....the creative dance

I was dancing the other night...in my little studio as I do most nights...it relaxes me and energizes me at the same time...

funny how that works.

I have Osho Zen cards on one of my altars and they called to me.  No question needed, just pull one..

I shuffled and picked one from the top....

CREATIVITY

Believing as I do that we are all creatives I want to share it with you,

It speaks so beautifully to the act of creating,

I was told by a friend that the significants of that card for me right now 

is a simple reminder of my path.

Not to allow life, with all it's ups and downs,

 to  distract me from what feeds my soul.  

Creativity is the quality that you bring to the activity that you are doing. It is an attitude, an inner approach - how you look at things....

Not everybody can be a painter - and there is no need also. If everybody is a painter the world will be very ugly; it will be difficult to live! And not everybody can be a dancer, and there is no need. 

But everybody can be creative.

Whatsoever you do, if you do it joyfully, if you do it lovingly, if your act of doing is not purely economical, then it is creative. If you have something growing out of it within you, if it gives you growth, it is spiritual, it is creative, it is divine. You become more divine as you become more creative.

All the religions of the world have said God is the creator. I don't know whether he is the creator or not, but one thing I know: the more creative you become, the more godly you become. When your creativity comes to a climax, when your whole life becomes creative, you live in God. So he must be the creator because people who have been creative have been closest to him. Love what you do. Be meditative while you are doing it - whatsoever it is!

Commentary:

From the alchemy of fire and water below to the divine light entering from above, the figure in this card is literally 'possessed by' the creative force. Really, the experience of creativity is an entry into the mysterious. Technique, expertise and knowledge are just tools; the key is to abandon oneself to the energy that fuels the birth of all things.

This energy has no form or structure, yet all the forms and structures come out of it. It makes no difference what particular form your creativity takes - it can be painting or singing, planting a garden or making a meal. The important thing is to be open to what wants to be expressed through you. Remember that we don't possess our creations; they do not belong to us. True creativity arises from a union with the divine, with the mystical and the unknowable. Then it is both a joy for the creator and a blessing to others.

Copyright © 2009 Osho International Foundation

........the Tat Man and me

Way, way, back in my history, in the late 60's, my girlfriend and I were hanging out with friends in San Francisco and we decided to go get tattooed. Tattoo artist Lyle Tuttle had a little shop not far from where we were so we headed down, stood in line for over an hour and waited for our turn with excitement and anxiety mixing.
We felt like we were breaking some archaic rule against women getting tattoos...
Tuttle had been creating buzz for himself by tattooing people like
Cher, Janis Joplin, Grace Slick, etc.
All I wanted was the little butterfly above in the photo...

over the years that little butterfly has come to represent freedom and change.
And it had become very faded...

When asked what made tattooing gain in popularity during his early career, Tuttle responded:

"Womens liberation! One hundred percent womens liberation! That put tattooing back on the map. With women getting a new found freedom, they could get tattooed if they so desired. It increased and opened the market by 50% of the population - hell of the human race! For three years, I tattooed almost nothing but women. "

So lovely daughters #1 & #2 pooled their money and bought me a new tattoo for
Mother's Day.
Last Saturday we met for lunch, and then headed to the local tattoo shop where I had a 2pm appointment to get my faded little butterfly made over into something much more glorious.

I knew Jeremy, the Tat Man, was an artist....he 'painted' this beautiful scene on daughter#1's back. Yes, I know it's big...and not for everyone, but it suits her, and makes her happy, and it's beautiful, and it's not on her face!

I had no apprehension or anxiety this time.

I've known jeremey since he was 5...he was the cutest red-headed little boy, so mischievous ...
He and daughter # 1 have been friends since kindergarten.
His mom has been my friend since our first meeting at our daughter's dance class.
I was at Jeremy and his beautiful wife Enis's baby shower.
So knowing him....

I was ready for the new experience of spending the afternoon in a modern day tattoo parlor.

Jeremy knew I wanted a butterfly...there was a little sketch...we picked out my colors...purple, blue, yellow...I gave him free reign to do his thing.
The outlining in black feels a little intense...I think my meditation practice served me. And after a very short time I realized that the pain was going to be easy to ignore, and I was able to relax into it.



The music was loud, but bless jeremy's heart, he switched it from heavy metal to the Doors, something he probably enjoys, himself and puts on for 'older' folks, who are still decorating their bodies with other peoples art.... So loud was alright..even good...


....in fact it sent me back to a time when I would hitchhike into the City and go to Filmore and Winterland to hear the music of the Grateful Dead, The Jefferson Airplane, B.B. King, Santana, The Doors, Janis Joplin....all the bands that were part of the S.F. Summer of Love culture.
And all my colorful friends from that time.



