Feeling, Holding, Waiting; acrylic on canvas
Yesterday was a very productive studio day for me, and I was able to put the finishing touches on a couple of paintings, including this little one that I worked on through out the summer, but it just did not feel resolved until yesterday. The details finally came together, and this post really is about details.
Thank you so much friends for your response to my interview over at Dana's blog. I see that the question,"How do you get your creative work done when you are responsible for a home and for kids?", deeply resonates with so many of us, and just hearing how we all make it work in our own way is like getting a resounding "Yes" from the universe! Yes, it is possible, look we are doing it and see all of the goodness that is spreading through our making time for the work that we need to make!
In my thinking and journaling about this topic there is something else that I only really touched on in the interview but I think that it needs more attention.
One of my biggest hurdles to getting my work done
is that it is easier for me to see the interruptions and the care-giving as obstacles, harder for me to remember that these "obstacles" are my life. But sometimes, when my mind and heart have the right focus I see that the interruptions ARE what drives me.
I remember that these things that are happening around me are the art, this is what I am painting about, those bath times, playground times, meal times, story times...they are all adding up to relationships that are so full and rich that they teach me more about love and joy than I could ever learn another way. They are the meat of my life. The heart of everything lies right there, right now.
What if our creative life and our practical life aren't separate?
I am trying not to separate my art and my life, and the integration is hard, and the rewards are boundless.
I just know that I can not put off making my art until everything is perfect, when there are no interruptions, it is too easy to put it off and think that, "I'll get back to this at a better time."
There is no better time.
And so, I do the work to be present in the "now", to notice the details and develop a practice of mindfulness because it is the little things, swirling around me as I work, that hold immense inspiration.
In my thinking and journaling about this topic there is something else that I only really touched on in the interview but I think that it needs more attention.
One of my biggest hurdles to getting my work done
is that it is easier for me to see the interruptions and the care-giving as obstacles, harder for me to remember that these "obstacles" are my life. But sometimes, when my mind and heart have the right focus I see that the interruptions ARE what drives me.
I remember that these things that are happening around me are the art, this is what I am painting about, those bath times, playground times, meal times, story times...they are all adding up to relationships that are so full and rich that they teach me more about love and joy than I could ever learn another way. They are the meat of my life. The heart of everything lies right there, right now.
What if our creative life and our practical life aren't separate?
I am trying not to separate my art and my life, and the integration is hard, and the rewards are boundless.
I just know that I can not put off making my art until everything is perfect, when there are no interruptions, it is too easy to put it off and think that, "I'll get back to this at a better time."
There is no better time.
And so, I do the work to be present in the "now", to notice the details and develop a practice of mindfulness because it is the little things, swirling around me as I work, that hold immense inspiration.
8 comments:
Dearest Faith, such beautiful inspiring and very powerful words! I'm too trying not to separate my art and my life...but sometimes it kinda slip my mind. Thanks soo much for this beautiful sentiment and to remind me that i should also work towards this goal. I love this new painting..such a beautiful piece with gorgeous gorgeous colors! Have a lovely merry happy day and love to you!
I love your heart here... this is so beautiful and true for me too... I feel I've found a good balance with it, and it's always something I'm learning from... being present and allowing the artistic process to unfold and mix with the experience I'm having as a mother and wife, and friend... as a daughter... sister... I love how you explain it... right here, right now right... yeah mama... for sure... bless...
and I adore this painting!!!!
you are so clearly
humming
with
beauty!!!
xo
This is so true and so profound...and I needed to hear this today.
Thank you, Faith!
xx
It is so funny how very often I read a blog post and feel as if I could of written most of it myself. I really love and appreciate your sentiments here Faith. And your new painting is stunning.
xo,
dana
Oh Faith. Such good timing for me to read this. I've been so focused since having Emerson in seperating my creative life from the rest of my life and it's been painful. Not to mention unproductive. It is depressing to try and save all that creative energy for nap time and bedtime. I really like what you said about being in the now and noticing all the art around you, unfolding throughout your day. I'm going to try that on and see how it feels. Thanks for this. I needed it today.
Hello Faith - it's so nice to meet someone with the same name!
I LOVE this post. I have popped over from the interview on Dana's blog and I so resonated with what you said about balance.
I love to hear other mothers work this out. I have just started teaching photography classes online and I am finding it more difficult than I thought it would be to balance work and family and I'm finding out how much I suck at time management and how quickly my priorities can become self-centered!
So anyway, I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed reading through some of your blog tonight! :)
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