Preparedness

Thursday is my day to open the door to creative thinking and doing; I've reverted to an earlier phase of my life, before painting and art school, when I was internally driven to Make Things, and they were varied and creative. But I'm also a different person now - as Grandma Earth Teacher I am led to make things that are a gift to the Earth in some way, sustainable, and with a message. 

Also, I need to prepare for the next week of Grandma Camps, with themes, projects, and field trips.

And thirdly, I've got lots of projects that help us function better: Fixing broken things and maintaining the house.

Agenda: 

1. Read "The Sweet Spot"

2. Artwork habit

3. Camp preparedness

4. Projects for the week

1. Read "The Sweet Spot":

I'm continuing this book by Christine Carter (2015), about "How to Find Your Groove". The thesis is that when we hit from our sweet spot we have optimum power and the greatest ease. I'm into Part 5: Tolerate Some Discomfort, about how to be comfortable with pursuing mastery and the vulnerability that requires, and how to bounce back after a setback. 

Chapter 9 is How to Be Divergent, about living outside the norms of the  cultural stereotypes, which takes a lot of courage. I've been doing it all my life, and the courage I've needed (to challenge my father and live simply) has helped me as I work at seeing the shifts I need to make in later life. Being divergent is a way of being authentic, truthful, and complex.

This chapter is building towards a way to shift out of a stress response into a challenge response. Neat trick! It's all about becoming dauntless and finding a way to open the door.

2. Artwork habit: 

Last week I made some great artistic goals, and I haven't started one of them yet. Today I want to write a script for bringing myself back into an art habit:

• 7:15 am: Daily list of prep and smallest things.
• 11:30 am: (Run art prep. program) Make an extra cup of coffee, take it to my office or studio, and do today's tidying or prep task.
• 11:45 am: Do the smallest thing to work at art!

4. Camp preparedness:

The theme next week is gymnastics. Ideas:

• Books and videos
• Tumbling: Rolls and jumps, balance beam - learn some form. 
• Visit Bounce
• Also, decorate baseball hat!

Preparations: F: Find videos, study form for tumbling and balancing; S: plan and prep for hat decorating; M: make a course with mats and balance beam; borrow trampoline;

5. Projects for the week:

My goals for Grandma Earth Artist is 

photos and project samples for nature-culture, painting explorations, and home beautification projects. This week:

• Th: Info cards for Clean Energy Fund: Create cards and decorate with Canva or my painting
• F: Paint a botanical border design for my substack with leaves.
• Sat: Finish butterflies in bathroom.
• Sun:
• M: Decorate info cards
• T: Decorate fox hat
• W: Decorate fox hat
• Th: Watercolor day - leaf and color experiments

Preparations: Th: Clear table space; F: OR Art store for watercolor supplies: cold-pressed paper, thin pens, and a new brush or two; plan an AS sewing project!

Doing the smallest thing is a great way to make courageous creative work less frightening; also finding the "minimum effective dose", the amount of work that keeps me challenged and joyful, and if I keep at it will get me to the finish line on time.