The Vanishing Point

The vanishing point. It's different for each of us. Some of us are fused by formal education; others need a day in the woods. For any creative, a trip to an art museum or to a favorite shop fuels the fire inside with either the inspiration of aspiration or the realization of one's own ability. In both cases there is the urge to go home and create!

But when does this enthusiasm diminish? How does that happen? How do we keep the heart fires burning? How do we avoid the decline in the first place? 

Again, I suppose it is different for each of us. For me it is when I have too much input. It is true in every creative piece of my life. I reach out for support and for my muses. I look for inspiration when I am a blank canvas. But there is a vanishing point of vitality, energy and enthusiasm that happens when there is more information than imagination, too much stillness and not enough experimenting. I need to exercise my chops on the back side of meditation. That heightened energetic dervish slathers paint onto the canvas, pours words onto the page, hears the music of the rivers and streams accompanying my own footsteps as I fly home to play it out on the piano.

The vanishing point is a clue for me, a sign that I am too much of something and I need a jolt. My mind is cluttered with words or processes or advice. I have reflected long enough and the stillness has become a stupor. I know it is time to move.

I do not know the mechanics of this process. I feel it is about connection, electrical and energetic. It is felt and manifests in a moment. It can be a surprise or it can come in the middle of a diligent effort. It is rich and deep and broad ... and the source of life.

What do you think? Creative urges come when we garden, cook, work a problem; when we read or see a film; when we see our children/grandchildren explore the world through new eyes. When does creativity happen for you? When does the vanishing point appear? Please comment below! 

photograph by kittie beletic; dollie created by sally cobaugh

Smile

  Courage. It's a big old word. It elicits other words like bravery and heroism. There are many synonyms for the word Courage but in my experience there is no substitute. It's the Mother of it all and none of us miss the opporutnity to live it.

For most people, there is no public display or award ceremony to honor the courage shown in their daily lives. Each of us has carried a silent secret obstacle we had to overcome to get to where we wanted to be. The challenges are as many in number as there are individuals meeting them. They are differnt because we are made of different stuff and in varied stages of development and expereince. But there are two creatures we share in common that throw us over the edge and bring us face-to-face with our monsters: PAIN and FEAR. They feel that large sometimes and they only get bigger when we avoid them. Oh, we are the masters of diversion and excuse and worst of all, blame. We are incrdibly imaginative and the creativity spent on running away is great and sometimes admirable in it own right. But it doesn't take us where we want to be. We share that place in common, too: to be through the Fear and finished with the Pain of worry, angst and drama that permeates our lives.


Immediate danger brings forward one brand of Courage. We are forced in a single moment to chose and we do it. When it is life or death, the choice is made and it's over. There is relief in one way or the other.


When the situation is a slow one, or passive, or seems so insurmountable that it has worn us down, there is temptation and even a kind of reasoning that begs us to give up. (Be advised, giving up can be a very courageous choice, to be sure. It can also be a way of avoiding the inevitable. It is a personal choice and only the person knows what is best.) This is when Courage is not only most powerful and most important to our success. It is also the most courageous kind of courage there is. It comes from the depths of our souls. It is desirable and it is directly related to our self-respect. When we choose this type of Courage, it carries us through to the other side of the monster and once we arrive, we feel the relief, yes, but we also feel our own strength and we gain understanding of its brother, Confidence and its sister, Peace.


The place to start is with a sense of humor. Find the smile. There is one, I promise you. Even in sickness, in bankruptcy or financial setback, in business and school challenges, in all relationships - there is a smile there that will lead you to a lighter load. A smile relaxes 23 muscles in your body. For that reason alone it is worth it. Go ahead, try it. See how you feel. Now try smiling with your eyes. Go to the mirror. Try to smile only using your eyes. Did you discover that the corners of your mouth turn up when your eyes relax into a grin? Did you notice how it made you feel? Try it today, randomly smiling at everyone you meet. See the percentage of people who return the favor. It gets a conversation off to the right start and it works like magic with children and those who are lonely or ill.


There's an old standard, written by Charlie Chaplin called Smile. I've included the lyrics below. I've also posted renditions of the song by 3 different artists. Please vote for your favorite in the comments below. When you're finished listening, scroll up to the top of this writing and get started on that smile. Miss Raggedy Annie is offering her most special grin ... just for you.


Wishing everyone a Happy Day!


http://tiny.cc/smile197
http://tiny.cc/smile207
http://tiny.cc/smile497


Smile though your heart is aching, smile even though it's breaking,
When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by
If you smile through your fear and sorrow,
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll see the sun come shining through - For You.
Light up your face with gladness,
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear may be every so near
that's the time you must keep on tring
smile - What's the use of crying
You'll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just Smile!
                                     Lyrics by Charlie Chaplin

Our Brain Child

Our creativity is one of the greatest life skills available to us and we're born with it! 

It's a ready  part of us, accessible at every moment. Sometimes it comes unwillingly, interrupting our linear process. We often stop our creative thoughts because we have been taught we must be logical and serious when it comes to our work and our life plans. The nature of creativity is sometimes like an unruly child - playful, ignoring the rules, blurting out thoughts that seem unreasonable and incorrigible! The part of us that has the "unthinkable" ideas is our creative side and it lives on the Right Side of the brain. The left Side compliments all of that free thinking by capturing it and looking at it, analyzing what it means, asking questions in order to draw a conclusion. 