We chatted a little about his new baby girl Athena, who he loves and adores as he does the baby's mother, his wife...his sense of responsibility to them is strong and deep...his love is evident when he looks at them. I was aware that he didn't like to talk a lot while tattooing,
so mostly we were comfortably silent ...
I appreciate his desire to give full attention to what he is doing....he's leaving his mark.



The whole experience was enjoyable
and look at my new tat...!!


I think it's beautiful!!!...
the picture doesn't do it justice..and it's still a little bumpy...
but healing beautifully.

I think it not only represents freedom and change,
but it's also a symbol of things to come....
.of looking forward to a kaleidoscope of new experiences...
.growth, creativity, exploration...

a joyful new phase in my life....

....artistic distraction part 3

The following letter was in my mail box on the 3rd of this month...It is from Robert Genn....he sends out a couple of letters every week relating to the artist and the arts..,,, you can subscribe @ his website, he writes some good stuff.
I thought the synchronicity of this particular email should be shared with you.......hug, hug

Managerial Mode

July 3, 2009

Dear Julie,

One of the fun things about writing these letters is learning the various methodologies artists use. It seems some of us are of the "let-it-flow" school, dreamy, laid back and even lackadaisical about our work. Others think self-management and discipline are right up there with the cardinal virtues. Further, I've always been curious about the dual nature of many artists--the combo of manager and worker under one roof.

Did you ever notice how some employees don't like their bosses? Did you ever stop to think the reason you're an artist may be because you never did like working for one? Apparently, many of us are drawn to art because we don't like being told what to do. And then again, some of us have trouble telling ourselves what to do.

Studies have shown lazy folks can become top managers. Getting others to do their dirty work in early life led them to later positions in management. On the other hand, working stiffs can grow comfortable with the worker mentality. Here are a few ideas:

Understanding and taking advantage of our lazy moments may be a significant path to creative success. Feet up in a hammock, a cool one at the side, imagination flies. This can also be a time when dates are penciled in and outrageous notes are made. Laziness breeds the plans and strategies for less lazy times.

Strategy is the heartbeat of management. As well as long and short term goals, both managers and self-managers need to project the idea of discovery. The opening up of opportunities for the worker is management's job one. It's become a motivational truism that top managers encourage innovation and creativity. When I snoop into the lives of artists I admire, I generally find people who at one time or another have taken charge of themselves and given themselves some sort of permission to act on their dreams. It comes as a shock to many to find discipline is key to creative freedom. In the words of the sculptor Constantin Brancusi, "Command like a king, work like a slave, create like a god."

Best regards,

Robert

PS: "Your work is to discover your work - and then with all your heart to give yourself to it." (Buddha)

Esoterica: Florida painter Eleanor Blair says, "One of the many blessings of being an artist is that you don't have to wait for someone to hire you before you can work." Fact is, self-employed persons need to learn to be their own bosses. Brian Tracy in The Power of Discipline writes, "Your ability to discipline yourself to set clear goals, and then to work toward them everyday, will do more to guarantee your success than any other single factor."

......artistic disraction 2

Last week Daughter #1, Beloved Grandson and me made a trip across the big Valley to Santa Clara....On the way there we past a forest of these....each one about 5 - 6 foot tall and all smooshed together like a corn maze.....
At first I thought it was a giant milk thistle forest.
Then my brain came to life and I realized it was a forest of giant artichokes
...and bummer of bummers I had no camera.


I've seen artichoke groves
(I really don't know that they're called groves)
before, but never acres of giant ones.
On the return trip we stopped at the little fruit stand to buy fruit and to investigate...

Beloved Grandson and I decided to go into this amazing forest just far enough to 'feel it'. When we came out the owner of the forest was there and he came over to share with us that these giants were an experiment that went wrong while trying to create abigger, badder, better, artichoke....
seems it got big but has no 'meat'.
So they were allowing them to, 'go to seed
'....He offered BG one to take home and of course we both liked that idea....
thus the picture....
I think it's about 8 inches across! But no meat.


What this has to do with artistic distraction is probably clear......


Is writing about artichokes really interesting or important in any way? Am I just avoiding the trip to the studio?...which may not come today because it was been sooooo freaking hot!!


....once the temp goes over 100 here it is too much for the little air conditioner in
my studio to deal with...
My studio is not very well insulated and the lights are hot.
So an excuse to not go, or a good reason???



"There is always a slight tendency of the body to sabotage the attention of the mind by proving some distraction." Stephen Spender


I realize I can always find a distraction or reason to stay out of my studio...what I need to do is learn to overcome the thing (things) that trigger the NO I say when its time to do the work of creating.

I believe a big part of the studio anxiety, or whatever it might be called, is the desire not to just create something, but to create something that lives....
something that breathes and takes on a life of it's own.

I want my Spirit Figures to touch people, to be something worth loving. Something that becomes part of their journey.........
but first the process needs to turn me on, touch me, make me feel alive...make me
want to love it.
In creating a figure there might be 100 stops and starts, every time I allow a distraction
to take me from the work, I must start again...

a 100 time that I need to judge....
That stepping back and trying to see with other eyes.
I'll have been in the high zone, in the moment, making choices, appraising, changing, having fun and then
along comes the critic!

