she and I often disappear into the studio for some art fun after supper. She’s getting old enough now that she can get absorbed in a project and not need constant care and attention from me, so it’s working fairly well to do parallel projects with her (or sometimes we do joint projects).
The truth is, I know myself well enough to know that if I don’t find at least a little time for creative activity, I’ll go stir crazy. The longer I’ve been away from a creative project, the more I start getting agitated and grumpy and the people around me suffer. So it’s best to find the time (even just 15 minutes here and there make a difference) and everyone in the household ends up happier.
I’m grateful to people like Leah who inspire us to try to be creative every day. Thanks Leah!
******
A few other art-related tidbits…
- Bailey, you can scratch “The War of Art” off your wish list, because your prize copy will be in your mailbox soon (along with the piece of art I promised you in return for your contribution to my studio)!
- I’ve been looking for an opportunity for Nikki to get a little more exposure to the world of fashion design (since she’s not able to play sports until at least March), and today I got an email back from a local designer who’s willing to have Nikki come into her studio to help out now and then. Both Nikki and I are kind of excited about this!
- Next week I’m flying to New Brunswick and one of the things I’ll be doing is going to an art show and hanging out with the artist. What fun! I’ll post more about that soon.
by Heather Plett | Nov 26, 2009 | books, Creativity, parenting
“Remember our rule of thumb: The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.” – Steven Pressfield, The War of Art
It’s a pretty good sign that you’ve got a great book in your hands when you can’t stand reading it without a pen close by. The War of Art is one of those books. It’s a quick read with lots of wisdom packed into its pages.
Steven Pressfield has been reaching out to bloggers, and I got a chance to lob a few questions
his way…
1. I’ve only read part of the book so far, but in the part I’ve read, you approach the idea of “life’s work” and “resistance” from the perspective of someone who knows his life’s work is to write. What about those people who have a lot of creative talents and they’re not sure what to focus on for their life’s work? What suggestions do you have for them?
Remember that old Lovin’ Spoonful song, Heather?
Did you ever have to make up your mind?
To say yes to one and leave the other behind?
It’s not often easy, not often kind.
Did you ever have to make up your mind?
It’s really hard when one is multi-talented and pulled in multiple directions. It was easier for me because I can’t do much of anything except write. What I would say is this:
If we find that we’re pulled in multiple creative directions–start a business, write a screenplay, move to India and work for the Mother Teresa Foundation–the key question to ask ourselves is, “Which one am I most afraid of?” Put another way: “Which one elicits the most powerful Resistance?”
I say in The War of Art that Resistance can help us in a weird way in that it can tell us what we have to do. If Resistance is our enemy (and it is) and if it wants us NOT to tackle Project X, then…
2. What advice do you have for parents trying to foster creativity in their children? Can we do things to help them grow into adults who give in to resistance less?
That’s a great question. I’m not a parent so I can only answer theoretically. One thing I heard once that made a lot of sense to me was on a disk called “An Interview with the Coach,” which was an interview of Dan Sullivan of Strategic Coach by Joe Polish of the Genius Network Interview series. It’s worth tracking down, this disk, by logging onto “Strategic Coach” or “Genius Network.”
What Dan Sullivan was saying was that our schools don’t teach the entrepreneurial mind-set. And they should. Instead our schools regiment our children. They prepare them to be cogs in a machine, to work for organizations, etc. Nobody teaches us the skills of self-motivation, self-discipline, self-validation that are necessary to succeed as an artist or an entrepreneur or anybody who follows his or her own heart and who values the work for its own sake and for the joy it brings us, rather than just chasing a paycheck.
I think a parent should identify in her own mind the virtues that she’d like to teach her children and then teach them just like she would anything else–i.e., reward them when they appear spontaneously, reinforce them in all ways, talk equal-to-equal to the child about the reasons why these qualities are virtues and why they’ll pay off. And be alert to counter-conditioning, to nip it in the bud or to amplify it in the proper way. For instance, if your kid is on the football team and the coach is hammering him to work hard, be tough, fight till the bitter end (all good things, in my opinion), amplify this by highlighting for your child the difference between externally-enforced motivation (what the coach is doing) and internally-enforced motivation (what the child will need when he goes out on his own.)
What virtues and what skills am I talking about? They’re the virtues of self-reliance (see the famous essay by Emerson): patience, kindness to oneself, self-motivation, self-discipline, self-validation, generosity toward others, ability to endure hardship, delayed gratification, the talent of listening to one’s own heart and trusting one’s own intuition.
