Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.
-Joel Barker
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Work the Metaphor, No Thanks
Last week, from Bruce Mau's "Incomplete Manifesto for Growth" I reviewed "Work the metaphor. Every object has the capacity to stand for something other than what is apparent. Work on what it stands for." I have absolutely no idea what this means, what the suggestion is, how to apply it or how this relates to life or the creative process.
In fact, I couldn't disagree more with this recommendation. I believe to see things as they are and stop adding additional layers, fogging and confusing reality. Things are what they are. In there lies the beauty.
I will admit that many things have multiple meanings and playing these meanings off each other or using thing in unique and original ways will provide new and exciting results. But this still goes back to the meanings, what they truly are. Metaphors are traps to avoid being direct. If you have something to say, say it. No sugar coating.
I do not find this suggestion helpful or productive. Just the opposite. Just say what you want to say. It is what it is.
This week, I will examine "Be careful to take risks. Time is genetic. Today is the child of yesterday and the parent of tomorrow. The work you produce today will create your future.
In fact, I couldn't disagree more with this recommendation. I believe to see things as they are and stop adding additional layers, fogging and confusing reality. Things are what they are. In there lies the beauty.
I will admit that many things have multiple meanings and playing these meanings off each other or using thing in unique and original ways will provide new and exciting results. But this still goes back to the meanings, what they truly are. Metaphors are traps to avoid being direct. If you have something to say, say it. No sugar coating.
I do not find this suggestion helpful or productive. Just the opposite. Just say what you want to say. It is what it is.
This week, I will examine "Be careful to take risks. Time is genetic. Today is the child of yesterday and the parent of tomorrow. The work you produce today will create your future.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
A Day of Life
To wake up in the morning and be excited.
To feel good.
To feel my body alive—the energy flowing—
Propelling forward effortlessly to take action.
To have purpose.
To be connected.
To love—be loved—to love myself.
To want each day never to end.
To love life.
To want to be alive.
To smile—to laugh—to eat---to sleep.
To breathe each breath and relish it.
To taste life with each swallow.
To live.
To never find something not to be grateful for.
To be me!
--Devlyn Steele
To feel good.
To feel my body alive—the energy flowing—
Propelling forward effortlessly to take action.
To have purpose.
To be connected.
To love—be loved—to love myself.
To want each day never to end.
To love life.
To want to be alive.
To smile—to laugh—to eat---to sleep.
To breathe each breath and relish it.
To taste life with each swallow.
To live.
To never find something not to be grateful for.
To be me!
--Devlyn Steele
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Just a Little Faith
I was having lunch with a friend yesterday and he began discussing my decision to give up my full time corporate job to pursue art. It surprised me that 7 months into my "new life" that people are still talking about it. He went on and on about how much confidence I must have, especially in my abilities. He saw my change as courageous.
I don't want to discount his opinion as I took it as a big compliment. But, I never saw it that way before. I still don't. I didn't have confidence in my artist abilities at the time. I didn't have confidence that my plan would work nor that I wasn't making the biggest mistake of my life. It was painful. I made my decision in October to pull the trigger in the end of March. I had many, many sleepless nights and near panic attacks over my decision. I almost backed out of it or modified the plan to make it "easier." Now, I'm glad I didn't.
What I did have, however, was faith. I believed in my heart of hearts that regardless of the fear and anxiety that I was experiencing, I would be okay. I had no idea where I would end up (and I still don't) but that ambiguity was where the adventure began. I believed that with a daily focus on my art work, my art would mature to a place where I would be proud to sign it. My signature went from being on the back, to a small signature on the front to now a large, clear signature in a prominent location. Evidence of my pride in my work. I knew that as my work improved, sales would follow. I knew that I would get better creating. I knew that I could take care of myself and I knew that there is always another corporate job waiting me. Maybe not like the one I had but I wasn't going to starve or be living on the streets. I held on to my faith. Several days, I quoted the Little Engine That Could, "I know I can, I know I can." The strangest things popped into my head to keep my moving forward. Since the concept of changing careers seemed reasonable, at the time, albeit nontraditional and risky, I couldn't see a reason to pass up one more opportunity like I had in the past. I dove in, eyes shut tight!
