From one starting point ….

…. a Sumi-e painting workshop

During 2020 I was fortunate to attend a half-day Sumi-e workshop with Ken Lamb* – a master of the art. It reignited a joy in me that I felt back in the 80s when I first tried my hand at it. I will always be a beginner and a wayward one at that, but there was a joy in the quiet of it. I came away with lots of bamboo paintings – pages and pages of just leaves, or just stems, each attempt uniquely different though the aim was always the same.

Practice makes perfect! But in the days and weeks that followed, my wayward self emerged. Rather than practising to perfect the forms, I began experimenting. Although everything was inspired by that beautiful Japanese aesthetic, and the stark black ink on rice paper, I found myself exploring: Different papers, adding colour, definitely not sticking to the classic compositions and forms. It was fun.

…. a Calendar

Each year, beginning around the middle of the year, I begin to design a calendar for the following year. I design and do the artwork, get it professionally printed, and gift it to friends and family, plus sell many, donating the profits to a local school. I’ve been doing this since 2008, and each year the design is very different. In some way it reflects where I’m at in my creative journey. In all previous years, photography was the basis for the artworks. My feeling for the 2021 calendar was leaning to use the best of my Sumi-e works. For some reason this was quite scary. It seemed like I was bearing my soul more than usual. But 2020 was like that in many ways.

…. Online Marketplace

Whether it was a way of connecting during lockdown or not, I decided to upload my calendar images to Redbubble. Redbubble is a global online marketplace for print-on-demand products based on user-submitted artwork. It’s an Australian company, gone global, that I haven’t connected with for quite a long time. It was fun to choose which designs would work with which items – so many to choose from – clothing, home furnishings, bags and phone cases. I was astonished at how their offerings have expanded. Again, this was fun!

…. Wall Hanging for Home

We moved into a new home at the end of 2018, and have spent much of that time renovating and redecorating. The spaces are tall and airy, and the main entry hall with the downward stairs is no exception. This large expanse of blank wall was always one we wanted to decorate but had never been able to decide on just the right thing. Having discounted a few ideas, we decided we would make and hang three wall hangings, using three of the calendar images. It was a great project, getting the sizes and spacing correct, then arranging the printing. The hanging of them was the most precarious, suspended over the stairwell on the end of a ladder. But to us, they look great.

I’m not particularly good on the longterm commitment. I like to try lots of things, using the excitement of learner’s energy. But from one starting point, that initial Sumi-e workshop, I have journeyed into other experiences, adapting and exploring rather than starting anew.

* Ken’s workshops can be found at imperialgardens.com.au

May 31, 2021June 6, 2021

Slow drawing

Two months ago I’d never heard of this. Now I’m a bit of a fan. For me it’s generally a drop-in for 5 minutes when I need a break from what I’m doing, or to reset my body or mind or creative thinking. I now know that 5 minutes becomes a whole lot longer!

What is it?

For me, it’s a creative meditation. It’s a meditation practice, but it’s a life one. No eyes closed, no cushion, no no thinking. It’s breath, it’s an internally still being, but it adds movement and sensing and visual imagery and flow to the mix. It can bring me pretty quickly to that mindful flow state.

So what is it? For me, it’s using simple materials: a black artline pen and smallish pieces of paper at its simplest. I sometimes add some watercolour to them later. The reason for the smallish pieces of paper is so it’s not overwhelming, or too time consuming. It also lets you move on, and on, to new starts, so no one piece gets too precious. Less fear, less pride, less judgement. It’s easier to throw one in the bin that just didn’t look pleasing to you when you’re done with it.

It’s slow. Every line or mark or squiggle is done slowly, very slowly, and carefully. And it’s repetitive, so you don’t have to think about what to do – your mind gets a holiday. Your eyes follow the pen, your hand is finely tuned to the line being drawn. After a little while, a unique pattern forms that you have created without thinking or trying. And you want more of this quiet, stilling, creative experience.

If you’d like to try it, hop over to Mindful Art Studio. This is where I first discovered it and Amy has so much to offer on her site.

Happy slow drawing!

October 2, 2020May 30, 2021

Acknowledge daily wins

“If it’s not big it doesn’t count”. Do you think like that? Do you dismiss the hundreds of small accomplishments that you manage to complete every single day? Perhaps the simplest and most classic of these daily small accomplishments is to make your bed.

