Category: doing nothing

Doing, to Move On

In this new year of goals and objectives, I may be changing it up some. Maybe not completely. Not in my work, but in my approach to work. 

In earlier posts I told you how I don’t do resolutions. I feel better about meeting a goal, but I ran across something someone else wrote and it changed my thinking. That person discussed setting aside resolutions, goals, etc, for Doing. 
“Doing” makes sense.

In Progress Work ©Dora Sislian Themelis

Now, I could be a big Not Doing person when I’m on a roll. I’m sure you must have guessed that by now, how I let Mr. Resistance take up residence here and mess up my mojo.

It’s been a dilemma lately. My flow gets disrupted by whatever and I’m doomed.

So, when I read that Doing might be better than a goal it felt right. Doing, instead of Goals. Doing connotes Action in my mind. Maybe Action is also a good word.

In that context, here is my first “Action” in this year of “Doing”. I may have decided I can no longer continue on this watercolor painting I stopped working when the hurricane hit Long Island. It’s a possibility that I’ve been holding off because, in my mind, it’s done.

Although, if I look at it too much longer I might want to add some brush strokes, but then again, maybe I’m over it.

Doing has to also mean Move On.

Just Going with the Flow

The painting dry spell seems to be lifting.  I think we need to just do nothing for a time while the brain resets and inspiration can return.  You know that thing called Life gets in the way and what can you do but sit it out for a bit. 

Some things must be done and other things can be left alone.  Go with the flow and forget it.  I wasn’t painting and I wasn’t in my usual fist fight with resistance either.  Just chilling, looking at my studio space, organizing stuff, checking out yarn and knitting, drooling over beads and just daydreaming in general.  No commitment to anything.  Maybe that’s the trick?

Here’s the new studio set up.  I never went to IKEA, although I will eventually get there, but I confiscated a bookshelf from my son’s music room for my use in the studio.  I won’t tell him if you won’t, okay?

 At least I can store some things out in the open now. I’m not done.  That door on the left is a closet I keep older work and other stuff.  I’m planning to paint it inside and add flat files or shelving on one side with horizontal slots for canvases on the other.  It’s a thought.  By the way, the light still doesn’t work.  I guess it’s time to call in the pros.

I started a sketch from this month’s photo suggestion at the Virtual pARTy blog.  It’s not a great photo composition, but a good starting point for painting ideas.  I missed the deadline to enter on the blog, but I don’t care because this has my “thing” working again, and I don’t even like horses.  My focus is going to be on the nearest figure and I’m blocking out the rest as shapes and grounding lines. 

Another artist already finished her work with the same  idea, which isn’t all that unusual.  Each artist has their own vision and techniques making each work different anyway.  I’m interested in the process right now, not the outcome.  Oh, and in case you’re wondering, I’m not using the new watercolor paper yet.  I want to, but I’m frugal that way.  I’ll finish the old paper before I use the Arches that cost big dollar bills.

 And these are the beads I bought.  Aren’t they just amazing?  Well, I fell for the colors and then the shapes, and all kinds of ideas came to my brain.  I’m compelled to arrange them with silver beads, maybe wire wrapping them, I don’t know what to do first.  I set up my jewelry stuff on the opposite side of my studio desk on an old kitchen table we had when I was a kid.  Yes, it’s still alive and works! 

Keeping my stuff out seems to inspire me.  I could be in that room for a pencil and end up seeing an idea glinting out of the corner of my eye.  Before I know it I’m working on the sketch or the beads. 

The week is new yet, and I have errands to run.  After that my time is my own and  I’ll be in my little foggy dreamland.

Nothing is Still Doing, Sort of

Beach at Dusk, close-up cropped
@2008 The Artist
I know, I know, where’s the painting?  How is the bagpipe coming along?  When are you going to finish that thing already?  What’s the problem, the hold up?   

Believe me, I ask myself these questions every day in the Artist’s Way morning pages that I write.  The “censor” in the pages beats me up each day that I haven’t been to visit the bagpipe watercolor.  I want to strangle that nasty “censor”!  She’s mean and she keeps talking to me nagging.  Thank goodness for the morning pages or I’d hear her scratchy voice all day long.  I hear here right away when I awake and she doesn’t stop bothering me until I write her words in my morning pages journal.  Then she gets quiet for the day.  Every day that I haven’t played with that painting I hear her shooting off her mouth again.  Blah blah blah. Why this? Why that? How come? What’s your problem? 

I could list all my excuses for avoiding this work, but they’re all lame and you’ve heard it all before.  No one wants to hear someone complain.  Let’s be real.  We can identify that there’s a block, some negative energy floating around I’m allowing to get to me, stopping me from going there.  The trick is to get through the blocks, but when I think about it I get tired.  A couple of days ago, sorting through my stuff was helpful to move through to some creative activity.  That was good.  Being able to identify that there are blocks to begin with is a step in the right direction.  A quick artist date to the book store on Sunday was helpful just to be out in fresh air on a sunny day.  A small distraction away from the “doing”.

But if I’m feeling drained and tired I’m just going to do nothing.  The Artist’s Way says we creatives need time for nothing.  In fact, doing nothing is still doing.  It’s just an active nothing, a spiritual nothing.  Nothing in the form of quiet, down time.  I can do nothing really well.  No knitting, no reading, no doodling, no TV, nothing.  The only something is anything repetitive like vacuuming, walking, mopping, or cooking, baking to relax the body and the mind.

Feel the feelings.  Say “yes” to the feelings and move on without guilt, judgement, or criticism.