Back in December, I wrote a blog post about the magic of completion.

I didn’t completed the setup of my studio after the remodel last year, the result being I wasn’t really using my studio. The unfinished project was draining my energy.

Taking the time to complete that project resulted in a huge burst of energy that culminated with dozens of new pieces of art within a few months for my solo show in February.

Completion is truly magical.

Unfinished Projects

Now, as my energy has returned and I’m back at work in my studio and on my life, I can feel many unfinished projects from the last few years pulling at me. Calling to me, wanting my time, my energy. They are determined to distract me.

They are fabulous projects:

I never processed my photos from my trip to South African last year. My last post on my art blog on the topic was day 6. That’s not quite completion given that the trip was almost a month long.

I’ve also never taken the “after” photos for my home/studio remodel. The construction workers walked out on the last day and I stopped posting to my construction photo site. No “after” shots. Hm. I know everyone wants to see the cool green bathroom – how hard could it be to get the kids dirty clothes off the floor and do this project?

I’ve got unfinished artwork, home projects, business projects, remodeling, etc, etc. The list is long when I think about it. So when I do think about it, it drains my energy.

It’s time to do something about it. I’m on a quest to clear up these incomplete projects over the next 5 months so I can start 2011 with a clean slate.

It May Not Need to be Finished

My first thought is to line up all my projects and dive in to get to work on them. But that thought also drains me. I want to do NEW stuff, not just finish up old stuff.

So I remind myself, just because I started a project, it doesn’t mean I need to finish it.

But I need to come to closure on them in some way. So I’m pondering a good way to do that. A ritual, perhaps, to say goodbye to a plan that won’t reach completion. A big bonfire in the backyard comes to mind, but I think that isn’t legal in my city.

Small Steps

I don’t want this quest for completion to stop me in my progress in the studio or on my art business. So I’m going to take is in slowly, doing a bit each week.

Here’s my plan for tackling my incomplete projects

1. Create a list of incomplete projects (spending about a week to do this)
2. Categorize them – complete vs. let go (I might have a “I’ll revisit this in a year” pile also but maybe not – I like to be clear and make decisions as it gives me momentum.)
3. Create and hold some type of ritual to let go of the projects that don’t make the cut.
4. Prioritize the projects I do want to complete
5. Work through the incomplete projects one at a time as the year goes by
6. Celebrate each completion

7. Repeat as needed when I feel my energy being drained – complete completion isn’t something I believe I will ever achieve, instead I think it is a process to be enjoyed (hence the celebration step).

Wrap Up

I’ll be posting my progress on my completion quest as the year goes by both here on the blog and over on the facebook page for makebigart.

Want to join me? Post your progress here or facebook (sharing only the details you are comfortable sharing). We’ll keep each other motivated by sharing our progress.

Let’s think big and refocus our energy where we want it – on our art – by wrapping up some unfinished projects.

PS – if you have ideas for a ritual to say goodbye to projects we are not longer committed to, please share.

 
I invite you to become a fan of MakeBigArt on social media where I’ll be sharing additional tips and comments.
MakeBigArt fanpage
MakeBigArt on Twitter

In addition you can also find me here:

My Blog
On Twitter
Facebook Profile
Lisa Call – Textile Paintings Fan Page

 
—lisa

Thinking Big about Art

With a nod Christine Mauersberger for the pointer, I love the Incomplete Manifesto for Growth by Bruce Mau.

Some of my favorite statements

3. Process is more important than outcome.

9. Begin anywhere. [great advice if you are stuck]

30. Organization = Liberty.

41. Laugh.

And I would add one more:

Think Big!

Read the entire manifesto here: Incomplete Manifesto for Growth.

Wrap Up

Which statements speak to you?

 
I invite you to become a fan of MakeBigArt on social media where I’ll be sharing additional tips and comments.
MakeBigArt fanpage
MakeBigArt on Twitter

In addition you can also find me here:

My Blog
On Twitter
Facebook Profile
Lisa Call – Textile Paintings Fan Page

 
—lisa

Thinking Big about Art

A few weeks back I looked at the calendar and realized I had only 7 weeks to prepare for a solo exhibit. I came up with a schedule that is aggressive, yet doable to create all new work for the show over those 7 weeks.

