the grapefruit tree in the garden this morning the kids bring me flowersart journal
9/23/09
watercolor, pen, acrylic
I've been absent. Yes.
I combination of resting from the flu and resting from the end of 100 in 100 days project. Plus the chaos of life and a trip to the zoo which taught me that I wasn't quite over the flu and if I pushed myself, I'd get knocked back on my butt again.
I haven't painted in a while. I'm okay with that. I'm learning that I don't need to hang onto the painting everyday thing out of fear that I will lose my painting.
It's a discipline, being a creative, it is, but it shouldn't feel like something you are yoked to.
Anyway, it has come to my attention that today is the 100th day until the end of the year.
Some of my buds from the 100x100 days project are taking on these last 100 days by challenging themselves in a new creative project, and I am, I think, joining in.
I've changed my focus though.
I'm going to let myself paint when I feel like it. Let myself do art journals more and maybe some larger paintings which take more than a day to finish.
My new challenge to myself is to write one hour every day for 100 days.
It's not a real challenge, because I know I can write easily for an hour. And I know I can write fast for an hour.
But it IS a really real challenge because I have not been able to set up a good, every day, lasting writing practice ever since I had kids. It's either feast of famine. I write all the time in a frenzy, or not at all.
So hopefully, when we ring in the New Year, I will have developed a solid writing practice.
Hey. Anyone else want to join in on this last 100 in 100 days of 2009? I'll do another side bar if you're interested... although I am totally slacking on my sidebars, and need to revamp the whole thing. Damn kids. Always getting in the way of stuff.
Now they want goldfish crackers. Goodness.
Well, I guess I'll start my plan by setting up a chart for myself.
Being a visual thinker, charts are nice for me. I'll mark out 100 days, and put the time I start and the time I finish and what I've done. I'm looking to revise my novel, so I really shouldn't be looking at page number,but I'll have a place for it.
When to carve out an hour a day when I wake up with the kids and one of them doesn't nap anymore? I guess it has to be when they go to bed... although I always get so tired at night.
This of course, may be my usual tactic to avoid. "I'm too tired." "I don't feel well." Yes it is. So I guess I need to conquer through my tiredness, and just write.
Really, it's about showing up to the page, showing up for the creativity. Just keep going, day by day, hour by hour, page by page, word by word.
This is how novels, how bodies of work are created.
Phew.
Wish me luck.
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8 comments:
hi Rowena-
I hope you are feeling a lot better. I missed you around here. I love reading your blog. There is always something you write that gives me inspiration or one of those "ah ha" moments. Today was no exception.
You wrote, "I haven't painted in a while. I'm okay with that. I'm learning that I don't need to hang onto the painting everyday thing out of fear that I will lose my painting.
It's a discipline, being a creative, it is, but it shouldn't feel like something you are yoked to."
This is one of the toughest things for me to wrap my brain around. But you so perfectly point out, we dont loose our creativity. What a beautiful thought. I want that to be my daily mantra. Thank you for always speaking honestly.
I'd love to join you in the 100 days, but I'm so scattered with idea's I dont know what I would do each day. Maybe take one day at a time and see how it goes? What do you think?
Have a great day!!
Sandy
I am tentatively doing 100 in 100 stories. Thanks for the nudge.
I am trying, I am really trying. And I have a million less excuses than you, but it's still damn hard.
I love your projects, I feel as a creative person, I really need these boundaries or foundations from which to leap off the blank page, white canvas what have you.
Do you write longhand or on the computer?
I will join you, but for me it will be to write a dharma sequence every day 100x100.
Here if my blog post re:100x100 dharma sequences
I was feeling a little lost since the 100 in 100 ended. I got a commission out of it, so I'm working on that painting, but I miss the permission I gave myself to indulge a daily habit. So, I'm going to get back on with The Last hundred days of 2009. I'm still going to be drawing/painting (my writer self is so deeply buried, she'll take years to revive), but I'm gonna go easy on myself and just say 100 life studies, whatever form they take (for example, this morning's was a 5 minute sketch of a playground while waiting for my daughter).
My goal is to continue working my eye&hand skills.
Good luck!
I really like your tree, and I'm really thinking I need to do some kind of practice like you're always talking about. My life has gotten out of control, with taking my oldest son to college (I reamember so so clearly, though, what it was like having little kids and no time to myself at all).
So I think I will, but I'm not going to make any formal announcement about it.
Great gobs of luck thrown right at you! I'm glad to hear you are going to be writing. And I look forward to the results.
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