doing nothing

There are days, like today, when being an artist and choosing to live the life of an artist completely overwhelms me. In my head, there is a swirling list of projects I want to finish, there are characters who want to talk and there are questions that need to be answered. On my desk, there are very real bills that need to be paid, there are email messages to be returned and there is a blinking red light on my answering machine that means someone somewhere needs something from me. And then, there is the clock that reminds me - I only have this day, this one day, to be.


Meditation. Yes, everyone says I must meditate and somedays, I remember to and somedays, it helps. Exercise. Yes, everyone says I must exercise and somedays, I get off my ass and somedays, it helps. Gratitude lists. Yes, yes, yes, I make lists and lists and I am grateful, truly I am and do I have to keep announcing that over and over to the Universe????

What about those days when it just feels TOO BIG TO CONQUER? When you're too pissed to meditate and too depressed to exercise and just too childishly grumpy to be grateful? Where do you stand on those days? What do you do?

It is in this moment when emotions can only create reactivity within me that I choose to do nothing. Nothing at all. I shut my mouth. I don't reply to emails. I don't pick up the phone. I don't call a friend to vent. I choose nothing because it is the only safe choice.

Why do nothing?

I have always been a super-pro-active person. I always fix and cajole and massage and try to improve the situations that arise around me. I used to believe that my emotions had to be acted upon - that I needed to be instantly responsive to life, to my career, to my work, to my business of being an artist. I functioned as any artist would within a nurturing, creative setting. I listened and I acted upon those emotions. Then I realized, I wasn't dealing with other artists. I was dealing with business people and that meant, I needed to learn an entirely different language. The first step to speaking a new language is to listen and listening, to me, feels like doing nothing. So, today, I am doing nothing.

How to do nothing?

Aye, there's the rub. Even this post is an action, isn't it? If I were Buddhist, I might have a set of tools to accomplish nothingness. I might have a mountain on which to sit or a monk to act as mentor but I am not Buddhist, I am a writer and when pushed, I turn to words to save me. I ask the blank page to act as confidante. I put pen to blue line and ask for guidance. Please, take me from line to line and show me, show me the happy ending.

Is it nothing? Writing? Somedays, it feels like it and today, is one of those days.

the art of ritual

For the past two weeks, I've been a writing monster. I have churned out pages and I have worked non-stop for hours. It's been a long, long time since I've had such an uber-productive run and I was completely enjoying the flow until yesterday, suddenly, it all stopped. I got not one word on the page. Barely even opened up my laptop except to check Facebook. My agitation was palpable. I was easily irritated, grumpy and tired. I knew my emotions were a result of not being creative but I didn't know what had happened to stop the momentum.

I wanted to know why.

So this morning, I'm taking a look at my ritual. I'm asking myself, "What are the actions I take from the moment I wake up until the moment I sit down to work?"

In the past two weeks, I started my mornings with breakfast then a meditation that calmed me. I also announced out loud to the Universe or whoever else may be listening, my creative intentions for the day such as, "Today, I will write 5,000 new words." or "Today, I will revise the first 30 pages." My mornings were quiet, disconnected and completely focused on creation. There were no phone calls. There was some email checking and Facebook posting but mostly, there was the wonderful nothingness of being. I fed myself and I had a deadline: at 3:30 pm, my fiance would return from his rehearsals and my writing day would end.

So, my effective ritual had been...

Get Up Quietly
Tend the Body -- Clean & Eat
Social Stuff on Computer
Meditation -- Announcing Daily Creative Intention Aloud
Writing Until Imposed Deadline

That had worked.  How did it get stopped yesterday? Yesterday, I woke up and immediately returned a phone call while I was still in bed. I didn't eat or shower first thing. My fiance had the day off so I didn't meditate or announce my intentions and there was no deadline so the day seemed entirely free for my use. How did I use it? Cleaning and piddling about and "computerizing" which is being on a computer with no results to show for it.

