Because it is important to me to
always give credit to others when I come across great things to share..The Laws
of Doing that I am about to post came from a clever and cute book by Allison
Arden titled The Book of Doing! Fun little book indeed filled with great
inspiration, crazy fun prompts and some quotes that can't go unmentioned...and
of course the thing I found to be rather interesting in self analyzing my
own thought process about "doing" and the "limited
time" constraints I seem to be feeling I have lately with my art. And so
without further ado..I present to you Allison Arden's Laws of Doing and
encourage you to get this fun, inexpensive treasure! Allison's laws are in pink
my thoughts and responses in black!
Laws of Doing
Everything starts with nothing
I love nothing more than a blank canvas but sometimes it can be
intimidating. It is that very moment you must go for it.
It is never too late to start doing
When I graduated with my bachelor degree, there was a woman
graduating with me that was 87 years old. The news came out to the graduation
and interviewed her as she explained that she had always longed for a college
degree, but married very young and became a mother. She left her home country
and moved the U.S. with her husband and felt she should do for her family
rather than seek her own dreams and make them a reality. After her children
were grown she took care of her ailing husband for many years and when he
passed away she enrolled in college. She said she knew she would probably never
use the Associate’s degree she earned...and that many people might have thought
that to be silly and a waste of time. Her actions spoke in volumes to me that
day. It taught me that it is NEVER too late to make a dream come true and it
also reminded me that when you have a dream and you do not aim high enough or
do not at least TRY..for the rest of your days it will haunt you and you will
wish you had done it or regret that you didn't!
You can always find time for the things you
want to do
This one I am struggling with. Because I work and have many things
I am committed to that do not relate to my art world. I find it a real struggle
to convince myself of this one from time to time but I know it is so. How? I am
typing this blog at 12:11am even though I am tired because I wanted to share
this with you :)
Choose doing
It is my spiritual (not religious) belief, that every single human
being that walks this planet is given a set of gifts to offer the world. ...It
is a shame in my opinion when they lie dormant and are not used and shared with
the world. Just DO IT!
Turn what you have to do into what you love to
do
This is where I am at today. While I am the bread winner of my family
I feel that I have no choice but to work hard to take care of us and let's face
it not everyone makes enough being a creative soul to put food on the table and
keep a roof over heads. If you are that lucky, or hard working I should have
said...I give you sincere kudos...I have for a very long time wanted to
knowledge of how to sell my work, and still maintain my other professional
life. I'm working on that and have a few ideas in the works for later this
summer...everything starts with nothing...remember?
Don't be distracted by the red bouncing ball
The bouncing ball refers to any distractions. Another one I find
hard to not allow. The dog needs to go out, my dad is on the phone...the list
never ends.
Learn from doing
It took Thomas Edison 10,000 attempts before he got it
right.
Tell me...and I ask my students this as well.. Something you have
attempted 10,000 times without giving up? I'm not going to lie...about 60 times
and I would have thought it would never work but that goes to show how impatient
we are as human beings and I'm sure many of you agreed with me on that
one...HOWEVER
ALL GREAT THINGS
TAKE TIME & PATINECE
You learn as you go...you
learn from failure and you find sometimes that mistakes are blessings in
disguise.
Set a vision but be open to exploration
I have MASTERED THIS! No lie. I have so many visions of things I
want to do, things I want to try, places I want to go, things I want to do
before I die. Ideas flow from me at a speed I cannot often times keep up with..
I'm all about exploration! It took some time to get there after going to school
for a degree in Graphic Design where I was taught that my own personal artistic
qualities don't count, what matters is what the client wants, and taught that
even if the client says I want this logo in two colors that I know with certainty
will look like hell, I give it to them. I lost a bit of my own personal touch
and self expression with that part of my education...but I got it back at God
speed...it is the single most important thing in my opinion for any type of
artist. The ability to explore with self expression..
Getting started is the first step
Ahem..this one is for my sister :)
Taking a break can make your project better
Allison is on the money with this one. I find that the breaks I
take are what lead to some of my best work. It is no different for me than the
writing process. Walk away from it...come back to it with a clear head and
re-read it, find new words, it triggers more thoughts and ideas and opinions
and this is the same with creating art. I sometimes will get frustrated and take
a break for a bit or even until the next day.
