If you would like to work on this inquiry with myself and others in a supportive online group, I invite you to join the Art As Access yahoo group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/artasaccess/
This month’s inquiry is “how do you respond – yes, no, maybe, later, something else?“.
“Respond to what?”, you might ask. For the inquiry choose whatever stands out for you in life. Here are some suggested places to look – your relationship with your partner, parents, a friend, your children, a pet; the news, bills, working out, eating, sleeping, working, intimacy, humor, shopping, the weather or traffic.
What are you thinking right now as you read this? It would be a fine place to start your inquiry. You might want to make a note of it <smile>.
Art-Making Inquiry
This month’s inquiry is “how do you respond – yes, no, maybe, later, something else?“.
Once you have something you’d like to work with, start noticing your responses – yes, no, maybe, later or something else. Do you move toward, move away or have a neutral response? How does it feel in your body?
Check in with yourself and see what the feeling tone is – happy, irritated, confused, hesitant or some other feeling. Is it an exuberant Yes or a begrudging Yes?
If you would like to increase your feeling word vocabulary, a list of feelings is available at the Center for Nonviiolent Communication at http://www.cnvc.org/en/learn-online/feelings-list/feelings-inventory. It is sometimes difficult to “name” a feeling. It’s not necessary and it can be helpful. I have often had a collection of physical sensations and no language for it. Finding a word from the list that fit helped provide some clarity and understanding to my experience.
What’s helpful is having your experience fully, letting yourself feel your feelings and have your thoughts. So whatever supports you with being with your direct experience.
Also, notice whether you have any judgments of yourself for the response given. “I’m so ______ (fill in the blank). I should have said No.” is a judgment of yourself and not what’s true in your direct experience. Our mental judgments often pull us away from our direct experience. If you notice this, try sensing into your body in the moment. Is there tension? Where? What does it feel like?
An attitude that’s supportive to having one’s direct experience is one of openness, curiosity, and acceptance. Bring kind and honest with yourself also are supportive. For example, you might noticed that you often say Yes and really want to say No and you are afraid of losing something. That’s what is true for you – fear. Let yourself be afraid and see where it leads you and your art-making.
Find something that is true for you that you want to explore with your art-making or something that isn’t clear and you’re curious about. For example, “I keep saying No to taking an art class. What’s up?” Make art about it and notice your experience in the moment – body sensations, feelings and thought.
Hold it all lightly and have fun exploring your experience of Life with your art-making.
Art-Making Warm Up
I found when sorting some photographs this week that I got a real sense of Yes and No as I looked at each image and decided whether to put it in the keep pile or discard pile.
Try sorting into two (or more) piles with
1) magazine images (then create two collages one from the Yes and another from the No piles)
2) colored papers or photographs (create a collage in response to the process)
3) your artwork (it’s always great to review your work. Create a collage in response to a Yes or No piece)
4) my collages (just as I looked through to find some that spoke to me about this inquiry (see below), you could too, which ones say Yes, No, Maybe?)
My Art Work as Inspiration for Your Art Work
I share my artwork here to inspire you to create your artwork. It is through your art-making that you will discover more about who you are.
I haven’t been collaging much recently so these are older collages that spoke to me about this inquiry theme.
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| 121208-5.jpeg, magazine images on paper, 2008, 10″ x 12″ |
112808.jpeg, magazine images on paper, 2008, 12″ x 12″ |
070708.jpeg, magazine images on paper, 2008, 12″ x 12″ |
You can click on an image or its title to see a larger version within the online
gallery.
I always welcome a connection with you. If you would like to share about
the inquiry, art-making or other things happening in life, please feel
free to contact me.
If you would like to work on the inquiry with myself and others in a supportive online group, I invite you to join the Art As Access yahoo group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/artasaccess/
Have a great month and live in the remembrance that in all of time, there will only be one you. Your greatest gift to yourself and the world is the expression of your authentic self.
-Ryl
Who do you know that would benefit from reading this?
Please share it with them. Thanks