Painting A Day

A Goal Setting Template- Part 4

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:14:00 +0000

Goal Setting. Goals are great, but they remain just dreams without the doing. So far I clued you in on how describing a goal in terms of behaviors and actions really made a difference for me. I mentioned expressing those goals as something measurable, something that can be seen or quantified. Then added the component of a time line and picking only the goals we can control for anything we want to achieve.

In order to actually accomplish a goal, I must act on all these wonderful new insights and visualizations I have just spent so much up front time on. Yep. All that in depth examination, still somedays and wishes without the next parts of the template. Think all I want, dream all I might, without a plan of action, what happens? Nada. Zip. Zilch. It's just time spent dreaming. If everything is peachy keen in your world, congrats. If you have found some zen like state of non desire and it's working for you, you have my applause and my puzzlement. Things change, whether we like it or not.

I am all for going with the flow. Flow is good. I just want to be flowing in certain directions. And I want a how. Here are the last 3 steps on the 7 step template I use. They are all about getting it done.

5) Plan a program or a strategy that will get you what you want.
There is no one right way here, except for the right way for me, or for you. I have a combination of ways to get something done. I have a couple of strategies that work for me. And I am always looking around. But the one sure thing is this. It has to be a consistent part of my day, my week, or my month, and it has to be doable. Reasonable. Not some ideal that I feel miserable about if I don't do it exactly right. Are you listening? Not after perfection here, just something that works.You can be like a horse with blinders on and go after 1 thing until it is accomplished one day a week, one hour a day, or one week out of every month. What fits for you? Can you multitask? I have multiple hats I wear and multiple goals. I set up a system that insures I tag all the bases over a month's time. Some people recommend going laser like after one thing a month until it is done. In my work, I cannot drop all but one facet of what I do, so I tag bases. But I tag them with emphasis and priority. When I am in the studio, I am in the studio. When I am doing admin work or marketing I am doing just those. My specific goals are given top priority within those slots and activities.

6) Break the steps down and integrate them into your work flow.

What does that mean? It means I want an integrated system and I want the steps to take. And I don't want to think about it too much after the upfront time and mapping is done. Seriously. I do not mind upfront valuable introspection time. Setting a compass is crucial to me to get where I want to go. Having a map. Way important. So I break the steps down into actionable tasks that get me where I am going. But after that I want to sail. I have my map, I can check it regularly, but after that it's time for sailing, and being in that moment.

I find that having one place, one central locus of control is essential to getting things done for me. I use an admin (administration) notebook, a calendar and an admin checklist. This makes it work for me. The notebook is a whole post probably, but it has my goal sheets in it. It divided into sections for the bases I must tag, the areas where I focus. It has a section for the studio. It has a section for marketing. It has others sections too, but those would vary to fit whatever your areas of focus are, if this appeals to you. The admin checklist is my map. It has on it the actual actions I need to take to accomplish my goals. These actions come straight from my multiple goal sheets. It has it's own section. It covers all my areas of focus and walks me through my priorities.It is probably a whole post too. The calendar is a must. Remember the time component? Totally essential, especially for those crucial, hard and fast deadlines (as in, deadline for submission to an exhibit, materials promised to James by, or painting must be shipped by deadlines). Calendar things. Duh. I work through those sections in my notebook each month emphasizing one each week. So those are noted on the calendar too. Hm. Anybody wanna guess what this week's priority focus happened to be?

Each month I tag each area of focus, using my admin checklist, my sections in the notebook which contain these goals sheets I make, and I use my calendar. This goes a long way in dealing with that nagging feeling that I used to get when I was in the studio wondering if I had forgotten to do something elsewhere. Or that feeling when I had my marketing, relationship building hat on and felt guilty for not being in the studio. In fact this Those feelings that stole my focus are exactly why I developed my system. I had to find a way to have a way to cover all activities consistently over time. It works for me, not perfectly, but way good. Almost as well as having an administrative assistant. Yep. My notebook.

Great. Lots of work here. But there's one huge thing missing. A big, big thing. Accountability.

7) Hold yourself accountable.
Huge. I actually write down on my template how I will be accountable on each goal sheet. Dave Allen is adament about a weekly review. I like them too. He likes Friday. So do I. Failing Friday, ( things happen) I do a more leisurely one on a part of Saturday, or for a while on Sunday. See flexibility, latitude here. Call it what you want, but at regular intervals take stock. See what's crossed of off the list. Make sure you are still on course and set up for the next week.
I also like rewards. Accomplish x get y. I haven't used them lately, but I am bringing them back for myself.
Sometimes a buddy system works. I have a water buddy. We remind each other to drink our water. Yep. It is that simple.
If you need to report in to someone. Do that. If you need to track progress. Set up a place to track it. So many pages written, so many minutes exercised. Yep. Write those down. Some people do this publicly. ( "I am not only going to play in the US Open, I am going to win it." Tiger Woods )
The point is this. Say what you are going to do and do it. Find a way to hold yourself to it.

Are we there yet? Yes. We are there. I hadn't planned to do this series in one week. I was going to spread it out over several Mondays, but inquiring minds wanted to know. So here is my unperfected, but very usable template for setting goals. If you want in depth reading, here's the book that made a difference to me. If you buy it from this link, Amazon gives me a small commission. See? Rewards. Not a bad thing. But I would recommend it even without that small reward. I customized the template he uses and pulled in some other tricks to make it work for me. You can too.

So dreams? Or goals with action? Focusing on the behaviors and actions for me is like playing like you belong there. No matter where there is. Ahem. I have some work to do on this myself. Yep. It is goal focusing, readjusting, nail it down week for me. Could you tell?

