Saturday, January 21, 2012

EVERY day

On Rubbermoon's Facebook page, owner Debra Valoff has been, for the past couple days, showing samples of shipping tag art which feature stamps from the new lines. I wanted to play. It feels as though many of my moving parts are rusty, even with new stamps, new inks, newly-arranged pencils. Whatever we love, we are the better for working at it, even just a bit, every day. Without that, stasis may develop, reduced creative flow, stagnation, rust.


In the journaling community, there is, and has been, a movement advocating journaling every day. On-line groups offer support to one another, provide a venue to share photos of each day's accomplishments. I've visited other sites where bloggers post about taking challenges for things like "30 paintings in 30 days." Year before last I signed up for NaNoWriMo, committing to daily writing for the month of November with a minimum number of words produced by month end. I set myself a daily word count quota as well. No novel resulted from the exercise but a lot of showing up did and the awareness that showing up, sitting down and typing something every day, before doing anything else, produces its own satisfaction.

On the evening of February 7, it will be 18 years since I received the call that catapulted me from rubber stamp amateur to professional. There was no union to join but earning money doing what we love is vastly appealing. Regaining the edge I once had matters, for I intend to keep doing this until I really am too inflexible to manipulate the tools. Plus, as Woody Allen said in another context, it's the most fun I've had without laughing.

16 comments:

Rubye Jack said...

For me, I think I've been in stasis and stagnation for quite some time now. Ah well... :)

Antares Cryptos said...

I have never had that kind of control over the art muse. Mine does not like to be forced into daily activity.

Congratulations on your stampversary.:)

Melissa Green said...

The only way the work gets done is to get the fanny in the chair every day. How else will the Muse know where to find you? xo

Marylinn Kelly said...

Rubye - Our parts are so numerous, varied and often in opposition. I have pockets (steamer trunks) of stasis and stagnation, then other bursts of actual forward movement. A gradual integration of parts seems our best hope and endless patience with out stagnant selves and the process. Far easier said than done.

Marylinn Kelly said...

Antares - Thank you. Yes, a stampaversary on the horizon. I don't know that any muse likes to work on demand. Sometimes we may just be treading water, hoping they'll notice and step up. :)

Marylinn Kelly said...

Melissa - And there it is. xo

beth coyote said...

18 years is a good long time. Bless you for that. For keeping track.

I did NaMoWriMo one year and it just about killed me.

Robert the Skeptic said...

Doing what you love to do; can't ask for much better than that.

Kass said...

How did I miss this side of you? Wonderful.

Love the phrase, "...steamer trunks of stasis."

I feel a jump start.

Lisa H said...

Just hearing your turn of phrase makes me SO happy. Being lucky enough to have phone chats with you I'm spoiled...I have begun to expect EVERYONE to converse like we're in a very well written Broadway show. I imagine that this is how Oscar Wilde's closest friends felt. If I'm at a party I'm tempted to shout :
"...kick up the bar people, you sound like riff raf...!!!" This is all YOUR fault.The stamps are a topic for another day. Swoon.

Jayne said...

I should think Woody Allen would be happy you've taken his words out of context. After all, the sit quite nicely at the end of this piece.

All so true. If there's one thing I know I've always had trouble with, it's discipline. I flit from one thing to another to easily. So for me, it is definitely showing up and staying for as long as possible (or necessary).

Thank for the inspiration. :)

Marylinn Kelly said...

Beth - Thank you...this work has helped sustain me through some decidedly low points over the 18 years; it and I are still here.

And I would not have survived NaNoWriMo if I had not defaulted to pure stream of consciousness. Having to stop and think brought everything to a standstill. xo

Marylinn Kelly said...

Robert - I can't imagine what more one could ask for. Every day, the joy of a bit of this, a bit of that. What amazing good fortune.

Marylinn Kelly said...

Kass - I've been trying to share more of this side recently, thank you. Stasis always lurks, one of those bad companions against whom we were warned. xo

Marylinn Kelly said...

Lisa - Where would I be without your massively generous assessment of my "skills" and wide-reaching appreciation of the quirky? You have me showing my authentic colors: I am without words, other than thank you. xo

Marylinn Kelly said...

Jayne - Consistency and discipline are slippery eels to me, yet once in a while, over a long enough period, I can see that I may have caught a few small ones. Given enough distance, the perspective does change. :)