Coffee And Paint Drips Blog - Page 9 of 79

Side Stepping Mr. Resistance, For Now

Greek Mykonos Bead Bracelet in the Etsy shop

The world being what it is, with so many things going on in different directions, one’s attention can only hold on for so long.

However, Mr. Resistance has been kept at arm’s length lately. Something must be up with him. Either that, or, I’m getting better at side-stepping him. And, since I’ve showed up at the art space for whatever time I am able to spare, the Muse has bestowed her gracious gifts of creativity on me.

Synchronicity abounds the last couple of days.

A little painting here and there, on the latest work. Some thoughts as to the next work. I even listed some hand made jewelry items in my Etsy shop. May as well get them out there, too. Next up will be paintings that are sitting around having their own quiet conversations. Enough of that!

If I could figure out how to list these items here on my very own website, I’d do it. Since I’m still trying to figure out the dreaded WordPress thing, I’ll stick with the Etsy shop for the time being.

Like I said, it’s a new space. It takes time to decorate.

Some things have to be done as easily as possible. Once I hit that wall, Mr. Resistance will show up again. I am not interested in seeing his return. Nor do I want to risk losing my creative self by missing the Muse’s visit.

So, that’s that with that.

Thought for Thursday

“Everyone has a plan ’till they get punched in the mouth.” ~Mike Tyson

Resistance vs Muse

Mr. Resistance is quite a character. Over the time I’ve been studying about him I’ve gained somewhat of a respect for his talent and ability to totally screw up my daily agenda.

I still hate him, but I know he’s there, and what he’s capable of doing to me.

Fine.

However, since I’ve been following Steven Pressfield’s thought process on Resistance, I’ve become enamored of his idea of the Muse. You know, you’ve got to have good and evil, yin and yang, the Good Witch or the Bad Witch.

Mr. Resistance’s other half is this kind of entity.

In Pressfield’s imagination the Muse flies around in her little plane thingy. As she flies by she checks to see if the good little artist is at her easel. If not, she whizzes away. She’ll try again the next day. Not there? Okay, she’s gone again. Stay out of the loop enough times and she doesn’t bother coming back.

The Muse is totally not like Mr. Resistance, who never leaves. Please, leave.

Turning a corner on that creep I showed up at the easel. Low and behold there was the Muse, hovering over head. I sorted through my idea pile, got out the large watercolor block and just started in on this new work.

Twenty minutes in, I stopped to let the paint dry, and a little bit later I tried working in more color to define the shapes and shadows.

I wasn’t so sure I wanted to do this painting, but so what? May as well catch the Muse as she flies by and drops some fairy dust on my scattered brain making the most of the process.

WordPress is Crazy

Patmos Harbor ©2013 Dora Sislian Themelis 9x12 Watercolor — Patmos Harbor ©2013 Dora Sislian Themelis 9×12 Watercolor

This blogging thing, along with Mr. Resistance, is having it’s way with me.

The other day I read Steven Pressfield’s post that said when Resistance shows up, the Dream is around the corner. Well, he is in my face and looms so large that I can barely peek around his huge frame to see the Dream hiding behind him.

Yes, it’s that big. So, I assume that’s the road I need to take. Except I can’t figure out how to get there.

This WordPress thing is taking too much time, energy, and patience. How much information can I cram into my brain, process, and use?

It’s almost impossible. People tout WordPress as THE platform to use. Yes, it’s pretty, but it’s exhausting. The learning curve is too much. Between learning how to navigate this thing, themes, plug-ins, email sign-up forms, galleries, SEO, blahblahblah, I can’t.

Am I finally ready to throw my hands up in the air and give it over to someone who knows what they’re doing? Meaning, pay someone? Maybe not. There’s gotta be a trick to this, a puzzle I need to solve myself. If other people can do it, why not me? Ok, so it’s going to take me a little longer to figure it out I guess.

Yeah, Mr. Resistance will devise this new way to keep me from painting while I fool around with this website stuff.

Honestly, this is getting ridiculous.

Thought for Thursday

“Where there is a Dream, there is Resistance.” ~Steven Pressfield, WRITING WEDNESDAYS: Resistance and Self-Loathing

Resistance is Weird Stuff

The Restful Spot ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis

The more I study the many forms Resistance takes, I am shocked at how it manifests itself as normal, every day stuff of life.

Well, you and I would think it’s life stuff. However, according to Steven Pressfield’s book The War of Art, much of it is Mr. Resistance at work. Which means No Work.

Resistance and Self-Medication

“Depression and anxiety may be real. But they can also be Resistance.”
~Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

Get a load of that! Let that sentence soak in.

