We all have days that start with the “LET’S GET THIS OVER WITH” energy. When external deadlines like a live class, a big appointment, or a messy house are pressing, the drive is to rush through your creative practice just to tick off the items on the to do list.
ASK ME HOW I KNOW! *LOL*
But rushing does nothing to foster presence. If you can stop that frantic energy and pivot your focus from speed to connection, you can reclaim your centre.
Today’s session was my reminder that connection is the antidote for centring the frenzy.
When I sat down, the pressure of the live class I’m teaching today was VERY loud, but once I settled in, the I was able to pivot to creating a sense of continuity.
Here’s what arose for me. Maybe you’ll find it useful.
When your focus feels fractured and you feel pulled in a million directions, you can use your art to create the emotional state you’d rather be experiencing. If you slow down and focus on what’s right in front of you, you can stop treating the different parts of the painting (or yourself) as separate URGENT PRESSING OMG DOOM tasks, and focus on making them speak to each other, and ultimately support each other.
My focus today was on the wandering leaves that have been showing up in this painting, which I’m starting to think of as an expression of growth that comes from reaching for connection, but I wasn’t in the headspace to calmly make those marks. Instead of rushing right into it, I used the desire to finish the hair as a portal into a steadier state.
While making those lines in the hair, I was thinking about how I’d rather feel about the day. Instead of focusing on the rush and sense of urgency, I flipped my focus to how much I’m looking forward to connecting with my students in A Softer World, and how much I enjoy what happens when we all gather in the same space (Zoom).
Once the hair was done, I intentionally connected the leaves around her eye all the way down to the torso, and then I added yet even more leaves to represent the “domino effect” that connection creates for me. One small mark leads to the other, just as one small choice leads to new choices, just as one small act leads to the next action.
And as for all this gold? It’s not just an adornment. It’s a blessing on the commitment to CONNECTION as my primary focus. Not rushing. Not getting it done. Not urgency. Not anxiety. CONNECTION.
So, the TL;DR of it all is that I asked myself what small grounding action I could do to settle myself (finishing the hair), and then what could I do to centre how I’d rather feel (bringing the wandering leaves together so they met and shook hands with each other).
How about you? Are you starting to glean some “life lessons” from your sessions? Are you finding yourself thinking more deeply about how you’re showing up and how you’d rather show up? Is it time to start thinking about unifying moves and marks, and if so, what unifying moves and marks could you make?
Remember that you aren’t stuck with any mark you make. Everything is temporary until you decide you’re done.
See you tomorrow,
xo Effy
P.S. Folks who are in my classes over on Into The Wild (my teaching network) or Patreon are getting video content every day throughout the course of this challenge. Folks who are subscribed to my YouTube channel will be getting video updates weekly or so. There may be stuff going up on TikTok. There will definitely be posts going up on Instagram.
Of course, this spot right here will ALSO serve as my studio diary, so I hope you’ll bookmark the site, and hey! EVEN BETTER! I hope you’ll sign up for the e-list, which I’ll use to let you know when a new post goes live. If you want the project PDF, here you go!