When It Doesn't Work

Sometimes Life seems to stack the deck against success.
Improvising on an art plan that did not work out. Much to the disappointment of the 7 year olds and myself.
Trying to stimulate some creative writing in 12 year olds who only see writing as a chore and the concept of organizing thoughts as stupid. 
Some days I find it quite difficult when faced with set backs. Especially when I am doing my best to help stimulate the creative process in others.

I have been thinking about what I will do first when it finally gets warm enough for me to be out in my unheated studio space.

Photography will probably be it. I recently asked a professional photographer about how I should take pictures of my art skulls. And his advice was to just try different things. different lighting, different set ups, different cameras, different exposures... And take notes. figure out what works best so that it becomes second nature to get the right set up every time I want to take a shot of a piece I have done.

I admit I am one of those people that always resented the process of learning. Practicing clarinet, practicing hand writing, practicing throwing, kicking... I just hold some tiny hope that one day I will try something and I will be perfect at it. I won't need to figure out why or how or go through the process of getting better. 

It is difficult to excite others to the process of practice and improvement when I resent it too.

So i find myself opting for those processes where control and perfection are not part of the final product. Haphazard or maybe serendipitous would be a better word.

How to avoid becoming a horder

One of the hazards in seeing so much potential in everything is that everything then has value. And when something has real financial potential value we tend to grab on to it.
So how do you avoid seizing every stick, old t-shirt, empty bottle, or old bone and sticking it in a corner while mumbling "my precious, my precious"?

I try to avoid picking up things because it ought to be good for something. I avoid picking things up because I am "saving them from the landfill". I try to avoid picking up things that have a nebulous future potential.

*I have a specific purpose for the item. I will use (blank) for (this use) within the next (number) of months. Never the less I do bite off more than I can chew and I have to reassess now and then.
*I rehome things that others are more likely to use. If that means that I end up taking something apart so it has more potential use for them I will. If it means I cluster things into batches that go together so someone else can use them I will do that too. And for somethings, like that batch of t-shirts I picked up that were too small to wear and I never got around to turning into scarves there is always the thrift shops.
Even then I end up with stacks I have to make painful choices about. For example I have been collecting lamp and lighting parts with the idea that I would turn them into table top or floor displays for a wide variety of items at sales and shows. But really when it comes down to it. I never have time to assemble them and I go back to my perfectly adequate standby displays.

*Remember that when you choose to pick up items to transform you maybe taking time away from another project you had planned. Does this new project have a better chance of being completed? Does this project have a higher monetary potential?

All that said, there are some things that either do not take up a lot of room or have many different potential uses. Wood is one of those things for me since we are in house construction mode. Trim pieces and moldings as well as the stray 2x4 are instant pick ups. They may not end up used in the house but then again they will be used.

*Stay organized. Keep like things together where they can be easily accessed when you are ready to use them or group all the items for a project into a "kit". So when you are ready to get it you do not end up searching high and low for a critical part.

*Keep it fun. If any project or potential project has become a chore or a burden it is time to free yourself. Donate the parts to others who can use them.

Passions: the myth of discovery

We all have heard the phrase “I was just at the right place at the right time.” Usually uttered by some dewy eyed starlet in telling the story of her “overnight” success.
Riiight, Pull the other one. Sure world class ice skaters are discovered in the park skating with little brother. First time novelists do not have a drawerful of rejected or aborted manuscripts. The best pitchers just happen to be on the mound the day there is a scout in the bleachers.
No one was ever at just the right place at the right time by chance.
There is homework involved in figuring out those two factors.
You don’t go to the hardware store to find a sexy nighty.
Knowing your passion is only the first step. Where and how you get to express it is another. Even the most avid Greenpeace member still pays annual dues.
Put yourself in association with the people you want to be a part of.
Even though hanging out near the popular crowd did not work in high school it can work in real life.
One of the coolest things about the internet is that there are all sorts of ways to hang out near the popular kids.
Joining groups, creating web pages, you tube, face book, my space, blogs, forums can all be tools to get you to the right place at the right time.
But you still need to know where and when.
Do the research.
If you are looking for a job find out; who is hiring? What positions? What industries are growing? What skills do you need? Is there someone who can teach you? Are there people of similar interest in your area so you can meet face to face?
If you are looking for someone to go jogging with or builds model rc aircraft, or has a book club in your area, you can use the same tools.
Are you looking for a personal relationship? The same research standard applies.
Little passions like reading mystery novels, making quilts or developing the perfect pot luck dish are as valid as the big life passions I spoke of earlier. They may not be the things that become the road map and definition of your life, but they are some of the opportunities for interactions that keeps us in the area near the cool kids. That way we can be in the right place at the right time when we figure out our passion.