Then I got angry at myself for not writing and that turned into aggravation and grumpiness and snapping and the anxiety that comes when you feel like you should be doing something other than what you are doing at that exact moment in time.

Sound familiar?

TODAY'S CREATIVITY EXERCISE

What is your most effective ritual? Do you have one? Do you need one? Take a moment today to analyze the ways in which you support your creative work. On a good day, what did you do? On a bad day, what did you do? How did they differ? What aspects or actions are helpful to your creative process and which are damaging?

It can be as simple as looking at what you are eating or drinking. Is coffee necessary for your wake up? Does sugar give you a lift and then drop you like a hot potato halfway through the work? Are you hung-over and slow to start? Are you treating your body like an extension of your creativity or is your intellect/talent dragging that body around with you? Can the two learn to work together?

Just take the next few days and pay attention to the way you work. In what ways can your creative process be enhanced, further supported? Do you need noise? Do you need quiet? Do you need more light?

When you spot a problem, fix it. If something works, keep it.

And please, feel free to share your helpful suggestions through the comments section below.

GOAL SETTING FOR 2009

This is Part Two of our Personal Inventory as artists as we move into 2009. You can use the information you discovered in Part One to help you set goals for 2009 and beyond.

You will 9 blank pages. Write one heading per page:

SPIRITUALITY
HEALTH & BODY
EMOTIONAL WELL BEING
RELATIONSHIPS
INTELLECTUAL STIMULATION
FINANCIAL SECURITY
CAREER (BUSINESS)
CREATIVITY
FUN

Then under each of these headings, write:

10 YEARS
5 YEARS
3 YEARS
1 YEAR

So your layout should look like this:

SPIRITUALITY

10

5

3

1

Do this for each page heading. Once you have your structure set up, it’s time to fill in the blanks. Sometimes, it’s easiest to start with the 10 year mark and work backwards.

Where do you want to be in terms of your spiritual development in 10 years? If that’s your goal, what steps do you need to take this year to head toward that goal? What milestones do you think will mean progress at the 3 year and 5 year mark?

Ask yourself these questions for each subject heading. Feel free to jump around – no need to do them in any special order – and leave things blank if you’re just not sure. Again, there is no judgment in this exercise – this is about seeing where you need to focus new energy or where you are spending all of your time. Also, you can list several goals or you can just identify one goal per year – it’s entirely up to you to use this map in a way that’s helpful to plan your own life. There are no rules.

Also notice that I have separated business from creativity – as artists, we often get caught up in production or business concerns and spend our creative energy in those pursuits. Creating work is not the same as selling work! Look at what happens when you separate the two!

Here’s an example of how you might fill one out:

CAREER (BUSINESS)

10 Year

- MOUNTAIN MAMA Production Company: funding, producing, creating films, tv, books and plays that further the empowerment of women, artists and Appalachians.

- Nominations for Pulitzer, Oscar and Emmy

5 Year

- The Constant Creator series has become new Artist’s Way.
- Ability to produce other artist’s work
- Play on Broadway
- Commercial Xmas movie creates financing for indie projects

3 Year

- Shot feature premieres at Sundance with theatrical release
- TV show on the air
- Mentropy is best seller
- Constant Creator series is completed and sold

1 Year - 2009

- Become WGA member
- Sell TV project
- Constant Creator proposal completed

FREE ARTS TUNE-UP

ARTS INFORMATION FOR INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS & SMALL BUDGET ORGANIZATIONS

The Arts Tune-Up is free, but you do need to REGISTER through SurveyMonkey by clicking on this link: www.surveymonkey.com/lacac_atucc08

We are pleased to announce an "Arts Tune-Up" event for individual artists and small budget organizations. This free event is designed to put you in contact with arts consultants, working artists, and administrators who can provide information and answer questions on a variety of topics including fundraising, how to market and publicize your art, information on new loan fund programs for artists and organizations, benefit opportunities for artists, training programs for artists and organizations, board development for arts organizations, arts education resources, and much more.

