“It’s better to be in the arena, getting stomped by the bull, than to be up in the stands or out in the parking lot.”~Steven Pressfield, The War of Art
Category: Resistance
A New Moleskine Notebook
With my discount coupon in hand, I headed out to the local art supplier in my neighborhood for a little Artist’s Date with myself.
I had a mission: buy watercolor paint colors I ran out of, and get a Moleskine watercolor notebook for doodling and sketching.
Mission accomplished! The notebook is one of the smaller sizes. I really didn’t want to commit to something too large so I wouldn’t be discouraged. But you never know, I could be annoyed by using a small book too. Then again, the price of the larger was much higher so I sprang for this one.
The instructor at the NYC workshop I participated in used a Moleskine for her sketching. I thought it might be good to keep me from arguing with Mr. Resistance. Nothing expected by a doodle or a quick sketch, no commitment to a huge new painting, to experiment with brush and paint.
Process, not product.
Just staying in the game, so to speak.
Tuesdays and The War of Art
Resistance and Trouble
“The working artist will not tolerate trouble in her life because she knows trouble prevents her from doing her work. The working artist banishes from her world all sources of trouble. She harnesses the urge for trouble and transforms it in her work.” ~Steven Pressfield, The War of Art
I’m not one of those people that gets into trouble. And as for starting up any trouble, nope, not me. I like my life quiet. Just want to do my “thang” all by my little self, quiet, nice, without any arrows pointed at me. It’s not saying I haven’t been in the mix here and there in life, but quiet and small does me very well.
So reading this chapter left me not much to identify with in my own experience. However, if you think of the celebrities of today with all their high jinx it makes some sense. Pressfield notes that ill health, alcoholism, drug addiction, proneness to accidents, compulsive screwing up, jealousy, lateness, and anything that draws attention to ones’ self is all a manifestation of Resistance. Even acting cruel to others, and enduring the same is a form of Resistance.
“Trouble is a faux form of fame.”
Imagine that? It was enlightening chapter, to say the least, and I’m glad to have had my eyes opened.
Thought for Thursday
“Some people want to advertise their weirdness, and spread it out, that’s not me.”~Weird Al Yankovic
Back to The War of Art, Again
Resistance and Procrastination, Part Two
“The most pernicious aspect of procrastination is that it can become a habit. We don’t just put off our lives today; we put them off till our deathbed.”
~Steven Pressfield, The War of Art
What a mouthful! Can you just imagine for a moment, putting off doing the work one day thinking you’ll get to it tomorrow, and tomorrow becomes the next day, or even the next after that? Days could turn into weeks unless we stop ourselves from jumping down that rabbit hole. There is every possibility that months can pass without putting brush to canvas, pen to paper.
Chose your poison.
Why is procrastination such an easy habit to develop? Life would be so much better if we could flip it around so that getting our work done consistently becomes the habit.
Somehow I am going figure out how to flip the switch and turn Mr. Resistance on his head.
Steven Pressfield’s Newest Book, The Authentic Swing
Synchronicity abounds lately. It seems that when we are ready and open to receive the “gifts” things start to move. The Universe sends it’s power our way. Use it or lose it.
A while back, as I was writing here about beating Mr. Resistance by reading Steven Pressfield’s great book, The War of Art, I received a note from his lovely publicist, Callie Oettinger. She liked my posts and sent me copies of Steven’s other books. What a thrill that was! I wanted to read Turning Pro and Do The Work after I finished with The War of Art, and here they were on my doorstep. Thankful and grateful for such a generous gesture toward me, an artist writing this little blog about life and art.
Just a couple of weeks ago I spied a package at my door. To my surprise it was Steven Pressfield’s newest book, The Authentic Swing, about his writing process for his novel, The Legend of Bagger Vance. I was swooning once again.
After I stopped jumping from excitement I started to read and found it magical in the way Pressfield describes his process. Page by page I had Aha! moments.