A Goal Setting Template-Part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:17:00 +0000

Goal Setting. Wanting something isn't enough. Wanting something so much you can taste it, feel it , touch it, or smell it, still isn't enough. Really wanting it is a great motivator, but getting from here to there requires a series of actions. Wanting something isn't enough. What goes with the wanting? Action, and the next few steps on the template I use for goal setting are essential to get to the action. On Organizing Monday I let you in on a little tweak I use to set goals, defining them operationally, or in terms of behaviors and actions. On Tuesday, step two required solid measurable, quantifiable and observable expression of that goal. Today we get to some mechanics and the next few steps I use to change wishes into achievements.

Goals are only dreams unless you put some teeth into your goal setting. One week from now. This month. By September. One of those phrases makes my insides go all butterflies and roller coaster. Why? Because one of them is the timeline I set for a certain goal.

3) Set a timeline.

Unless I tell myself what I am going to do by when, that goal remains a dream. Think about that for a sec. Is there something chasing around in your head, that stands up and pokes you in the eye when you attach a time frame to it? Is there something that becomes scary real when you say, by the end of the week? Or is there something in your life that when you say this will end by September a little bit of relief or a bit of blue sky opens up? Yep, me too. Look at your newly defined goal in step 1 and 2. What is an aggressive, but reasonable time frame for it? Write that down.

It's a god awful bugaboo, deadline. If you didn't have a little bit of a gulp, a tightening in your neck, or some little elves with icepicks dance across your eyeballs just then...so sorry, you must be dead, or totally on target with your life which is rare, but I have heard it happens. Careful that's when Karma WILL bite you in the butt

What if your goal is not up to you alone? I used having new gallery representation, getting a book published, or launching a new site, as examples yesterday. Not totally up to me there. Most goals aren't happening in a vacuum. That's why it is so important to...

4) Choose a goal you can control.

Stop. Reread that. MY part of any goal is what goes on my template. Gallery representation? Publisher? Those aren't totally up to me. Those have gatekeepers involved. My part of finding the right rep or reaching the right publisher or even launching a new site is the only part I can control.

Working through the list my art business consultant compiled for me, upgrading and updating my artist's statement, writing a kick ass cover letter, building relationships with key individuals, contacting x number of galleries over the next 4 months, these kind of things are up to me. These I can control. I can set up a rejection file and a nice letter file too. The parts I can control are many. Do not even begin if your goal is stated in something beyond your control. Rethink that right now and rephrase it. Trust me on this one.

So wanting is not enough. Feeling is not enough. Visualizing, great, I do it, but it is not enough. Goals have to be real, actionable, and in real time frames. Otherwise they are always someday wishes. What do you want to make real for yourself? Is it simple? Or complex? Start with the wanting. Put the the wanting in terms of behaviors. Make the behaviors measurable and observable. Give them a time line and make sure they are things that you control.

What comes next? Ways to get it done. The last 3 steps are all about the doing.

(If you are interested in reading more in depth, here's the book that made a difference. )

A Goal Setting Template- Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:44:00 +0000

Setting goals. Yesterday I gave you the one word tweak that made a huge difference for me in how I set goals. Operationally defining goals focuses on the actions and behaviors rather than the end results. It is the difference between saying I an artist and saying I spend my time making art. A small change you think? Try it. I am a writer or I spend my time writing?

Once you start to operationally define your goal, or look at your goal in terms of actions and the behaviors they involve, the second step is to get to the nuts and bolts of the goal.

2) Express your goal in terms that are measurable, quantifiable, and observable.
Make your goal as real and tangible as you possibly can. Create that film in your head. Where are you living? What is your place of activity? Who are you spending time with? Colleagues? Friends? Loved Ones? How much money is involved? What are your work activities? How much time do you spend on certain activities?

Make this as solid as you can with strong visuals in your mind, or write it down in a rough form and transfer it to your template as you refine it. It is very much like the first step. Here's the difference. The first step is general. There you even put your feelings into it. This second step gets even more specific in tangibles and time spent. See the words quantifiable? Measurable? Observable?

For example, in the first step I may say I want to give a show of new work, or write a book, or launch a new blog. In this step, I would break those desires into measurable terms. I want to produce 12 breakout new paintings. I want to contact 24 new dealers, or I want to spend 1 day a week developing the narration that goes with the work.

Walk your goal through this filter. Do it as tangibly as you can make it. You are creating solid actionable facets of your big goal. Write a book becomes spend x number of hours writing. It might be broken down further into spend 1 hour each morning in my thinking place producing an outline. Want to come up to speed in a new creative medium? That becomes spend x number of hours using that medium. It might include, research on technique, or tooling up too. See the difference here? Whatever your goal is, it sets up a set of behaviors and tasks that are measurable and actionable. This is a subtle, but incredibly powerful tweak in goal setting. Or it was for me.

Doing this step also helps enormously in areas where rejection, or cold calling is involved. I can break that kind of goal into I want to contact 24 new galleries, after stating in the first step I want to find a new gallery representation. If you want a publisher...see same goes. We'll deal with this idea in a later step too.

The point is that if it is measurable, it becomes more doable. No matter how big or how small your goal is, you can express it terms that measure, that have a finite quantity attached, and that you can see. This is how I see exactly what my goal IS.

The next few steps are all about the mechanics in goal setting. Mechanics? Operations?
What? You thought art just happens?

