Resistance Archives - Page 14 of 16 - Dora Sislian Themelis Art

The Creative Habit

As I was saying, I bought this book a while ago and haven’t had much time to read it. The Creative Habit, by Twyla Tharp, was recommended by some other artists as a great way to fight resistance and develop a routine for creativity.

I read The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron, about a year ago and really enjoyed it. Most of the tasks were doable and a couple of them have become things I can’t do without now. One of the tasks was to write three pages of free thought, in pen on paper, every morning. I have kept at that one and filled quite a few marble notebooks. The other task which I haven’t kept up is the weekly Artist Date. Finding time to keep a date with myself to do a small fun thing was a great idea which I have neglected.

I don’t think you can call a walk with my granddaughter in the carriage an Artist Date, but it was wonderful anyway! I’m almost all alone, she is only six months old, but she does have a personality and makes little noises. So it’s not really the idea. Some of the other tasks were annoying and I didn’t bother doing them. Some I would like to try to do the next free day I have.

Anyway, I started reading this book and from the first page I was hooked. The first chapter begins with this “I walk into a white room”. Immediately thoughts of sitting in front of a blank canvas flash through my mind. I know how it feels to face the canvas or the paper, and think: now what?

Twyla Tharp is a world class dancer and choreographer. For her to admit it’s terrifying to start something new is unsettling. What’s it like for the rest of us if she has doubts?

She writes:

“Some people find this moment-the moment before creativity begins-so painful that they simply cannot deal with it. They get up and walk away from the computer, the canvas, the keyboard; they take a nap or go shopping or fix lunch or do chores around the house. They procrastinate. In its most extreme form, this terror totally paralyzes people.”

I can relate to that. The idea that creativity can be something we can make a habit of is interesting to me. I could use a good kick of “habit.” I can blame everything around me and procrastinate all day, but in the end it’s only me here. I am working art in as best I can.

We can always learn a new trick to keep it fresh. If routine is the thing, and I could always use a new way to keep it up, I am there. Being ready with the materials I’m happy to use will be the other half of the battle. New paints are in the plan. Next up, a new routine.

I will let you know how it goes once I get rolling. Be sure of that.

Finished for Friday

The Dark Apple Hides Shells (c)2011 Dora Sislian Themelis
8×12 Watercolor on Arches paper

A finished work for Friday is here. I am done! I can’t touch this another time. I think I will keep at this apple until all that paint is used up. I have no choice. How many times can I complain about these paints? I guess an awful lot by the looks of the posts about this apple! Have you all had it with me yet? I’ve had it with my constant whining. The next time I decide to throw caution to the wind and by paints I know nothing about, kick me please?

Besides that, I fooled around with my camera and for some reason my photos in my last post came up like a widescreen TV. I don’t know what button I pushed. I was hunting for something that would take a decent photo and not be huge when I uploaded it to the computer. There’s just alot of steps to get the photos the right size so that they upload in seconds rather than long minutes. I mean long. Looks like there are no short cuts here, or in life in general.

I will be posting this to the 100 Paintings Challenge, too. Slowly, but surely, I’m working my way to 100. Oh I’ll do it, too. No doubt. But it’s going to be slow.

A while back I purchased another book on creativity and resistance titled The Creative Habit, by Twyla Tharp. I know she’s a great dancer and choreographer, but from what I’ve heard this is a really good book for breaking through blocks to creativity. I finally started reading yesterday and I think it’s going to be interesting.

I want to read it slowly for the words to really go into my head. Most times when I read, I more or less scan and read too quickly. Oh I’ve read big books in a couple of days, but don’t ask me what I read, I couldn’t tell you. While I’m reading I am in the moment. After I’m done, forget it. Talking with a friend about a book I had just finished, which she read in college, she remembered characters and plots. Me? I could barely remember the main character and some sketchy details. Not good. I need to take time to read this, and not while I’m having lunch. No. Multi tasking is not my forte.

The first page of The Creative Habit began with this: The White Room. Just imagine a large, empty, white rehearsal room for dancers. Immediately I thought of a blank, white canvas or paper. I knew then that this was going to be a good read. I will let you know next week.

On to the Other Side

Determined to keep myself in a mode of allowing good things to come my way, I painted. Yes, I did. I took the time while my granddaughter napped this morning and ran to the paints. I cannot let another day like that get the better of me. My mind is set. I must paint daily. At least I’ll try to paint daily. Fingers crossed!

