I am a self taught mixed media artist and instructor living in Virginia with my Husband and our family of fur babies. I love all things vintage and strive to use those discarded bits of artistic flotsam and jetsum in my creations. I also love finding those treasures that others can use to feather their souls and their nests so please check out my Etsy Shop as well. Thank you for stopping by.
This morning I found a message in my inbox over on FB asking me if I ever felt overwhelmed and if I did what secrets might I share to dealing with that. My first reaction was to be honored that someone trusted my opinion so much and then I had to kind of chuckle at the question. I mean as a woman isn't it in our nature to be overwhelmed with all of the capes (see prior post) we have to wear?
I put fingers to keyboard to share some of my ways of dealing with being artfully overwhelmed. After a bit of reflection I decided to share the response here too.
The Twelve Steps of Becoming Artfully UNDERwhelmed
1. Stop and breathe. I finally had to teach myself to recognize when a situation (art or otherwise) was starting to overwhelm me. It's okay to just stop and step back to take stock.
2. Look at all of the classes you are signed up for - online and in person classes. Determine what has an open-ended date and what doesn't.
3. Make a list of these classes with the ones with closed ended dates and in person retreats/studio classes at the top (by date) and open-ended classes being at the bottom.
4. Totally disregard any class that has an open-ended close date. They don't matter because you can take them whenever you want to. No stress allowed over these.
5. Look at the online classes with close-ended dates. Then rank them from what is most important to you.
6. Hard decision time......are there any that you are willing to just walk away from which also means which class cost are you willing to give up. Then mark it off the list, off your calendar and forget about it. You aren't allowed to regret or fret over that class again.
7. Retreats - this is another beast but there is a true benefit to you to attend a retreat you are signed up for. First off it feeds you in so many ways to be surrounded by likeminded people. You come away from a retreat feeling empowered and this is a true plus to you as an artist.
8. Rethink how you look at retreat/in-studio trips. A trip to a retreat can also make a great getaway for a couple or for a family. Think about it in that way. - family time and art time combined.
9. In a NEW calendar put on it those classes with closed-ended dates and retreats and put them down in pencil. You may decide as a deadline for a closed-ended online class approaches that you are just not willing to give up your sanity to take it. Marking it in pencil allows you to obliterate it from your calendar by simply erasingit. If you put it down in pen and have to scratch it out that can be overwhelming to you visually.
10. Make time to be with family. Look at your calendar now and see where your free time is and make special times for family and friends and hobbies during that time. By setting a date it is a promise you make to yourself to spend time with those you love.
11. Make time for yourself - whether it is to do art (that has nothing to do with classes) or vegging out in front of a tv or napping all day or watching your favorite movie over and over. Put that on your calendar too.
4. Totally disregard any class that has an open-ended close date. They don't matter because you can take them whenever you want to. No stress allowed over these.
5. Look at the online classes with close-ended dates. Then rank them from what is most important to you.
6. Hard decision time......are there any that you are willing to just walk away from which also means which class cost are you willing to give up. Then mark it off the list, off your calendar and forget about it. You aren't allowed to regret or fret over that class again.
7. Retreats - this is another beast but there is a true benefit to you to attend a retreat you are signed up for. First off it feeds you in so many ways to be surrounded by likeminded people. You come away from a retreat feeling empowered and this is a true plus to you as an artist.
8. Rethink how you look at retreat/in-studio trips. A trip to a retreat can also make a great getaway for a couple or for a family. Think about it in that way. - family time and art time combined.
9. In a NEW calendar put on it those classes with closed-ended dates and retreats and put them down in pencil. You may decide as a deadline for a closed-ended online class approaches that you are just not willing to give up your sanity to take it. Marking it in pencil allows you to obliterate it from your calendar by simply erasingit. If you put it down in pen and have to scratch it out that can be overwhelming to you visually.
10. Make time to be with family. Look at your calendar now and see where your free time is and make special times for family and friends and hobbies during that time. By setting a date it is a promise you make to yourself to spend time with those you love.
11. Make time for yourself - whether it is to do art (that has nothing to do with classes) or vegging out in front of a tv or napping all day or watching your favorite movie over and over. Put that on your calendar too.
12. Embrace your inner (and outer) artist and allow yourself to make it fun once again. Accept the beauty of your creations and the self empowering form of expression that art is.
UNDERwhelmed - oh yeah. thanks Lesley - you Rock!
Posted by: Aleta | 08/21/2011 at 05:51 PM