A Template for Goal Setting

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:46:00 +0000

Goal setting. Sounds simple. Is it really? What makes the difference between wishing for a dream and actually getting it? If you are like me, you may be very familiar with to do lists. But once upon a time I read a book on setting goals that really made a difference in how I actually made those lists. One word, one tweak in perspective made a huge, huge difference for me.
We've all heard of visualization. Imagination is the ability to not only see ourselves there, but to feel it as though it is already real. Visualization is very , very important, but that wasn't the word. I had been visualizing forever.
Plans. Yep, I had 1 year, 5 year, 10 year perspectives. That wasn't the word either.
Perseverance. Important. Endurance. Very good words. Any artist knows we need these. Still not the word.
The tweak, the word that I needed to hear, or actually to read, and understand was the word operational. Not a very fancy word. Not that mysterious. But that word changed the template I use totally. And it kicks off the 7 steps I use to set goals.

1) Define goals operationally.
This is literally taking time to walk through the goal and the behaviors that go with it. What specific behaviors or operations (functions) will exist that make up this goal? What will I be doing or not doing when I am living the goal? How will I recognize it when I have it? How will I feel when I have it? The more clearly and specifically you do this part and break it down into almost tangible parts, the better off you are. But focus on the doing parts, the behaviors this time.Picturing yourself in place is fabulous. Picturing your actions, even better.

Why is that different? Because it makes your goal instantly attainable in some respects. It means that some of our goals are about having, but most of our goals are about doing. How we would spend our time and our efforts if we are "living the dream".

No matter what the goal is, it has a set of behaviors and circumstances that we desire. Once those are identified, bringing those behaviors into our now begins the actuality of the dream. It becomes part of our now. The more we engage in those behaviors, the more that feeling of having our goal is reinforced.

Want to be a professional artist? Up your game? Be a tennis pro? Rockstar? Art collector? Writer? Work from home? What behaviors make up that goal? Start defining your goal in terms of that and you find actionable steps to take in your behavior. You begin to play like you belong there. And that is huge. HUGE.

I started doing this years ago. What changed? The way people perceived me. And if you think that is a small thing, think again. What else changed? I moved some ladders off the wrong walls. My focus became targeted on the how I structured 6 facets of my life. Everything became focused on how I could live the way I saw myself living when I reached my goal. I sought people and places where my dream was accepted and encouraged even more. In short, because I was putting in place the activities and behaviors of "what if I had my dream", in small but sure ways I actually began living it.

My 3 Most Important Tasks this week include a trip to what I call my war room to review and revise the goal sheets. It's time for a strategy check. I consistently have 6 goal sheets in place to cover 6 facets of my life. I update them as things change, or revise them when my target shifts a bit, the goal is reached, or it no longer applies.

Next Monday I'll go over some more of the 7 parts of this template.. It's my version from Dr. Phil's Life Strategies, a book I highly recommend.

Yes, you guessed it ...Organizing Monday is here.

Lines Are Lyrical

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:07:00 +0000

Next come the lines and circles of plants piercing the surface.

Not this kind of plant, but follow the lines in this photo. They set up a rhythm.

I'll usually do a drawing similar to this one...

... Or this one, to find the rhythm. Not sure I will this time.

But these blobs will become all kinds of greens.

This painting is about layers and the play between them. I don't want to say too much. We'll let it develop and see what happens. But I will be playing with that blue rag some more, maybe finger painting a bit. I want to delight in the textures and rhythms. Pick colors, push glazes, and splat where I need to splat. You know, try some new ways to put on the paint and make it flow and float. Just like those clouds in the sky.
In part, I have to thank Sonia, for reinforcing this play. Even though I was headed this way, she helped push me over that edge... In a good way. So thanks. You are a remarkable friend, darling.

Oh yes, we need music. It is Naughty Friday, go soak up some fun.

Ahh, time to lighten up ....have a good weekend.

Between The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:42:00 +0000

Ahhh, a breath of fresh air.

And here is some blue.

Yep, there's that rag.

I needed to make blue sky. And I needed to get so into it that I was practically finger painting. Remember finger painting? Seriously, remember how good that felt to pick up full-bodied color and smear it around on slick paper? It didn't matter what you ended up with , the doing of it was pure response and process.

That's what I wanted. Except I am not a kid, and I was after something specific. Well, not too specific, but I wanted floating clouds and sky. And I wanted smooth, so the rag of pure cotton worked really well.

How much did I want it? Well, I didn't have a rag, so I cut up one of my cotton tops. Since I don't have many clothes anymore, the very act of cutting the front out of one of the first purchases of clothing after the storm is not insignificant. But I needed the rag more than I needed the top which was stretched now from all the washing. Snip, snip.

How much did I want it? I stopped everything else to spread newspapers out on the table and mixed a solution to thin the paint for spreading consistency. I guessed. Oh, I put the right three things in it. I have been to school, but I have not studied with Frankenthaler. I have seen her paintings and prints up close at the National Gallery and at the home of a neighbor. So I guessed.

How much did I want it? I tuned everything out. Everything, well, except George Harrison singing "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea". And pulled up the photo from my friend. I have similar photos and have walked these edges of puddles and wet places lots and lots. So I am quite at home there. But this photo, her photo reminded me of something I loved and was missing.

But here is the difference for this oil painting. I want the medium, to work as freely in oil as in watercolor. I've been trying for awhile to deal with thick paint. I love the richness of it. But the flow. I missed the flow. Okay, I have a thing for viscosity. And one of my favorite painters in the world is Cy Twombly. Go to the Twombly Gallery at the De Menil Museumhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif in Houston. The skies and light are let in a bit overhead so the paintings are experienced differently as the day progresses and the light changes. They breathe. I want that for this piece. I want every mark to be fluid. So the sharp marks and the shadows that are crisp will be like notes on sheet of music.

