Today I am going to slay a dragon. You know what a dragon is....it's that fiery beasty that rears its ugly head and demands attention when there are other things you would like to be doing...like frolicking in a field of daisies or floating in a secluded lake....
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| Where to begin? I'm exhausted just looking at it. (c)SZing, 2013 |
To slay a dragon is a daring and courageous act. You can sometimes get burned. It requires enormous amounts of effort and stamina. You may even have to train and prepare before the battle with the dragon begins.
To slay a dragon is to remove an impediment from your journey.
Today, my dragon is to make significant progress in moving my studio into the house and at the same time, moving my sweetie's wood turning studio out to the outdoor studio. I've been making very slow headway--perhaps a scale or two at a time on the dragon--a box here, a box there...and then I become overwhelmed.
Today I am going out to empty cabinets and prepare them to be brought indoors. Today I am going to clear off a table and bring it indoors. Thus making space for his tools and materials to go out. Since this particular dragon has the magical power to basically suck the energy out of me in no time and leave me turning helplessly in circles...my plan is to work quickly. To make progress in two hours and then leave the dragon so damaged that when I return tomorrow, it will be so disabled as to not be able to harm me.
My goal is to have my studio spaces completely intact and ready to work/teach by not later than the end of May and to have his work materials out there so he can begin at the same time.
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| Beginning to get order...slaying that dragon of a disaster. (c)SZing, 2013 |
This is a big dragon. I have accumulated much "stuff" and work in multiple medium. Those mediums are not light nor small (glass). I sometimes wish I just did one small think like watercolor painting...How easy it would be for me to be moved and productive. But, alas, I am of the ilk that requires significant mental stimulation and am curious about so many things that I've developed talents for each of my favorite mediums. Even lightening the load of supplies is a challenge as I continue to think, "I know I will use that." Inevitably when I give away something, shortly thereafter I wish I had it because I've happened upon the most remarkable manner in which to use it. So other than removing palmetto bugs, ginormous spiders, frogs and lizards from my materials before they enter the house, there is very little else that is being gotten rid of. This entails a very special type of magical trickery--consolidating materials so that more fits in a smaller space. I have floor to ceiling shelving in one room. It is amazing how much material is stored there AND that I can actually see what I have to work with.
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| There really will be an organized art studio space in here soon. (c) SZing, 2013 |
If you have a dragon you have to slay, here are my top five hints for making it a successful venture:
1. Be prepared with the right tools for the job. (for me, this means boxes, gloves, trash can)
2. Keep your eye on the dragon and move swiftly. (Know what your end result goal for the day is and keep moving toward that--and know what your end end result is so you can eventually reach the end of your adventure.)
3. Figure out a way to make it fun. Dance around the dragon. I listen to motivating music and I let myself be excited as if it is a holiday as I come across materials I haven't seen or used in over a year.
4. Be willing to relinquish some of the treasure to the dragon. There are times when we may want to keep the entire treasure pit. But being willing to let go of some of it will lighten the load, make us lighter and therefore more flexible on our feet, and even perhaps appease the dragon.
5. Use the trash bucket. Some people might think this means that as they get nauseous from the idea of getting rid of stuff they can up-chuck in the can. No. I mean....put stuff in it. Yesterday I was able to let go of quite a bit of old papers and bits and bobs that really had gotten damaged, dirty and tangled and really weren't able to be used. I also got rid of a big bit of stuff that a very industrious frog had pooped all over. I have a simple rule...nothing with poop on it goes back into the new studio. It feels like a good rule of thumb for me. Also, no live critters get to enter the household domain, despite the fact that my felines would be happy to dispatch them. The idea is to limit the amount of critter related screaming to none.
Okay...those are my tips for dragon slaying. If you have a dragon....I wish you well on your adventure to slay it. What I do know is that once this dragon is gone, my time, energy and focus will be available for much better and more creative activity.
I'm off to don my sword and armor.