I am happy to say I haven't starved and my work has matured and improved. Pieces are selling. In addition, other avenues to make money have appeared and I am pursuing them. These options were not open to me when I held a full time job. Again, they are nontraditional in nature. I can't, nor do I want, to follow convention anymore. Having faith that everything will turn out for the best even on those days when everything looks hopeless and doubt is circling like vultures is the priceless key to moving out of the box. I am very grateful I took the chance on myself. There is a whole world outside the box. And my art is reflecting that world back out as I experience it.
The next time an opportunity arises, even though I may be hesitant or feel a bit fearful of the uncertainty of it all, I simply have to remember to take a deep breath and have faith that I will not only handle what life may throw at me, but I'll end up thriving as a result of it. Good luck!
I don't want to discount his opinion as I took it as a big compliment. But, I never saw it that way before. I still don't. I didn't have confidence in my artist abilities at the time. I didn't have confidence that my plan would work nor that I wasn't making the biggest mistake of my life. It was painful. I made my decision in October to pull the trigger in the end of March. I had many, many sleepless nights and near panic attacks over my decision. I almost backed out of it or modified the plan to make it "easier." Now, I'm glad I didn't.
What I did have, however, was faith. I believed in my heart of hearts that regardless of the fear and anxiety that I was experiencing, I would be okay. I had no idea where I would end up (and I still don't) but that ambiguity was where the adventure began. I believed that with a daily focus on my art work, my art would mature to a place where I would be proud to sign it. My signature went from being on the back, to a small signature on the front to now a large, clear signature in a prominent location. Evidence of my pride in my work. I knew that as my work improved, sales would follow. I knew that I would get better creating. I knew that I could take care of myself and I knew that there is always another corporate job waiting me. Maybe not like the one I had but I wasn't going to starve or be living on the streets. I held on to my faith. Several days, I quoted the Little Engine That Could, "I know I can, I know I can." The strangest things popped into my head to keep my moving forward. Since the concept of changing careers seemed reasonable, at the time, albeit nontraditional and risky, I couldn't see a reason to pass up one more opportunity like I had in the past. I dove in, eyes shut tight!
I am happy to say I haven't starved and my work has matured and improved. Pieces are selling. In addition, other avenues to make money have appeared and I am pursuing them. These options were not open to me when I held a full time job. Again, they are nontraditional in nature. I can't, nor do I want, to follow convention anymore. Having faith that everything will turn out for the best even on those days when everything looks hopeless and doubt is circling like vultures is the priceless key to moving out of the box. I am very grateful I took the chance on myself. There is a whole world outside the box. And my art is reflecting that world back out as I experience it.
The next time an opportunity arises, even though I may be hesitant or feel a bit fearful of the uncertainty of it all, I simply have to remember to take a deep breath and have faith that I will not only handle what life may throw at me, but I'll end up thriving as a result of it. Good luck!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Stay Up Late
This past week I was examining the latest suggestion from Bruce Mau's "Incomplete Manifesto for Growth" which reads "Stay up late. Strange things happen when you’ve gone too far, been up too long, worked too hard, and you're separated from the rest of the world."
I agree that strange and often wonderful things occur when I'm separated from the world. No argument. But I don't believe you have to stay up and create in the middle of the night to have it happen. I have been working for the past few months at discovering an optimal work/life schedule for me. At first I threw out the corporate schedule I was use to. I then when to a very open, relaxed, unstructured schedule. Honestly, it was boring. I accomplished some but not enough and it didn't help my creativity. I talk a good game but I'm not a free spirit at heart. I soon realized that I work well in structure, just not a rigid corporate structure. I thrived when I set aside certain time periods for certain tasks. For example, I try to paint between 10am and 1pm for at least 2 hours daily. I have 3 hours in the afternoon which are designated to various projects and tasks depending on the day of the week. The rest of the time is left open for whatever else I want to do that day or what I believe has to get done. My productivity has soared.
So then I came to this recommendation to stay up. I recoiled at the idea as I had just found a good schedule that fits me like a glove with minimal stress and pretty good results. And in order to maintain the schedule, my sleep patterns had to be set in advanced. I'm a bit crabby if I don't get enough sleep.
Thinking about the recommendation more, I decided to go after the intent, namely, separate myself from the world. I could do that by temporarily change my schedule. Simply by moving my painting time to the afternoon one day, it would throw me off and let's see what would happen. Nothing happened, literally. I was the most unproductive I have ever been since I began my adventure as an artist. It could have been the day I chose for the experiment or the idea of simply moving my schedule around was flawed. I think the idea was flawed.