This piece is for me at this point. And I like that. I want this painting to feel like a clear running stream while I am working on it. It is a performance piece, but it is also faith and movement, just like finger painting. Sometimes art is hard. This is not an easy profession. Sometimes it feels like being trapped between the devil and the deep blue sea. Sometimes you have to just work through it and sometimes you just have to jump into that deep blue sea and swim.

I think a little Jack Johnson ...might be nice.

Yes, he's surfing through the waves and there's ukelele. Hm. I seem to like that at the moment.
Back to the blue for me....

A Little Progress is a Good Thing

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:23:00 +0000

One step closer to goal.

Already the next piece is calling.

Oops, I broke the seal.

This morning I woke up with a relentless need to make a diluted cobalt blue glaze and pull it across a clean canvas with a rag, not a brush. Huh? Yes, right in the middle of my horizontal gonna get up in a sec planning, this tap, tap, tap, you know you wanna, would not go away. It started yesterday. In the middle of my diligent work on the shady undersides of the palms, the image of me applying the blue, caressing the canvas almost, kept popping up.

I blame my friend Patti. It's pretty much her fault. Hers and the Phillips Museum. And Julian Merrow Smith. Sure why not blame him too. And John. Yes, let's get a whole blame posse going.

Remember this week is more about staying out of my head, staying in the moment and just getting one thing done after another? 2 minutes, 1 most fabulous thing, all that. Just being present in the moment, not over thinking. Just doing for gosh sakes. How hard can that be?

Hmph. Hands on hips, the artist taps foot and tilts head. Well, actually that is the point at which I broke the silly seal on the next canvas. My muse is not shutting up.

A photo from Patti, a summer show of Diebenkorn's work from his Albuquerque years, Julian's play with edges and John's proclivity for "random is good", are all talking to me.

There will be blue on that canvas by dinnertime tonight. And I will move to the next little part of the palms. Oh, my to do list is still good, very, very good, but this blue is pulling me into a flow...and THAT is exactly what I was after.

Moral of the story? Sometimes a little progress and a luxurious blue are the next right thing to do. We are playing with edges and flow. A musical muse for this? Yes, here we go:

Ahh, come on Brush let's go find that rag and paint some blue. What you thought art was easy?

The 1 Thing Today

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:07:00 +0000

This is a 2 minute post. Today, the 1 thing that would make me happiest to accomplish ( my horizontal planning worked this morning) is this part of the painting will be refined. It needs to go darker. It's a tucked away spot that needs to be subdued, but strong. This morning it spoke to me loudest. The other 2 on my list of 3 Most Important tasks are steaming the silks and wading through the mountain of email. I am making tea, my delete finger is ready, the paint is practically mixing itself, and the cheesecloth for wrapping the silks is on its way into the house. But this little piece of the painting, that's what will make me happy today. I'll update later this afternoon.

Tell Me Oh Little Buddha

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:09:00 +0000

I am looking for freshness and peace.

And this little guy ain't talking.

I'll try my spa routine in a minute.

Hm, passion or the toss of a coin?

I had one of those dreams last night. No, not one of those dreams. I like those. This was one of those dreams that made me furiously angry and unsettled. Ever have those? The scenario goes along, things are kind of weird, but passably believable and somewhat curious, and then one thing tips the scale. Suddenly there I am throwing everything I could get my hands on and being rather vocal about my, uh, displeasure. I was so angry I woke up trying to catch my breath.

Yep. Not my favorite way to wake up on a Monday.

This is a day for clarity, for 2 minute wonders, and for those Most Important Tasks to be all lined up. Hmph. Usually right before I get up, I think of the one most important thing I need to get done that day. What's the one thing that will make the biggest difference that day? That thing that when I lay down that night will make me feel happiest to have accomplished? Well, that wasn't happening. Couldn't picture it. I was still anxious, confused and provoked. As I lay there in bed, I tried another trick, calling the stillness as Eckhardt Tolle suggests to be totally present in the moment. I opened an eye. Nope. No stillness. I was totally present and in a really pissy mood. What now Eckhardt? Maybe that little gem from Leo's comment thread about making tea. Yeah, just get into the zen of ritual, make some tea, and get on to my post for Organizing Monday.

My thoughts were having none of that. They were more like a herd of kittens just sprayed with a water hose.

Okay. It was just a dream. It is absolutely ridiculous to let something like that intrude on my day. But it is here and now, tapping me on the shoulder, no, pinching me viciously, saying, "Hey, look at me. It's important." "Okay", I say. "I'll look at you, but Mister, you will not get anymore of my day than you deserve." As my dear friend Patti knows, I process things as they present. Keeps the stream unpolluted as much as possible. Kind of like picking up litter before it can become a massive blockage in a clear running brook. I tend to like the way light trickles and gurgles as it passes over smooth river stone.

You see the things that make an artist really good at what we do, also make us vulnerable. When we open up to be responsive, let our muse run free, get in our zone, it makes us open to other input too. Not all of that is good. It can be overwhelming. What to do? I could follow my passion which is now muddied a bit, or I could toss a coin and pick any one thing on my list of important things to do. Today, it would not make too much difference. BUT, and here's the big but, as I move into these things that I do, these rituals, and get anything done, all the while considering the message that is trying to get through, the flow is getting clearer. Some of the dream and the issues with it are starting to make sense. And yes, the message is important.

So little Buddha is smiling at me. His silence made me toss a coin. Coffee won, not tea. This post, not the other. Now spa shower, and then a random pick from the list of Most Important Tasks and one that may seem insignificant, yep, I am tossing that one in too. The dream is not winning, any one of these is going to make a difference. Randomness is a strong ally at times. It gets us out of our heads. But now I know what was bothering me. Hm. Now how to deal with that?

