Spirit Nurse Art's Blog

Structure and Organization: Where has our simplicity gone?

spiritnurseart — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 03:31:35 +0000

I like structure and organization. I also despise it – I hate it. I like to take only the parts of structure and organization that fit my style. To pick and choose would be ideal. But either way, who will maintain that structure and organization. Who has the time for that maintenance. How can we know what tomorrow brings. Example: I do not want to make an appointment and then be committed to that time block, possibly interrupting my creativity and what that moment may be offering me. I want to come in as my time and mood dictate, not as a calendar does.

It does sound self-centered. I am quite aware of how things can become chaotic without structure and organization. But how much structure and organization do we really need? Are we overdoing it? We have lost our simplicity. And with this over indulgence in being structured and organized we are loosing our time. Time we spend on maintaining our structure and organization systems.

My time lost today was stolen by technology. I was to do some of my art today, but instead, I was fighting the loosing battle with lost electronic files and yes, ironically, the dumping of my electronic calendar. I have come out battered and bruised, alone without my favorite photos I was trying to upload in order to save, without my schedule of written-in-stone upcoming appointments for the family, and without certain applications that I bought to help organize my life. Great, really great. I have wasted the whole day on technology; technology that I must admit that I love and that I would not want to be without. Remember, problems never drizzle down, they pour and precipitate into hail at times. It wasn’t just the time it took to fix things, and dwell on the things not fixable, but also the energy and emotional drain I experienced. My day was shot whether I fixed the problems earlier in the day or late at night. My son did enlightened me by saying, “it’s okay, just fix it and continue,” as if this wasn’t what I was going to have to do anyway.

But his view is what one’s soul would benefit from taking. “Let it go.” yes, for real, really let it go, don’t just say you will let it go. Easier said than done for me. I have to dwell and dwwwweeeelllll. Why? If I knew, I wouldn’t need to ask myself that question and I wouldn’t have dwelled on my losses all day. I remember a quote from the 1993 movie “Point of No Return” that relates to this mindset. “I never did mind the little things.” Those words speak loudly when used as a mantra. They are also words one can use as a guide to simplicity. Two interpretations of this quote I have and both are valuable enough to be taken seriously. First, emphasis placed on the words “I never did mind” and you can say don’t let the trivial stuff get to you, bring you down, dictate your life. Second, place the emphasis on the words “the little things” and you’re saying you have pleasure in the simple things and you don’t mind having simplicity. Apply both.

Remember that To-Do List, that dumping list? Not only did I not get anything done on it but the backed-up paper format was misplaced and the electronic version disappeared with the dumping. Craziest thing is that this dumping happened during my backup/upload operation. I tried to put my brain in gear to recover the thoughts on that list, but since the list’s purpose is an exercise of purging the brain, I was unable to convince my “all-powerful” mind to retrieve all that information, not just giving me a sample of one or two thoughts, believing that would be enough to suffice me. Maybe tomorrow I’ll receive another thought from this list, but only if I physically record the those two thoughts.

Plans and goals are important. But do we have too many? Explore why: because we can and because we want to make a point? prove something to somebody? prove something to ourselves? Spontaneity is such a wonderful feeling. Remember the last time you stumbled onto a movie that you never set out to watch: a movie that you may not have even cared to see, yet was drawn to it and hooked by the parts you noticed on tv? I can remember two such films within these past two weeks. Unusual for me but totally needed. These were both comedies and I was laughing so hard and for the most silliest, stupidest acts. What a mood lifter. I did not put that on my calendar. I did not organize a comedy movie night. Spontaneity just popped in and took over, and because it did, I enjoyed it better. Just like a spontaneous, unplanned outing to the beach.

So we need to find that happy medium, combining simplicity and spontaneity with structure and organization. We need a simple structure organization, SSO. Be careful not to say simple organizational structure, SOS, that would be a cry for help, thus more structure and organization thrown our way. The response to an SOS is always followed up by new structures to prevent a future SOS, definitely not including the simplicity aspect of the equation.

Finally, regarding my box: I need to repair my box. I have placed some major holes in the sides trying to forcefully extend the walls. I am not using the right, flexible materials. Maybe the materials I use for the repair of that hole will be more flexible and adapt to my purpose.

