Stop measuring days by degree of productivity and start experiencing them by degree of presence.
Alan Watts
At first glance this doesn't seem like a quote chosen for the theme of 'art' but it didn't take long for me to equate it to my current ongoing analysis and attempt to understand a creative life and all that that entails.
I am not sure where the need or drive to measure myself in a productive manner comes from - probably a pinch of work ethic; a tad of business and management experience; coupled with a smidge of a commitment to not wasting my days - makes for an interesting recipe.
And it seems that off this baseline I measure my creative life by how much I make. And as folk who have been reading this blog for a bit know, I have been less of a maker in the past little while and more of a preparer, a layer of groundwork so to speak. And for my sense of self that has been hard.
However I do love the second part of this quote where the word measure is gone and the notion of experiencing your days is introduced, and considered of far more importance. And not just experiencing your days; but experiencing them by recognising how present you are within them.
If I switched my mindset from" I am not being creative when I am doing this stuff; I am not being an artist" to "I am supporting my creative life; my creative life has so many different elements within it and it is good that I get to do all of them" and followed that up by "I am doing this work to support my creative life; I know it will make things so much better in the long run. I will focus, be present and enjoy the success of knowing that each step I do is actually a really important help".
Which can all sound a bit twee when I write it out simplistically like that; but underpinning the idea of transitioning my thinking is the understanding that even this receptive task is valuable and important work.
A lot of the letterpress work is a slow slog to get organised before ever being able to ink and print...
Alan Watts
At first glance this doesn't seem like a quote chosen for the theme of 'art' but it didn't take long for me to equate it to my current ongoing analysis and attempt to understand a creative life and all that that entails.
I am not sure where the need or drive to measure myself in a productive manner comes from - probably a pinch of work ethic; a tad of business and management experience; coupled with a smidge of a commitment to not wasting my days - makes for an interesting recipe.
And it seems that off this baseline I measure my creative life by how much I make. And as folk who have been reading this blog for a bit know, I have been less of a maker in the past little while and more of a preparer, a layer of groundwork so to speak. And for my sense of self that has been hard.
However I do love the second part of this quote where the word measure is gone and the notion of experiencing your days is introduced, and considered of far more importance. And not just experiencing your days; but experiencing them by recognising how present you are within them.
If I switched my mindset from" I am not being creative when I am doing this stuff; I am not being an artist" to "I am supporting my creative life; my creative life has so many different elements within it and it is good that I get to do all of them" and followed that up by "I am doing this work to support my creative life; I know it will make things so much better in the long run. I will focus, be present and enjoy the success of knowing that each step I do is actually a really important help".
Which can all sound a bit twee when I write it out simplistically like that; but underpinning the idea of transitioning my thinking is the understanding that even this receptive task is valuable and important work.
A lot of the letterpress work is a slow slog to get organised before ever being able to ink and print...
the many layers of a life
ReplyDeleteYes Mo, I find the need to stop and sift and sort out what is going on in all the different ways and in all the different layers - otherwise I am just a scrambled mess!
Deleteoh, looks like a lot of work !
ReplyDeleteYes it is Annick - and only just beginning...
DeleteThank you for your posts.They are always thoughtfully read.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words Bobbie Ann...it is always lovely to hear when folk have enjoyed reading and catching up and touching base...go well.
Delete"a bit twee" ... had to look that up and it was every bit as wry as I suspected.
ReplyDeleteBut however one gets there, presence is everything ...
Indeed Liz - on both counts.
Delete