I have even paused to take a photo of it and look at the image before
proceeding so that I can see it from a different perspective. We teach our
tutors that they should never tutor for more than one hour intervals and we
tell students do not study for more than one hour at a time without breaking.
Why is that? Because you get burned out when the sessions are too long. It is
that simple. When in doubt..walk always for a bit..
The things worth doing aren't easy
This could not be truer from my own experiences in life. Some of
the hardest things I have ever done in my life were the most rewarding...child
birth, raising children, leaving a relationship that was long overdo, going
back to school after being out for 15 years and not just getting a real high
school diploma, an Associates and a Bachelor Degree; Also a Masters in Higher
Education specializing in College Teaching and Learning where I maintained a 4.0
GPA from start to finish. That did not come easy...it was one of the hardest
things I’d ever done.
The harder it is, whatever it is, the more rewarding it will be
when you achieve it.
The things worth doing take time
I've been a parent for almost 23 years..a student for over ten
years, an artist for close to 30 years a photographer enthusiast for close to
ten years and I am still working on every single one of these aspects of my
life to get it just right. It is all about trial and error, patience and
practice and learning from mistakes and lessons.
Do for you
Oh! You thought this blog was for YOU? ;) It is, that was just a
joke but in all honestly this is for me as much as it is for you. I enjoy it..I
enjoy my quiet late evening hours with a cup of coffee embracing my vast array
of interest..you HAVE to do something you love every day
Even if it is only for a short time..
Do and tell
This is one that really annoys me from time to time. I will be
frank and honest here. When a fellow art friend asks "How did you do
that" or asks for your advice or opinion, don't be a selfish witch that is
very ugly and you won’t have very many friends. SHARE your ideas and techniques.
No one can steal you or replace you. If someone is trying to be like you, be
encouraging even if that is somewhat annoying...they can't take anything from
you.. most art can never be completely reproduced..Sometimes it is the highest compliment
for someone to see your technique or suggestion or ask for your advice. That
means they respect your work and admire what you do. Don’t tell anyone your
favorite secret or something that makes your work completely unique..but help a
fellow friend out and throw them a bone from time to time. I have seen many
artist go from just every day you and I and once they have a book or get
punished somewhere they become so incredibly snotty and ugly that I wouldn't
buy their work or throw water on it to put a fire out.
Yes..I feel that strongly about this. Everyone needs encouragement
and most artist should want to inspire their colleagues and fellow artists...you
can't sit where you are in life today and say you have never drawn inspiration
or an idea from something another artist did or taught. You should treat others
in kind!
Don't worry about what others think about what
you're doing & don't worry about what others are doing
Amen.
For a very long time I was guilty of this. I judged my own work
against everyone else's and thought it was unworthy. Sometimes even today I
will pick up a Somerset Studio magazine or Blue Canvas or one of my other
favorites; or even click on a new blog post by one of my favorite bloggers and
see their work and think to myself... I hope that someday..Someone will look at
my art and be as pleased as I am when I see other peoples work. You can't
compare yourself to anyone else. I’ve come to a place where I am comfortable
with my own process of learning and creating. I still think my work is
not as worthy as I would like it to be but I do not let it upset me any longer
like it use to. I just keep doing what I
do and aiming to improve.
Let your creativity bring out the creativity
in someone else (pay it forward)
Inspire someone else. Teach. Welcome and be kind. It will come
back to you.
You know what they say…karma is only a bitch if you are J
Finish your projects.
If I had a dime...for every project I started and did not
finish..I'd own the world! LOL Got to work on that
one for sure!
(Arden, A., (2012). The Book of Doing.
Penguin Group. New York, NY.)
And so..I leave you with a few quotes Allison used in The Book of
Doing that I liked, maybe heard before or agreed with!
"Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken!"
Oscar Wilde
"You have to color outside the lines once in awhile if you
want to make your life a masterpiece"
Albert Einstein
And
"Don;t you ever let a soul in the world tell you that you
can't be exactly who you are"
Lady Gaga
Good night folks!
pe@ce & love
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