Monday Post ~ September 12, 2011
“Just keep coming home to yourself.
You are the one you’ve been waiting for.”
~Byron Katie
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 
I’ve been absent lately because I was so focused on a creative endeavour, ironically. With the garden design project finished, I am going to take a week to revel in this new time I have 3 days a week while my son is at 1/2 day kindergarten. Really, I’m beside myself with the possibilities. So this week my goals are:
– intention journaling
– running 3 days
– getting the gardens back under control
– 1 hour of focused play with my son each of the mornings we are together
– one mama-daughter outing
It’s really home- and self- and kid-centric, but after a summer of extending myself outwards I’m needing a break to turn inward and focus on home and hearth.
Woohoo! Can’t wait to hear how you used your half days, jlcm!
And can’t wait to hear about your design project 😀
Only one week into school and we already have our first stomach virus! Seems to be of the quickly passing variety, so I’m trying to look on the bright side.
Tomorrow night I’m going to my first RAW event (Random Art Workshop) to get my hands dirty with a group of other creative women and I can’t wait.
Lots of homework and reading last week. Happy to say that I’m on target for meeting my goal of reading 50 books this year — I’m up to 33. Feels awesome.
Last week’s goals:
* CCA homework for two classes [yes]
* Workshop development [yes]
* Journaling [yes]
* Project Life update [yes]
* Make something! [did an art project with the kids]
This week’s goals
* CCA homework for two classes [TBD]
* Workshop development [T/W/Th]
* Journaling [daily target]
* Project Life update [Sat/Sun]
* Make something! [Tues]
I’m still getting adjusted to the new school schedule, but here was last week’s goals:
Blog post for Studio Mothers {DONE}
Blog post for A Hot Piece of Glass {no 😦 }
Blog post for Medieval Glassworker {no}
Make two necklaces and four pairs of earrings {actually, YES! I was surprised!}
Enamel an assortment of discs (a dozen or so) for other projects.{no}
This week:
Blog post for A Hot Piece of Glass
Blog post for Medieval Glassworker
Make two more necklaces and four pieces of Halloween-themed jewelry
I can’t get into the garage to do any enameling at the moment, so that’s out.
Right now, all my kids will be out of the house for a few hours every day and I am trying not to become overwhelmed by all of the house cleaning up and right-placing projects I want to do!! :-O
Yay on surprise accomplishment of necklaces and earrings!
Taking a page out of Deborah’s book (below), I too have found that a timed installment of housework is often enough to work toward a larger domestic goal while also feeling “done” with that task for the day. Maybe you could use the same “container” technique in order to make headway on your domestic projects while still having time for your creative work?
I just have to keep reminding myself that I don’t have to do ALL the planned projects *this* week! Also, I agree with your suggestion, and plan to use the ‘small amount of work on a house project each day’ method. Little by little, it all does get done. 🙂
I am just settling into the Fall schedule, have embarked this week on a Fall Detox from Yoga Journal.
Last week:
1. Finish this #$%%%@ essay. Now. Right now. It’s torture but I’m nearly there.– finished!
2. Write another blog post- I got a little carried away, and posted several blog posts.
3. Drawing- drawing! Draw some yoga poses.- not so much
This week:
1. During my detox, to take some time to journal and reflect on the upcoming year and how I want my life to be.
2. Commit, finally, to a daily drawing practice. A long time goal very little realized. Starting now, as soon as I finish this post.
3. Get my life in order to support my artistic visions. Think flylady routines, 15 minutes of decluttering and 15 minutes of paperwork until the paperwork monster is back under control I
Thank you for being here, thank you for listening!
Great list, Deborah. Do you have a target daily timeframe for your daily drawing practice? Just thinking about how force of habit is such a big help with a daily practice — and that consistency in timing is a big boost in developing new habits. Then again, there’s the reality of motherhood and a complicated schedule that doesn’t necessarily allow for doing the same thing at the same time on any given day….