Damn, little buddha is silent again. Aughh, I am heading to that spa shower. Yep. It is Organizing Monday.

Artist As Personal Trainer

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:38:00 +0000

Back to the jungle, this tangle of palms.

This area must go much darker.

This area I must leave alone.

And this I must tame a bit, but not too much.

I was getting too tight with this painting and the small blackberry piece as well. Progressing, but getting tight and tense. That is not good. This tangle of greens is to be a meditative piece with hints of the call of the wild. The lavenders are celestial. The browns are grounded to earth. All the bits here and there are to call to primal self. And somehow it must have transcendence. So even when refining, even when being exact, tight is not good.

A few years ago, I had a personal trainer. Ahh, life was good. Neal kicked my butt, repeatedly. We did Super Slow weight training. In a 30 minute session we would work my muscles to total exhaustion. I mean total exhaustion, the kind where you have to sit down afterwards or fall over like a little baby. Each machine we used was loaded and set so that in just a few ( read grueling) reps, we had shaking, quivering,"Uh, Neal , I can't do any more", me. That's when Neal would lean in a little closer, look me in the eye, and say, "Jan, I know you can do it, just one more." Neal lied. There was always one more after that, and then another. We only stopped when the muscles would not move. My mind wanted to go on, my heart wanted to continue, but my muscles were having no more. That's when nice Neal (as opposed to devil Neal) would reappear, and say, "Whoa, we're there." (Don't even get me started telling you about crunches and squats.)

I miss Neal. Not only was my body in great shape, but my mind was right there with it. After those sessions came the water, the rest, the recuperation that gave me springy, relaxed muscles that could move mountains. And Neal believed in me so much, that I did too, even if I wasn't a superjock. That's powerful, that belief.

So here we have me, no personal trainer, and painting muscles that are way too wonky and tight, and a mind that is quickly going there too. What to do, what to do? I don't want so so paintings. I want fabulous work. So I set about artistically and physically loosening up. Painting silk is a physical task. Oh, it is artistic and free for me, but very physical. So after a few days of painting big, loose, and abstract for long hours, I am a bit, hm, fatigued, but in a good way. And I feel looser. Tired. Well, really tired, but ready for water, rest, and recuperation. And the palms and blackberries, I am excited about them again. I see some new things there. Some ideas for transcendence.

Sometimes artists have to be their own personal trainers. We have to keep ourselves fluid. Work out the kinks. So, a little water, a small rest, some recuperation and I'll be good to paint again. And yes, I hear Neal saying,"Jan, you can do it." Yep, belief, is a powerful thing. (Thanks Neal)

Don't forget, it is Naughty Friday, go get up to some mischief.

I Want a Rematch-Puddles 2, Artist 1

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 21:34:00 +0000

Painting in the rain is fun.

Sort of.

Not one silk turned out the way I would have wished.

Well, maybe 1 of the silks is slightly gorgeous. See that coppery and purple one in the second photo? It is one mistake after another. And guess what? It is going to be Lasceaux Cave gorgeous when the colors are set. It has a smokey, warm/cool thing going on that makes my primal heart purr. It is literally built on rain drops, my response to them, and layer after layer of: "Is this enough?" NO. "Too much?" Yes. "This?" NO. "That?" Maybe. All while the rain is sprinkling here and there. This silk has densities of pushing through in spite of my own self until it had body, and rich color, and then patina. It is seeped in imperfection. Rich with I dunno, let me try this, 'cause that isn't it. Ripe with, uh, uh, not there yet... and lots of interruptions. This was not an in the zone day. And I only got half the number of them done that I set out to do.

Here's what happens when it seems like a miss on a silk to me. I say, "Oh well, nothing to lose now", and I see what I can throw at it to pull it off. Anyone ever had that feeling of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat? Yeah, feels good doesn't it? Well, I have a little of that now, but look, only 1 out of 3. Oh, the other two are respectable in person, and they'll look luscious when the colors are set, but I am not exactly pleased. Hm. Now here's the real question: Beverage and chilling now, or deep breath, centering, and get right back out there? It's 6 pm my time. Now, what would Tiger Woods do ? :)

Playing In Blue and Purple Puddles

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:57:00 +0000

Yes, that's the plan today with the silks, puddly deep purples and blue. And oh guess what, Mother Nature has just let me know with a big thunderclap, that is her plan too. Puddles and possibly hail coming up soon. Hm. What would happen if....just thinking of snow washed Japanese paper...rain washed silks? Maybe. What kind of Thursday will this be?

Chocolate Silk, $25 , and Ghirardelli Chocolate Chip Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:57:00 +0000

Come on, enjoy it. Shimmery, yummy color on silk.

And, "waiting out a storm" Ghirardelli Chocolate Chip cookies, bite into those too.

Here's some more of the silks from late yesterday, look all you want.

But you may not, NOT, have the $25 I won off the Men With Pens yesterday. Nope cannot have it. Mine. All mine. Not even that "nut graf exposing Viking" gets the prize this time. Why is it that winning cash is so much fun? And the "buy something totally indulgent" instructions that came with the cash even more fun?

Yesterday was just one of those days that could have gone either way. Oh, we had thunderstorms all around, high winds, rain, that kind of challenged my plans to paint the silks outside. But my 2 minute plan has me on deadline. I want x number of pearlescent, shimmery, sensual silks done in x number of days. Think Mother Nature gives one squat about my plans? Nope. Believe me on that one.

