Going with the flow, creatively

Setting priorities and boundaries

I've been having the Winter break between classes, and I thought I'd get soooo much done! Well, I have gotten a lot done, but not even close to everything I hoped to do. I have done most of the highest priority and most urgent items, but still, if I had another whole month, or three, I still probably would not have it all done.

I've been trying to figure out why that is, and it seems that most of it is because every time I complete first priority items, either lower items move UP, or new ones are ADDED at the top of the list! So, rather than thinking it's all hopeless, and I'll never get it all done the way I want to, I have to come up with creative ways to cope with it. I have to think, WHAT are my goals, and WHY are they important? Then, I work towards a balance, so some housework, some creativity, some errands, and an occasional outing, and if I consistently remember to do the most important items FIRST, I should be pretty much ok. It helps to keep a sense of humor, and be flexible about which things I do depending on how much energy I have, so there is no way to be absolute about it.

I find it to be really difficult to have patience with myself, but the fact is, there is no reason to panic if I can't do it all, like I used to feel that I had to. That results in never feeling satisfied with what I did, never being able to value my creativity because it's not "perfect", and mentally putting myself down because I'm never really finished with all that I want to get done. Let's face it, a lot of what I do takes a lot of time and patience, and I enjoy doing it, but there are only so many hours in the day.

So, I need to be patient with myself, and work on balance, that's always a challenge for me.

B*B, Ysabeau

Creativity in the Patio!

I took this photo (and a bunch of others!) on our trip to La Jolla last week, and painted outdoors, and had a wonderful visit with my nice brother and sister in law, and spent time with my husband that I truly enjoyed, but... I got really chilled while we were at the beach, I ate restaurant food that really disagreed with me, and I'm STILL recovering a bit from my fun.

I know a lot of my artistic friends and teachers advocate painting on site, but I always seem to be a bit wiped out from the experience. A more practical approach seems to be to take a lot of pictures, pay attention to how everything looks and feels to me while I'm there, and remember as much as I can from observing, and doing the painting part of it at home. I have a wonderful walled and shaded patio, with hummingbirds, flowers, and now it has outdoor speakers (Yule present from my husband!) so it's hard to beat for inspiration and comfort.

I enjoy painting "en pleine aire" or at the location, but I burn, freeze, have stuff blow over, need to have basic facilities that don't always exist, and pay for it later physically, so a lot of the time I'm just better off and more able to be creative if I do some or most of it right at home. B*B, Ysabeau

New Year's Post

All over the world, many people are making "New Year's Resolutions" or hopes, dreams, and even decisions that will cause big, sweeping changes in their lives. This isn't about that. This is about little, every day problem solving, and figuring out strategies that work for me. I've been taking art classes, and I really enjoy them, also sewing quilts, making jewelry, a little gardening, taking a few pictures, some crochet, some finishing of UnFinished Objects, too much bad tv, and a bit of cooking, cleaning, and keeping our home up. I have not been going anywhere much, even right here in the neighborhood. I am not very organized, and I need some structure. I have plenty of art supplies, but I need the energy to use them, and a positive spirit to enjoy doing it.