Let me remind you, I’m still not happy with the colors I’m using. I don’t mind mixing colors to get what I’m looking for, but this is ridiculous. I just can’t make the colors I need with these paints. MamieriBlu is lovely and creamy, blends nicely on the paper, but my brain is looking for colors that are just not there! What else can I say? Maybe I didn’t buy all the colors I needed? My palette is full, but I am still lost without some of my favorite colors.

I like using a palette with minimal, but essential colors. Here I have more than I really need except they don’t look like the colors I’m accustomed to using. I know I keep harping on it. It’s a problem for me.

Other Side of the Dark Apple (c)2011 Dora Sislian Themeli
8×12 Watercolor on Arches paper

I turned the still life set-up around once again, to get a different perspective. I also moved around the table to get the shadows going in the opposite direction. The reds are not what I wanted, but somehow it works. I’m not sure if the apple looks like it’s laying down. I think it’s floating. Maybe I’m wrong. I don’t care. I signed it and it’s finished. Questions? Comments? Criticisms?

A Knitting Deadline

The latest project is on the needles. No painting can happen until I meet this particular deadline, which is coming up soon. I have just days to finish.

The hot pink color of this yarn is amazing and fun to work with. Can you see the little sparkles? Fun! I’m still in the loop, holding Resistance at bay if I keep going. “Finish something” has been playing in my head. There’s plenty more where this came from to keep me busy, but right now I have to finish this set of projects. The pink mohair item is in a holding pattern while I work on these. Yes, there are two! Look at the picture, get the idea? Another item is done. Somewhere in my day today I must finish this and go on to the next one.

Have you ever heard of “second sock syndrome”? Think about it. You need two socks, right? You complete one whole sock. Ah, satisfaction with a project that is finished! But wait! You have to do it all over again, same pattern, same yarn, same colors, same needles. Yawn! It’s possible Resistance can show up and you never get to make the second sock. What are you going to do with one lousy sock, huh? But it happens.

I like taking these little projects with me to doctor’s appointments to work on in the waiting room. I’ve been getting allergy shots and the wait time is twenty minutes. That means knitting time. I don’t know if the allergy shots are doing anything, but I’m getting knitting in!

The socks I started knitting for myself during our vacation in Greenport, NY during the summer never materialized into socks. I started them on vacation, and ripped them in the doctor’s waiting room. I reknit them, and ripped them again. For some reason I never liked how the knitting looked.

First, I knit them too tight and the colors were pooling. I was seeing zigzags and blotches of colors. Yuck. I ripped. Then I began again with different needles and new number of cast on stitches. Better, stripes were happening, but the stitches looked too open and holed. Rip rip rip. Next reknit I still didn’t like the look of the stitches. RIP! Now I have no socks, just a ball of nothing. The girls in the allergists office were asking where the socks are that I was working on. I showed them a ball. They gasped. Oh well.

So anyway, now I’m on a deadline. I can’t wait to finish this round of knitting and move on to painting where there are other adventures to tackle.

I Will Beat the Crazymaker

Have I mentioned that I have a stalker? What’s up with that? People turn into some kind of crazy here and there.

Friendships are strange. It’s nice to have friends, but not when they become out of control monster-like. Think of the Hulk. He’s such a nice guy, right? Then something clicks inside his head and he turns into this wild, green monstrosity. There’s no putting that thing back in his box. Nope.

When I was reading The Artist’s Way trying to reign in Mr. Resistance, I read about the Crazymaker. Everyone has one of those people in their life now and then. They make it hard for us to do our own stuff by distracting us with their stuff. The bad thing about it is that sometimes you don’t know you have a Crazymaker on your hands until they jump out of the box like the Hulk!

I made my peace with my Crazymaker, in my head. I ignored. It worked, for a while.

Now they’re circling in the waters like a shark trying to fool it’s prey. I think I’m the prey. I will try to ignore, again. But the thing is this: they know what they’re doing. They make it hard to ignore.

People around me tell me things related to the Crazymaker. These managers of mayhem are smart. They know how to worm themselves in my direction, by using others I’m close to or friendly with.

Lately it’s been by cyberspying. That’s my definition because I can’t think of anything else to call it that will convey my meaning. Sly and calculating, they are. But guess what? I catch the drift. I’m not a fool. I’m outside because I identified the Crazymaker for who they are and I slowly stepped back. Anyone remember that skit from the ’60’s with actors I can’t think of right now, “Slowly I turn, step by step…”

That’s me, backing out of the driveway! But wait! Who’s that shadowy figure trying to get my attention? Nah, not fooling me. Still I ignore. How long will they lurk?

Anyway, I painted a twenty minute piece the end of last week which helped me drive thoughts of that Crazymaker out of my head. Now that I’ve committed myself to the 100 Paintings Challenge, twenty minutes of work is going to help me keep going. Quick and done!

