Today LIsa quotes Henry Miller, "Paint as you like and die happy." (He painted and wrote about painting, in his journals ) Lisa's prompt challenges us/me to make my own parallel statement, i.e. _____________as I like and die happy. That 'die' part makes it look kind of stark...I find myself thinking up a list of some things and their logical results...or consequences...instead.
I'd rather simply focus on things I might do as a lark, spontaneous bit and bursts of happiness, many of which could be enumerated in the previous post about happiness (plus picking up a new and fascinating, page-turner of a book, calling a dear friend or, in contrast, someone who appears to be in need of a cheery call, baking something...which usually defaults to chocolate chip cookies, and playing hymns, children's songs, and simple versions of classical music). And then... my thoughts turn to the practice of art itself.
In high school and college, I would draw or doodle, flowers and simple designs, in the margins of a paper during lecture. Even now, I occasionally draw, in a burst of joy or as an intentional self-assignment in the midst of malaise, with pencil, pen, or colored markers, usually in a random journal that may or may not be the regular one...In fact, these days none is 'regular,' I seem to be in the random mode, making journal entries here and there, in whichever asynchronous journal happens to be handy. (If an entry is put away into a random journal, will it ever surface meaningfully again? In the grand scheme of things, does it matter what I answer?) For whom do I journal, anyway...years of sporadic or regular recitation of facts, celebrations and complaints, only now and then opening a window into the heart...)
I've been thinking lately about how I tend to skip over the instruction (i.e. study) and preparation of things, but rather tend to jum right into process itself, often with substandard or inconclusive results. This may be something help me get 'unstuck:' I'll try making more intentional approaches to my writing through art. Could it be the key to working through to a more thorough and satisfying conclusion? I may have been missing making a habit of what looks (!) like a very sensible practice, but it's never too late to start.
Drawing is fun. So are a number of other art forms, but drawing is so accessible, easily begun with whatever pencil or paper are at hand. (Deja vu: skipping the preparation part, when you have to assemble and prepare materials for other art forms.) And the practice of letting myself go, unconcerned about the so-called 'quality' of the writing or artistic result, can be freeing. Lisa (and Henry and Lynn Fisher)'s idea of art to get the creative writing juices going is a good idea. Editing can come later. ('ve heard it again and again, even believed it. But do I let myself practice it?!
Lisa's prompt includes making a second statement: "If I gave myself permission to _____________ as I like, then _________________." Okay, so I"ll say, "If I gave myself permission to practice art just for fun, then maybe I might become more focused, intentional, and well-polished in my writing." The latter of which is, but ever so slowly, already becoming a reality...best on days when I practice my quiet time, Bible study and reading, first thing in the morning. Hm...let's see about adding art to that!
I'd rather simply focus on things I might do as a lark, spontaneous bit and bursts of happiness, many of which could be enumerated in the previous post about happiness (plus picking up a new and fascinating, page-turner of a book, calling a dear friend or, in contrast, someone who appears to be in need of a cheery call, baking something...which usually defaults to chocolate chip cookies, and playing hymns, children's songs, and simple versions of classical music). And then... my thoughts turn to the practice of art itself.
In high school and college, I would draw or doodle, flowers and simple designs, in the margins of a paper during lecture. Even now, I occasionally draw, in a burst of joy or as an intentional self-assignment in the midst of malaise, with pencil, pen, or colored markers, usually in a random journal that may or may not be the regular one...In fact, these days none is 'regular,' I seem to be in the random mode, making journal entries here and there, in whichever asynchronous journal happens to be handy. (If an entry is put away into a random journal, will it ever surface meaningfully again? In the grand scheme of things, does it matter what I answer?) For whom do I journal, anyway...years of sporadic or regular recitation of facts, celebrations and complaints, only now and then opening a window into the heart...)
I've been thinking lately about how I tend to skip over the instruction (i.e. study) and preparation of things, but rather tend to jum right into process itself, often with substandard or inconclusive results. This may be something help me get 'unstuck:' I'll try making more intentional approaches to my writing through art. Could it be the key to working through to a more thorough and satisfying conclusion? I may have been missing making a habit of what looks (!) like a very sensible practice, but it's never too late to start.
Drawing is fun. So are a number of other art forms, but drawing is so accessible, easily begun with whatever pencil or paper are at hand. (Deja vu: skipping the preparation part, when you have to assemble and prepare materials for other art forms.) And the practice of letting myself go, unconcerned about the so-called 'quality' of the writing or artistic result, can be freeing. Lisa (and Henry and Lynn Fisher)'s idea of art to get the creative writing juices going is a good idea. Editing can come later. ('ve heard it again and again, even believed it. But do I let myself practice it?!
Lisa's prompt includes making a second statement: "If I gave myself permission to _____________ as I like, then _________________." Okay, so I"ll say, "If I gave myself permission to practice art just for fun, then maybe I might become more focused, intentional, and well-polished in my writing." The latter of which is, but ever so slowly, already becoming a reality...best on days when I practice my quiet time, Bible study and reading, first thing in the morning. Hm...let's see about adding art to that!