So yesterday morning, early set up, a little swirling of French dyes, some brush work, and the first leaves start dancing by on the increasing winds. Not to worry. I have been known to walk over to my neighborhood shop for treats while hurricanes are stirring around in the Gulf. A little Texas rainstorm? Nothing. So I pop back inside briefly to check email, and see that Pen Men have posted a challenge. Hm. I really don't have time, the clouds are getting darker, but I'll give it a try. I make a couple of guesses. The winds are picking up. I run back out to bring the silks on their frames into the shelter of the garage just as the first big splats of rain begin. Hm, I think, "maybe I should check the radar"...ya think?

Rain, in earnest, now beats against the window panes. Time for plan B. I wanted to play with chocolate didn't I? So out come the Ghirardelli chips, the Kitchen Aid mixer and the goodies to whip up some homemade cookies. Ahh, that is such a nice smell on a rainy dark day. While the first silks dry (those winds are good for that), the cookies bake, and I find out this is going to be a little bit more of a storm than a summer shower, back I go to MwP to see if I had gotten lucky. No. Hm. A couple more guesses, and back to work I go. I take the last batch of warm cookies out, photograph and post the morning's silks and yes, make one more guess. That's it. Enough of that. I have work to do.

I am back outside under overcast skies, but there's a break in the rain. So I pour deep Havana and Tabac into a little bit of black, ooh, and some blues might be nice, too. As the clouds move over my head, my brush moves over the silk. Yummy. I love this kind of free. I told Friar, it is the negative ions that invigorate me, in storms and at a seashore. So brush and I skipped, darted, and dashed as the winds picked up again. Splat!...Splat! Oops. The dyes until set will run when wet. So back to the shelter of the garage they go. But I was done. Spent. All was good. Time to clean up. Go inside.

So I wash my brushes and mixing cups. Put away the containers. Clean off my hands and sniff warm cookies as thunder rolled back in. Okay, I'll just check to see if anybody won that challenge. DING DING DING. There it was from James. Janice you won... and a whole chorus of congrats. I looked around at my chocolate silk filled day, and the wonderful beauty that was this storm and there all over the country and Canada were friends cheering for me. So I did a happy dance, accepted the cash and the "well played". I poured some wine raised my glass to them and to myself. Indeed well played all.

Later I would find out those were 61 mile per hour winds that downed a couple of trees and tore a few roofs off. But... I got my silks, my $25, some cookies...and warm hugs from some friends... And I am buying something wonderfully indulgent with the cash. Not a bad Tuesday I am thinking.

Chocolate Silk Morning Update

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:48:00 +0000

While I am waiting for a thunderstorm to pass...

Here's a sneak peek at this morning's dip into the chocolates and coffee.

Now, quick check of radar, then I am grabbing a beverage and going back out for deeper darker chocolates this afternoon. How are you doing today? Was that thunder, I just heard?? uh oh...that's not on my plan... I am so laughing at myself... there's another roll of thunder...hmm...might have to bake chocolate chip cookies while this one passes to get my chocolate this afternoon. Yep, that was lightening...Ghiradelli here I come. Hey, if I have to paint in the garage we ARE having cookies. My inner diva says so. I am so sure Jasper Johns has none of these difficulties, the artist says shaking her head and chuckling....what a day.

Chocolate Silk Coming Up

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:24:00 +0000

This is a 2 minute post. I am painting chocolate colored silks this morning before it gets so hot outside or rains, or both. I hope to post them this afternoon. So good morning. Good coffee...ooh coffee..that would be good to paint too...well...see how this is going? See ya later today.

4 Questions To Get a Clue

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:11:00 +0000

Saturday I had some time to reflect.

A few weeks ago this calendar was blank.

But I put some goals in place and the beginnings of a timeline.

Here's the beginning of this week. I like the 2 minutes. Those work. They help me stay present. Staying present, that's very important, especially when there is a big task, or a large challenge that is practically guaranteed to knock you to your knees every once and awhile.

This week, along with the usual work, I am after 4 really good targeted questions, matchmaking ones.

I need to cold call some galleries pretty soon. Yikes. I have a partial list of galleries from a coaching session. I am broadening the search though. This is where 2 minutes comes in very handy. Staying present. If you leave it at just a phone call, the whole this could change my life anxiety thing is lessened. Since I don't want to waste my time or theirs, but I do want to get to know them, I want 4 very specific questions. This means doing your homework and being prepared. Designing questions? Am I nuts? I want specific information, but I am also testing and taking a pulse. Are we a good match? Is this a passive gallery or do they know what they are about? Is this someone I want in my life? Can they sell my work and build my reputation? Do they get what I do? I am looking for someone who can fall in love...with me. Well, actually with my work, but I come with. See? Guaranteed to knock you to your knees along the way, like dating, only there's money and a career involved.

So this week I need to belly up to the bar and come up with some keenly insightful questions of my own. I have a checklist of questions from the coach's notebook, the usual qualifiers, and the calls will only go to acceptable "suitors". I want more. I can see my friend Patti smiling at that. I have been disappointed in the past with passive galleries. I want a fabulous relationship, and for that, the usual suspects of questions will not do. So I am doing some pre-visualizing...okay a little dreaming...to see if I can imagine that meaningful conversation...that sparkle. What are the four most important things that I want to know?

Maybe there is a post in that," How the gallery searches are like dating"? Maybe. So I will take notes, but for now it is organizing Monday. Yes, I have 3 MIT's and an armful of 2 minutes. The silks will continue. The paintings are coming along. And now these questions...what would you want to know if you were looking for the gallery love of your life?

Oh and I have to go back and read Dave's posts on getting up early. Phew, It is definitely Monday morning.

A Few 2 Minutes-Part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:56:00 +0000

Here are 2 more 2 minutes- a new possible maybe gallery and ideas for some PDF's.

