Friday, July 02, 2004

Working Loose I'm gradually making space - both in my inner being and in my outer work areas. It seems to go back and forth. I make a little more space in my mind/being, and then I see how to make a little more space in my studio. That extra space in my studio opens up my inner being more, so then I can make even more space in my studio. And so it's going. It's really helping to get all the extra ideas out of the studio. They're going to the storage room. They were scattered everywhere in notebooks and file folders, so that as I did my work I'd keep running across ideas from years back. I'd feel a bit guilty and ashamed - uh oh, another great idea that I haven't yet done. Finally it dawned on me that having all these notes and sketches wasn't helping me! They'll be there if I ever need them. Meanwhile, I can just make what I really want to make right NOW. 8:06:59 PM    comment []

Getting Up In the Morning My new routine is working. The evening before, I get my clothes and breakfast ready, with coffee ready at the touch of a button. My breakfast is portable - oats, raisins, cinnamon, flaxseed meal and sliced almonds - with a container of unsweetened applesauce ready to mix in before I eat it. When I get up, I push the coffee button, get dressed, pick up my box and head for the studio, coffee in hand. All I do when I get to the studio is do an Effortless Mastery meditation. I push the button on the CD player, Kenny Werner's comforting voice begins, and I enter a new psychic space. After I do the meditation, I make a second cup of coffee, eat my breakfast, start my daily report, and start making my new sculptures. It's the Effortless Mastery meditation that makes this work. That, and going to the studio first off, before any distractions or requests appear. When I first wake up, I realize that all I need to do is go down and do the meditation. After that, the day will take care of itself. This is a big difference from waking up and thinking about "what I need to do today." That was too big, often confusing, often scary. I can walk to the studio and do the meditation, thanks to the CD. So I wake up with things I know I can do. After I do the meditation, I also know I can do my artwork. I can't recommend Effortless Mastery more highly. If you only buy one book this year to free your creative process, this is the one to get. 4:56:09 PM    comment []