January, a post on a blog that I have ignored for over a year, where to go, where to take it. I find I have so much to share and say. I have natural living things to share, art to share, how to steps to share and well, just general thoughts. My artist self is driven to share, to give and contribute to making the world a better place. So i am just going to jump in to the middle of my massive list of "I should blog about this" and start. I will start with this huge word, RESISTANCE. I bought a very inspiring book, Creative Thursday by Marissa Anne Cummings, her blog is here. The book is around starting, or rediscovering your creative self. I bought it for the pretty pictures and to, hopefully, inspire me to get back to my paints. I love to paint, I need to paint, to draw, to see lines form images on textured paper. The book was really helping, I was reading it, and even dusted off my paints. Then nothing, and nothing and a little more of nothing. I was on a chapter titled, Resistance, and I stopped after I read that chapter. I knew that after 18 months of managing a to do list with way to much on it, and all "work", externally driven tasks and massive life changes that I had developed a terrible habit, one of ignoring my true inner needs. Resistance has such a hold that, well, giving into the resistance the book went on my bookshelf, by my paints, to wait for me to overcome my problem.
I am going out on a limb here, but I am assuming I am not the only one beating my head against resistance. With this being the start of a new year and new resolutions flying around I am sure I am not the only person fighting between what I want to do, need to do and should be doing. I feel like I am starting to break through, finding habit in the things I love, which are actually, usually the things I should be doing. Here are my current battle weapons for overcoming Resistance and finding bliss:
1: Finding that magical place for "it". How many books are there about sacred spaces? Thousands I bet, but there is something to the art of the placement of things in our lives. I place my keys in a pink bowl every time I come through my front door, if I don't, it means I will be an hour late next time I leave the house. The best way for me to ignore books I want to read is to leave them on my nightstand, I leave every book I want to read on my nightstand, overwhelm myself and then read none of them. I have worked hard lately finding magical places. My two main things that I want to work on is daily sketching, to find the habit I once had of just drawing. It took a while to figure it out, but I found I love to draw on post-it notes. I rebelled, I didn't want to draw on post-it notes, because I would just stick the post-it note in my sketch book. I tried for two weeks to sketch in my sketchbook. I divided up the pages into squares, I got new markers and pens....nothing. I didn't even draw on post-it notes. Obviously, there is something about that size that inspires me. So I ran with it. I have a small stack of handmade paper by my desk at work, and on lunch as I read my blogs I sketch up ideas that inspire me. I don't do it everyday, but I am sketching a few days a week, and the sketches are flowing more freely. Take a good look at what you want to accomplish, are your work with what naturally inspires you? Is there a way to reshape what you are doing, so it feels natural?
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| The start to re-discovering my creativity |
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| Settling into a new habit with the right tools to make it stick |
2: Don't have the goal reminders everywhere. I am one who thinks, the more I have a reminder plastered everywhere, the more likely I am to act on it. Not the case, taking my gym clothes to work with me everyday does not mean I will actually take the small detour to the gym. Having my favorite pens in my bag does not mean I will draw. It actually kind of makes me want to really rebel and not do it even more. Give your goals space to grow and to expand in your life. In doing too much I really tore down my body. I am hoping this will be a year of healing. I am working on my "idea" of what exercise is to me. It use to be nice run, 2.5 miles to 6 miles. Well, that went out the window after spending 18 months sitting in too many after work meetings. Taking my gym clothes with me everyday to work just meant I took them home every night. Going to the gym every night is too much in my life, so I don't go at all. I had the same issue with carrying my pens with everywhere I went, I always found something else to do with them. I now pack my supplies with intent. I have given myself space. At my desk I have a little reminder taped to my file cabinet. The art work reminds me to just draw without judgement, and the second is a calendar with a workout schedule that I feel work in my life. It reminds me of what type of work out I should be thinking about for that day. It is flexible and gives me a choice. The final piece in this location is a calendar of the month where I can track my workouts. This way I can monitor my actual progress, and now how badly I need to fight resistance that day. As I get more workouts listed in a week, the easier the next week is to get them in. Are you making yourself miserable with the constant battle of meeting your goal by having it always in your face? Is there a way to give yourself more space and a way to track your success in your battle?
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| Where I keep my daily reminders |
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| My tracking to make sure I really am doing what I think I am |
3. Everyday is a new day. Wake where you are each morning, approach each battle as a new opportunity to overcome, and as more battles are won the easier the war will be.
What strategies are you taking to find a bit of "success" in each day?
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