Make your bed

Tim Ferriss popularised this notion with his 5 Morning Rituals That Help You ‘Win the Day’. It’s the same notion that Navy SEAL commander Admiral William H. McRaven also earlier spoke of in a 2014 commencement speech he gave to students at the University of Texas. He includes this as one of his ten small things in his book, Make Your Bed: Small Things That Can Change Your Life … and Maybe the World.*

Today my mother-in-law was coming to stay for a few days, so there were some things that needed doing in preparation. Each one small but essential to making her stay comfortable and her room inviting. The beautiful spring weather had suddenly turned chilly and so the bedding needed to be warm and layered with plenty of options. And I hung a soft pink warm gown nearby, just in case.

She is an ex-florist, so I knew a vase of fresh flowers would be appreciated. I wandered through the garden to gather what was in flower – an eclectic posy formed of lavender, bottlebrush, fressias and seaside daisies which I placed in a cutglass rose bowl my own mother had given me when she started to pass on her treasures several years ago. She’s still going strong at almost 99!

Simple joys

Both small tasks were simple and enjoyable in the doing and in the finishing. The wander through the garden was a sensory meditation, the eyes being drawn to the colours of the flowers in bloom and the freshness of them, the hand’s awareness of the foliage when touched and then the fragrance emitted. And all the while an appreciation of where to cut each stem to create the final posy. The simple being in “the doing”. It was such a simple joy and adds to the meaning of the day, it’s an essential part of a good life.

Every day is filled with mostly unrecognised completions and wins. To stop and take the time to see these and acknowledge their value in your life brings satisfaction and just a little more joy.

Celebrate or Acknowledge?

Quite often the advice is to “Celebrate the wins”. In 2020, “celebrate” usually means a rowdy occasion mixed with alcohol and a few speeches. But the origins** are different:
from Latin celebratus – much-frequented, kept solemn, famous; past participle of celebrare – assemble to honor, commemorate or honor with demonstrations of joy

So “honour daily wins” could hint at the true presence we find when we are “in the moment” and “aware of being in the moment” so that joy emerges. It points to “honour daily moments” as the place where magic happens.

A little bit of science

And scientifically we know why acknowledging wins is a good thing. Jonathan Cawte writes: “Dopamine is the achievement hormone; it makes sure we get to the goal. Dopamine narrows our focus and responds strongly to visual cues. Each time we see the goal we get a hit of dopamine. As we get closer to the goal the dose increases until we are rewarded with a mega dose on its achievement.”

We need to see our goals, write them down, just as we need to acknowledge our wins – write them down, acknowledge them in a visual way, journal them. “Without a visual cue there is no dopamine,” Jonathan Cawte states.

We need to be careful that whilst goals are useful, they may crowd-out the simple joy of doing. Goals are very “left-brain” and will take control if allowed – this is one big driver in the western workplace.

For example, it’s understood that dopamine can actually make us addicted to checking things off our lists because it makes us feel good physiologically! As with everything there can be a downside. If you find yourself adding items to your list just so you can tick them off, then step away from the list!

In contrast, we want to be in “serious play” – a skillful balance of right-brain and left brain contributions, not be all one-side or the other.

*Make Your Bed: Small Things That Can Change Your Life … and Maybe the World
by William H. McRaven ISBN:9781405934466, 1405934468 Published:15 June 2017

** https://www.etymonline.com/word/celebrate

May 18, 2020October 25, 2020

What is One Step Beyond?

Everyone is creative. Creativity is a birthright. But we seem to have lost the art of it.

As children, we played. Everything was a game. We made things with mud, paste and paper, our food. We didn’t think about it, compare it, keep it. It was just about the moment.

As adults, we hold opinions of what we can and can’t do. What we are and are not. We don’t just play anymore. We think and we plan and we judge and we don’t start. The page is always blank. The journal empty. The beautiful new pens still pristine. The bag of supplies and tools unopened since purchase.

Starting is scary. Especially when you hold the opinion about yourself that you’re already no good at this. Every idea you come up with has already been done – and done better by someone else. Or by thousands of others. Instagram has a lot to answer for.

Starting

In 2019 we set up a space, open to the garden with gentle sounds of water – a creative space to run creativity workshops, to enhance a creative experience, to gradually build the creativity muscle.

There is a creative element in everything you do and think. So our initial ideas for the space included art and craft workshops, yoga and meditation sessions, music, design, photography workshops, talks and discussions, nutrition and cooking, writing and reading groups, … there was no end to the possibilities.

Stillness

Stillness is the best catalyst for creativity. A time of quiet sitting, breathing, setting aside “monkey mind” thinking or urgency, quieting my fears, all allows for spontaneity.

