Wake Up Practices

Artists need a lot of mental energy to make art. We need to be fully awake, passionately curious, and open to joy. It's a kind of wild awareness that allows a "helpful obsession" for our art. When I am awake, I have a natural rhythm throughout my whole day, pulsing between focused attention and floating openness. I pulse as distractions arise, and as low energy slows me down; it's a kind of steady heartbeat that carries me with equanimity and perseverance.

When I'm not awake, I can't seem to make art at all. And so this week I'm using a variety of Wake Up Practices.

Agenda:

1. Read the Creativity Book

2. Tiny tasks list

3. Review-Prepare-Flow

4. Clean the studio

5. Waking up!

1. Read the Creativity Book:

A few years ago I started but didn't finish this book by Eric Maisel (one of my favorite writers). The subtitle is "A Year's Worth of Inspiration and Guidance." Who doesn't want that? 

I'm on Part 3 - Be Mindful, which is exactly what I need right now. Maisel says, "By mindfulness I mean the art of pure attention and the skills of critical thinking. ... If we're honest with ourselves, I think we'd all agree that we feel really alert and awake only a small portion of the time."

"...ask yourself the question: 'Am I asleep?' See how you answer it. If the answer is no, celebrate it. If the answer is yes, spend a few minutes discussing with yourself what would wake you and what you would do if you were awake."

2. Tiny Tasks list:

Each week I make a list of fun things to do and make - including painting ideas, craftivism, kid crafts, sewing, gifts, self-exploration art, garden art, home decor, and ephemeral art. 

The trick is to then divide these projects into small, non-threatening tasks.

My Tiny Task list for the next week:

• Sew the eyes on baby puffin for the Puffin Rock quilt block.
• Finish jack-o-lantern collage with Grandson #1.
• Brainstorm and research forest craftivism gift projects.
• Dry-brush leaves on Bees collage.
• Draw bees for Bees collage.
• Find a chunk of 2x4 for a Unity sign; sand it off.
• Locate my alphabets and design Unity sign.
• Write and print fortunes for a Forest collage.

3. Review-Prepare-Flow:

A couple of weeks ago I designed an End of Summer Art Practice that I've been using with some success: 

1. Review: Make a list of what I need to prepare in order to do one of my art tasks today, and pinpoint the first step.
2. Prepare: Gather supplies and information; at the very least, set something out on the kitchen table that will entice me.
3. Flow: When it’s time, pause to pinpoint the first step. Take that step, and give it all my attention, in the moment -- really savor it. Continue like that, slowly and whole-heartedly.

4. Clean the Studio:

I am blessed to have a room of my own where I can close the door and be uninterrupted; I can meditate and contemplate, stretch my body, write in my journal, light candles and chant, listen to flute music, dance, and make art to my heart’s content. This room is sacred to me - I am so grateful to have it, and the time to use it!

However, my studio, which is in the garage, is a forgotten space when it comes to cleaning - it's not in my cleaning rotation, and, unless I clean it every week, it becomes a dusty, dirty mess. Let's just say, it's been a while since it was cleaned - and I tend to use that as an excuse to not go to use it for artwork.

So, my next steps towards waking up today are to: 

• Dust, vacuum, and clean the windows in the studio.
• Haul out some of the junk that has accumulated.
• Clear surfaces and tidy the shelves.
• Pack up a donation box for MECCA.
• Clear, and set up projects on the Grandson Art Table.

5. Waking up:

Once my room is clean and quiet, and I've got my supplies set out in front of me, I will light a candle and sit for a moment. I'm working on a piece called Hum of Bees, and I have an image in my head but not much more. I'll take some time to wake up my creative awareness with a bee video, to listen to the hum of bees!

Next I'll take the time to play, and follow the thread of my idea, like a scientist doing an experiment. I keep a light hold on my idea, so that my ego doesn’t stifle my creativity.

I work, pause, then restart, and let my logical mind and my intuition dance with each other. I fall into that special timelessness that exists when I am in tune with myself: I work with total concentration, and everything flows smoothly. My right and left brains come together as one unit in the present moment.