Monday Post ~ August 22, 2011
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deep fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”
~Marianne Williamson
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” or “I will gesso three canvases” 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 
last week, i got some good editing done in my writers’ group’s writing camp. 2 days we spent together in silence. i may have said this before, but i really am almost done…second day did not go as well as the first day, another reminder that i cannot expect to make certain headway. my creative process tends to be fury followed by fallow. i fell behind in blogging, too.
this week: more life is happening as school year approaches with special needs management, besides the usual school supplies, but i want to finish my vacation photos blogs, and catch up to where we are now. I hope to set aside tomorrow morning at least for another 3 hour edit session at the library. this can be hard with all the kids home – oldest can handle it, but i have distracted thoughts and usually come home to more mayhem than usual.
You’re making continual progress, C! 😀
thanks, turns out not this week, apparently….ah, the approaching start of school, an earthquake…. lol
This week I started keeping a dream journal — writing down my dreams every morning, as they’re extremely vivid and may be useful for something in future. I like this a lot, but the dream journaling pushed out regular intention journaling, and I really want to do both. This week I have a lot of editorial client work to get caught up on and a bunch of loose threads to pick up.
Last week’s goals:
* CCA homework [yes]
* Coaching & Life Assessment Responses [yes]
* Journaling [yes]
* Project Life update [partially complete]
* Make something [made some “raw superfood” power balls with the boys, but this isn’t exactly what I’d had in mind in terms of creative project!]
This week’s goals
* CCA homework [Sun]
* Develop project outline for Wednesday’s creative pow-wow mtg [by Tues]
* Work on newsletter
* Journaling [daily target]
* Project Life update [Sat/Sun]
* Make something!
Last week…..this is what I thought I’d accomplish….AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
Continued sanity-maintenance…[YEP, I’m so proud!]
Complete six sets of wineglass charms and one necklace [six sets of wineglass charms, but no necklace]
Make a set of beads for a swap [by WED] — DONE
Develop teaching outlines for three possible classes — NOPE
Blog for A Hot Piece of Glass 2x — YES!!
Blog for Studio Mothers 1x — NOPE 😦
Blog for Medieval Glassworker 1x — NOPE
Go through my bead and jewelry supplies and pare down to what I need for the kids of work I am making right now. Give away the rest. — I moved everything into a single workspace, but haven’t sorted it all yet.
I thought I’d accomplished so much, but it was a busy week for Life (bathroom remodeling stuff, little kids, etc).
This week? Life is going to overtake me again as we get into our autumn routine, but here I go, anyway:
Make red velvet cupcakes and four batches of pizza dough for my daughter’s 13th birthday party
Movie-themed party favors for the birthday party
Blog post for Studio Mothers
Blog post for A Hot Piece of Glass (at least one)
Work out a specific design idea for a bead/jewelry exchange
Develop basic outlines for three possible classes (I’ll just keep that on the list…)
Nice, Christine — it does feel like things are going to settle down a bit once we get settled into the new school year, yes?
Oh good gravy, I hope so! I am craving the routine of the ‘regular year’, and DEFINITELY craving that block of time in the day where it’s just me and the house and my ideas. 🙂
Last week:
1) garden design project – 2+ hours/week [YES]
2) 2 blog entries per week [YES – 4, and now I know I am not imagining that when I write blog posts more frequently, I feel happier because I am taking the time to appreciate and reflect on what is happening in my life]
3) 1 art project and 1 nature excursion per week [NO/YES]
4) focus on compassionate, patient, artful parenting [BETTER! I feel like we’re finally hitting a summer rhythm, ironically in mid-August, and that helps so much.]
This week:
Unforutnately my paid work is about to ramp up beyond what I deem acceptable, and it’s beyond my control. So I am keeping my focus on the same four priorities, with #1 and #4 getting top billing.
#1 I have all the maps done, a design theme, and plant list completed, I’ve just started actually creating the design on paper. This is where the artistry comes in and is my biggest potential for growth (and by that I mean it’s really challenging for me!) And if the client should happen to be reading this she should know that my goal is to have a design to her in early-mid September so she can get some fall planting in should she so choose. 😉
Foo on paid work!
We miss you at this week’s Monday Post, jlcm! Are you sidelined by work? Hoping that the new fall schedule puts a few more hours in your pocket.
Yeesh, I posted last week, really, but I must have done something wrong because I don’t see it there. So I’ve started a folder of Monday Posts on my computer, and I’ll cut and paste them here so that I know I have a copy of what I’ve written.
1. Although I didn’t get to marble paper on my birthday, I did identify a new source of marbling supplies to try again and a potential workshop. Now to locate the cash! I did, however, make a pretty darn fabulous devil’s food cake with mocha mousse frosting and caramel drizzle.
2. I’ve been journaling with some regularity and trying to fit all of the pieces of my life together into a coherent whole. My yoga teaching schedule changes this fall and it should leave me more time to be a better curator and artist. And hopefully to be more organized and have a cleaner house as well.
3. I did gelatin printing with the kids and will do some more this week.
4. Keep sketching and watercoloring in my journal. On a long drive home last week I drew my foot and part of the dashboard on a paperbag, just to have drawn something that day. The goal is still to draw daily but it’s harder than it sounds.
5. I’m working on a blog and I posted this week. http://artistsvalentine.blogspot.com, so I’d like to write one more entry this week. The last week before school starts is a bit well, you know, so to sum it up my goal is to journal and draw as much as possible, and to write a blog post.
Yay, Deb!!