WithW: week 2 check-in

Morning Pages: I'm embarrassed to report that I only managed one day (today!) of morning pages, and even they were spare. I even remember my first waking thought as the alarm clock went of at 6am on Tuesday: morning pages suck! Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to criticize the activity, I just can't seem to get my arse out of bed on weekdays. I realized that there is a strategical problem that is working against me. We recently painted our bedroom, and rearranged some of the furniture, namely moving the dresser to my side of the bed, placing the alarm clock (atop the dresser) within my reach while I am still in bed. So instead of getting up to turn off the alarm clock, I have been listening (and snoozing) to NPR for an extra 30 minutes every morning. So the alarm clock has got to move.... maybe to the kitchen.

Artist's Date: I went with some dear friends of ours to the Seattle Art Museum. My first visit, and a lovely creative date. I spent sufficient time wandering by myself, often in rooms alone. I sat on a bench in one of the European Art galleries, closed my eyes and grounded myself a bit, then listened to the sounds of the museum... murmuring voices in the next gallery, the soft shuffle of the museum staff member making her rounds, muffled construction noise from First Avenue. I tried to absorb.... I don't know, an aura? of these long-dead artists, whose works I have studied before. While the museum was very enjoyable, afterwards, over lunch, my friends and I recounted what we saw and what we liked. We even ended up talking about what it is to be an artist... are any of the three of us artists? Mukwa Ogimaa reminded me that in order to achieve the sorts of art I want to, I have to show up. There's a quilt that I have designed in my head. I have tried to sketch it out a couple of times, and sometimes I really like what I see, but sometimes I just get frustrated when I sit down with fabrics and really think about how to make this quilt. Mukwa Ogimaa asked me if I was afraid of starting. Without hesitation, I said "yes." I then recanted, because while I am extremely hesitant, it doesn't feel like fear. I just know (and accept) that the pieces, when I do begin, won't be what I want at first. I've been good at quilting so far, so now I expect instant gratification, but this design will push my skills as an intermediate quilter and I fear that I've bit off more than I can chew. Mukwa Ogimaa gave me some good words and reminded me that I just need to show up in order to get my bearings, and to not expect a perfect piece o f work right away. I really need to remember that. Even though I know and understand that from a logical point of view, my inner artist still expects perfection the first time... and if I don't try, I won't fail. I know the Artist's Date is supposed to be a solitary activity, but this time, the encouraging words of my friends were the real inspiration.

As a bonus artist date, after seeing my friends off, I went to a nearby quilt store that I hadn't yet been to. I bought some lovely batiks for a different quilt, which are now tumbling around in the dryer.

Weekly Walk: I walked to my carpool on Friday morning, about a mile. It was hard to not be thinking about work or the weekend, but I managed to center myself a little and enjoy the crisp morning air and the sounds of the waking city. Maybe too short or too purposeful a walk to really make any self-discovery. I'll try to stick to my more leisurely lake walks or similar from now on.