Saturday, May 3: Culver City
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Veterans Memorial Park Teen Center
4135 Overland Avenue
Culver City, CA 90230

Parking is available and free of charge

HERE IS HOW THE ARTS TUNE-UP WORKS!

There will be several tables set up with an arts expert/consultant located at each table.
Locate the table that has the topic you want to learn more about and join that table. Each table discussion will last for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes an announcement will be made, indicating that that session is over. Then rotate to another table with a topic you want to learn more about as the sessions repeat. There will be a series of 5 round-robin sessions of 25 minutes each.
You are welcome to come by for one session or stay for all five.

Schedule Registration and Check-in: 9:45 – 10:00 a.m.
Welcome: 10:00 – 10:10 a.m.
Round 1: 10:10 – 10:35 a.m.
Round 2: 10:40 – 11:05 a.m.
Networking: 11:05 – 11:20 a.m.
Round 3: 11:20 – 11:45 a.m.
Round 4: 11:50 – 12:15 p.m.
Round 5: 12:20 – 12:45 p.m.
Wrap up: 12:45 – 1:00 p.m.

Topics for Artists:
Artist Residencies & Live-Work Housing
Arts Education In-School Resources and Working in Arts Education (K-12)
Cultural and Community Outreach
Fundraising for Individual Artists
Getting Your Sh*t Together
Health Insurance for Individual Artists
Legal Issues and Contracts, Copyright and Collections
Marketing for Visual Artists
PR (for Performing Artists)

Topics for Organizations:
Arts Education In-School Resources (K-12)
Board or Bored: Practical Tips for Engaging Your Board
Cultural and Community Outreach
Fundraising for Organizations
Legal Issues and Contracts, Copyright and Collections
Marketing for Organizations

AND MORE...

There will be lots of basic information for individual artists and small arts organizations. While seasoned artists, arts administrators and board members are welcome to attend, the information is geared more toward those people who are earlier in their careers and are looking for some basic ideas to help them with the business side of their work.

The Arts Tune-Up is free, but you do need to REGISTER through SurveyMonkey by clicking on this link:
www.surveymonkey.com/lacac_atucc08

post-creation transition

So often, as artists, we create our work driven not by deadlines or by paychecks but by that internal gut feeling that says - I MUST - and those pieces, plays, sculptures, paintings when they are completed often go in a drawer, sit in a studio, gather dust as we search for the next job that will pay the rent.

We lose momentum in the natural lull that comes from a post-creation exhaustion. We get over-extended and the focus becomes FOOD & SHELTER - two extremely important needs. We search for the new - maybe because we need a new infusion of energy, a new perspective, a new source of revenue.

Whatever the reason, we abandon the children we just raised for the cute little new face on the horizon.

Ask yourself: are there scripts or books or paintings or designs or arias that I've finished that are sitting somewhere unacknowledged?

Have you followed through and supported those creations to your maximum capacity? Have you sent them out into the world? Have you shown them to your mentor? Have you asked for help? Have you created a marketing plan? Have you tried to get a production team in place? Have you notified the press?

If not, why not?

What is stopping you?

DAILY CREATION:

Make a list of the pieces you've finished but done nothing with - list them all. Even if you're not happy with the quality of the work.

Pick your top two or three creations - the ones you are most proud to have accomplished. The ones that still make your heart jump a little or the ones that just need a little massaging. The ones that you will be proud to call your own.

Figure out what you need to do to take the next step with each of these pieces. List five things you can do in the next two weeks to bring attention to this work, connect this piece to the outside world.

Do those five things!!!!

your creative space

I've been thinking about the separation of creativity from the work it takes to be creative. By this I mean, we artists spend a tremendous amount of time filling out grant applications, hustling to get our work seen, sending out resumes or samples of our work, schmoozing at events so we can meet the "deciders" of our fate, going on auditions, trying to lock down an agent or manager, applying for residency programs, etc.