There may be something behind the recommendation to stay up and separate. I don't know. It is in contrast to everything that I know to work well. This is one suggestion I cannot stand behind without throwing out my schedule. I doubt the payback is enough to do so. I do recommend however, if you can, to find ways to detach and separate yourself. Creativity is about reaching inside, it is a solitary experience.
This week, I will review the next suggestion "Work the metaphor. Every object has the capacity to stand for something other than what is apparent. Work on what it stands for."
I agree that strange and often wonderful things occur when I'm separated from the world. No argument. But I don't believe you have to stay up and create in the middle of the night to have it happen. I have been working for the past few months at discovering an optimal work/life schedule for me. At first I threw out the corporate schedule I was use to. I then when to a very open, relaxed, unstructured schedule. Honestly, it was boring. I accomplished some but not enough and it didn't help my creativity. I talk a good game but I'm not a free spirit at heart. I soon realized that I work well in structure, just not a rigid corporate structure. I thrived when I set aside certain time periods for certain tasks. For example, I try to paint between 10am and 1pm for at least 2 hours daily. I have 3 hours in the afternoon which are designated to various projects and tasks depending on the day of the week. The rest of the time is left open for whatever else I want to do that day or what I believe has to get done. My productivity has soared.
So then I came to this recommendation to stay up. I recoiled at the idea as I had just found a good schedule that fits me like a glove with minimal stress and pretty good results. And in order to maintain the schedule, my sleep patterns had to be set in advanced. I'm a bit crabby if I don't get enough sleep.
Thinking about the recommendation more, I decided to go after the intent, namely, separate myself from the world. I could do that by temporarily change my schedule. Simply by moving my painting time to the afternoon one day, it would throw me off and let's see what would happen. Nothing happened, literally. I was the most unproductive I have ever been since I began my adventure as an artist. It could have been the day I chose for the experiment or the idea of simply moving my schedule around was flawed. I think the idea was flawed.
There may be something behind the recommendation to stay up and separate. I don't know. It is in contrast to everything that I know to work well. This is one suggestion I cannot stand behind without throwing out my schedule. I doubt the payback is enough to do so. I do recommend however, if you can, to find ways to detach and separate yourself. Creativity is about reaching inside, it is a solitary experience.
This week, I will review the next suggestion "Work the metaphor. Every object has the capacity to stand for something other than what is apparent. Work on what it stands for."
Friday, October 17, 2008
Late Bloomer
My friend Nancy sent me a link to a New Yorker article (http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/10/20/081020fa_fact_gladwell?printable=true) which talks about the differnces between a artisty prodigy and a late bloomer. I encourage you to read it.
I often consider myself a late bloomer artistically speaking. I didn't really get the calling until my late 30's and by that point I had had several careers of varying levels of success. The path I was on could have easily provided me with a stable, comfortable life. Then I began painting. I painted my first portrait, of my grandfather, the day I heard he was terminally sick. Although this painting is immature in many ways, it reminds me of the emotions I had that day. And it shows. For that, the painting is not for sale.
I continued painting for years on the side as a hobby. The hobby began to take over my thoughts. The urge to create became large. I found corporate jobs that allowed me to create more with my desk job but with time, I no longer found that satisfying. I had to break out on my own, in more ways than one. In Fall of 2008, I found myself alone in the middle of Madrid, a city I had dreamt of visiting since my first day of Spanish class in high school. It was a dream come true. It was also incredible lonely. My Spanish sucked. And even though I was attending classes all day long, my language abilities could not progress fast enough. I spent most of the time alone, no conversation.
Admitting to myself that I probably would not be hitting the nightlife in Madrid, I went to the incredible museums the city has to offer. The modern art museum housed collections of some of my favorite paintings such as Picasso, Miró, Gris, Dalí, etc. I stared for an hour at "Guerneca" by Picasso. I wanted to do that. I looked at it closer. I eventually began to walk back to my hotel with the paintings racing through my head. This is what I wanted to do. No doubts at all. Then all the insecurities hit circling the one fateful question, "How?"
So the plan was set and has been activated since then. Today is one year after my trip to Spain. I'm painting full time but not yet selling in large quantities. I'm looking for a balance between working as a consultant to feed my stomach and working as an artist to feel my soul. I know it will all work out in the end and the end isn't point. It is the process of creating and re-creating time and again is what I am looking forward to.
