Monday Post ~ June 20, 2011
“As the artist matures she is continuously shaken by what she manages to discover: by the earth shifting beneath her feet once again, by her own amazed, ringing laughter.”
~Eric Maisel
What are your plans for creative practice this week? Given the specifics of your schedule, decide on a realistic goal or a milestone to reach for. A goal as simple as “I will be creative for 10 minutes every day” is what it’s all about. Share your goal(s) as a comment to this post, and let us know how things went with your creative plans for last week, if you posted to last week’s Monday Post.
Suggestion: When you’re deciding on your creative intentions, it’s a good idea to think about WHEN you’re going to write those 2,000 words or paint that canvas. Try to schedule the time slots in your calendar (if you keep one), understanding that flexibility may be required. If things don’t happen when you wanted them to, that’s OK. Give yourself a gentle push with one hand, but pat yourself kindly on the shoulder with the other if you don’t reach your goal for a given week. Sometimes it’s easier, sometimes it’s harder. Ride whatever you’ve got.
It’s also useful to have a sense of your minimum requirements (come hell or high water I’m going to write 100 words) while keeping a lookout for sudden opportunities to do more. You know, the day that the baby takes a monster nap or your partner takes the kids out to run errands and you find yourself with an unexpected “extra” half hour. Grab that time for yourself. You can catch up on the dishes and the laundry later. If you keep something creative in the back of your mind for those sudden opportunities, you’ll be more likely to use them to your advantage — rather than squandering your precious bonus moments on Facebook or vacuuming out the sofa cushions.
Studio Mothers: Life & Art 
I’m realizing the free moments in summer get increasingly rare. Not to say they aren’t replaced with good things – there is just less time for “personal” projects. In order to reap the summer’s bounty strawberries have to be picked and frozen and jammed and that takes precedence over other projects. And the garden must be weeded and watered, and the children must be enjoyed, and dinner still needs to be cooked. I’m feeling like I need to adjust my previously amibitious push for creative progress! That being said, we did make jam and I sewed a bamboo yoga shirt for Daddy for Father’s Day (really lovely fabric, although a tad difficult to sew). Plus I have been devouring the landscape design books I got from the library, and ordered a few more. We’re going on vacation at the end of this week so my intentions this week are to get packed!
Last week’s goals:
* To help me complete Right-Brain Business Plan, I enrolled in Jennifer Lee’s e-course, which starts this week. I’m so excited! [YES–AND IT’S AWESOME]
* Continue getting caught up on Life Assessment responses (nearly there) T/W/Th [YES! MEGA PROGRESS]
* Coaching DAILY [YES]
* Project Life update over weekend (maybe on that one) [NO–holding this one for first week of July when little guys are at Grandma’s and I can devote a full day to updating the album]
* Journaling DAILY [ALMOST]
* Complete guest article for CCA newsletter M/T [YES]
This week’s goals:
* Assignments for Right-Brain Business Plan AD HOC
* Make the kids’ end-of-year “certificates” (these are documents I create every year that acknowledge each of the kids’ personal accomplishments) MON
* Continue getting caught up on Life Assessment responses (nearly there) T/W/Th
* Coaching DAILY
* Journaling DAILY
* Complete Creative Times newsletter draft THURS
last week, couldn’t focus on novel, did yard work instead. a LOT of yard work.
this week, first full week of boys off from school, and i have a gazillion dr appts. god knows when/if i’ll be able to edit. i am keeping my eyes on the next small goal though and looking for a two hour window to do it in, if i can think about it well around kids and medical stuff.
I’m feeling much like jlcm, with the children out of school and less time for my work and creative lives, I need to cut back a bit on my creative ambitions without losing sight of them altogether. Last week was much busier than I anticipated, with end of year plays and gatherings.
1. I have 4 good pictures, so produce all 4 stencils and begin working with patterns and backgrounds. This may require some research.–I didn’t finish all 4 stencils from last week, but I did get the prints made at CVS.
2. Make a plan to take more pictures (of myself or a friend doing yoga poses), I have an idea to design some yoga sequences and make a guide to give out to my students, combining art and words and inspiration. So I need to photograph a lot more poses. I’d love to get some friends to pose for me.
-I thought about this but didn’t get any further. I’d like to start with an illustrated foldout version of surya namaskara A as a handout for my students.
3. I’m helping a facebook/blog friend edit a book, but I’ve fallen behind on the chapters: edit one chapter per day. –I did manage to edit a few chapters. Funny, it’s easier to help someone else with their work than to do my own!
4. Begin working on a list of art projects with kids this Summer and compile & order a supply list- again, this was more in my head than on paper, but I’m thinking of adding henna tattoos!
5. Copy this post and put it on my laptop / refrigerator/ bathroom mirror LOL!!! –ditto, repeat.
6. Read Miranda’s assessment in detail and come up with a plan! She has great ideas for integrating creativity and motherhood, a little planning goes a long way. I need to work with my calendar more, I have a beautiful desktop calendar but weeks go by when I don’t crack it open. But I do notice that these Monday posts help get at least something done creatively, which is far better than nothing at all.
i love the idea of the illustrated yoga handout based on photos of you and your yoga friends in poses. Personal and beautiful! You could get it laminated so it would withstand use and reuse.