Studio Time Without Studio Space

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Many people hate Monday. I like Monday. Monday is my studio day, or at least it used to be. Technically it still is but certain things changed since we moved. I no longer have a dedicated studio space. The studio space was that corner in which I could work on my art without restrictions and where people came to take private lessons. It was also my space to think, plan, and generate ideas for current and future work. Not having that space sounds like a terrible loss, but it is not. I can have studio time without studio space.

Discipline and practice is not limited to a physical space but to the actions required to maintain the habits to continue creating and improving technique. Yes, the space is necessary to expand those creative moments, teach, keep supplies, and being able to come back to the work at any time. I feel like I’m taking a sabbatical from sculpting and painting. Nonetheless, I keep myself busy drawing everyday, and I am doing the painting and sculpting parties more frequently too. Now that I am writing again that also keeps my mind busy and gives me the chance to meditate and articulate ideas and my mental process. I’ll be teaching a computer class soon as well. Beginning next school semester I’ll be teaching in a university too. With all of these things happening at once I have to consider the world my studio.

I don’t think there is a need to limit myself to the physical studio space to dance with muses and get ready for what comes next. I don’t want to have a studio space as I had before. I want something else for which I’m getting ready. As the weather gets warmer I will be painting outside more, and who knows, maybe I’ll be sculpting again soon. That I can do while I wait to understand God’s will regarding studio space where I can display my art, work, and teach. Until then I enjoy studio time every day. Everything will come to pass in due time. There are so many things to look forward to this year.

Read also Studio Time: Work on Something or Nothing & The Discipline in The Discipline

Race Against Time

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This weekend is for me a race against time. It is one of those weekends where everything decided to fall together. If you are reading this in the morning EST,  as you read this I’ll be probably loading, or at least trying to load a truck with our stuff because we are moving tomorrow. It is going to be a great workout. If you are reading this a little later in the afternoon, I’ll probably be speaking about Online Media Tips for Artists at The Gallery at Elemar in an event organized by Project Storefronts in New Haven, CT. Right after 5:00pm I’ll be back at loading until who knows what time. If you are reading at night that’s what I’ll probably be doing.

Saturday is the official day of the moving and it just happened to be the same day of my son’s championship game. There will be more loading in the morning followed by the game and then more loading. Hopefully, we can leave before it gets dark so we can start the wonderful task of unloading the truck into the new place. I bet the process will continue through Sunday as well. There is still so much to do and the more I think about it the more tired I become. It is difficult to focus on each of these things. I just hope we get enough help to get it done soon.

I’ll prepare myself to give you a description of the experience at the gallery with the presentation if I get any time to write today. I am also thinking about writing a little about a very curious experience I had this week at an art exhibit and a comment I received in a previous post in relationship to modern art. That I guess is going to be fun. I am not a fan of modern art so before I write about it I have to prepare myself to be objective and unbiased. Also, I want to write about a very pleasant social experience I had this week which is totally unrelated to the aforementioned subject but I believe it is worthy to be shared. For now I’m back to the task at hand.

About the Simple Things

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You may know by now that yesterday was my 40th birthday. If you didn’t know, you now can join the other 10,000 people I told about it. It was a great quiet day. I guess that is the advantage of having a birthday on a Monday. I didn’t have  big party or crowds. I spent the morning getting ready to renew my driver’s license. That involved shaving my face and head, and getting a nice outfit. After getting my license I just went on to make phone calls and draw a little before going to my daughter’s basketball game. The night continued having dinner with my family at a restaurant. Back home we just watched a show and a basketball game with some writing and drawing in between.

Since I told so many people online about my birthday including yesterday’s post and another post a few days ago, I enjoyed the birthday wishes and comments online. I also enjoyed making some people smile and laugh with the pictures of my Superman onesie my family gave me as gift. I had fun today and it was my kind of day. I am all about the simple things. As long as my family is with me that makes it a special day. There is nothing else I would ask for.

Now I can move on to live this new phase of my life. The next two weeks are going to be very busy. Between moving, classes, presentations, parties, and writing time needs to be used wisely. We all have 24 hours a day. The wisdom is to use time wisely and make sure to have a clear sense of priorities. I mentioned before in different occasions that the relationships with the people around are more important than getting things done. One thing can be taken care of without neglecting the other. Often, the simple things in life are the most important things in life.

We Need Quiet Time

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There will always be something to do. Time management is not about filling up every minute of the day with a task to perform. We need time to do nothing. We need quiet time. Not only silence outside and in our immediate surroundings. We need time to quiet our minds, our souls, our spirits, our worries, our concerns, and our inner voice. If we can silence ourselves inside the noises of the outside will fade away no matter where you are at.

Our brains work like computers, cellphones, and other electronic devices. As they need to be shut off to reset, our brains need it too. When we feel those mental blocks that interrupt our thinking process or cloud the flow of creativity it is time to step away, take a minute or two and reset. The empty spaces in our brains moves up allowing for the data to relocate and attach itself with its complementing connections just like that defragmenting image of the wold Windows Operating Systems. There is plenty of space in our brains. We just need to separate the data from the free space.

Quiet time also prepares ourselves to be sensitive and sensible to our surroundings, the people around us, and our actions. It allows us to connect beyond ourselves to a the world we’ve been ignoring while our faces are immersed in the screens and the busyness of life. Maybe we might finally get to know the names of the people we see everyday and make new friends. Maybe that idea would at last take form. Maybe we could learn to listen more and pay attention to those around even when they are not talking. Maybe we will notice the inspiration that arrived long ago and fell asleep waiting to get noticed.

Take some quiet time. We all need it.

Feel it!

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Bliss by Ivan Tirado

Take a moment to breathe in. Consider where you started and where you are now. Breathe out! Think of the moments when your heart was immerse in that piece you were creating. Time seemed to stop and you were in a different dimension of inspiration. Wouldn’t be great to experience that with each piece you create?

Sometimes it seems that artists are creating racing against time trying to compete with self-imposed demands. We are trying to produce and in the process we detach from the blessing that is creating. We used to dance with muses. Now we are rushing them. We put ourselves at risk of burning out our inspiration in the race. Yes, we can work fast and produce many pieces, but there is no need to deprive our spirits from the pleasure and satisfaction of art making. We should not run when we can soar.

Feel it! Let the result takes a second place. Allow inspiration guide you. Let yourself go. Don’t race time. Time will stand still while the muses dance to a rhythm of their own carrying you to that place. Feel the bliss of the process of creation.