I’m sitting at my desk this morning. Another cold, rainy New Hampshire morning, just like most of the mornings this spring. I woke up happy.
I have no idea why. When I thought of everything I need to do this morning, none of it was anything that would make your heart sing. The one thing I was looking forward to, riding, will probably have to be cancelled. When your riding season is confined to April through October, even one precious morning lost to pouring rain is painful.
But as I lay in bed and gazed out the window, I could only notice how beautiful the light was. Everything glowed in that early morning light. It’s good weather for green growing things, and they’ve responded by bursting forth in lush growth. My new red checked curtains framed the view nicely.
Maybe the exercise of choosing to be happy is kicking in again. That would be nice. It would save on the liquor tab, too. Just kidding.
So I’m sitting in front of the computer, trying to think of what to write. The two main thoughts in my head are 1) I’m still haven’t started those damn wall hangings and 2) I still have to clean the studio. And haven’t I written enough about that lately???
I check my e-mail to see if Bill Gates still wants to give me a free computer for simply forwarding his e-mail to 500 of my closest personal friends. And found a small miracle there instead.
Two new newsletters (new to me) are in my mailbox. And both of them address these very issues.
The first is SCULPTURAL PURSUITS, and unfortunately, their website http://www.sculpturalpursuit.com/ is in transition. But you should be able to access it soon. You can get the latest e-mail newsletter by contacting Jami Arthur here: jasculptpursuit@msn.com
The first article that cheered me is under the feature column, MINDFUL MUSINGS by Jaime Nieves: “Spick-and-Span or Spur-of-the-Moment, What's Your Style?”
The article discusses the advantages of a messy studio, including a reference to an education study that indicated gifted and talented children tend to be messier than their fellow students. Although a chaotic environment left too long to the state of entropy can impede artistic process (translation: I can’t find ANYTHING!!), the author (a neatnik Type A personality himself) suspects that some chaos—no, LOTS of chaos—may be a necessary part of how artists become inspired and create.
Another article, CONSIDER THIS . . . by Nancy DeCamillis, Executive Editor, extols the benefits of patience and perseverance. This paragraph hit me hard:
***Another solution is to check in with ourselves and ask, "Am I too impatient for quick success." "Am I too hard on myself; do I allow myself to enjoy my work?" What if we realize that unexpected situations may bring about unexpected results for success? One sculptor didn't get into a certain prestigious show after several entry attempts. He decided to step back, took a part time job, and spent a year creating larger outdoor works. Before this he had stayed with safe, smaller, easy to transport sculptures. Within eighteen months one of his new works was selected for a public site. He said, "I became more patient with the process once I took the pressure off creating works to sell in shows. I allowed my work to flow. Since then, other opportunities seem to flow into my life. Even my small works are selling"*** (by Nancy DeCamillus)
The second newsletter is Lynn Colwell’s “LIVE AND BLOOM: COACHING FOR LIFE” and the operative article is “Actions Out Speak Words”. You can read this article here: http://www.bloomngrow.net/page/page/1577901.htm
My favorite part of the article is her describing how she never wanted to punish her children for their wrongdoings, she just gave them a long and heartfelt lecture. Until one day she overheard her kid say he wished she'd just smack them and get it over with. That's when it dawned on her that to them, the LECTURE was their punishment.
Hmmmm.....thinking back to my teens' most recent transgressions and how I responded, I recognize.....myself. I remember my daughter screaming, "No lectures! No lectures! Just GROUND me, dammit!" Ouch.
Lynn's wisdom for the day is the lesson she learned as a parent: “It was then that the kernel of my coaching philosophy was born. Simply put it is this: Change is about doing, not about talking."
It’s nice to have my process reaffirmed by others, especially nice when the affirmation comes to me, landing in my e-mail box, on yet another wild and rainy morning.