3. Do you think the proliferation of blogs and social media networks is fostering more creativity in our culture or less? (ie. Do you think this is offering more writers and artists the opportunity to try out their craft or is it just giving us more opportunity for resistance?)
Great question, Heather! To me, the qualities of mind that produce really good work (and also, in my opinion, produce happiness) are focus, concentration, the ability to go deep, and perseverance over time. Things like Facebook and Twitter promote the exact opposites–shallowness, distractability, short attention spans, etc.
That being said, the one person in ten thousand who starts a blog and really
goes deep with it may take the skills that she develops from this pursuit and use them at the next level–starting a business or non-profit, writing a novel, getting a Ph.D.
Note: I’ve got an extra copy of The War of Art, so if you’re interested in it, leave a comment by Monday, Nov. 30 and I’ll pick a winner.
by Heather Plett | Nov 23, 2009 | Creativity, painting
I like strong hands, especially on a woman. I’m not one for dainty, perfectly manicured hands. Give me strong work-worn hands with a firm grip over pale wimpy ones any day.
When I was traveling in India and Bangladesh last year, I often found myself captivated by women’s hands. As in most developing countries, the women tend to do the lion’s share of the work, especially on the farm. I’ve seen women maneuver plows, haul boats ashore, hand-wash their laundry on rocks by the river, cook meals over small household fire pits, carry water in large earthenware jugs, weave baskets, care for children, the sick, and the elderly, pound wheat into flour, carry home the firewood, dig up fresh potatoes, and build their homes out of twigs and mud. Such strong hands I have seen in so many places!
This weekend I tried to capture some of that strength in my painting. I haven’t done watercolour in a few months, so it was lovely to have some time on Friday to get lost in the paints again.
It turns out hands are really hard to paint. Almost as hard as faces. My first attempts kept looking more like claws than hands. In the end I was more satisfied with the hands in the bottom two frames than the face in the top. (The face gave me no end of trouble because I was trying to capture the shadows that were cast on that really sunny day when we met Mina Baidya, the woman with the water jug. It’s close, but not quite right.) I find it interesting that even though these photos were taken in 3 different regions (2 in India and one in Bangladesh), all of the women were wearing the same bracelets. And all three were wearing beautiful, brilliantly coloured saris even thought it was just an ordinary work day for them.
Note: it’s not the best photo of it, since I had to take it inside with the flash. Plus it wasn’t on a flat surface, so the top looks a little warped. If you’re interested in seeing the original photos, look here, here, and here.
by Heather Plett | Nov 3, 2009 | Creativity
I don’t know how to be a “real” artist,
but I know that when I push paint around on a canvas, it makes me giddy with anticipation.
I don’t know if I’m a good parent
or if my kids will turn out alright,
but I know that the time I spent with Maddie making a painting (below)
was the best possible use of that half hour I could imagine.
I don’t know the “right” way to be religious or to have a relationship with God,
but I know that when I sit quietly in my studio painting,
I feel the presence of the Spirit and sometimes that is enough.
I don’t know how things will work out in my life,
or which direction the future will lead me,
but I know that when I immerse myself in creativity – leading, teaching, and doing – I am content.
I don’t know how to keep up with all of the demands in my life,
but I know that if I don’t find at least a little time for wild and carefree creative play, I go a little crazy.
I don’t know how to do so many things – sing, dance, knit, draw –
but I know that when I give myself to the act of creating, I surprise myself again and again.
I don’t know if I’ll ever have a clean, organized house,
but I know that I will always surround myself with colour and light,
and most days, that feels like it’s good enough.
I don’t know if I will succeed at creating every day
(especially with a 4 cities in 4 days crazy business trip coming up in the middle)
but I know that I will have fun trying
and I will let “doodling in the margins” count as art.
by Heather Plett | Jul 27, 2009 | Creativity
It’s amazing what you can accomplish in 5 hours. I’ve just had the gift of five hours of creative time in my studio. Thanks to my supportive husband and (mostly) understanding kids, I’m trying to carve out 5 hours every morning of the next 2 weeks (before I go back to work) for studio time.
This morning was the first installment and OH MY what a delight! I managed to finish a painting that will be the banner for my new website, do a little writing, take a few pictures, and just get lost in my imagination. Even though it meant getting up at 7:00 a.m. on my holidays, it was SO worth it!
Things are starting to fall together for the fulfillment of my big dream and I’m as giddy as Maddy was when she saw all the friendly comments about her art giveaway. (That girl knows how to BOUNCE!) I can almost taste it, and oh, it tastes good! Yes, the practical truth is that I have to go back to work in a couple of weeks, but that’s not stopping me from dreaming about the day (I’m hoping it’s by next summer), that I’ll have managed to create a big enough space to hold my dreams AND provide enough income that makes quitting my job not too much of a hardship for my family.