Broken Shell (c)2011 Dora Sislian Themelis
8×12 Watercolor on Arches paper

That will show the Crazymaker and Mr. Resistance who’s boss! Nyah-ha-ha-ha!

I’m In

I did it. I took the plunge. I made the commitment. Got on the band wagon. I took the first step of a long journey. Can’t think of any other analogies to convey what I’ve decided to take on with all the other stuff I do.

For a year or so I’ve been trying to beat Mr. Resistance at his game. I read The Artist’s Way, The War of Art, Walking in This World, looking for ways to get around the blahs of going to the studio to paint. Reading The Artist’s Way was my jump off point. The tasks were do-able most of the time. The most beneficial step forward was the daily writing of Morning Pages. Thank goodness for those Pages! The constant blabbing going on in my head has moved to the written page, leaving my brain pretty clear and babble free.

The thing is I wanted to be painting on a regular schedule. In the past year I have moved well along, but, alas, no schedule. I thought that, maybe, I’m not a good schedule person-type. I thought, maybe, I’m not organized enough to make myself walk down the steps to my studio area, in my house, at a set time each day to work. Try as I might, I couldn’t seem to act as if I have a job in an office, to which I had to show up every day and get paid at the end of the week. Where was the payment, the cash, the moola? Not in my basement studio it seems. And not anywhere else either. It just wasn’t happening on that regular basis I was looking for.

It was happening alright, just not how I expected it. Yes, I painted some solid work. Yes, I learned things about watercolors and materials. I learned how to find inspiration, when to give myself a break, how to lighten up and when. Live life, ignore some stupid stuff, much of it my own, pay attention to nice stuff, smile and move on. Yes, learning lots of stuff. Good stuff and not so good stuff.

I knew that spending a small amount of time in the studio looking through my things, sorting, cleaning, could lead to doing. For fifteen minutes I could do something and it worked, for a while. Planning to show up for fifteen minutes would turn into a new project. Process, process, process.

One day while floating around the internet I stumbled onto The Twenty Minute Challenge blog by Teri Casper, and things suddenly started to happen. I learned that I couldn’t fool around all day long with watercolors because I wasn’t getting what I thought I wanted with all the water, the sloshing paint, the fuzzy-ness developing on my paper. But in twenty minutes I could have a finished painting! What a concept! Smack me in the head!

Those quick paintings I did on the beach in October were finished works. Why couldn’t I do the same thing here? Well, it worked and I did it.

Fast forward through to the present. Through Teri’s challenge I found the 100 Paintings Challenge. Sounded daunting, but other artists were working through it, why not I? (I, me, which one is it? Forget it.)

If I had found out about this idea months ago I’d have plenty of work under my belt by now. The thing is, I don’t think I would have had the guts to do it. Don’t think I have the guts right now, just that I’m afraid if I don’t jump in with both feet Mr. Resistance will grab me from behind and beat me up. So I threw down the gauntlet and said YES, before I backed out. Remember- YES is the operative word?

Here I am, making a commitment to do 100 paintings in the year ahead. I said yes so it’s done. The wonderful, kind Laure, administrator of The 100 Painting Challenge was lovely with her encouragement, as was Teri and the other artists over there. Laure asked me if I wanted to begin right away or wait. I replied that I needed to begin as soon as possible to keep the momentum going. I even had the latest painting ready to go.

What’s Left of Fall (c)2011Dora Sislian Themelis
8×12 Watercolor 140lb Arches cold press paper

This still life started out as a twenty minute loosely painted work. I knew I would go back to it to define the areas needing work and decided to make this #1 of the challenge.

I did it. I’m ready. I made the commitment and I’m peeking around the corner for Mr. Resistance. If he shows up I’m going to deck him!

The Operative Word is Yes

I’ve been thinking of entering the 100 Paintings Challenge. I won’t lie, I’m scared to begin and I don’t know why. This year I have fought with resistance to creating art and been winning most of the time. Reading The Artist’s Way helped quite a lot. Doing the tasks, writing Morning Pages without fail, pushing myself to be a parent to my inner child artist helped me to find inspiration and motivation. Another book, The War of Art, had more ideas and thoughtful quips for finding the muse and working on creativity. I’ve just found The Creative Spirit, by Twyla Tharp which is supposed to be good, too, but haven’t read it yet. I will let you know how it is when I do.

