Category: Resistance

It’s Not You, It’s Me

Welcome to the wonderful world of Resistance, where it’s all your fault. No, it has absolutely nothing to do with me, of course.

Ahem. 
Mid-Morning ©Dora Sislian Themelis, Watercolor on Canson paper
RESISTANCE IS INTERNAL

Resistance seems to come from outside outselves. We locate it in spouses, jobs, bosses, kids. ‘Peripheral opponents,’ as Pat Riley used to say when he coached the Los Angeles Lakers.

Resistance is not a peripheral opponent. Resistance arises from within. It is self-generated and self-perpetuated.

Resistance is the enemy within.                                  

Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

 

Well, obviously, it’s about me, us, the artist, the whoever wants to get anything important done. I know this all too well. It’s the old story where we blame everything under the sun as to why things don’t happen: the laundry, the kids, housework, the garden. I’m sure you can think up quite a few others.

Busy is the code word for Resistance. And it’s interesting how ‘busy’ we can get when we’re supposed to be working.

As I go along in this life I think the side of me that hates having Mr. Resistance over stay his not-so-welcome welcome is gaining the upper hand. “His” visits have become shorter.

Right now I’m blaming my none painting on mat board. Yes, that’s right, mat board, or my lack thereof. If I had more mat board I could finish matting the paintings I have waiting and clear my desk so I could paint.

Yeah, right.

The Dilemma

It never fails to amaze me how I can do such a good job of Not working. Just amazing. I thought for sure I’d get something done the last couple of days. Did I? I did not. Slacker. 

I sure do talk a good one, though, don’t I?

Shells ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis
Watercolor on Arches

Maybe Julia Cameron was right? In her book The Artist’s Way, she says Don’t Read. You know what happens when the brain hears the words “don’t read”? The brain doesn’t hear it the way we think it will. The brain hears only the word ‘read’ totally ignoring the ‘don’t’ part.

And what happens? I end up reading everything I get my hands on.

The moral of the story is reading leads to Not Working. Did you get that? I’m doing all kinds of reading: newspapers, email, blogs, junk, among the how to break through resistance. Isn’t that nice? Reading about moving past resistance, instead of just moving past resistance.

It’s a dilemma.

Mr. Resistance, Why Are You Still Here?

Resistance is Invisible

Resistance cannot be seen, touched, heard, or smelled. But it can be felt. We experience it as an energy field radiating from a work-in-protential. It’s a repelling force. It’s negative. Its aim is to shove us away, distract us, prevent us from doing our work. ~Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

In an effort to help my art making persuade Mr. Resistance to think it was his idea to cut short his stay, I’ve started re-reading Steven Pressfield’s book, The War of Art, as I mentioned in my latest posts.
Julia Cameron, in her book The Artist’s Way, says we should NOT read. Where do you go with conflicting thoughts on this subject? 
I read. Sorry. Right now I need a kick in the pants, again, so I’m reading.

And since I’m reading, and obviously this is a sore subject for many of us artists, some of my yapping could help you, as one of my wonderful readers commented on it. 
Hey, we’ve all been there, and done that at one time or another. Every now and then, we all need to be kicked in the pants.
I talked about this book in posts a while ago, when I started reading it, and felt really good afterwards. Even recently, I had an adrenalin rush after reading it and immediately picked up my stuff and went to work. 
The War of Art is easy to read, consisting of short blurbs of information, titled to grab your attention quickly, like the one at the start of my post. 
So easy, though, that you might think you can just scan and move on, but that would be a mistake. This is my only criticism, because I scanned a few, got my fix, and shortly after stopped reading. 
Here I am again, back at the beginning. Will it become a weekly post as I did while I read The Artist’s Way? It would be nice, but don’t hold me to it. 
I’m Artist A.D.D. like that. But I’ll try.
I’ll tell you, one thing, Steven Pressfield knows what he’s talking about, and says it in such a way that you recognize the Resistance thing right off the bat. He speaks my language, anyway. 
So here’s my call to action: What helps you boot Mr. Resistance out the door? 
I would love to see your comments. In the meanwhile, I’ll be reading, and hopefully, painting.

