Monday, August 2, 2010

A Fresh Year of Savoring Life

If you have been keeping up with the Blisschick's Blog, then you know that we've had some rough times here of late.  Trying to deal with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and its triggers makes for a lot of anxiety, unrest, and an inability to follow good schedules of sleeping, eating, etc.

Meanwhile, and obviously, as I wrote about last week, my creative life has also gotten off track.  I have a hard time focusing on what I want to do.  I also get caught up easily in the "shoulds" and "where will this get me" patterns of thinking.  I have too many expectations.

Not good.

And so, on the way home from a little day trip the other day, the Chick and I made a decision:  That I will take a year and let go of expectations for myself and my art and just PLAY!!!

This is what that means:  I WILL SAVOR THE EXPERIENCE OF MAKING ART, WHATEVER THAT MEANS.  I will explore creativity with no thoughts about where it might get me.   I will do whatever I darn well please:  I will take pictures, I will paint, I will play my guitar, I will look for new things to try.  I just got the greatest book out of the library about making sock dolls.  I'm going to do that.

I'm going to try anything and everything and not worry about it.  I'm instituting a year of FUN EXPLORATION and SAVORING.

WHO'S WITH ME?

And so it began yesterday, August 1st, and it will last for the year.  On August 1st next year, I will look back at my path, not see where I got to, but simply to see what I've done.

So, first stop:  FUN with my new camera.  I'll tell you more about the camera itself in the not too distant future, but for now, here are some pictures from a hike we took yesterday in nearby Wintergreen Gorge:






Have a great Monday.  Fill it with FUN!
SAVOR IT!!

7 comments:

Paula said...

I'm doing much the same thing Marcy. I started getting "unstuck" in mid-June and came up with Project 43. I'm looking at creativity in all it's forms (photography, writing, painting, cooking, exercising) and exploring it for the next year. I'm looking forward to the year of Play!

Emma said...

AWESOMESAUCE!

This is very exciting!

And your new camera already rocks. Look at the water in the 3rd photo! I feel like I could reach out and splash it.

Dr. Abigail Elizabeth Reynolds said...

I came to the same place a few months back. I felt my work was not making a difference in the lives of others. Then, in prayer and meditation, the thought came to me, "Create for creativity sake". In other words, just enjoy the process, and then call it good.

A pastor friend, upon sharing this insight with, said, "WOW! You get to do exactly what God did, and does. You get to create for the mere pleasure of the experience. Not everyone gets this gift. ENJOY!"

And for the past several months, that is what I have done, ENJOYED!

SO Marci, I pass this same thought to you. You can now do what God did, and does. SO create, enjoy creating, and call it "Good".

Dr. Abby

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous pictures! What a great idea to play for a year. Blessings!
Lisa McG

Debra She Who Seeks said...

What a wonderful idea! Letting go of expectations and judgment is what art is all about -- I bet your creativity will soar!

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful and freeing way to live! Have a blast!

Susann said...

Oh, Marcy, what a wonderful, wonderful, WONDERFUL idea you & the Chick have come up with! Fabulous photos, fabulous idea -- no expectations, no judgments, just Fun, Fun, Fun. You're going to reach the end of this year a different person & your art will have taken a spectacular leap in directions and dimensions you haven't yet even dreamed of. How truly exciting (& deliciously self-nurturing).

And what an amazing inspiration, because I am SO stealing this whole idea. My birthday's coming up in a week: my present to myself is a Year of Play. Thank you!