Small steps. Small tools.

I am looking at personal resources, bringing back revenue streams, mining some inner gold.

It's like rebuilding one rafter at a time.

The value to me of these 2 minutes is training in staying in the present. Limbo is a hard place to be. Walking that tightrope between what was and what will be requires more than a little skill. So while the tugs on my heart keep me conflicted, my 2 minutes can be a bridge between my past and my future, an improvisational present. These 2 minutes are golden in that respect. They get me to the next step. Help build a little rhythm and a beat. Speaking of which, there was a very thought provoking post yesterday by Tim Ferriss all about restructuring our lives to be more like a jazz quartet rather that a work/life balancing scale. I intend to read Dr. Friedman's book. It's about leadership in all facets of our life. It seems to me it might make those 2 minutes even more of a resource. We all want that vibrant music in our life don't we? So what kind of 2 minutes are you putting in? Are they all they tuned in to a sweet melody? Brush is liking them so far. He's feeling more of a flow. Next thing you know, he'll be wanting a beret and sunglasses and be joining a band.

Yeah, 2 minute beats... What's next? Brush and I are going to go get in the zone.Our muse? Maybe a little Buddy Guy and friend,'cause we have some low country painting to do...with feeling...It goes with all this heat and humidity we're having too.

Oh yeah, we're ready now. Grabbing a beverage. Going to paint.

A Few 2 Minutes-Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:41:00 +0000

Houston we have silk.

We have rich luscious color.

And we have probably a few less pounds.

It was stinkin' hot outside yesterday. Well, humid for sure, and we all know, "It's ( everyone repeat) not the heat, it's the humidity. " But I had my arms full of 2 minutes and a plentiful supply of limeade. So before the thunderstorm and lightening hit in the afternoon, we, brush and I, painted lovely silk outside. Painting in the garage was not an option. No breeze there.
Here's another 2 minute accomplishment from this week. I applied to become an Amazon Associate. Look over there, on the right. There's a new Carousel Widget of good reads. They said, " we approve." Go for it. So I am. If you look, you'll see some friends of mine. Black Widow is the newest of Randy's Doc Ford novels with a great new character, Sir James. If you can find a copy of Twelve Mile Limit, you will find that Doc Ford's best friend and sidekick wears original silk sarongs hand painted by moi. Randy is one of my favorite muses and one hell of a storyteller. Besides, how cool is it that my lovely silks grace the hips of manly man Tomlinson? Mojitos and fresh breezes always come to mind when I think of Dinkins Bay.
So another 2 minutes lets me bring you another passion of mine. I am a voracious reader as my friends know. Ahh, I am liking this test. How are your 2 minutes going? Let's see, what was next on that list? Definitely more limeade. Come on, Brush.
And because I love this so much. Here we go with hot and smooth.

A Few 2 Minutes- Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:42:00 +0000

Before the storm, I painted silks too.

These were sold at several Ritz Carltons and The Bellagio Gallery in Asheville and some other exclusive locations.

Less than 2 minutes is what it takes to thumbnail a sketch for a silk.

I have a makeshift set up here in Dallas, but yesterday, in 2 minutes, I outlined a silk series to paint over this next few weeks. 2 minutes of original thought, born of years of experience. So today, I will haul out the frames. Get out the clips , the mixing bowls, the brushes, the plastic covers for the garage floor, the silks stashed away. I will paint sensual silks in a Texas garage. Ahh, the glamorous life of an artist. You'll probably get to see some of the process. And when they are done and all neatly pressed and packaged elegantly, I'll send them off to their new homes. It's wearable art, a movable exhibit. If you want one. Let me know. Oh, the price? Around 200.00.

Who'll be on my ipod? Some Sexyback, some Smooth, some Choux Pastry Heart, some Need to Know ...painting silk is half paint, half dance...a regular little party in the garage today. I think we'll need some beverages as well. It's pretty hot. So how are your 2 minutes going?

A 2 Minute Question

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 13:55:00 +0000

What can you do in 2 minutes?

I can draw a complete nude figure.

Or do the thumbnail for a painting.

Some things take longer.

I read this this weekend in Eckhardt Tolle's A New Earth. It's about reconciling inner and outer purposes:

By realizing that your your entire life journey ultimately consists of the step you are taking at the moment. There is always only this one step, and so you give it your fullest attention. It doesn't mean you don't know where you are going; it just means this step is primary, the destination is secondary.

He also said that we cannot manifest something that is not within us, something we do not already own.

Yes, it was a bit of a contemplative Sunday. My 2 minutes seem very important to me now. Not that they weren't before, but they seem like larger resources. So I thought this week would be a very good test to see what could be made of them. In Dave Allen's Get It Done, he is very keen on 2 minute chunks of time. I have some pretty hefty things to accomplish and a September goal line. I thought that if it is already in me, well, let's bring it out because I would love to see these particular things realized.

By the way, those are friends of mine in the photo, rebuilding. The eye of Katrina hit steps away from that doorway with a 20 foot storm surge. It's a camp that was originally built in the 1920's, a family gathering place. The bulk of my wetlands paintings come from that land. It is a private reserve adjacent to the Pearl River in Mississippi. The rafters to the sleeping porch were yesterday's project there. I cannot tell you how happy it makes me to see the progress. The destruction was massive. So a little at a time...some resources...and some friends...

So step by 2 minute step. What can you do in 2 minutes? Yes. It is organizing Monday.
3 Most Important Tasks and an armful of 2 minutes. This day ought to be fun.

The Weekend 30 Minute Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:56:00 +0000

I have work to do.

Drawings to make.

Plenty of refining on my plate.