Insightful Perceptiveness: “To Do” Lists

spiritnurseart — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 23:22:08 +0000

The all-too familiar “To-Do” list is a tool we use for organizing our lives, a list of things we need to do. But let’s look at the true insightful perceptiveness of the phrase “To Do” List. Whether we create this tool using pen and paper, a computer, or a recording device, the List really serves as a dumping ground for the clutter in our brains. We make our lists, then knowing that our ideas and intentions are safely secured, we set out to do the new stuff that pops in our minds, returning some other time to that archaic list of past. Maybe one item may have materialized with a check mark by its side, but those new ideas sure did get the “center ring”, front and center, explored, experienced and completed.

Now What? A Box?

spiritnurseart — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:18:19 +0000

With the loud-mouthed critic silenced, I can finally hear my inner soft-spoken adviser’s pleas: “stop researching, stop planning, stop shopping for it and just do it already.” Sounds like a Nike commercial, “Just Do It.”

Why won’t I do it already? I once thought it was procrastination for fear of lack of perfection, but I’m not too sure of that now. Could it be that I want to do something and desire to do it so much that I fear I won’t enjoy the process as much as I anticipated, hence being disappointed with it, myself, the outcome? But wait, that inner critic’s mouth is taped shut. I better get some more tape for another layer. He won’t be able to deconstruct my results, let alone me. Now is the time to try my ideas, let my foot dangle out of the box a little. Out of my comfort box.

Speaking of boxes, I must admire what my children did with two flat boxes. Children love the comfort of the walls of a big box. Mine were given two flat boxes. These were boxes designed to hold something large and flat that needed to be assembled, so the boxes were about 48+ inches long and 34+ inches wide and 6 inches deep. The two boxes were identical and opened long ways, like a hatch, to create one long cardboard of 96+ inches with the short sides falling flat. Instead of being disappointed that these boxes are really just pieces of folded cardboard, my children made the situation fit their purpose. They put each box on its side, folding the “hatch” into an “L” . They put one “L” in one direction and then closed off the “L” with the other box, making it a squared “O”. They then placed pillows and blankets inside and brought their toys in with them. This is something we can admire. Their inner critics have not developed a voice yet. Either that or they have not developed an ear for that pesky inner voice.

As for the comfort box that each of us contain ourselves in, is it rigid or flexible? Can we manipulate it like a well-worn, good-fitting, quality pair of shoes? A tight, rigid box suffocates us when we grow. A flexible box gives us that comfort zone while allowing us to stretch it and pop in and out of it easily. True that we can renovate the box to extend the perimeter, while it still is rigid, but that would only just create a large space of confinement without the flexibility. Our box would be a bigger rigid box causing more chaos and less creativity and freedom. Let’s explore the rigidness of our boxes and determine why it seems to be easier for us to renovate and extend this rigid box, adding on to it instead of changing the perimeters into a more flexible material. Adding to and acquiring is always easier than changing.

Hello world!

spiritnurseart — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 03:36:34 +0000

I have stopped listening to my inner critic and I have finally taken my aspirations to the next level. I am creating Art Dolls from fabric, fiber, and miscellaneous items, and re-purposing and up-cycling things that have an artful appeal to me. In the past I have beaded, drawn, painted, decoupaged, crocheted, sewn items and dolls, made pottery, handmade soap, and a multitude of quick crafts, but the thrill of these vanished after I did it a few times. However, I have found making Art Dolls to be enjoyable, even after doing it again and again. I feel they “speak out” to me as I am making them, in a way to let me know what they are. I feel they are Art that nurses our spirits.

I had this logical little dream-busting critic inside of me constantly telling me the “ifs” and “buts” and “problem is” so I did what any responsible person would think is best to do and listened and sequestered my “silly” notions. Another decade of life went by and as I participated in my game, I watched that other game, hoping, desiring, and dreaming. Then, when that little critic wasn’t watching, I squished him (ok, maybe just taped his mouth with some duct tape). I’m not going to watch others and wish I was doing “this or that”, I’m going to do it.

I want this blog to be about our art and creativity, whether it’s art we create to sell or for personal satisfaction. I want this blog to foster encouragement, learning, and networking, not only for our art techniques but for our spirits, for our inner self. I am excited to think of where this can lead us.