Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Focus

It seems the past couple of days my focus has gone out the window. I have always assumed I was Wonder Woman, satin tights and golden lasso in hand to reel everything in. This morning, just from age and physical fatigue, I guess I will have to settle for being a woman par excellance and nothing more.
I have to read my blog to remember the past week, it has been so hectic. So then I ask myself the question; how does this affect our art? Is this why so much trivial work is swamping the market and the truly wonderful, spiritual work is pushed aside, or harder to find?
The day I took the posted picture was one of those days of wonderful, blissful focus---one I don't have frequently. Everything was clear and I could look about my studio and see compositions in any corner. Consequently, I have a few days out of the studio, and although I can see what I have accomplished, I feel creatively exhausted.
How about if we took a focus break? One day, one hour, or five minutes if that works for you, to zone in and focus on what precisely it is that ignites our art passion. What is it with you? What makes you swoon to paint/collage/photograph or otherwise memorialize that which you see? What is it that makes your brain suddenly click and you know you can't stay away from your work? What drives you?
Focus seems to be a fickle tart; first she's right there by you, then off in some haystack far away. If I could improve one quality of my work habits, it would be in the area of hard, serious focus.
I love my friends and love sharing and working and seeing good things progress. I would give the shirt off my back to see another person ignited with the fire of art---it is part of my psyche to do this. But do I have to allow myself the occasional studio focus day? Is this a dilemma that any of you face? How do you deal with it? Do you retreat to the work at hand or go out in the world and do something totally different? Does the same thing work for us all?
I know this is one of my more serious posts (sorry folks, no rants or funny birds today!) but I really would love input on this.
What is it that makes you focus, and find the zone?
P.S. Got a book on Wabi-Sabi......very interesting. Will post about it when I finish reading.

2 comments:

Jan said...

Ooooh, no comments yet? Your serious questions have led more than myself to wait until there is time to think on this one and answer. It seems like there are always things to distract me from my studio focus time. Feeding the animals, housework, yard work, town trips, the list goes on. When I do have a day when I can be in the studio and focus, it seems like it might take me a couple of hours to reach that focused state if I am lucky. I'm sure it is different for everyone. What makes me focus and find the zone? I don't know any specific thing that works, for me it seems to be more by chance. A fortunate mix of uninterrupted time and an idea coming to fruition, supplies at hand that work for the process. Not turning on the computer helps. Trying, every day, to spend time on creativity, even if it only is to think about it. Doing the work, every day. Sometimes it becomes very focused. It used to happen more for me, that focus, when I was an athlete. I went to bed at night, thinking of the training I would be doing the next day. My life revolved around my training or a competition. Having deadlines helps to focus. Sorry for the ramble. Did any of this answer your questions? :-j

Leslie said...

Focus, what's focus. Ooooh shiny....

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