Drawing Lines

no, not that kind. i’m not creating a drawing here. i’m attempting to create a life. i want it to be a life that nourishes and inspires others, but i get that that won’t happen if i’m not nourished and inspired myself.

 

i seem to require quite a bit of time and space for this self-nourishment to occur and short-cuts don’t seem to do it. so i end up having to draw lines. 

 call them boundaries if you wish. stopping points. discipline. saying no. whatever. 

it’s been a whole year now since i’ve been working in a regular job. i’ve tried to be careful as far as what i’ve become involved in, cautious not to over-commit. yet each involvement that i’ve taken on has the power to “suck me in” and so quickly bring me to a place where i end up losing that nourishment space.  not to mention the ability to create.

 

so i’m actively in a line-drawing mode -

for my gallery involvements

for my group participations

for my volunteer work

for my social commitments

for my online presence

for my learning endeavors

it’s not easy to do. maybe with practice i’ll get better at it.

because i know that it’s so so worth it!

Losing Myself

i’m losing myself

i hate when that happens

…swallowed by a vast teaming ocean

of which my innocent-looking desktop computer

is the portal

once i enter this sea

i am jostled about

in a little boat

(disguised as a mouse)

this ocean has many waves

which carry me to many shores

some of which are so inviting

but the waves can be powerful

and it’s easy to get lost

and forget where i am

sometimes i get seasick

and long to be on dry land again.

do you ever feel this way??

Thoughts on Creativity

i’ve always been fascinated with the whole creativity concept. funny thing is, i don’t really fit the image of what i’ve always considered a creative person to be. you know, a “colorful” person that spontaneously thinks up lots of  wild and unusual ideas and solutions to things. quickly. you want me to come up with good ideas? give me the situation and then let me think about it for a day or two. or more. that’s just the way my brain works. does it mean i’m not creative? hmmmm…..

since i started this whole creative journey, back in 2001, lots of people have said, “oh, you’re so creative”. (in fact, a friend told me recently that she looks forward to receiving my christmas card each year, more than any other.) i tend to accept these remarks as compliments, but secretly i’m thinking…."if they really knew me, they wouldn’t say that. i guess i’ve fooled them".

lately i've come to a new realization - that that "creative person" concept that i've had is just a silly stereotype! we are all creative. did you get that?? we. are. all. creative. ALL! sure, some are fabulous painters (which seems to be most people's stereotype of the creative artist.) some can write great songs, some can produce amazing sculptures. but what about the person with the gorgeous garden? or the knack for home-decorating? aren't these forms of creativity as well?

my new mantra is this:

 everyone is creative. some just haven't yet found their venue.

 i really believe that and it's one of the tenets of my space between creativity retreats.

in my own case, i've been pursuing photography for about 7 years now. i love it, but then so do a gazillion other people. i feel the need to tweak it in some fashion or to use it in a different way than printing and framing images. like in powerpoints - love doing that. i'm including a few of my "tweaking" experiments here.  it's a work in progress, for sure!!

Ripples

Excerpt from Nomadic Notebook IV - Southwestern Sojourn

i realize that this has nothing to do with talk about creativity, blogs, social networking, etc. etc. that's taking place in flying lessons.  it's intentional.  i need a break.  it's information overload and while much of it is fabulous and inspirational, some parts of it are making me crazy.  i have to back away a bit.

i get that the course is about building a business.  and for most (all?) that means selling.  but it's teaching me something about myself as well.  at least at this point in time.  i realize this may be a little radical, but i'm shying away from selling.  i'm sensing it more and more.   i want my blog to be an inviting, friendly and inspirational place and the whole idea of being here just here to sell stuff kind of turns me off. 

it's just me and i felt the need to get that off my chest.  i may feel differently next week.  or next month or next year.  but for today, i hope you enjoy a little break with the ripples!  i do have more thoughts about creativity, but they will have to wait.  thanks for stopping!