It’s doable in the sense that if I quit doing most everything else in my life, like paying bills, marketing my artwork, cooking dinner, writing long blog posts, hanging out with friends all weekend, etc… I can get all of the artwork completed by the delivery date.

I’ve had a vision for this show for a long time and I decided to go for it even it it generates some imbalance in my immediate future.

What is Balance?

Which brings up the question – exactly what is balance?

Looking in the dictionary for balance these defintions jump out at me:

5 a : stability produced by even distribution of weight on each side of the vertical axis b : equipoise between contrasting, opposing, or interacting elements
6 a : an aesthetically pleasing integration of elements
9 : mental and emotional steadiness

That sounds about right. Stability, integration, steadiness. Bring it all together and making it all work, magically.

Embracing the Imbalance

There are few days, or even weeks, in my life where I feel I’ve balanced all of my desires, intentions and responsibilities. Something always seems to have to give.

My life is chronically out of balance on a day to day basis, yet if I step back and look at the big picture (such as my list of 100 accomplishments for 2009) everything seems to work out.

I need to just relax and accept that on the micro-level things feel imbalanced.

When I was a stay at home mom, we called this sequencing and much as been written on the topic.

The idea is we can have it all, just not all at once. Keeping this in mind is supremely helpful in remaining relaxed as paperwork, laundry, email and blog comments pile up while I’m creating in my studio.

Wrap Up

If you are feeling unbalanced, take a look back over the long term, are things really unbalanced or are you sequencing?

 
I invite you to become a fan of MakeBigArt on facebook:
MakeBigArt.com fanpage – I’ll be sharing additional tips and comments on facebook throughout the week and writing longer articles on the blog.

In addition you can also find me here:

My Blog
On Twitter
Facebook Profile
Lisa Call – Textile Paintings Fan Page

 
—lisa

Thinking Big about Art

In April of 2009 I completed a major house remodeling project that include the addition of a beautiful new studio. Within weeks I had the studio 95% completed and then moved in and started making art.

I had a huge deadline looming for an exhibit in Germany and needed every spare moment to create. The remaining work on the studio could wait.

Then a week after making my deadline I left town for a month in South Africa, with the studio still not finished.

Upon my return there was a family event that required a large chunk of my energy.

And I had artwork presold that had to be completed, so what free time I did have went to creating.

Completion of the studio was still undone.

Every time I went in my studio I saw the mess and it drained me. I thought “I never have time to finish it” and that thought drained me more.

I have an exhibit coming up and instead of working on the art for the show, I stressed about the studio not being finished. I thought “I’ll start the art for the show once the studio is done”. And I never seemed to find time for finishing things up.

And on and on it went for 4 months after my return from South Africa.

Until yesterday. Yesterday I decided I’d have enough and I completed my studio. Done.

And it is FABULOUS.

The new energy in the room is amazing. Today I jumped right in and started the artwork for my upcoming exhibit. My outlook on my art career was given a huge boost.

And of course I think – “why didn’t I just do this earlier – it was only 6 hours of work”.

Completion

Completion is huge. It’s massive and energy altering.

Completing a project can give you a boost. From big tasks like my studio. Or small tasks like mailing a collector a thank you note.

The act of getting something done, crossing it off a list, is magical. All the energy that was being used to worry about, stress over, keep track of, think about, complain about, etc – all that energy is freed up and suddenly available for new projects, thoughts and inspiration.

Completing a task or project builds your self confidence. You realize “hey, I can do this”. So the next task becomes just a tiny bit easier and your productivity increases and things are cross off the list and energy is freed up. Its the snowball effect. Next thing you know you are invincible.

Projects that were blocked suddenly become viable. New ideas are generated opening up new possibilities.

The power of completion is huge.

Wrap Up

What project or task can you complete right now, today, this week to give yourself a little boost forward and free up some energy for other projects?

What are you waiting for?

 
I invite you to become a fan of MakeBigArt on facebook:
MakeBigArt.com fanpage – I’ll be sharing additional tips and comments on facebook throughout the week and writing longer articles on the blog. I update this facebook page about once a day and welcome your comments.

In addition you can also find me here:

My Blog
On Twitter
Facebook Profile
Lisa Call – Textile Paintings Fan Page

 
—lisa

Thinking Big about Art

PS – Ironically I was going to bail out on writing this post and take a bath. But I realized I’d just wake up tomorrow and feel drained as I have set my intention to get back on track with weekly posts on