Art-Friends: I'm Grateful for You

In yesterday's post I shared my discouragement with a project that wasn't going the way I thought it should. Yes, I was whining. In spite of that I got such great responses that I wanted to share them with everybody.

Day 4: Discouraged Already

I'm still working on the same project and today I almost finished it. And it's ugly. I mean UGLY. I was going for the Industrial Look. This thing is totally depressing. There are a lot of things I can do to fix it, but right now I'm just discouraged. 6:30 pm and it's already dark outside. All I want to do is go to bed.  

Dana said...I don't think it is ugly at all. I think you have just been looking at it too much and need a break. 

 Tomorrow is another day.

Jennifer Cameron said...I think it looks awesome. Where's the ugly part?

Elizabeth in NM said...If its too ugly for you, feel free to send it to me! Just kidding, I think it looks great. I agree with Dana, you are probably just sick of looking at it. I'm sure it will be fantastic if you push through. Making art is not easy!

Carol said...I agree with Dana, too. Step back, work on something else and then go back to it. Sometimes something new has to grow on you.

Keri called me with lots more encouragement, and allowed me to talk through my problem with the bracelet. 

Thanks for the feedback, everybody. I REALLY appreciate that you took the time to post messages and call!

Dana, you are so right--I've been looking at it too long. Now this morning I have new energy for it.

Jennifer, I think the ugly part is that I was trying to do monochromatic and succeeded too well. (That is not a black-and-white photo! It's full color.) The advice I  give to my students (and forget to take for myself) is that “just because it didn’t turn out like you expected, doesn’t mean it’s not good.”  

Elizabeth, I love your phrase "push through." That's it exactly! I'm going to write this on a note and post it above my work table

Carol, you summed it up: step back. I need to be reminded to do that.

Keri, you made me laugh. At myself, which is perhaps the most important thing a stuck (whining) artist can do.

I'll post my "fix" later today if I finish it--before and after photos--to see if I succeed. 

Day 4: Discouraged Already

I'm still working on the same project and today I almost finished it. And it's ugly. I mean UGLY. I was going for the Industrial Look. This thing is totally depressing. There are a lot of things I can do to fix it, but right now I'm just discouraged. 6:30 pm and it's already dark outside. All I want to do is go to bed.  

CREATE Day 3

I was kind of hoping to have a photo today, but that bracelet still isn't finished. It's coming along, though.

Procrastination

From the Robert Genn Letters  (with thanks to Keri Ippolito for forwarding)
http://clicks.robertgenn.com/divided-self.php 

The Divided Self (October 29, 2010) A couple of years ago a subscriber wrote, "You have really helped me with my procrastination. I apologize for taking so long to let you know." Insight like this and a lot of other great items are in the Zingers section at the back of my most recent book. The game theorist and strategist Thomas C. Schelling suggested procrastination is not a personal weakness. It's more a function of the selves within ourselves who are actually at war with one another. For example, your long-term self says you're going to paint 100 paintings and get yourself a decent gallery. Next day your short-term self cuts in and has you alphabetizing everything in the spice cupboard or cleaning the lake. It's not you, it's your "divided self" that runs you off track and amok. Interestingly, the divided self also gives powerful creative input. Putting things off may not be all that bad. Getting a second opinion is certainly part of our game. A work of art well sat on may turn out better than one completed to a hasty schedule. While experts identify university professors as the top procrastinators, artists cannot be far behind. But I'm putting off getting to the point. This letter is about "the thief of time," and how to beat him. Going by my own example, I'm an authority on procrastination. Recent studies tell us we need to get to know all our different selves. We need to make a list. FYI, here's mine: Responsible Bob. Loves-painting Bob. Hates-business Bob. (etc.) Knowing these Bobs helps Bob see when one Bob is caving in to another Bob or pushing another Bob around. Now here's the crunch: The smarter you are, the more likely you'll be to put things off. For smart folks, procrastination may be the norm. "It could very well be the most basic human impulse," says psychologist George Ainslie, the inventor of "hyperbolic discounting," the human tendency to plan practically anything as long as it's sometime well in the future and not now. By taking active steps right now, artists may flourish and stand out simply by beating the norm. Best regards, Robert PS: "You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do." --Henry Ford

Stick To It!

Here are 6 tips for keeping resolutions:

http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/2010/10/trying-to-get-yourself-to-start-exercising-or-whatever-6-tips-for-sticking-to-your-resolution.html

I Voted (Create Every Day)

Does voting count as creating? I don't know, but if you don't vote then you don't get to complain. Vote or shut up. Period.

How I Did It (CREATE EVERY DAY)

I need to write a bunch of class proposals. Why make it a chore? Create Every Day is a privilege--a luxury--FUN!

I cranked up the tunes (Celtic, of course), lit the scented oil warmer (rosemary for alertness), drank coffee (mmmMMMmmm....), wore my PJs, snuggled under my (hand made recycled) denim jeans quilt, and created a wildly colorful jewelry set.   

I did it! I created...

I finished this necklace and bracelet and earrings set today. Some of the components were already assembled, but I'd been struggling with the final arrangement for a couple of weeks. I was going for a mixed media piece--something besides just beads and chain.