This morning my son and I were discussing education. Talk of high school and college options led to talk about self education. After he left, it crossed my mind to make a little net of what I'd most like to learn now. That led to another net, of things I'd also like to learn - which led to another net....
I put all 29 things I'd like to learn into my favorite online prioritizer. As usual with the prioritizer, I got some surprises when I really had to compare each item with every other item and decide which I'd rather learn. It's no surprise that I "haven't gotten around to" learnng Spanish and German, nor to starting a garden again. And it doesn't look as if I'll be studying early art history anytime soon.
By cutting off the top of the list at 7 items (theoretically the maximum number of items the human mind can deal with at one time), I got a list of what I can actually focus on learning now. The top three have to do with life and health and vitality rather than art:
1. Presence (See The Power of Now)
2. Upper body wellness (as with Conquering Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.)
3. Pilates (I'm using the Body Control approach.)
4. Vision & art (going on from Arnheim, Margaret Livingstone)
5. Composition (related of course to vision & art - Hofmann studies and more)
6. Photo editing (mostly using PaintShopPro but perhaps exploring other software too)
7. Photographing artwork (learning to use my light meter, new photo light setup - practicing, practicing, practicing - and incorporating what I'm learning about vision and art, and composition.)
8. I decided to combine studying vision & art with studying composition - so I can get "color and color mixing" onto the list of 7. When I'm experimenting with color and learning more about pigments and painting, it really adds a dimension of elation to my life. So I want this on the top 7 list.
This gives me a great sense of priority in learning and daily activities. Most days, I'll have time to do something to learn in all 7 areas. But on a day when I don't, my priority is clear: Presence.
Ongoing daily activities:
I prioritized these too. Again, art falls lower on the list than I expected. This happened before. At some point I guess I'll believe myself!
1. Connection, Presence, aliveness
2. Bodywork (stretches for hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder, plus Pilates)
3. Developing as an artist
4. Observing nature
5. Making art
6. Selling art
7. Improving space (fixing things, decluttering, adding storage, etc.)
Life goals: (less surprising - these stay pretty stable over time)
1. Presence, aliveness, "That State of Mind"
2. Health, vitality, body comfort
3. Make bowls that embody energies of aliveness, presence, connection
4. New Yorker cartoon artist (i.e. draw cartoons that the New Yorker publishes regularly)
5. Access to wilderness
6. Dream Studio
7. Financial comfort
8. Sell bowls in New York gallery plus (i.e. sell bowls in NY gallery that's enthusiastic, sells bowls for high prices, also in galleries in LA, SF, Chicago, Philadelphia, etc.)
I may comment on all this more. Meanwhile, I highly recommend using the prioritizer. You might get some surprises yourself.
6:04:40 PM 
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