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I actually feel "ready" for the work week, a rare sensation of late, but perhaps a signal that
1) the depression is at bay,
2) my to-do list doesn't seem unmanagable, and
3) i'm rested and healthy.
Once upon a time i had a weekly checklist for balance. One of my favorite things was reflecting on three aspects of creativity. I considered consuming other's creative work one of these three aspects, as i wanted to be an aware consumer, not a passive vessel. On New Year's Eve we bought Abstract comics : the anthology : 1967-2009, by Andrei Molotiu (Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics Books, ©2009). This weekend i finally figured out that the odd symbology after folks' names is simply a one-to-one substitution of symbols for digits in the page numbers. I had hoped it was something like the three point classification used in Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics, but when i browsed across the table of contents, it became obvious.
It's a fascinating book, and what i find myself doing is picking it up and skimming through it, letting the differences and similarities in the rhythm of line and color sink in.
Since i'm keeping track of what i'm reading this year, i find myself aware that it's hardly a book that can be "read." I have read the introduction, and i don't feel compelled to read the biographical notes of all the artists. I just want to leave it beside my bed with a sketch book and see what inspiration will come.
Another aspect of creativity i would track was something i called "nurturing creativity" contrasted to "expressive creativity." I consider cooking, gardening, and some house care part of that domain. This weekend i was able to gently move into that space, not just in cooking, but also some moving of bikes and deck arrangements, and taking the slacker light arrangement (snowflake diode lights draping over a bicycle) and make an arrangement that frames the door. The "nurturing creativity" lightens the weight of home care and motivates. The geranium in the middle of the dining room table, a reduced sense of Sporting Equipment along a wall, make cleaning seem valuable instead of a futile attempt to stem the effects of entropy.
Just because i'm ready for the day, doesn't guarantee i'll be on time. Eeek!
1) the depression is at bay,
2) my to-do list doesn't seem unmanagable, and
3) i'm rested and healthy.
Once upon a time i had a weekly checklist for balance. One of my favorite things was reflecting on three aspects of creativity. I considered consuming other's creative work one of these three aspects, as i wanted to be an aware consumer, not a passive vessel. On New Year's Eve we bought Abstract comics : the anthology : 1967-2009, by Andrei Molotiu (Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics Books, ©2009). This weekend i finally figured out that the odd symbology after folks' names is simply a one-to-one substitution of symbols for digits in the page numbers. I had hoped it was something like the three point classification used in Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics, but when i browsed across the table of contents, it became obvious.
It's a fascinating book, and what i find myself doing is picking it up and skimming through it, letting the differences and similarities in the rhythm of line and color sink in.
Since i'm keeping track of what i'm reading this year, i find myself aware that it's hardly a book that can be "read." I have read the introduction, and i don't feel compelled to read the biographical notes of all the artists. I just want to leave it beside my bed with a sketch book and see what inspiration will come.
Another aspect of creativity i would track was something i called "nurturing creativity" contrasted to "expressive creativity." I consider cooking, gardening, and some house care part of that domain. This weekend i was able to gently move into that space, not just in cooking, but also some moving of bikes and deck arrangements, and taking the slacker light arrangement (snowflake diode lights draping over a bicycle) and make an arrangement that frames the door. The "nurturing creativity" lightens the weight of home care and motivates. The geranium in the middle of the dining room table, a reduced sense of Sporting Equipment along a wall, make cleaning seem valuable instead of a futile attempt to stem the effects of entropy.
Just because i'm ready for the day, doesn't guarantee i'll be on time. Eeek!
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