Live Life On Purpose

"When I chased after money, I never had enough. When I got my life on purpose and focused on giving of myself and everything that arrived into my life, then I was prosperous."
~ Wayne Dyer

TQ says "Record What You've Done."

Recording what you've done is the first step in improving how you'll do it the next time.

"We sleep, but the loom of life never stops, and the pattern which was weaving when the sun went down is weaving when it comes up in the morning."
~ Henry Ward Beecher

Keep Your Limitations? Or Let Them Go?

"When we argue for our limitations, we get to keep them."
~ Peter Mcwilliams

Coach Sherrie says: This is soooo true in so many ways, in so many situations. Let's all keep moving forward, not only as individuals, but also as a country and as citizens of the world!

2 of Jill Badonsky's Muses

Jill asked us to write about how we would use the muses to help ourself or a client:

Spills- I would ask the client to imagine not caring about the end result, to just do the process for the fun of it, to feel the joy in watching their unique gift unfold before their eyes. I would ask them to be more loving and gentle with themselves. I might guide them through writing a poem about their perfectionism or about self-love.

Audacity- I would have to work on this myself as my audacity has only been used in appropriate situations. ;-> In most situations, I am very fearful of others’ judgements about me. I like that Jill (as Audacity) says “being genuine frees others who need a beacon to guide them” and “Our consequent power dwarfs the effect of opinions, criticism and negativity.” I also like the example of Madonna, reinventing herself. I would also mention MJ and the Beatles. I will meditate with the intent of absorbing that audacious Beatle energy. I will be an inspiration to others (someday).
I realize I am already becoming more audacious and helping others will only give me more audacity.

Do One Thing Everyday

"Focus on one goal at a time. If you want healing, financial success, better health, a new career, love, a new house or peace – your goal can come true. Do one thing every day that will help you achieve your dreams."

Can She Be Helped?

Yesterday, Raymond Kowalski of Cleveland, Ohio, wrote: "A woman in my classes refuses to take suggestions. She likes the way things are and says she doesn't need improving. She says she doesn't have time to learn basics--composition, color theory, design, technique. She gets excited watching a demo, then ignores what she might have learned. She devotes a lot of time to her art, but she's not really improving. I'm at a loss to help her. Any thoughts?"

Thanks, Raymond. I've had the runaround from the same woman. It's quite endemic these days, with all the talk of freedom of expression and painting from the heart. All this heart stuff is one of the main reasons there's so much substandard art around. It's enough to make you think it doesn't matter.

Accepting that many folks are just in it for the fun of pushing paint around, here are a few things you can do to get the girl to raise her standards:

Without focusing on her, give short, low-expectation exercises that run against people's standard repertoire. Make them time sensitive (finish in twenty minutes) or media limiting (use only three colours). While telling students they can go their own sweet way if they wish, make the exercises fun and be prepared to give out cigars. Draw your students in with a sense of exploration and excitement. Give them the idea they've nothing to lose.

It's a fact of life that some people don't want to learn. But I don't believe in just coming out and telling people their art is poor. You have to let them discover that for themselves. A useful ploy is to praise the work for whatever virtues you can find in it, however slim, then ask them to tell everybody how it might be improved. Teaching art is an art that sometimes requires a slightly devious approach.

Many workshop students have a problem with the instructor-student axis. You need to invite other workshop participants to quickly chime in with their opinions. Further, you can sometimes effectively influence a student by quietly giving attention to another student who sits nearby. Other times, when addressing the whole group, you can hammer home specific points by making thoughtful eye contact with the slower learners. No matter how flawed, everybody is special.

Best regards,

Robert


PS: "The best way to teach somebody something is to have them think they're learning something else." (Randy Pausch)

Esoterica: In the conduct of your own affairs, understate and over-prove. Give well-planned, information-rich demos. Let folks make up their own minds and take what they want for themselves. Make your comments short and precise. Tenderness and your own humility count. People are human beings first and artists second. Thankfully, some will pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, no matter what you have to say. And while there will always be those who stay put, a properly conducted workshop can be a place of miracles. "The burned hand teaches best." (J. R. R. Tolkien)

You Are What You Do

"Understand that you, yourself, are no more than the composite picture of all your thoughts and actions. In your relationships with others, remember the basic and critically important rule: If you want to be loved, be lovable. If you want respect, set a respectable example!"
~ Denis Waitley