But wait, there's more.

That 30 Minute challenge a couple of weeks ago was a good thing. Just take two little 30 minutes over the weekend to do something that restores yourself. Now for an artist this seems ironic. What we do is very personal, very much a part of ourselves. It is also a performance. Heart, mind and soul are engaged, and there is technique. So what do we do to replenish? How do we keep ourselves refreshed?
There a few bases that I tag. There is a very appealing show at the Dallas Museum of Art about a couple who lived the creative life. Their friends were Fitzgerald, Cole Porter, Hemingway and Picasso to name a few. You better believe I am heading down there. I reinstated spa when Dave issued the challenge so there is a masque and some slathering coming up. Oh yes, that rejuvenates. And even though I don't drink very much, we have a brand new margarita machine. Smoothies are great for eating more fruit, but last night it was frozen mango Patron margaritas. Double, double yum. I could feel the Vitamin C in action. Well, maybe it was a little of the Patron as well, but we are no longer worrying about scurvy. See the berries above? Hm. On my face or into the machine? What would Sara and Gerald do on the Riviera? I can see the Picasso now, "Strawberry faced woman sipping magarita at a bullfight." So join me this weekend in your own challenge. What will you do to recharge your batteries?

Blackberries in Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:03:00 +0000

A friend could use some cheering up. She is under the weather.

So let's send her a peek a boo of her berries in progress.

It has a little way to go. Not done yet. Here you can see the start.

We want big plump blackberries, a sifting of sugar snow, and a pink and yellow glow. We have the essentials down. Now comes the part that's fun. Oh berries are berries yes, but I cannot be happy with just that. These berries will have some class and a bit of playfulness. The brushes will get smaller. It will just take a kiss of color here or there, but what I am after is a smile that a friend can share. Feel better soon.

Don't sell to the tinkers, Jamie. We would all be so sad. Just take care, bring her juice, a hanky and really good drugs. Have you put the pool in yet? Fed Ex just delivered our Margarita Swirl machine. Really. So the muses today...kind of a southern thing. ( even if they won't let me embed it. )

Yep. It's summer. Getting the mixes and the ice. Nachos? Sure. Coming up.

10 Muses and 50 Huzzahs

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:28:00 +0000

This is the part where it really takes patience.

Remember where we started?

I mean how many spikes of green, how many strokes does it take, to make it done? This particular part of the painting is a central hub. It has to flow. The greens have to move us. Right now they have to move me. How do I keep myself from green fatigue? I use the other two colors in the triad too. So darting in and out will be browns and lavenders, references to sky and earth peeking here and there. Don't worry , I'll spare you. We'll take a break from this painting for a few days while brush and I play in all these greens. Watch for blackberries here tomorrow.
So as I said on Monday, I need 10 muses and 50 huzzahs to keep me moving through all the fun stuff there is to do. What do you do when you're into a task and have many others as well. What keeps you reaching for your dreams?

Ahh, my friends will get that one big time. C'mon Brush.

The Awkward Teenage Phase

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:37:00 +0000

Puberty isn't pretty.

Feet are too big for the body.

Arms and elbows knock over everything.

We pray for grace.

But there's all kinds of acting out.

There's a stage in a painting when things seem a bit out of control. We are there. I am pushing and pulling everything at the same time, working all over the painting. Development is uneven. We're making that jump from pure abstraction and pattern to the detail that suggests realism. Values will become more important. In art that means light and dark (In life and teenagerness, you're on your own.). So the piece is not purely one thing or the other right now. I like those spaces in between. Those patterns. So you'll see some of them masquerading as visuals hints, suggesting the real thing. The larger elements and their appendages will be refined, grow into themselves so to speak. So there's lots of work to be done, but we are well over the halfway mark. We don't want to tame the beast, just make it, hm...socially acceptable.

Now, I need a muse. Ah yes, Christopher Walken...my weapon of choice.(even if they won't let me embed it.)

Yes. Let's go Brush. We have some refining to do.

If I Had a Fairy Godmother

noreply@blogger.com (Janice C. Cartier) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:19:00 +0000

She would be brilliant and kind and loving.

She would show me the path to critical mass.

She would anoint me with the kind of energy I had last year at this time. And give me some great shoes to go with it.

Seriously. I am going to need 10 muses and 50 huzzahs to get through this week. Did you ever ever feel that way? Course corrections are like that. Transitions are like that. Wouldn't it be great to have our own Bibbity Bobbity Boo? Last night I was looking at the current painting and decided I would become a naive painter. I also thought I should take up karate and the marshal arts and be dating George Clooney. I could DO Lake Como. I am not sure if this was at 1 am or 4 am. I blame Tyra Banks. Yeah. The Sunday New York Times had an epic article on her and her "fierce" drive for power. Made me feel like a total lump on a log. Yesterday, I was minding my own business, getting my calendars printed out for the summer. Mapping out the season's direction while sipping a frosty Lemoncello on the patio. Birds chirped. Squirrels buried pecans. Hydrangeas blossomed. It was good.
Tyra is non stop bop. She's also way younger than I am and a super model to boot. Tyra also has a Fairy Godmother. Her mom. Her mom who insists that Tyra research and begin with the end in mind, who manages her career, helps keep the focus strong. That much was incredibly clear from the article. Her phenomenal success alway begins with a clear direction and continues with a guiding hand.
So here I am today. Leaving the paint alone. Working with the calendars and my plans for the next course correction, the next push towards that target I am after. Whether it is to find America's next top model, get a grip on today's economy, or be a painter's painter, ya gotta have a plan...but it sure wouldn't hurt to have a Fairy Godmother. Oh yeah, it is Organizing Monday.