Many of us have had our moments, I know I have. But conjuring up anxiety or depressive spells to avoid doing our work?

Is it a little weird?

Maybe the point is it’s subconcious.

“When we drug ourselves to blot out our soul’s call, we are being good Americans and exemplary consumers. We’re doing exactly what TV commercials and pop materialist culture have been brainwashing us to do form birth. Instead of applying self-knowledge, self-discipline, delayed gratification, and hard work, we simply consume a product.
Many pedestrians have been maimed or killed at the intersection of Resistance and Commerce.”

New Knitting

Halloween has come and gone. November is in full swing here in New York, with windy and cool weather creeping in. Besides the weather, Daylight Savings Time will make our days darker and drearier than necessary. I’m so not interested in winter.

What’s great about this season? Knitting happens a lot.

As you can see I’m knitting something new. New colorful yarns are delicious. Knitting with them is a feast for the eyes and fingers. Yes, delicious.

I’m not so sure about the pattern I chose to knit though. There’s some new things I need to learn how to do so I can continue. Counting stitches gives me a headache, yarn overs can slip off my needles if I’m not careful, and the stitches on the stitch holders with the provisional cast-ons keep getting in my way.

Until I get past a certain point in this piece of knitting, there will be no painting fun happening. Or any other fun around here.

This is serious business. Ahem.

Boo!

Resistance Study on Tuesday

Dark Apple Hides Shells, Watercolor ©2012Dora Sislian Themelis

Resistance and Self Dramatization

“Creating soap opera in our lives is a symptom of Resistance. Why put in years of work designing a new software interface when you can get just as much attention by bringing home a boyfriend with a prison record?”~Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

Steven Pressfield knows how to crack me up. No I can’t relate to this section of his book, but I’m sure there are plenty of creatives out there that do.

I do love his way with words and laughed out loud at much of this. In fact I may have watched TV episodes of some sitcoms that sounded just like this craziness:

“Sometimes entire families participate unconsciously in a culture of self-dramatization. The kids fuel the tanks, the grownups arm the phasers, the whole starship lurches from one spine-tinging episode to another. And the crew knows how to keep it going. If the level of drama drops below a certain threshold, someone jumps in to amp it up. Dad gets drunk, Mom gets sick, Janie shows up for church with an Oakland Raiders tattoo. it’s more fun than a movie. And it works: Nobody gets a damn thing done.”

Can you imagine this scene?

More importantly, would you ever think this is all about Resistance?

Just hold that thought for a moment.

The idea that artists, or anyone in the middle of an important endeavor, would raise hackles like this only to put off doing their work is way out there.

But is it, really?

Since I’ve been studying this Resistance thing, it’s become easy to imagine how many ways there to not work. Really, the thing we most want to do is the thing we try hardest NOT to do.

Hello, Anybody Out There? Hello?

When I started writing this post today I had some things I wanted to write about, but blogging got in my way and now I feel the need to rant. This is probably a waste of a good photo too, but I don’t care. I’ll talk about it another day.

Here goes: Blogging used to be fun. Today it’s something else.

When I started on this journey there were less bells and whistles to worry about. Sitting down to throw around my thoughts about art and life was enjoyable. People were reading my stuff and commenting. Even if they weren’t dropping in with a comment or a suggestion, I knew there were some people looking around, browsing my yapping. Interacting with someone on the other side of the globe is kind of exciting.

Way back when, I was working on a free platform. It was pretty easy to navigate. Now where am I? On this highly touted thing called WordPress.

You know what I think about it? I think it’s a pain in the neck. And, it’s work.

Everyone said you need to get on WordPress. It’s more streamlined. It’s professional. It’s great for artists. It looks better than XYZ free platform.

Guess what? Running this monkey show they think is so amazing is letting me allow Mr. Resistance to creep around here. Who can work in the studio and paint if there’s “important work” to do on this dopey website thing?

It’s almost easier to just let the whole thing lay down and play dead.

Take today, for example. WordPress had to be updated, which means before anything happens it has to be backed up. Okay. I had to open a Dropbox account for the back up to have some where to live. Did that too. Then I tried to write this post and everything is different.

Now what? Why did my photo go to two different places as I try to do my thing here? Why? Why? Why?

Preview says my photo is here, and there, and over there too, and here it’s smaller, and there it’s larger, and then where’s my caption, where can I type the body of my post, blah blah blah.

The thing is this, is anyone going to even see any of it?

Am I just shouting into the Universe. And if I am, is there anyone out there listening? Am I making any noise out there in blog land?

Doubt it, but here it is anyway.