So how’m I doing in my quest to re-invent my life, follow my evolving Blisses and create the life I really, really want?
If you follow this blog, you know I’m not exactly Ms. Posts-Her-Posts-At-The-Same-Time-Like-Clockwork, but I am in the habit of posting my Weekly Review on Sundays.
Except when I’m not.
Sometimes a girl has other priorities. Like the Friends of Calligraphy Retreat. Where one of my self-imposed rules is no email, and no internet.
I broke the second half of that rule in order to write a blog post I’d committed to for Shenee’s Story Tour, and I was a very cranky camper indeed. Lesson learned. And new Commandment dutifully added to the list.
Retreat Commandments:
The Retreat shall be a space to feed one’s soul.
Thou shalt not do any work for clients; thou shalt engage in Creative Sandbox play only.
However, work created for the express purpose of selling is allowed, if and only if it is embarked upon out of internal excitement and inspiration.
Thou shalt not check email.
Thou shalt not check Twitter.
Thou shalt not check Facebook.
Thou shalt not even check one’s blog for comments. (Verily, thou shalt survive.)
Addendum (as of March 2011): Thou shalt not bring any kind of external deadline unto the Retreat. Even such deadlines as one happily chose to commit to.
Even Weekly Review blog posts. Thank you for your patience.
What I’ve learned about me and the Retreat
1. Finding the True Path requires much patience
It invariably takes a full day to settle in, and at least another full day to find my groove. Until then, I’m a) in sleep mode, as my body finally realizes “oh, I can actually rest!” and b) totally at a loss as to how I want to spend my (waking) time.
2. Feeling lost is part of the process
Should I spend the days drawing? Or writing? Or walking? Or..?
The lack of a clear direction for the Retreat leaves me feeling out of sorts and even a bit sunk. “What’s wrong with me?” I wonder. “Will I ever find my way?”
Can you say “microcosm of the rest of my life”?
Thankfully, after nine Retreats in ten years, I’m pretty familiar with this annual psychological journey I seem destined to take. It always throws me a bit at first, but I have (at least a fair amount of) trust that all will be well.
3. Mistakes are part of the process
As indeed it was well once again this year. After madly cranking out a blog post for Shenee’s Story Tour on Wednesday night, when I would much rather have been relaxing and connecting with old friends (see addendum to Retreat Commandments above), and then sleeping away much of Thursday, I did a bit of sketching.
4. The True Path requires much tweaking
Maybe I’ll spend the rest of my Retreat honing my drawing skills..?
But no, although I admired and envied the amazing sketches some of my fellow retreaters were creating, in art journals and artist books and on broadsides, drawing just didn’t compel me.
5. The only way to find the True Path is to do
So I pulled out my mini-canvases and started to play.
Eureka! By Thursday night I had finally started to find my groove.
Some early layers – including watercolor, linen thread, walnut ink on mini canvases:
And after some more layers – water, more watercolor ground, more walnut ink and watercolor:
And yet more layers – a mosaic starts to come together:
And the final (pre-assembled and pre-sealed) mosaic (and oh, drat, the second-from-the-top canvas on the right is in the wrong orientation, but damned if I’m going to re-shoot this photo at 11:22pm at night…):
6. Small successes lead to confidence to try bigger challenges
I’d brought a couple of larger canvases with me – perhaps I had the courage to branch out to a single canvas work. A riskier prospect, missing the option of easily moving elements around or even replacing them, but hell, I could always gesso over the entire thing, so why not give it a shot?
Here’s the first layer of the 8″ x 8″ canvas:
And the final (sorry, in my enthusiasm to keep going with it, I forgot to take interim shots…) – multiple layers of walnut ink, water and watercolor ground:
I kinda like it!
7. When on the True Path, the Flow takes over, so much so that the rest of the world sometimes gets forgotten
The 6″ x 8″ canvas (which I somehow managed not to get any process shots of…):
I kinda like this one too!
8. When on the True Path, the Universe will reward you
Inspired by a fun coffee saying I found in my Quotationary, I whipped out the piece below…
…which a fellow retreater promptly bought!
Always a good sign when someone wants to pay money for stuff you do out of love.
(Kinda wish I’d gotten a hi-res scan first, but ah, well, I can make another one.)
9. Much as I long for the Scriptorium during the rest of my year, I get to play in the Creative Sandbox at home, too
True, there’s nothing like creating in silence, surrounded by others doing the same. The air is absolutely charged with creativity.
Here’s my vantage point from the last table at the back of the room:
The difference this year is that I know I get to keep playing even after the Retreat ends. No, not as many hours as I want, every day (with three amazing gourmet meals waiting for me down the hall), but I’ve made my 15 Minutes A Day commitment to play in the Creative Sandbox, so at least I’ll keep my toe in the stream.
Speaking of which, after trying in vain to catch up on 5 days of emails and work backlogs, if I’m going to get my 15 minutes in, I’ve got to do it now.
