Don’t worry, this took place is a safe zone for an outdoor fire and it was in a well-established fire pit.
Sitting around this fire with 4 of my dearest friends was a terrific way to kick off my summer of contemplation, revaluation, and relaxation.
Yep, those three things are my summer priorities.
The tricky part is putting them into practice.
I created my first colouring sheet for grown-ups yesterday and I am thrilled with how it turned out.
I had been working on this in my head for days but, as usual, I didn’t solve it by thinking, I made it ‘work’ by starting to draw something and then course-correcting as I went.
Glerg, I hate when I learn the same lesson over and over again in the one week.
I have heard a lot of writers and artists talk about the terror or intimidation they feel when facing the blank page.
I get what they mean but my challenges with getting started don’t really manifest that way.
A blank page is full of possibilities, I could put anything on there!
I get stuck in pre-draft mode though, imagining that I need to do a lot more thinking than I actually do before beginning a project.
I’ve learned that there is no point in my thinking process when I’ll say ‘Time to get this down on paper!’ Instead, I have to pick a time and get started, even if I fill my paper with doodles or my screen with rambly text.
Sooner or later (usually sooner) something will click and I’ll have a place to start.
Then I start (literally or metaphorically) moving that idea closer or further from the other ideas I have and the action of moving that idea around helps the others fall into place.
But getting myself to that point where I will commit something to paper or to screen can be a challenge so I have started ‘ruining’ my page* to help me get started.
On the screen, I’ll type (or dictate) the question I’m trying to address or I’ll copy a quote or I’ll type what I *don’t* want to say about this topic an why I don’t want to say it.
On the page, I’ll make some weird headings or if it is a drawing, I’ll add a line that has nothing to do with what I’m trying to create. (The line below is in ink because I am just playing, I might do it in pencil for a drawing for a public purpose.)
Once I have ‘ruined’ my page, I find it a lot easier to break out of thinking mode and into doing mode.
And my friends and coaching clients who are intimidated by the blank page find the same thing.
Something about getting those first marks out of the way helps me (and them) get to the next steps.
I highly recommend ruining your work.
*I teach a workshop called ‘start by ruining it’ – it’s big fun!
5 things I want to do this summer, in no particular order.
1) hula hoop in the back yard
2) go on a day hike with my friend Jan and stop for a reading break
3) swim in a pond
4) have tea with Mom on her patio
5) have a long chat around the firepit with my friends
The only difference between my winter schedule, and my summer schedule is the fact that I don’t have taekwondo classes during the summer.
So I have been looking forward to “summer break” but without kids in school and with my various projects and tasks continuing into the summer things aren’t going to be all that different.
Except for the fact that my single regularly scheduled activity won’t be happening.
And I guess that change in routine is enough to shake things up a bit.
Freeing up two evenings and Saturday morning is enough to give me a feeling of expansiveness, like there is more time to do the things I want to do.
Yes, realistically, my TKD classes aren’t in the way of things I want to do but I have those evenings and Saturday mornings blocked off in my mental schedule so they feel like nothing else can go on around those times (this is a mental hurdle I’m working on.)
So, with those classes no longer a factor in my schedule, I really feel like I can explore what kind of summer I want to have, how I want to spend my time, how I can fully enjoy the extra freedom of a changed schedule, warmer weather (I hope!) and a clear idea of the things I want to do.
Now I just need to get that clear idea in place. 😉