Resistance is a Killer

Resistance is a funny thing. Funny as in, not so funny. Funny as in, a killer. A killer of motivation, inspiration, the feeling of wanting to do something and the non-energy to move. 
Yeah. Resistance is all that. Back to the proverbial drawing board, as they say.
The point is in the process. Paint something! Good, bad, whatever. Just do it. Sit down, get something on paper, never mind what we think about the ‘something’. The point is to work. 
Yes, I know all that. So why is it so hard to actually DO it? Don’t ask me. I decided to go back to reading The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. Strangely enough, after I had re-read the first chapter, I felt empowered enough to paint. Even if it meant what I painted was dumb. Even if the outcome was sub-par, I did it.
I put down the book, gathered my stuff and headed outside to the front garden. The summer blooms have faded. All that’s left are the seed heads of the pink daisies and other perennials, although the asters are just starting their fall show of periwinkle blue.

Mixing colors to try for periwinkle wasn’t working so I did my best, adding color where I felt it needed to go, then I stopped. Remember, it could go to trash quickly if I don’t stop myself.

Finding time this weekend, I went back and added some detail. Whatever I think about this work I will keep to myself. Do the seed heads really need to look like the real thing? Not really. I just wanted to paint with color for a breezy feeling, hoping the process would take me there.

Seed Heads ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis
14×20 Watercolor, Arches cold press paper

The paper was dry and it was easy to add strokes of paint to areas I thought needed it.  Am I happy with it? Eh, let’s just say I’m glad I got something on paper.

Did it. Done.

Lost Motivation and Finding a Way Around Resistance

Over the weekend I read a post somewhere online about fighting with Resistance.

Yes, my favorite topic.

The writer, whom I can’t remember so I apologize, wrote something like “When you are in pain, make great art. You have no money, make great art. You lost your best friend, make great art.” Sounds like a plan. Right?

Okay. It’s time to revisit a book about the subject, The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield.

Before I continue I need to share. Today I attended church services for a favorite saint, St. Phanourios. People pray to him for help in finding lost things. To return the favor and thank him for his help, parishioners bring a special baked cake to share with everyone after the service.

Original icon of St. Phanourios of Rhodes
©OrthodoxWiki

I can’t find plenty of things throughout the year, so I baked the cake, grateful for the saint’s help. But right now I need to ask him to help me find a way to avoid Resistance.

Nothing helps me better than reading a good book about a topic, so with the urge I took for a nudge from St. Phanourios, I opened The War of Art and started to read it.

Again.

The author lists things that bring up Resistance, like any diet or health regimen, any calling, education of any kind, any kind of courage, any enterprise, etc. Pressfield describes Resistance and it’s characteristics with short, pithy paragraphs, with biting titles.

This one stuck with me as I read:

 Resistance is Insidious 

“Resistance will tell you anything to keep you from doing your work. It will perjure, fabricate, falsify; seduce, bully, cajole. resistance is protean. It will assume any form, if that’s what it takes to deceive you, it will reason with you like a lawyer or jam a nine-millimeter in your face like a stickup man. Resistance has no conscience. It will pledge anything to get a realm then double-cross you as soon as your back is turned. If you take Resistance at it’s word, you deserve everything you get. resistance is always lying and always full of crap.” pg. 9

 Ooph! I felt that kick in the butt. Thank you, St. Phanourios. It could be just what I was looking for.

If Monet Could do it, I Can Too, Sort of

Is it me or is the summer over already? Resistance has a way of leading you down a road, and leaving you there all by yourself to figure things out. He has a way of being cruel like that. 

