Flying Girl Dances or Moving Lines18/100 in 100 Creative Challenge 6/18/09
Golden Fluid Acrylic and watercolor pencil on paper, 5x8"
Houston, we have a problem.
I did two paintings in one day, so that made me feel that I was not required to paint the next day. I also did not post to the blog for that day, and when I sat down to try (ahem, force myself) to paint that night, I was as empty as a blown out Easter egg. I did this painting, but I didn't finish it last night, I barely started that, and it looks quite a bit like the second title should be SYTYCD, which I was watching. I don't particularly like it and I don't have any attachment to it. It was a painting done because I had to paint. Filler, if you will. And posting it to my blog is obligation, and far later than usual. Now I know I have to paint tomorrow's piece and I have no idea what is coming. I'm struggling to maintain my commitment.
When building a routine, I do not think it is effective to blow off the routine. Particularly in the second... oh wait, THIRD week when the doldrums set in. The blush is off the rose, you start to get grumpy about the commitment, you're a little tired, maybe out of fresh ideas.
This is part of the process. I know from doing nanowrimo that a similar thing happens, although if I recall that is usually second week. And I think it may happen at different weeks for different people, at different points.
We all hit resistance.
The question is, do we meet the resistance and push on through, or do we let it stop us.
I would be interested in knowing what kind of resistance you all are confronting in your creative life, whether you are doing the challenge or not. Even if, perhaps especially if you WANT to do the challenge but have not been able to step up into it.
Where do you get held up, what are your reasons/excuses?
What are the stories playing over in your head that convince you not to pick up the brush or the computer or the violin or the stageplay or the clay or the... you get my question?
Why do you think you are not doing what you say you want to do?
Me... I think I'm lazy. I think there's more to it than laziness but I don't know what. If any of you all understand the psychology behind the lazy, I'd appreciate some insight. :)
Rowena - Actually I LOVE this piece!!! It has movement, and the lines are wonderful. It is abstract and yet you can still tell it is a figure. I think you are too close to it. That gets me too, and I even talked about it today with my husband. I think when resistance has hit me during this challenge (and it has!), I resort to an abstract or one of the "scribble art to music" techniques. That usually interrupts that resistant ego / mind thing that goes on in my head.
ReplyDeleteI do know that if I had not committed to doing this challenge and blabbed about it all over blogland, forums, and social networking sites, I might have quit. Now I would be too embarassed to quit after telling everyone I am doing it.
Keeps me going, and now I feel almost compelled to go into my studio and create SOMETHNG every day.
Hang in there - I think you are doing great. Just approach tomorrow with an attitude of "I'm going to play today". That has helped me tremendously before.
Good luck!
Rowena--what I did this week to beat the blahs was draw with my left hand. I had no expectations, so that freed me.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't planned on doing all self portraits, but I'm posting them to my facebook page, too, and they do make a nice little gallery. I was gonna switch to trees, but I found I was too lazy to drag my easel and pastels out to some tree somewhere. Also, I almost always put the day's drawing off until the girls are in bed--so no trees. Yet.
Speaking of the girls, when I picked them up at school today, the 8yo had some art to show me--you'll never guess what she painted: 3 different flying girls! (I told you she loved yours so much). I asked her if I could photograph them and post them on my blog so you could see them, and she said yes. So I'll try to put them up tomorrow. First, you inspire me to make art, now you're inspiring my daughter.
Lazy is the word that I often call myself, too. And I don't think it's really true about either of us. I wish I had the words to help you not be so hard on yourself.
I love this piece. It is so full of grace and movement, you have really picked up the feeling of SYTYCD.
ReplyDeleteI have moved through a block that I have had for several years. I have mentioned in my blog that I usually get about three quarters through a painting or whatever I am working on and then the critical voice comes in and I abandon what I am doing. Something about this challenge has helped me to move through that block. I have made up my mind to carry on, even if I don't like it I have to finish it. I am a few days behind but some pictures took a couple of days and one or two days I just couldn't work up the energy to create but it hasn't stopped my commitment even though I would normally quit because I wasn't doing it perfectly.
It is really hard to create something when there is no feeling of inspiration but on those days I have made a card or done an art journal entry.
The bottom line is keeping that nasty critical voice out of my head and doing it anyway, whatever it is. I hope to catch up on the ones I'm behind but if I don't that is okay - I am not perfect and I am fine with that. Perfection is exhausting.
Here is a photograph of my daughter's flying girls. Thank you, Rowena.
ReplyDeleteGo figure, I absolutely love this piece! It reminds me of Picasso a bit!
ReplyDeleteI think sometimes when we feel resistance it's because we're hitting up against something. Perhaps you want each piece to be something you love. What if you gave yourself permission to play and make "bad" art. Would that make it any easier? I have to do that when I do Art Every Day Month. Taking the pressure off helps keep me going.
But it's true, anything we do daily can sometimes get old. For me, starting is the hardest part and once I can begin, it's all good.
I don't know if I can explain lazy. I work all the time and still feel lazy. As for reasons/excuses--I can blame loads of people and events, but really it is just me. I'm my own resistance.
ReplyDeleteWhat am I not doing that I say I want to do? Stop wallowing in insecurity. I'd really like to do that.
You're the most creatively productive lazy person I know :) Maybe it's more not feeling in your groove, or feeling that the work's not flowing? Laziness can be good - perhaps telling you to check in with the direction you need to take? As you say though, doing something every day is the only way to keep the rhythm going x
ReplyDeleteThat damned resistance! What is UP with that? I encounter it with practically anything that requires me to get out of my inertia whether creative or otherwise. I know most encounter it too. I am in the process of dissecting mine to either repair it or kill it, because it's a pain in the azz. :)
ReplyDeleteLOVE this piece. She's beautiful... fluid.
ReplyDeleteI'm not doing the challenge and I try not to force anything artistically. I don't feel authentic when I do. Sometimes my creativity comes in spurts and sometimes it comes out in other ways.
Here's to a great week!!! Obligation free.