Playtime! Then bedtime.
Only 360 days til the next Retreat…
Hi Melissa
I know what you mean about having guidelines for retreat – I think it’s the only way to truly focus. I love your final mosaic piece, very beautiful.
Take care
Kate x
Aw, thanks Kate! Glad you like my mosaic. 🙂
I is sooo envious! To think, before I had children, the world was at my feet and while I didn’t waste it totally, I could have done so much more! Now time is squished and lacking in sleep, anything is a challenge. To escape that for a week….wow. And yes, I would likely just brain freeze and sleep for the first few days, but that still leaves days to play!
But I couldn’t leave the kids, I’d worry about them while I was gone – the Catch 22 of parenthood.
But enough about me, about you…I love these pieces! I studied calligraphy for my matriculation special art project (year long thing), so I’ve seen my share of calligraphic works, and while I gaze at precise and illuminated traditional works, I absolutely adore freeform calligraphy like you have here.
My favourite is the second image in point number 6. It’s balanced, flowing, and vibrating off the page. I also really like number 7.
I’m definitely inspired by your canvas mosaic. That is a technique that has a miriad of possibilities and you should definitely explore it further. I really like how the pieces all fit together both shape and colourwise.
It is great to hear that you had a good time…and productive time. And I think your drawing skills are already quite happily honed 😀
Great to have you back.
Nutty
(yes, it’s getting late and I vegetating at the edges)
Thanks Nutty! Yes, escaping for a (portion of) a week is really heavenly. I would imagine it’s hard to leave one’s kids though. One of my fellow retreaters has missed ONE Retreat in over a decade, and that ONLY because she was busy giving birth to her first child! (This happened to be my very first Retreat, in 2002). Now this means that she is at the Retreat during his birthday every year. But kids and hubby understand how important the Retreat is to her mental health and happiness — it’s just part of the order of things in their family.
I think the final version of #6 might be my favorite too. There’s lettering around the edges of the canvas, which you can’t see in that picture. I’ll take more (and higher quality) pics after the pieces are sealed, and will post them here. 🙂
And yes, I’ll definitely be doing more with the canvas mosaics! I have over 200 mini canvases waiting to be played with!
Great to be back — thanks for the warm welcome.
xo
Melissa
Thanks Melissa for the comment about getting a break from family. I also learned at this retreat that we need to take care of ourselves first. The better mental, physical and emotional state that we are in, the better we can nurture our family. My family realizes that I return from the retreat more relaxed and refreshed. It is difficult to unplug from the family and everything that is going on, but it is important to do. My son knows that mommy will throw him an awesome birthday party with all of this renewed energy!
Your pieces are wonderful and look so much better in person than through the cameras lens.
Hugs
Jenny
You are so right – if we aren’t able to take care of ourselves properly, how can we take care of the people we love? Thank goodness your family gets this!
Thanks for your comments, sweetie — means a lot to me!
Hugs right back!
xo
M
Oh, I actually felt like I was right there with you, as you let go of the online world and settled into your creative groove. What a wonderful thing you are doing for yourself! Love the YES theme I am seeing. Love the mosaic you put together. Let us know if you put some of this beautiful art for sale.
I am actually headed to a retreat in early April and this post is helping me to get prepared. Welcome back!
Thanks Kim! I will indeed be putting it up for sale. Just as soon as I get the canvases sealed. The paintings are on watercolor ground, which allows for marvelous magical things to happen, but does not result in a stable surface. I’m still figuring out the best way to seal them (unfortunately it looks like I’m stuck with using toxic sprays… :-P) The mosaic also has to be permanently assembled, and I haven’t figured out the logistics of that yet, either.
I’ll keep you posted!
YES! 🙂 (Seems to be becoming something of a motto…)
xo
m
Great one, Melissa! So many of the essentials of the creative process shared so thoughtfully.
BTW, is that phthalo blue and burnt umber?
I love using those colors together! Also phthalo with burnt sienna are great.
Actually, it’s walnut ink (highly watersoluble crystals made from peat, not walnuts) and Dan Smith French Ultramarine watercolor (“contaminated” by some other blues… I have a dirty palette and use it to good effect as much as possible :})
Love that coffee cup! I know several people who would adore it.
Great post, which is going in next week’s Roving Robin Report over on “Birds on the Blog”.
I especially adored this line:
It’s a good list to think upon as our lives re-expand over time. It can get so easy to only focus on our online lives, especially when thre is a business involved.
I’m thinking I need to remake that coffee cup and turn it into prints…
Thanks for including me in your Roving Robin Report! 🙂
xom
All the coffee lovers out there? Thinking that would be a very kyool thing to do.
Also something like Printfection for t-shirts, totes, coffee mugs, could be a wondrous way for people to enjoy the awesome. 🙂
Exactly my thinking… Great minds think alike!
Now to get myself to recreate it…