Transitioning and Intent
Structures #83 ©2007 12"x12"
Transitioning
My commute between home and office is a half hour drive each way. I spend this time doing various things: making phone calls, listening to music, getting annoyed at the traffic or listening to books on tape.
Being a "do-er" type person I like to accomplish things and doing stuff in the car, on the surface, seems to increase the amount of stuff I could get done in the day. Problem is most of these things are a distraction from what I find to be the best use of car time: transitioning and thinking about what comes next.
When I am not distracted and I get all excited on my drive home about working in my studio I find it effortless to just head right to it after dinner. If I’m on the phone when I pull in my driveway, and even worse still talking as I eat dinner, I am distracted and tend to end up in front of the computer reading blogs. I never took the time to think about how I wanted the evening to go so it goes no where, which is fine every once in a while but every day results in 0 hours of studio time for the week.
Too Tired
How tired I am has less to do with my studio time than my thoughts as I transition back home. Yes working all day and being a parent and paying bills and fixing cars and all those other things take energy. If I focus on how exhausted I should be on my drive home it is pretty much guaranteed I will do nothing that evening.
I had a friend that used to talk about how much I slept almost every day. I would generally say I was tired and worn out. I didn’t really think this but I used it as an excuse for getting out of things I didn’t want to do (which is a whole other issue - I should have just been honest). But sure enough I eventually felt tired all the time after saying it so often. I’ve since put an end to those conversations and amazingly I rarely feel tired or worn out anymore.
Sure there are days that are draining but I try not to focus on it and I rarely find this to be a problem. I’ve made getting 7-8 hours a sleep every night a pretty high priority. I go to bed around 9:30 every night - quite unfashionably early but since I get up at 5:30 it is really important to me.
Setting Intent
Now that I’m taking Christine Kane’s eseminar I have new words for this transitioning: Setting Intent. I also have a deeper understanding for how to go about it.
I protect my drive home time. I ignore the traffic (okay I’m still working on this - but I try not to let it bother me - it’s a fact of my current life choices - I accept that). I don’t listen to books on tape and I don’t make phone calls. I do listen to music some days but I’ve been embracing the silence more and more. I’m consciously setting my intent for the evening.
Morning Routine
I also have a new routine in the morning. Instead of rushing through a shower and then getting sucked into email and blogs I spend at least 30 minutes doing yoga, journaling and setting my intent for the day. It’s a much gentler way to start my day and I find myself much more relaxed and happy.
I’ve now done this 21 days in a row. So according to some experts this is now a habit and I will keep doing it. I’m not sure I’m buying that magic 21 day number but it’s no longer difficult to do this. At the beginning of the month I would have to force myself to stay in my bedroom and do the stuff. A few days I cheated and read email first but I went back and did the yoga and journaling. Now I just do this as matter of fact.
The real test will be when my kids return home from Europe in March and I have to be out of the house at 7am with them in tow. I fully intend on keeping this practice and by march it should be fairly solidly rooted into my daily routine and not a problem.
How to Set Intent
When I first started writing about my intent for the day I wasn’t really sure how to go about it or even what it meant. Being very goal oriented the first week or so it look suspiciously like a to-do list. Okay - it was a to-do list. That is a form of setting intent.
Now I’m looking deeper and leaving my todo lists for random scraps of paper about the house as I used to do. Here’s a bit of what I wrote today:
My thoughts create my world. If I think I’m going to be stressed and busy I will be. If I think I am going to be relaxed. I am.
I will pay close attention to my thoughts today. Looking to focus on calmness. To embrace effortlessness. I will be positive.
As I near the home stretch for my solo show opening in 1 month I am struggling with a rather long to-do list. I’ve had a few panicked times this weekend as I wrap my head around the work I want to do for the show. I’m working at approaching it with a lot less stress than normal, as the above thoughts indicate. It is really helping.
This is getting pretty long so another day I’ll write about things I’m doing to help me hold my intent. Learning to set the intent in a positive way is the first step. Actually following through is also important.
Structures #83
One of the activities I completed this weekend was to photograph a pile of new artwork. Structures #83 was a piece I made last fall while I was making the work for the Arvada Center show. It didn’t end up fitting in with the 9 pieces I selected so it got set aside. If you click to see the larger image you can hopefully see all the different thread colors I used to add texture to the composition.
I absolutely love the yellow in this piece. It’s so cheerful. I got the color pretty accurate on my monitor at home, which was another cheerful thing. I’m getting more courageous clicking on things in photoshop and my results get better each session.
On my todo list (now pushed back to March or April) is a rewrite of my website. I am going to put all of my small work on the website with prices. I thought I’d never put prices on my website but having the courage to admit to myself that I want to sell my art and that selling art is not a bad thing, I’m all for letting the world know it’s for sale. These small 12" x 12" pieces are $250 each, including the 9 pieces from the Arvada Center show:
Structures #90, Structures #86, Structures #85
Structures #87, Structures #88, Structures #81
Structures #89, Structures #91, Structures #82
Posted by Lisa in: Goals
Tagged: Art for Sale, Christine Kane, Intent, Structures Series
Tracy said,
January 22, 2008 @ 6:53 am
What a great post Lisa!