Stillness IS the catalyst, returned to over and over again. Stillness will always be the basis of everything we do.

One Step Beyond

So this is not about technique or skills or results. It’s about personal experience and building some creative muscle. It’s about wanting to explore the creative present. It’s about diving into the unknown, open to the possibility that awaits.

This is what it is to take one step beyond. It’s a small thing. An unknown thing. It’s allowing yourself to trust the unknown, in a safe and creative way. To make the page un-blank.

It is about the individual, the environment and the interplay between the two, to make the experience enriching and memorable.

On to 2020

In this strange and new world we find ourselves in (with COVID-19), finding our creativity is so much more important. From cooking to exercise to amusement to work, and learning new tech to keep us feeling connected, every act of creativity is flowing positivity to the world.

Anyone can be a blank sheet and couch surf Netflix for hours, but you can also take that breath and explore, make that sorrel sauce recipe (having grown the sorrel), tackle Banksia pruning, repot that poor Aspidistra that everyone assured you would thrive even when neglected, take up knitting, write for the joy of it, YouTube a dance class, call a different friend every day to catch up…

For us, it’s exploring how to move our next series of workshops from the physical space into the online world. We’ll keep you posted.

Stay kind. Stay safe. Stay creative.

Just to finish: Twyla Tharpe, speaking of her book “The Creative Habit – Learn It and Use It For Life” expressed her wishes beautifully:

If you’re starting, I hope it gives you the courage to take your first step and go in the direction of your dreams.

If you’re stuck, I hope it helps you get going again.

If you’re lost, I hope it helps you find your way.

If you manage to touch your heart and move even the slightest bit, consider it time well spent.
For me, “… to touch your heart and move even the slightest bit” is going One Step Beyond.

October 8, 2019October 8, 2019

Have you heard of Super Brain Yoga?

It’s a quick and fun way to wake up both the analytic and creative sides of the brain.

Face the sun with your feet parallel to your shoulders and press your tongue against the roof of your mouth.
Pinch your right ear lobe with your left thumb and index finger. This activates the left side of your brain.
Pinch your left ear lobe with your right thumb and index finger. This activates the right side of your brain.
While pressing on both of your earlobes, squat while keeping your back straight. Do this 10 times, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth.
Feel both sides of your brain wake up, charged and ready to create!

August 12, 2019August 13, 2019

August awakens the senses ??

Winter is coming to a close. Get a jump start on the awakening of Spring with some sensory outing to stimulate the creative muscle.

QVB After Dark

455 George Street, Sydney
Throughout August
https://www.qvb.com.au/#after-dark

After Dark Tour Series – just a little spooky
After Dark Live Event – Thu 22
Heart of the QVB – an immersive installation

Cherry Blossom Festival

Auburn Botanic Gardens
Sat 17 – Sun 25
https://www.cumberland.nsw.gov.au/sydney-cherry-blossom-festival
A feast for all your senses – cherry blossom, Japanese snacks (Adam Liaw), an izakaya serving cherry blossom flower sake.

Luminous

A multi-sensory concert experience
Sat 17 – Fri 23
https://www.aco.com.au/whats-on/2019/luminous
Singer-songwriter Lior, photographer Bill Henson and the Australian Chamber Orchestra join for a visual and aural feast.

August 6, 2019August 13, 2019

Genius

I recently rewatched the TED talk “Your elusive creative genius” by Elizabeth Gilbert from 2009.

It reminded me again of the possibilities that await if I am continually opening myself to their arrival.

Some historical background

Ancient Greece and ancient Rome did not believe that creativity came from human beings but believed it was a divine spirit that visited human beings from somewhere.

The Greeks called these spirits “daemons” and Socrates believed his wisdom came to him from a daemon.

The Romans also believed in this creative spirit but called it a “genius”. However, they did not think that a genius was particularly clever – just a magical divine entity, who would come out and invisibly assist the artist with their work.

Jump to the Renaissance. People started to believe that creativity came completely from the individual. So, for the first time in history, people started referring to an artist as being a genius, rather than having a genius. This puts an incredible demand on the artist!

Back to now

I would guess that almost anyone involved in creative pursuits, whether they be of the “agreed” “artistic” kind – painting, writing, design, dance, … – or the rest – business, parenting, relationships, life! … has had that moment of inspiration, that spark of an idea, that gift. Being aware of its arrival can be a joy and a scramble to jot it down, capture it in that moment before it’s gone and perhaps forgotten.