Finding the blog, The Twenty Minute Challenge, nudged me to find twenty minutes in a busy day to paint. A while back I was playing with just fifteen minutes in the studio which was productive. Doing 20 minutes, to begin and finish a work, was even better. Ding! and you have to stop. I was usually finished with my work by the time the timer rang. Fifteen minutes a day, or twenty for that matter, can help push along a larger project, which I have done. Much can be accomplished in small chunks of time as long as I don’t have to have a wrestling match with resistance, which could derail my efforts for a lot longer.

In comes the latest push, nudge, dangling carrot on a stick, the 100 Paintings, and I’m tempted. That little bad boy on my shoulder says “Why do you want to do that? People are going to have things to say. You’re busy as can be lately and you will never have the time to do 10 pieces, never mind 100” and on. Then again, the good girl on the other shoulder tells me “Why not? If you had taken up the challenge a long while ago you would already have 25 or more paintings in the mix and be excited to keep going.” So goes my discourse in the Morning Pages. Thank goodness I write those pages. Who wants to hear all this stuff that goes on in my head? Why this, why that, why not?

So why don’t I just jump in and sign up? What’s with the commitment phobia? The lovely fellow artists/bloggers are so nice at encouraging me to do it and I’m hedging.

But this being a Monday, and I love Mondays, I am tempted to just say yes. I read something in the past that said whenever there is a question, the answer, the operative word, should be Yes. So I think, hedge-hedge, the answer is Yes. I will. I accept the challenge. Now all I have to do is go over to the blog and begin. It’s still scary.

Leaves of Resistance

Knock Knock! Who’s There? Oh, it’s You..Again

Where have I been this past week? Right here, at home, visiting with Resistance. Yeah, it hit me again, that lousy Resistance, with a capital R. Sometimes things go a little off track and lands me smack in the blahs of creativity. Meaning no creativity. Meaning resistance mode.

What’s an artist to do? Well, first I decided to lay off bugging and nagging my inner artist. I gave in to resistance and took a nap. Maybe it was well deserved. Feeling off is not going to help anything, but dropping out of it can. So I did. That’s all I could do on Day 1 visit with Resistance.

To back up a bit: I ran out of paper in the travel watercolor pad I was using. Bad move #1- I didn’t shop for another pad. I still have paper, but it’s larger. So, I decided to just use the larger paper for the next work. I set up a small still life of the usual items and added some interesting agate stones I have for my jewelry making. Maybe they were too interesting? Make that Bad move #2.

As I was free from babysitting one day this week, which is another story I will have to tell another day, I sat down to paint this set up. Remember, bigger paper. I began to sketch in the objects with paint, no pencil drawing. I had hoped to do twenty minutes. Bad move #3-20 minutes on big paper with interesting items that had detail, lots of detail.

How did it come out? Disaster. Knock-knock, Resistance at the door! Hi, how have you been? Come on in! It’s been such a long time!

The next day I took that nap. The day after that I pushed myself outside to take some photos of the Japanese maple tree with it’s bright red leaves. I wanted to post them, but Resistance wouldn’t let me saying we should have a coffee together. So I had coffee in my ‘dream corner’ of the living room and looked out the window at the back garden. Resistance told me to just leave that horrible painting on the dining room table where I started it. Sure, look at it every time I pass through to the kitchen, why not?

The following day I ran my errands and totally ignored the painting and anything to do with it.

Do you know how hard it is to fight the soothing call of Resistance? I must say I’ve been lucky these last few months. Keeping resistance at bay was a breeze. It was smooth sailing for a while, plugging into creativity, staying in the mode with 20 minutes at a time, happy with the process and feeling good about the outcome of it. Nice work. I guess a visit with Resistance was inevitable sooner or later.

What did I do after all that? I knit. After I knit, I am going to ditch that painting.

Shaking up the Week-Friday Photos and More

After I posted to this blog on Wednesday I decided to try to upload these photos once more before I hung it up. Voila! One of the photos of the painting I did popped up. Go figure. The second wouldn’t upload again. Maybe by the end of this post it will work. So I’m writing this Friday Photos post to take advantage of the uploading.

Can you tell I’m painting on the dining room table? Yes, that’s been the spot for the 20 minutes paintings. The light is good from the large window and casts great shadows on the subjects. And it’s close to the kitchen! I’ve been getting to the painting late in the afternoon which cuts into cooking time. People around here need to eat!

The studio in the basement is okay, but the hydrangea painting is down there and I just don’t want to look at it for a while. My large watercolor palette is there too, but I’m having too much fun with the travel set, even though it’s supposed to be for painting on the go. Good thing I purchased plenty of half pans of Windsor & Newton paints on sale because I’m going to run out soon. The large palette is filled with the MaimeriBlu paints. Something about the colors with those paints, but if I really should use them. Next time.