Yes, like golf, the artist is on his own. Yes, like golf, artists need to find their own voice/style, Authentic Swing. Yes, like golf, art is an individual sport. I could identify with so much of this book it made me dizzy, the way I lose myself in painting. That kind of dizzy.
A section in the book gave me pause. I held my breath as I read it. The title of the section was Cover The Canvas. Yikes! I know all about covering the canvas, quick before I lose it.
“My mantra for first drafts is “Cover the canvas.” What I mean by that is that our supreme priority is to get SOMETHING down from Page One to The End-no matter how incomplete or imperfect.
Don’t stop. Don’t think. Don’t look down.
The enemy in the first draft is not incompleteness or inexactness of imprefection. The enemy is Resistance. The enemy is self sabotage.”
There it was, the enemy. The bane of my artist existence is Mr. Resistance, self sabotage, myself.
Am I ever going to get Resistance behind me? Learning how by reading the process of accomplished professionals like Steven Pressfield helps tremendously. As I study his books my time away from painting is much shorter than it once was. I am learning how to invite the Universe and ignore Mr. Resistance standing in the corner.
Now, if I could harness that knowledge to get over the fear of moving forward with this website, I want to hold a free giveaway of the extra copies of Mr. Pressfield’s books. When I figure that out, and if I could hide what I’m doing from Mr. Resistance, I’ll let you know.
When Resistance is at Bay
While I go on and on about not meeting the requirements of the latest challenge, something clicked inside my artist brain the last few days.
Just to keep you updated, I’ve been reading Steven Pressfield’s wonderful book on Resistance, The War of Art, again. It was a wonderful help in the past and is now.
That, and this 30 paintings in 30 days challenge. Or, as I should call it, my Not 30 in 30 Challenge. Man, I am so far behind I’m not going to bother to catch up.
The thing is this: I know I want to paint, but something has to spark my imagination. Like Steven Pressfield suggests, I have to just do it, be present, sit down at the desk and be ready for the Muse/Spirit/Whatever to inspire. More about the wonderful Mr. Pressfield to come.
The garden is fading. The colorful flowers are gone, their stems are drying, everything is either green or brown now. None of my shells appealed to me. Neither did the apples I like to use. The last few paintings had apples and shells together at the beach. Ok, but now I needed something new. Some photos from my summer trip appealed to me and I chose a few to try. I sketched the scene quickly in paint and as it dried I worked in more detail, just feeling satisfaction in the process and the colors.
When Resistance is at bay synchronicity abounds. It felt really good to get something on the paper. Done.
Today I decided I wanted to paint this same scene from my photos again, but differently, going for an even sketchier feeling. The day was free, nothing on the agenda, the house was quiet, and the equipment was ready.
Pushing myself to look at the whole rather than just the subject, I dropped in paint and tried to mold the forms with color being mindful of the wet areas. Watercolor is unforgiving. To keep the work fresh I moved around the paper to drier areas. Twenty minutes and this is where I stopped. I went back to it after it dried so it has more detail than you see here.
Another day, another look-see.
Thought for Thursday
“I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.”
~Douglas Adams
The Question of Resistance
When the Muses are in a good mood, ideas come easily and the work just flows from the brain to the brush. The only thing in the way of that synchronicity is me. Getting in the studio to do that actual work, and have that wonderful flow, is the answer.
However, the question is Resistance.
There, I’ve said it once again, out loud so Mr. Resistance can hear it.
Inching my way in this 30 in 30 Challenge, as I said before, is a challenge. It’s tedious. It’s tiresome.
It’s even ridiculous that this is becoming a chore.
Enter Mr. Steven Pressfield once again to save my day! I am back to reading his book The War of Art. And somehow, with surprising timeliness, I received his newest book from his lovely publicist in the mail. It’s just what I need right at this moment.
I’ll tell you about it next post. I promise.
Thought for Thursday
“If you find yourself asking yourself (and your friends), “Am I really a writer? Am I really an artist?” chances are you are. The counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death.”
Steven Pressfield, The War of Art