Monday, November 3, 2008

Get it Down, or Getting Down

As an artist and writer, I need to get it down on the page or on the canvas. As a gardener, I need to get it down on the earth. Getting down to work is the foremost part of the creative process. Getting down is also cool. So gardening is cool, writing is cool, painting is cool. Which is a contrary thought to what my father used to say. Yes, he used to say the bohemian life was dangerous, full of drugs and sex and ner-do-wells. Which is something I'm addressing now: how do all these things that keep one from getting down, and remain a good girl. This is funny. ,

But the point I'm making is that creatives can find many ways to not do their work. I find ways to stay away from my studio; just going there is overwhelming to me. Not that my condo doesn't overwhelm me; it does too. So much work to do. And the garden also overwhelms me. I'm overwhelmed most of the time, I'd say.

Meditation comes to mind. When I took a writing class in the late 90s, the teachers had us meditate first. Just a few minutes, feel ourselves there in the room, feel our bodies on the chair, clear away the day and what had happened prior to getting to the page. And then write. Interesting, I never do this now. I just jump in. It would be interesting to try it again.

Well, looks like another rainy day. It won't be long and the leaves will be gone. Hopefully I'll get some for my garden and get down.

Sunny day to you,

Flower

1 comment:

nilla|utanpunkt said...

...can I add design and photography is cool to that list, and then it's complete! Well, for me, it is. My mum was always worried about my choices. She once suggested I'd take a course to become a postal cashier assistant. It was supposed to be a future in that (as opposed to artistic careers). With all those postal offices being closed down, at least in Sweden and Englan, I bet the cashier assistants are the ones filling their days with sex, drugs and rock'n'roll... I do hope they're having fun.