The saying “First thought, best thought” also captures this fly-in spark. As a designer, I would often be gifted with this during the initial briefing for a new job. I would be scratching it down on paper as the conversation continued. Invariably, as was convention, three designs were submitted, post briefing.

Once I’d completed the gifted piece, then was the slog began to deliver up the two others to meet the brief’s requirements. But, for me, it was always that first gifted one that was the winner.

I recall rightly or wrongly, (see box below for the facts!) a famous New York adman from the sixties saying to a client, when they requested three designs, “No. You’ll get one design – the right design.” I haven’t been able to track this down as fact – maybe it was a scene from the hit show Mad Men! ,

Paul Rand – one design only

Paul Rand on trusting that first design idea:

an Interesting example – Steve Jobs approached Paul Rand and asked him to design the NeXT identity. Paul stipulated that $100,000 would be paid upfront, he would design one identity/logo and Steve would have to like it or lump it.

It takes a confident designer to take this approach, but it also takes a very confident client to accept!

Day to day reality

But most of us don’t have that kind of confidence.

Few of us can we call upon the genius – at will and on-demand. But some of us practice to make this visit more possible.

What we can do is to be open to the moment – because you never know when the spark will come. We can be curious and keep playing with what comes our way – then we are honing our skills to welcome the genius.

Keep playing!

July 24, 2019August 13, 2019

Balance

This is not new. As with everything in life, the cycles keep moving – the good times pass, but so too do the challenging ones. Over the years, this little diagram keeps popping up, in slightly different forms each time, but with basically the same help.

In some forms it divides into 4 elements – fire, water, earth and air. In others, it is action, emotions, structure and wisdom. Each of the four elements should be in balance… in a perfect life… in a perfect world!

Over the past while I’d been feeling a bit lost, unproductive, my mind awash with ideas but not quite able to get a start on anything, resulting in a feeling of time passing by without realising anything.

I happened upon the four elements again, sandwiched in a miscellaneous folder, and relooked at it. Rarely lacking in fire/action, or water/emotions, what lit up my realisation was earth/structure – my nemesis! Yes, planning. For reasons I still don’t understand, I feel that planning robs me of my freedom. My brain knows this is rubbish, even my experiences know this is rubbish. Yet tucked away snuggly and safely somewhere in my being, it resides.

So with the warmth of fresh realisation, I started to write the important things down (important for now, anyway). Just five loose categories, ones which cover my everyday needs as well as my creative and physical needs. Almost immediately I started to pull away from the stuckness I had felt, feeling an accomplishment of sorts. Big goals, bite-sized actions and steps. My first bite-sized step!

Relook at the 4 elements diagram. Where are you strong? Where are you out of balance? Start with one small step. Good luck.

July 5, 2019July 24, 2019

The Artist’s Date – 7 possibilities to inspire for July

Taking yourself on a weekly Artist’s Date (that’s a date with yourself) as an opportunity to let yourself follow your curiosities, is part of the creative awakening process in the book, The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron, a 12 week do-it-yourself creativity course.

Here are seven inspirations for July:

Shaun Gladwell: Pacific Undertow
The Essential Duchamp
A Drone Opera

1. The National Biennial of New Australian Art
Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney
Until Jul 21 2019
The latest ideas & forms in contemporary Australian art

2. The Essential Duchamp
Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney
Until Aug 11 2019
Discover the stories behind the art

3. Michael Armitage: The Promised Land
Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), The Rocks
Until Sep 22 2019
Oils grounded in the social fabric and political dynamics of East Africa

4. Shaun Gladwell: Pacific Undertow
Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), The Rocks
Jul 19 2019-Oct 7 2019
Cutting edge artist pushing the technological possibilities of 21st century art

5. Wellama
The Cutaway, Barangaroo
Until Dec 31 2019
New, ten-minute filmed artwork

6. A Drone Opera
Carriageworks, Eveleigh
Until Jul 28 2019
Haze, lasers and opera singers, and a cage

7. 52 Artists, 52 Actions
Artspace, Wooloomooloo
Until Aug 4 2019
52 artists, 31 countries, 1 week to make a statement

May 17, 2019July 24, 2019

Do it! Suspense writing

Don’t think. Just do.

Grab your journal, a book or some paper and write.

Take a mundane scene:

two people sitting in a car at traffic lights
a woman eating alone in a cafe
young children playing on the swings at the park
a young man waiting for the bus

Write a paragraph or a page that turns this seemingly mundane scene into nail-biting suspense. What details will add to the picture, giving it reality, authenticity, make the reader get to know the characters. And what might you leave out to add to the suspense.

Have fun!