Friday, October 19, 2012

What if you didn't have any electricity?

I am in a good place starting off the day. I managed to get my to do list for yesterday all done and then some so today, I can concentrate on packing for our trip. I don't have any photos to share since I accomplished mostly errands and small tasks yesterday so nothing to show for it except lines marked through the tasks on my list. I have most of my clothes packed already so today I will pack up my supplies and clean up my studio.

This morning in my emails, I had this question asked from a creativity coach. If you did not have electricity for 1 month, how and what would you create? For me that is a scary question since I do depend on electricity heavily to complete my quilts. If I did not have electricity for an extended period of time how would I change my practices to be able to continue to create and what would I create? What would I do if I could not use any of my machines? If I did not have electricity, I would work through a book I have called Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain: A course in enhancing creativity and artistic confidence by Betty Edwards. I got the book and the workbook last winter when I was recuperating from surgery but have not started to do the work that it requires. Why not? I know that it will take hours of dedicated work to do all the exercises and I just didn't feel that I had the time to dedicate that much time and energy to it. If I didn't have electricity then I would have a lot more time to devote to it. How strange. I bought the book expecting to do the work and make some sort of progress in my creative work but at the same time I have not allowed it to help me because I have not opened it up and done what it says to do. Sounds like another book that is available to all of us. The Bible. It tells us everything that we need to know to live life here and now and what to expect in the hereafter. Most of our problems could be solved if we followed the manual... So... if I had no electricity for a month, I would have something to do that would hopefully improve my drawing skills and creativity. It would be different work, but I would only need pencil, paper and day light. It would force me to take time to see the world around me with new eyes and learn how to record it so I could share it with others. I would also get into The Bible even more so I could see the world through different eyes. Eyes that can see into the problem and know the solution and be willing to do the work required that would change that world around. So what would you do if you did not have electricity for 1 month? How and what would you create? Would you complain about not having electricity or would you embrace it, would you try something new? Would you use the time to learn a new skill or to practice one you have left dormant for a while? I think I would embrace it (at least for a while, I don't like the idea of not having the other conveniences that electricity affords us). We have to make decisions daily about what we will and will not do. For me, I have put off taking the time that is required to work through this book but now is the time to do it. If I don't do the work for myself then how can I expect to grow as a creative artist? If I am not willing to take my artistic ability seriously then how will anyone else? If I am not willing to do the work then I will grow stagnant. So I will move forward. I will learn new skills, that is what this next week's retreat is all about, and I will try to do something everyday start to finish that did not require electricity. It will be a challenge but it will be worth it.

Have a great day and think about life without electricity and all the things you take for granted that require it but most of all remember to stay connected to the source of all life's energy to begin with, Jesus.

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