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

I wrote the following on my blog and facebook fanpage today:

Having created a significant body of work over the last decade (nearly 200* completed quilts), I plan to continue pushing myself to excellence by building on past successes and learning from the mistakes. Working as a professional artist, with any eye to creating a lasting legacy for my artwork, is my intention.

A lasting legacy for my artwork. That is big. Hello museums and important collections!

Feels great to think big and set big intentions. Just making the statement generates a zillion ideas for how to move to forward to meet the goals.

Wrap Up

What big bold statement can you make about your art? Your art career? Leave a comment below or post it on your blog, facebook/twitter and leave a link here.

Be Big!

 
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

When I left for South Africa at the end of July I had the intention to continue to write blog posts on makebigart during my month long vacation.

I had a list of topics for the posts I would write while gone and one day near the beginning of the trip I even spent an hour or so working on a draft.

And then reality hit me – I was on vacation and I loving relaxing and taking a break from doing stuff all the time. I decided to drop the idea I needed to WORK on my vacation and just relaxed and had the most amazing time. I didn’t even get around to writing blog posts about all my adventures as I was staying in the moment and just enjoying the trip.

It was fabulous.

My intention was to jump right back into art and blogging and art business stuff upon my return in late august, well rested and relaxed.

Life Happens

Life had other plans for me and upon my return home there were 3 significant changes to my life that threw me off course:

1) My mom was sick and in the hospital out of state. Now 3 1/2 months later, and a tremendous amount of time and energy from myself and my siblings, my mom is now living in Denver near me.
2) My project at work was canceled, resulting in a very stressful 2-3 month transition. We are just now hitting our stride on a new project and things are settling down on that front. (I work as a software engineer as my day job).
3) I met a wonderful guy and started a new romantic relationship.

The result was little to no studio time or art business time, including writing blog posts. MakeBigArt and my entire art career were just dusty memories generating guilt in the back of my mind as I focused on the issues at hand.

All sense of balance was gone. When I wasn’t dealing with my mom or work, I was getting to know my new boyfriend.

There was no “me” time at all.

Thoughts of Failure

As time marched on and I still wasn’t motivating myself to my studio I began to sink into the feeling that I was failing. Feeling my art career was trashed and makebigart should just be shut down as I clearly will have lost all my readers after a 5 month break on a brand new blog.

It’s easy to fall into this trap when we get off track. Since things aren’t perfect today might as well just give up all together.

I’d set an intention to work on my art or write a blog post for makebigart, and it wouldn’t happen. Priorities were elsewhere so my focus went elsewhere. So back I went to feeling miserable about it all.

Success is Starting Again

I’d like to say I never had those thoughts as I know better, but I did.

Fortunately, I also had a voice in the back of my mind that kept reminding me that success isn’t about not failing, but about continuing to move forward even in the face of failure.

I’ve now reached a point where I believe I can start getting back to a consistent studio and writing schedule.

While my todo list is still a mile long for thing that must be done for my mother, it no longer includes things like “pack up house, move all belongings to Denver”, which require full time focus and energy.

There is still the issue of balancing relationships (I now have a boyfriend and a mother to fit into my life on a consistent basis) and there is much work that will be needed on that front and will certainly be the topic of future posts.

But there is light at the end of the tunnel and I feel like any minute I could break free and make it to fresh air. I might stumble again before I reach solid ground but I know where I’m headed and if I fall off course again I’ll take a deep breath and keep going.

And this is success.

- My readers to makebigart will return.
- My art career will be fine, if I don’t turn a profit on my art this year I will next year.
- Contacts I had been cultivating will either reconnect or be replaced by new.
- Any missed opportunities will be quickly forgotten as I recreate new ones.

Taking a break isn’t failure.

Not getting back up and starting again is.

How-To’s

I’d love to include a recipe for how to get back up again after such a break.

Something like “The 12 steps you need to follow to regain your focus” as these are the types of blog posts that generate big readership.

Thing is I don’t have the answer. I can tell you a few things I’ve done or could have done, that might help.

1. Exercise

In the past 3 months I’ve done almost no yoga or any other physical activity. I have no doubt had I made it a priority to do yoga at least 3 mornings a week and gone on walks I would have felt more balanced. I didn’t, but my advice to anyone going through a stressful time is to try to find time to do this. I knew I should, but just couldn’t get there.

I do know that unless I fit yoga back into my life each morning I am unlikely to return to a studio schedule, as at this point it’s a top priority for me.

2. Diet

I ate a lot of really crappy food the last 3 months. Lots of chips and dessert and general crap. Before I left for African I had removed sugar from my diet.

Fortunately the stress won over the bad food and I’ve lost 7 pounds since my return from Africa (where I managed to gain 5 pounds in 1 month in my decadent vacation eating) so I’m about even on the weight.

I’m now much more aware of what I’m eating and know that a significant weight gain would have added to feelings of failure.

3. Self Care

In the past 3 months I’ve had a couple massages. I’m contemplating signing up for a monthly massage to make this a routine. Nothing beats pampering for a sense of well being.

4. Sleep

I’ve had an extremely difficult time sleeping since my return home. The stress and changes in my life resulted in some unpleasant and bad sleep habits. When one is sleep deprived it’s hard to make good decisions or feel positive about life.