Sometimes with the attitude of,
'come on julie, what were you thinking?....
THEY will find out your not an artist and then what?"
I remember how long it took me to even say, "I'm an artist."

"Sure I have self-doubts. I just spent three days trying to paint a to-inch rock and thought maybe I'd be better off wrapping produce in a supermarket."....Maria Mijares

It's important here that I don't come across as whining about how hard it is......
I do love what I do.

Really it's more of an observation.
Me trying to get more in touch with the creative process.

I have a neck injury and once a week for the past 3 or so years I go to a massage therapist...
We often talk through the first 20 minutes or so, but I have come to trust her and the process so much that when she says,
'ok, it's time to relax, let everything go', I do and I'm gone into the zone.
That's what I want from the beginnings of the creative day...I want to trust the process so much that as soon as I say, 'ok, it's time to create, let everything else go'...I do it.



"The artistic impulse seems not to wish to produce finished work. It certainly deserts us halfway, after the idea is born; and if we go on, art is labor..." Clarence Day

.....the art of distraction....part 1

I sometimes have what appears to be creative block….
It’s when I will do almost anything else rather than go to my studio….
and I love my studio.
I love creating my Spirit Figures…
it’s not like I don’t have the time, I do. I have blocks of time.

I’m what I call a working artist…..
I have to produce & sell in order to keep doing what I love. I need to work my craft as well as all the marketing, networking, photography, art hops, etc.

It’s not that I don’t have ideas and inspiration….sometimes it’s very hard to choose from all the possibilities floating in my head. There are deadlines that often dictate a priority list….
so it’s not always possible to just go with the flow.

There are days when I take hours to walk the 20 or so yards to my studio…..
the other day I made it in the door but quickly left because I was overdressed, it was warmer than I thought…..it was too hot for what I was wearing.

I came back to the house and spent 40 minutes deciding what to wear……it became a production of choosing, trying on, putting away the discarded, before I came up with just the right thing…
No one is going to see me.

But the distractions didn’t end there….
and I kept saying NO to the actual work of art.

On the way back to the studio I noted that the potted plant with the yellow flowers was sending of shoots.....it needed to be put in some dirt right away…
that led me back to the house to get gloves, a pot, soil, etc….…
which led to the desire to wash the dog beds,
while I answered some email…
not getting back to the flowers until an hour later…
by then I was hungry so I fixed something to eat and took it with me to the studio to eat it…a good thing…

However by time I did the routine that generally leads me to creativity I realized it was almost time for the evening routine of greeting the Bear, walking the dogs, visiting with Daughter #1, who has started a new job, feeding the cats and watering the garden, feeding the dogs, maybe feed the Bear and myself……
So with only an hour to spend I was limited in what I was willing to start and not be able to finish…

I ended up rushing through the making of some bodies to be stuffed. In the end all I had to show for studio time were two little stuffed figures and one set of wings!!!
That is basically unacceptable!!....
I have 4 shows and 2 open studio tours between now and
the end of the year!

The following day was not a whole lot better…I never even made it to putting on the studio clothes…

I know that part of the block is really avoidance…..
sometimes it’s hard to go through the process..…
and I have a huge one…it’s like revving up…
and it takes place in my studio…
the walking around the work table…
picking things up, putting on some music,
talking to the girls…some putting away……
I start thinking about where to start…
I usually have 2, 3, sometimes 4 figures going……

There is always bit of chaos at the start with me moving from figure to figure....staying with some for a minute or two before I feel the need to move around and just play with stuff...…
and if I’m lucky …

I start to feel a bit of a tingling sensation in my spine….and soon I‘ll slip into the zone and settle into to the work of creating art.
But I have to get into the studio first.

Procrastination?

I’m wondering if there is a difference between someone who works “well under pressure” and someone who procrastinates?
I’m feeling energized and overwhelmed at the same time….I see many looming deadlines. A list of things I need to do as long as my arm and that’s just the art related list.
I was commenting to myself, as I often do, about the fact that I was feeling energized about working in my studio, a kind of excited urgency. However, self commented back that, “what you’re feeling is urgency because you’ve procrastinated and now you have LOOMING DEADLINES.” I don’t really know if that‘s it or not…What I know is that I have a never ending vision of figures lined up waiting to come into form….so I don’t lack inspiration, it’s everywhere….and that does excite me so maybe I’m just a person who does work “well under pressure”. …….I have so many visions, I often have a hard time funneling them through and onto my work table… they are all whispering, “me first”. Sometimes that can take days of starting and stopping, listening….
In all of this of course are the blessings….I have a studio to work in, I have inspiration, I have places to hang my art…there is interest in my Spirit Figures...they find homes, I meet my deadlines….