It’s going to be hard to pull myself out of my studio in 20 minutes (I told my family I’d emerge by noon), but I will be able to do it feeling refreshed and happy.
And speaking of my studio… another package arrived in the mail today – this time from the lovely, talented, incredibly encouraging, big dreamin’ rockstar, Jamie Ridler. It’s my very own little Jamie-created dreamboard! I think I will get lost in the dreaminess of it – especially the picture at the top that she says is “my book”. (Yes, a book is in the works as well as the website!)
Here’s Jamie’s contribution. Thank you Jamie!
If you’re curious about why I’m getting lovely art packages in the mail, you can read about it here. And you can see some of the other pieces here. And if you want to get in on the action, leave a comment or send me an email and I’ll send you my mailing address.
by Heather Plett | Jul 15, 2009 | calling, Creativity
I’ve been thinking about calling lately. A lot of things have been happening to influence this thought process, like reading amazing books, being inspired by the thoughts of others, coming to a growing realization that it may be time for a shift in my own calling, and being gifted with a powerful idea for energizing people in their personal calling.
I’ll be doing more writing about this as I prepare posts for my new website, but for now, I thought I’d write a few random thoughts that are on my mind. (And yes, I know I’m mixing metaphors all the way through, but that’s why I’m calling them “random” as opposed to “polished”.)
Here are some of the things I’ve learned about following your calling and honouring your giftedness.
1. A calling is not a clear or straight path. Sometimes you have to take surprising detours along the way, stumble through a lot of undergrowth, and climb over major obstacles. The remarkable thing about all those obstacles and detours, though, is that once you’ve struggled past them, you can usually look back and recognize the value in them.
2. There may not be any “ultimate destination” in the path to your calling. More often than not, the real calling is to the journey, not the destination. Be faithful in the journey and you’re being faithful to your calling. Don’t beat yourself up if you haven’t mastered “who you were meant to be”.
3. Sometimes, just when you think you’ve found exactly the path you’re meant to be on and you believe that you’re doing just what you’ve been placed on this earth to do, the path will begin to fade or lose its interest. It may be time to shift direction again, or stumble in the dark for awhile until a new path emerges. Open yourself up to new learning, even if it seems scary.
4. On the other hand, there will be some moments when, like Moses, you will see your “burning bush” and know undeniably that you are standing on holy ground. It may be a moment when you accomplish something so remarkable that you know it comes from a higher power than just your own (like Moses parting the Red Sea). It may be a moment when you feel a tingling sensation because you know that something you have been inspired to create is truly good.
5. If you find and follow the wrong path for awhile, your body and soul will begin to tell you it doesn’t feel right. Pay attention to the signs. Are you exhausted? Losing your creative edge? Irritable with your children? Stop and listen.
6. Sometimes waiting patiently is the most important thing you can do. When you’ve discovered you may be on the wrong path (or even if you’ve been on the right path but recognize it’s time to change), it’s important to cut yourself some slack and find time for rest, quiet meditation and prayer before you seek a new direction. Chances are the “wrong path” will end up being the “right path” for that period of time because of the things it was able to teach you.
7. Good people will show up along the path to support you. Trust them and be open to them. When you feel that you lack the capacity and strength to fully accomplish your task, perhaps it means that you’re meant to invite someone else onto the path with you – someone who will bring their own giftedness to make the completed task even more beautiful.
8. Sometimes though, the people who show up won’t believe you’re meant to be on that particular path. They may have your best interests at heart and just don’t want to see you (or those around you) get hurt, or they may feel anger or jealousy toward you because you’ve found something they haven’t. Listen to them, if they have something valuable to say, but don’t let yourself be too swayed by their opinions. Remember that they’re just human – these people do not have greater access to truth than you do.
9. You may need to be willing to give up and let go for the path to become clear again. Sometimes rock bottom is the best place to start a new journey. It will be really hard to reach that place and to truly let go of all of your ambitions and dreams, but when you are willing to open your hand and heart and release whatever you’re hanging onto, a brand new beautiful gift may be placed into your open and empty hand.
10. There may be long stretches of time when life feels more like drudgery and just “getting things done” than following some kind of higher calling. That’s okay. Just be. Don’t stretch too much or try too hard. Maybe it’s just your time to live, to support other people in their calling, to hibernate, or to germinate new seeds that will see growth come Springtime.