And then, add on top of that that a big percentage of us still have to have a "safety job" as I like to call them - a job that might be completely unrelated to our creative work and where do you find the time to actually CREATE???

TODAY'S CREATIVITY CHALLENGE:

Look at your current creativity space. How much of the space is devoted to pure creativity and how much is devoted to "the hustle" of being an artist?

Do you have bills, applications, gym schedules, your "to-do" list, headshots, resumes, etc. stacked on top of that script you're trying to finish, that painting you just sketched out, that table that's supposed to be for collaging, designing, dreaming?

Do you have files of your past taxes, your car repair log, your press clippings hanging alongside your inspiration file, your notes on a character, your dream file? Do you even have a dream file???? A file that holds images of things you hope to one day do, see, be, own or create. Get one!

Is there a way to create a division between the two sides of your business as an artist?

Because we have two major goals: Create and Give The Creation To The World. That's it. That's all we're supposed to be doing.

Of course, we also have to eat and pay the rent so...we apply for grants, we fax press releases, we do the Artist Hustle.

Can we atleast use our physical surroundings to separate the two? Separate the Creative from the Hustle?

Look at your space. It can be a physical, visual, spiritual, mental separation - whatever works for you.

casting: a singing mom for east coast show

Moms the Word, a musical comedy about motherhood, is seeking an understudy.

She must be a mom, have a good singing voice, be able to sing harmony, be comfortable on stage, and have a good sense of comedic timing. No professional experience is necessary, but someone who has performed in the past (in high school, college, etc.) would be great.

Understudies are guaranteed a performance every few months, and must also be available to perform in the case that the performer they cover is sick (so last-minute babysitting availability is important!).

Performances are generally on weeknights, across the tri-state area (access to a car is very helpful!). Many shows are outside the city (NJ, LI, Westchester, etc.).

Performances are paid.

Read more about the show at: www.MomsTheWord.info

If this sounds of interest, please contact: danacovey@aol.com for more information.

inventory part two

Let’s continue with our Artist Inventory.

Think about these seven aspects of your life:

Your Personal Relationships
Your Physical Health
Your Spirituality
Your Career
Your Financial Security
Your Emotional Well Being
Your Thirst For Knowledge

Which of these are most important to you? Where is most of your time going? Does it match up? Think about the changes you might need to make to spend your time on the most important aspects of your life.

TODAY’S CREATIVITY CHALLENGE:

Pick your top three from the list above, such as:

PHYSICAL HEALTH
FINANCIAL SECURITY
PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS

Then pick several short-term goals, long-term goals and a “stretch” goal for each, such as:

PHYSICAL HEALTH

Short Term Goals
- Stop Eating Sugar
- Take a Daily Walk
- Get Health Insurance
- Find a New Doctor

Long Term Goals
- Join a Softball League
- Have a Healthy Pregnancy
- Eat 6 Mini-Meals A Day
- Braces

Stretch Goal
- Learn To Surf

As you create your goals, keep in mind our agenda for the month: PLAY, LOVE, LET GO.

43 things

Since it's the time for resolutions, check out the site: http://www.43things.com a website that encourages you to make a list of 43 things you're going to do and then announce them to 650,000 other people who will hold you accountable.

Their FAQ says:

People have known for years that making a list of goals is the best way to achieve them. But most of us never get around to making a list. 43 Things is great for that! Make a list on 43 Things and see what changes happen in your life. Best of all it’s a way of connecting with other enthusiasts interested in everything from watching a space shuttle launch to growing their own vegetables. So the next time someone asks you, “what do you do?” you can answer with confidence, “I am doing 43 things!”.

TODAY'S CREATIVITY CHALLENGE:

Check out the website and see if there's anything that's useful, helpful or inspiring to you as you move into the New Year.