I admit to being extremely reluctant to address this issue in my own life, but I do know that had I gotten some help sleeping things would have looked up a lot quicker.

5. Battling Depression

There were days and weeks in the last month were I lacked all motivation to do anything and the future was looking grim. Add up the numbers and depression is the word most likely used in such situations.

I went back to my acupuncturist for help in this area and I swear it is truly magical. Your mileage may vary and other forms of help for depression may be needed (from therapy, which I also participate in, to medication).

There is no reason to be depressed. Acupuncture may not be cheap but my mental health is of primary importance and worth every penny of it.

6. Get Help

My todo list was miles long when we realized we needed to move my mom out to Colorado to live by me and I’m the type of person that rarely, if ever, asks for help. This time around I had no choice. While I didn’t reach out often, the few times I did I was always met with a warm reception and helping hand.

Lightening the load can free up some time for exercise or a dip into the studio.

7. Spend Time with Friends

I’m slowly reconnecting with my friends and know that the time spent with those I care about is very healing and inspiring. When one is too busy to make art it’s hard to imagine how finding time for friends will help, but it does, by helping us reconnect with what is important to us.

Spending time with friends that share our passions is a wonderful way back to those passions.

8. Feed Your Soul

When things are bad, I turn to a few people that have magical uplifting effect on my psyche. For me the book Eat, Pray, Love is one such source of inspiration. It never fails to feed my soul, as do the word of Pema Chodron.

Wrap Up

How have you re-focused after a significant break? Any tips you can offer? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

 
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

What is responsibility? In the words of Deepak Chopra it is the ability to have a response:

If you look at the word ‘re-spon-si-bil-i-ty’, it means the ability to have a response. Responsibility means to have a creative response to a challenge… So what responsibility means is expanding your awareness.

I really love this take on the definition of responsibility.

I recently decided I needed to revisit my health and make some improvements. In addition to daily yoga and eating healthy (no more refined sugar for me), I’ve started running again. In addition to the physical benefits, I love the mental clarity it brings me. I do a lot of thinking while out there pounding the asphalt and it keeps the self-defeating thoughts in check.

I’ve been repeating the affirmation “I am responsible” these days while running and it feels powerful. When a problem or thought pops into my head I repeat the mantra to myself and generally a solution presents itself. Taking ownership of my life makes me feel powerful.

With this power I am not waiting around and asking for permission to move forward with my plans. Whether or not I take action is my choice. Whether or not I choose to view a situation positively or negatively is also my choice. I find I am spending much less time looking for excuses and much more time looking for solutions.

Responsibility for Artists

I also use this notion of responsibility in relationship to my art career, which again, brings me great power as an artist. At first it’s a bit scary to accept the responsibility we have, but once we do, we can fly. We think big. Nothing can stop us.

1. You are responsible for how you spend your time

Yep – it’s you. It’s not the internet or your tv or your family that stops you from spending time in your studio. It is your responsibility to prioritize this time into your life. If you say it is a top priority to spend 20 hours a week creating art there is only 1 person that is responsible for making that happen.

Yeah sure, sometimes unexpected things happen and our best intentions don’t come about. But if week after week after week you are saying “I wanted to work more in my studio but I just couldn’t find the time” who but you is responsible for changing this outcome?

Sometimes we need help or tools to overcome the obstacles stopping us from spending time the way we choose, but again, we are the ones that have to seek that help and stick with the remedy.

2. You are responsible for your skills

Be it in the studio or in the office, you are ultimately responsible for what you know and what you can do. If a lack of skillset is holding you back take lessons, hire a coach, surf the internet, etc. It is your responsibility to fill that gap.

I spent years lamenting the lack of quality of my artwork photography. This year I got tired of using this excuse (just how lame does it sound year after year to say “I don’t know photograph my artwork”). So I hired a professional to help me out.

I’m well on my way to significantly better art images. What power and freedom this gives me because I finally took responsibility for my own learning.

What lack of skillset is is holding you back?

3. You are responsible for your marketing

Like it or not, marketing is a vitally important part of an art career. Be it marketing yourself to galleries/consultants (so they can market your art for you) or marketing your art directly to your collectors, it’s is your responsibility to do this.

Don’t know how? Check out #2 above (and stay tuned as I’ll be writing about it here on makebigart).

4. You are responsible for your success

First step is to define success for yourself. Only you can do this as we all have different ideas of what that means.

Second step is to take action to move yourself towards that success.

Run into an obstacle along the way? Take responsibility for that also and keep going.

Remember, taking responsibility means choosing how to respond. If you say the economy is stopping you from reaching success, what can you do in response? There is much power in taking action and not making excuses.

5. You are responsible for your art career

The entire thing is in your hands. Where are you going to take it?

Not Blame

Responsibility is not about blame or guilt. It’s not yet another opportunity for you to beat yourself up. No guilt here.

Instead it’s a chance to step up and think big about where you are and how you want to respond to your current circumstances. There is no value in berating yourself for being where you are, only value in moving towards where you want to be.

Next Up

I didn’t want to give the impression this blog was only about facebook or how-to’s so I decided to jump right into some mindset stuff this week. I believe thinking big requires responsibility.

How about you? I welcome your thoughts about this post in the comments below.

 
I invite you to become a fan of MakeBigArt on facebook:
MakeBigArt.com fanpage

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