And now August is near it’s end. What do we have to show for it? A tan? A couple of half hearted attempts at attaining the 100 paintings we’re supposed to be working on over here? 
Nuts, I say. Rats to that. 
So in the meanwhile, while I try to pull my artist self out of the rabbit hole, I painted this small marigold photo I had in my stash. Yes, I’ve painted this before much larger, but, whatever, there it is, again.

Small Marigold ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis
9×12 Watercolor Arches cold press paper

If Monet could paint a scene over and over again, so can I. And I’m sticking to that.

Where’s the Inspiration When You Need it?

Little did I know how much painting inspiration I was going to get out of that vegetable share I did last year. Why didn’t I think of it as an investment in my artwork this season? What was I thinking when I decided not to bother doing it again, only because I wasn’t thrilled with the selection of the produce, for eating anyway?

Every week I dragged myself across Long Island to pick up my haul and dreaded what kind of crazy leafy greens I would find, only to get so excited by all the shapes and color that I photographed everything. And then I created artwork of it all. All my complaining about painting from life rather than my photos, were dashed with the veggie awakening. 
Rooftop Scene ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis
9×12 Watercolor, Arches cold press paper
Now look at me! I can’t find anything to get excited about painting. Okay, a landscape here and there, flowers in the garden, but nothing like last summer’s work.

What a drag.

So here I am, painting this and that, and making more jewelry. It’s fine. I’ve made a commitment to a one night shopping venue the first week of September so I may as well add to my inventory.

Greek and Turkish beads with waxed cotton cord

Greek and Turkish beads with waxed cotton cord

Long bead bracelet on the wrist

The colors and shapes are interesting. I’m trying to put a positive spin on my trysts with Mr. Resistance. Not so sure it’s working for me. 

Show Up, Shut Up, and Work

Sometimes when the going gets tough, the “tough” shut down. There are so many excuses why one doesn’t get to work and I think I’ve pretty much used them all. It’s a dilemma.

Resistance is difficult. Anything, and everything, can block the path to working.

Let’s be on the up and up, okay? Those of us working from home have it much worse than those punching a clock at an office. There is no one to be accountable to, other than your’s truly over here.

We get the things done that need to get done. At an office, the work comes first, the house is left for some time later. At home, the house gets done first, and hopefully there has been a schedule in place for work. Does that happen? It should, but often times it doesn’t.

Who’s the boss of me?

But, hey, you need a pay check right? So get to work! Knock it off at the coffee machine and stop hanging around with that idiot, Mr. Resistance.

While I was trying not to waste time looking for the next painting subject in the studio, I wandered off to more beads. This bracelet is made of knotted Greek leather cord with more Greek Mykonos beads and Turkish glass.

Greek Mykonos beads, Turkish beads, Greek leather cord

After finishing the bracelet I tried, once again, to find a painting subject and leafed through a few travel books. I didn’t want to spend too much time so I settled on this scene. I liked the colors and the depth. At least if I move paint around I might be able to push away some resistance.

Something new to paint/sketch..

For now, it will do. The “boss” might be happy I showed up to work at all and won’t fire me.

A Moment of Zen

The last few days have been cloudy, promising rain at every moment. Those overcast skies were playing games with my head, making me lose my motivation. Yes, I go to the studio each day expecting to work only to find myself staring at my workspace, willing the paints and brushes to do something.
That just didn’t work. 
Then I decided to clean up, throw out, organize. The activity sent me to arrange beads into new jewelry pieces. Not a total loss, however, not painting either.
Feeling the need to get away from myself yesterday, I went into the garden. I got out my shovel to rearrange the annuals and the hostas. I enlarged the beds, and watered it all when I was finished. The climbing roses needed trimming and I snipped some blossoms for my patio table.
My moment, my zen

This morning as I sat outside at the table to write the Morning Pages and finish my coffee, I admired the pretty roses. A breeze came through carrying their wonderful scent to me and it was heavenly. A moment of quiet aroma filled zen, I thought to myself.

Thanks. I needed that.