I often consider myself a late bloomer artistically speaking. I didn't really get the calling until my late 30's and by that point I had had several careers of varying levels of success. The path I was on could have easily provided me with a stable, comfortable life. Then I began painting. I painted my first portrait, of my grandfather, the day I heard he was terminally sick. Although this painting is immature in many ways, it reminds me of the emotions I had that day. And it shows. For that, the painting is not for sale.
I continued painting for years on the side as a hobby. The hobby began to take over my thoughts. The urge to create became large. I found corporate jobs that allowed me to create more with my desk job but with time, I no longer found that satisfying. I had to break out on my own, in more ways than one. In Fall of 2008, I found myself alone in the middle of Madrid, a city I had dreamt of visiting since my first day of Spanish class in high school. It was a dream come true. It was also incredible lonely. My Spanish sucked. And even though I was attending classes all day long, my language abilities could not progress fast enough. I spent most of the time alone, no conversation.
Admitting to myself that I probably would not be hitting the nightlife in Madrid, I went to the incredible museums the city has to offer. The modern art museum housed collections of some of my favorite paintings such as Picasso, Miró, Gris, Dalí, etc. I stared for an hour at "Guerneca" by Picasso. I wanted to do that. I looked at it closer. I eventually began to walk back to my hotel with the paintings racing through my head. This is what I wanted to do. No doubts at all. Then all the insecurities hit circling the one fateful question, "How?"
So the plan was set and has been activated since then. Today is one year after my trip to Spain. I'm painting full time but not yet selling in large quantities. I'm looking for a balance between working as a consultant to feed my stomach and working as an artist to feel my soul. I know it will all work out in the end and the end isn't point. It is the process of creating and re-creating time and again is what I am looking forward to.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Just a Rainy Day
My allergies are flaring up, the weather is rainy and gloomy, and it has been an overly quiet day. It is now 4pm and I have not spoken to another human being. Normally I would become concerned that I am heading down the path to being a hermit but I just sat down at Starbucks and will be ordering a drink soon. My vow of silence will be broken.
In spite of all of this, I found that I was very productive and creative this morning. I have three paintings going at the moment. Nothing new there. But I noticed that I was intimately involved with each one today. As I focused on one, the others nearly disappeared from my consciousness. My world narrowed immensely and all I saw, all I thought about was the painting in front of me. In addition, the next step I wanted to take with each one become crystal clear. I was excited by it, elated. This took me by surprise since I woke up a bit crabby and bad allergies. I just didn't feel well and was suspecting today would be a less than productive day. Not the case.
I moved on the the second painting. Working away, I got a bit carried away and I overshot the result I was looking for. Resin can have a mind of it's own. It continued to flow even after I stopped working with it. So, I am now heading in an unknown and unexpected direction. The last time that happened I ended up finding a new technique.
The third painting is lacking emotion, my emotion. It shows. It is an attempt to satisfy the home decor market. I may be selling out here. I'm not being completely true to myself. One of these days I'll learn to relax and just paint my style without worrying about future sales. Art is not a product. Treating it as a product zapped the life out of it. In the meantime, I'll continue this piece and see where it may lead. Regardless, I'm enjoying creating it.
So, for what I thought would be a quiet day turned out to be very enlightening, productive and a bit adventurous. The day isn't over yet. Perhaps there is more to come.
In spite of all of this, I found that I was very productive and creative this morning. I have three paintings going at the moment. Nothing new there. But I noticed that I was intimately involved with each one today. As I focused on one, the others nearly disappeared from my consciousness. My world narrowed immensely and all I saw, all I thought about was the painting in front of me. In addition, the next step I wanted to take with each one become crystal clear. I was excited by it, elated. This took me by surprise since I woke up a bit crabby and bad allergies. I just didn't feel well and was suspecting today would be a less than productive day. Not the case.
I moved on the the second painting. Working away, I got a bit carried away and I overshot the result I was looking for. Resin can have a mind of it's own. It continued to flow even after I stopped working with it. So, I am now heading in an unknown and unexpected direction. The last time that happened I ended up finding a new technique.
The third painting is lacking emotion, my emotion. It shows. It is an attempt to satisfy the home decor market. I may be selling out here. I'm not being completely true to myself. One of these days I'll learn to relax and just paint my style without worrying about future sales. Art is not a product. Treating it as a product zapped the life out of it. In the meantime, I'll continue this piece and see where it may lead. Regardless, I'm enjoying creating it.
So, for what I thought would be a quiet day turned out to be very enlightening, productive and a bit adventurous. The day isn't over yet. Perhaps there is more to come.
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