You’re so right about the mind set on the way home from the day job leading to work habits afterwards. (And in your writings –”My thoughts create my world.”) More often than not I fall prey to my whiny self, especially with the cold weather and then just wanting to bundle up!
I’ve also been trying to set up meditation/yoga time in the a.m., though not 30 minutes. With my varied schedule (sometimes I have to leave the house before 6:00), I find it so hard to be consistent. Way to go hitting 21! (Is that the magic number before something becomes a habit?)
Would love to hear your thoughts on maintaining that intent through the day. Thanks for the wonderful writing!
BTW, the 9 pieces are so interesting each and of themselves, but together they have such impact!
Kim Hambric said,
January 22, 2008 @ 6:56 am
Encouraging post. I like the idea of “setting intent”. This is what I need to do each morning. Even for those days that I volunteer at my daughter’s school AND have workmen in the house AND have errands to run. I also need to “schedule” time for my work into even the most distracting days.
I also use the tired excuse too often. I tend to use it when I’m doing the least. When I do my most creative work, I rarely feel tired. I want to see what will happen when I do not utter the phase “I’m tired”.
And yes, put those prices on. People do want to know, and people do want to buy. What a great connection when someone contacts you to buy a piece.
Laure said,
January 22, 2008 @ 7:42 am
“. . . . so another day I’ll write about things I’m doing to help me hold my intent. Learning to set the intent in a positive way is the first step. Actually following through is also important.”
Please do write about holding your intent, Lisa, as it seems you are speaking directly to me and some of my current issues (even though I know you’re not)! In so many ways, you have given voice to the issues, concerns, and hopes that many of us are also “struggling” with.
I too shared the “I’m so tired” thinking syndrome and it became a nasty habit that started to have very negative effects on, well, just about everything! I have also had recent battles with calming the cluttered chaos in my life as well as trying to restructure my world in a more positive, gentle way. Thank you for your honesty, your openess and your ability to share, it is much appreciated and your words touch lives in ways you’ve not imagined! Thank you! ~ Laure
Melody Madden said,
January 22, 2008 @ 7:47 am
Great post. I have done yoga every morning for the past few years and it definitely sets the tone for my day. Haven’t thought much about journaling but perhaps I’ll get to that. Sounds like your off to a wonderful start
Olga said,
January 22, 2008 @ 9:59 am
It is fascinating reading the blogs of artists and seeing how much their work is a manifestation of how they approach their lives, philosophically and in practice.
Denise said,
January 22, 2008 @ 11:26 am
You are right on with my biggest problem. I have trouble with “forward thinking,” which is really all about intent. You described most of my days to a T, when you wrote:
“I never took the time to think about how I wanted the evening to go so it goes no where, which is fine every once in a while but every day results in 0 hours of studio time for the week.”
I used to journal for a half hour every morning, wherein I proclaimed how my day was going to go. It was a fabulous habit. I usually started by writing, “Today is going to be a very productive day!” Then I would lay out my plan.
Thanks for reminding me how to get back to planning and for teaching me the new word: intent!
Lisa Call said,
January 22, 2008 @ 9:02 pm
Tracy - yes consistency is hard. One of my intents with this is to not get all stressed out if it’s not perfect.
Kim - yes - find time for you.
Laure - I will do another post about holding my intent soon (something I’m still working on but it gets easier each day).
Kim and Laure - we all work on not using lame excuses when a simple No should be enough.
Thanks Melody. I went to the library tonight to pick up some items on hold and thought I’d also get a video to watch later this week. I ended up with a yoga video. Hm…
Interesting idea Olga. I’ve been struggling to figure out who I am for a long time - I’m curious if once I get it all figured out I will no longer want to make my Structures series, as it is very much about hiding myself. The other day an idea popped into my head on where I want to take it next - and I think it is definitely related to the path I’m on right now.
Denise - cool - glad to reconnect you with a practice that has served you well.
Shan said,
January 23, 2008 @ 7:00 am
Lisa,
#83 is wonderful. I love the color scheme. When life gets busy and I start to lose touch with my core, morning journaling alwas helps me find my way back to what’s important. I’m not sure what it is about morning but I find I’m more receptive and less critical.
I, too, have been working on leaving my quiet time quiet (no NPR or books on tape!). Congratulations on all your successes.
PaMdora said,
January 23, 2008 @ 3:02 pm
When I went to college, I had to commute to another city about 45 minutes away, and although I was working and full time student, I found the drive was a time of meditation for me. I’ve never had that kind of routine until recently, I realized that the 45 minutes I’ve been spending on the elliptical machine every morning is almost the same sort of meditation time for me. I always listen to music, but I get so many ideas and a kind of engergy that carries me through the day.
Love the last photo of you smaller pieces side-by-side. Maybe we all should do a post on the Distinctive Directions blog with an installation photo. It make the work look completely different that the typical isolated web shot.