On 01.02.02, I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. Too late for surgery, I had chemotherapy, which failed. In May the chemotherapy was changed and I was soon in remission which was celebrated and welcome and lasted nine years - until October 2011. There was progression in 2011 so more treatment was indicated and I am now back in partial remission. But I'm not only a cancer patient - I also enjoy my family, walk my dogs and am learning to draw and paint. Life is good!

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Art as a state occasion

My moment of enlightenment this afternoon was when I realized that, whenever I draw even the most insignificant little sketch, it becomes a state occasion, not a habit habitually performed. For example, when I get hungry and decide to eat, I go into the kitchen an pull out sandwich fixings and construct a sandwich, sit down and eat it. It isn't a state event. It isn't something that particularly catches my attention. It's all over in maybe 15 minutes. And then I move on to some other habitual behavior like, for example, sitting down with a book. I don't make any internal announcements, "Now I'm going to do this great thing for the good of the universe, I'm going to take in a page or two," I just do it. I have yet to complete an entire sketchbook although I have begun several. Some days I don't draw at all. So.....what I need to do, in addition to Practice, practice, practice, is draw More, more, more...and several times a day, several times a day, several times a day, without it being such a Freakin' Big Deal! Just draw, doggone it!


4 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:28 PM

    Nice sketches of your dog. I need to learn this lesson too! I'm hoping reading this will tip me over and I'll start trying to draw and paint a little something everyday once more.

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  2. It's funny, but thinking of a drawing as a product can stop the drawing habit. Even thinking of the act of drawing as a product can do that. You're right about it being like reading or eating. It's so hard to put the little critic away while you're working though. I stopped by to say Hi because I used to live in the Bay Area (San Rafael) & had a place in Sebastopol we couldn't afford...so now we live in Arizona. Thanks for the description of fall in the vineyards!!
    Margie

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  3. Anonymous8:30 AM

    Very nice drawing of your dog and very true words. There is nothing more rewarding than just to go ahead and actually just draw. Thank God we don't have a TV in the house so I don't get easily destracted in the evenings LOL.

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  4. Anonymous7:27 PM

    There used to be t-shirt design that said Go to your studio and create! I need that shirt. lol! Great post and sketches.

    ReplyDelete

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