Let's get this out of the way right now. 

BOTH THE RIGHT AND LEFT SIDES OF THE BRAIN ARE EQUALLY IMPORTANT. 

Because people often have a tendency for one side or the other (and people can be so insecure), this is sometimes argued when they come together to resolve something. Our brains don't argue about this. Quite the contrary. They want to work together to help us put our best foot forward! When we get out of the way and let them do their work, giving each of them equal representation, we find success more quickly ... and it's a lot more fun! This is no small task. Our world has been living in a linear fashion for so long we've come to know all that is logical, structured and sequential as "normal" and "reasonable". We learn it and it is reinforced as good and since we want approval (there's that insecurity), we push away our interruptive thoughts; so much so, they have become known as "silly", "nonsense" and worst of all, as "bad". 


It takes practice to learn something well. At first it is uncomfortable and we feel awkward and sometimes embarrassed. The discomfort and awkwardness is natural. It happens to us when we are learning to walk. But we are encouraged then. Our efforts are applauded and Mommy and Daddy help us, guiding us lovingly toward our first steps. We don't feel embarrassed because of this. Embarrassment comes when we feel we have to be perfect. Since there is no such thing as complete perfection at every moment, there is no reason to feel embarrassed; we are catering to a myth. 

Time to get real. Relaxing into what is new - no matter which character we are, Right or Left - allowing ourselves to make mis-takes (like in a movie), we get better and better the more we do it! We are more likely to be good at what we do when we are relaxed. Our sense of humor comes forward and holds our hand, falling down with us, laughing with us, playing this game called creativity. How fun it is to learn! How wonderful to feel free to ask all the questions we want! How satisfying it is to look at all sides of a project! How GOOD I feel about myself when my whole brain is involved in my experience!


                           LEFT                                         RIGHT

                          intellect                                   intuition
                          rational                                    intuitive
                          rational                                    holistic
                          analytic                                    holistic 
                          analytic                                    relational
                          analytic                                    synthesis
                          parts                                        wholes
                          sequential                                intuitive
                          objective                                 subjective
                          logical                                     random
                          logical                                     whimsical
                          convergent                              divergent
                          abstract                                  concrete
                          directed                                  free
                          propositional                           imaginative
                          linear                                      nonlinear
                          sequential                               multiple
                          successive                               simultaneous
                          reasoning                                mystical
                          mathematical                          creative
                          speaking                                  visual-pictorial
                          accuracy                                  aesthetics
                          digital                                      analogic
                          dominates                                submits
                          pattern user                             pattern seeker

If you felt the urge to divide this into sub-categories and re-file it, you are primarily left-brained. If you wanted to change the font colors and saw little faces in the letters, well ...


Kittie invites you to comment below on this posting. She also hopes you'll become a follower of her blog! (be sure to leave a link to yours if you have one!)

Secret To Happiness

It is so wonderful to work simply for the joy of it! Keeps you coming back every day. Even when the sales and the acclaim are not there, you have your experience of joy. Exploring the beauty of something that isn't readily apparent to you can be an experience that is deepening. Take, for instance, the music of your teenagers (or if you don't have any - teenagers or their music - flip onto "their" radio stations). If you are a fine artist, learn more about a performance artist, better yet, allow a youngster to share his creative experience. You can be renewed in your own enthusiasm through the naive or cynical views of someone else. Finding joy in your work, no matter what that might be, is the not-so-secret to happiness!

How Do We Create?

How Does Anyone Create?

I am reminded of the movie Rain Man with Dustin Hoffman. During the rolling credits at the end of the movie, the director chose to show Raymond's snapshots taken with his camera throughout the story. The pictures were never discussed or shown before this time. Subtly, used as a prop (whether intentionally or not) the pictures he takes beautifully illustrate Raymond's interest: Numbers. Pictures of street signs with numbers, license plates, addresses above doorways ... Raymond saw them as beautiful and chose them as his subject. What and how a person 'sees' and then chooses to express is as individual and as valid as anyone else's choices. On road trips, see what people notice ... especially if the people all have the same occupation ... say, artists. One will notice architecture. Another will notice the trees, the landscape. Some will see the people. Others, animals or a single blooming rose. What we notice matters. How we see the same subject might also determine how we put it onto canvas.
 

Dollie by Sally Cobaugh/Photo by Kittie Beletic

Innovation

Innovation usually starts with a dream. Inspired, yes, and sometimes by the smallest flutter of a butterfly, the deepest hurt we can imagine, the simple joy of turning the corner and there is our dream, hanging sparkling and clear. Inspiration often comes while we are hard at work avoiding it. Sometimes we simply have to begin, to dig through the trash, work through the muck and mire to find it. It is there, waiting like an infant waits in the womb, like a Spring green shoot waits below the ground, like a musical note suspended in a lengthy phrase waiting to be resolved. The denoument. Aaaaaaahhh yes. Innovation takes Inspiration. It also takes Tenacity and Flexibility and above all, Honesty. What you get in the end is beyond the original imagining and completely satisfying.