I'm away and offline from tonight until the middle of next week on a long weekend's holiday. I may have to improvise re meditation times, but like Dale my minimum time is short, just 5 minutes per day, so I should be able to manage to sit.
I will think of you all, each one.
Thanks Beth, Lorianne and MB as well for the kind advice re the self portrait drawing. I may have a go on my return. And to Brenda for the comment-saving tips ....
Hi Jude,thanks for your good wishes. Don't worry I'm not in anguish all the time, it's just that certain things strike a nerve ... and then it's all about learning to sit with them rather than running away in fear .... simple but no easy.
Jude, enjoy your new grandchild - it makes me smile just thinking of you.
Beth and Lorianne thanks for the gentle encouragement. And Brenda, thanks for the tip on retrieving disappearing comments - it's been a real drag lately, half my comments have been disappearing, here and elsewhere.
Jude, I've been taking sumatriptan for years. They work miraculously for me and many, though I believe not all, migraine sufferers. Here I benefit hugely from the National Health Service, as I only have to pay a standard prescription charge, not the full cost of the pills. It does mean that the doctor is mean with them, of course. However, that is no bad thing, and it's a good idea if you only take them when you're really desperate, because they do have a 'rebound' effect - if you take them often you get migraines more often... well, you know that, I think, because it's in the excellent book on headaches you recommended to me. It is wonderful, though, to have something to hand that will just abort the pain when you can't bear the thought of it going on for 2 or 3 days. Makes me appreciate the miracles of modern medicine, which I'm a bit grudging about sometimes, because of it's undoubted downside - wonderful at the things it can do, I think, but no help at all with the things it finds difficult, in fact good at making them worse...
Forgot that I also wanted to say, about the self-portrait thing: I am finding it a really playful and enjoyable exercise. Since I 'don't draw', I come to it with the freshness of 'beginner's mind'. Very little competitiveness, and I'm not (as yet) experiencing the deeper, and fascinating, feelings that Brenda describes. Very different if visual art is constant major part of your life and self-expression, I imagine. Doing something you 'never do' is often fun and liberating.
Mary, enjoy your time offline! Be thinking of you...
Jean and Udge, oh, sending waves of non-headache energies... it must be so difficult. While I don't get bad headaches anymore, when I was younger, ow. It's like being in prison in your head, the pain so intense. Hope you pass through this bout, Udge, easily...
Oh, Udge, you are so sweet! Do try a self-portrait though - it's only 'harrowing' for me because I need to try to get a 'likeness'... which puts me in intense dialogue with my drawing ability and my hand, and other variables. I'm also working this week; next week, if I'm off, it might be easier to spend a little more time on this exercise.
Though drawing is different to a photo. It's more intimate, certainly, more of a connection between mind, eye, hand, and provides an interpretation of self that is unique.
It's possible to draw over a photo, too. That way the basic scaffolding, the structure of the face, is done, and you can embellish with neat effects, adding filters or drawing or painting. And having a dialogue with the self while doing this...
While it is a meditation, for me it's more like, why in the heck aren't I drawing that eye shape the way I'm seeing it, or that's not my nose.
I'm going to go back and read Jean on remembering to be playful with this.
An artist's thoughts while working on artwork surely find their way into the artwork, and are often the most interesting part of the composition.
A self-portrait is about representations of the self. How do our desires and thoughts shape what we are drawing; how do our desires and thoughts shape us? How do we represent our essence through our individual and distinct features by drawing them on paper or on the screen? Who are we?
Note: that long comment only took 2 tries to post. I've become so accustomed to the Blogger comment-eater, though, that I almost automatically highlight a comment and hit Control C (PC) Command C (Mac) to copy it into short term memory before continuing to try to post it. If the comment-eater is still ravenous, and gulps everything, I'll save it elsewhere and cut and paste back in when the comment-eater is satiated.
This is freaky: My word verification is yumjpuix. Oh, those yummy comments!
That was me above ... have just come back from the shop and re-reading my last comment I didn't quite convey what I wanted to say.
Re the self-portrait. I'm finding it hard. And emotional. It's about seeing and being seen, I think, that's why.
I will do it in private when I get back. It ties in so well with meditation though. A drawing meditation - a way inwards. Staying with the feelings, backing off when necessary, breathing.
In a funny, painful way, I'm quite looking forward to having another go next week. But for the moment the end result stays (very) private. Just for me. But to reiterate, I admire the courage and freedom of anyone who posting theirs on the blog ...
Thanks Brenda and Jean and everyone who is reporting their experiences of doing it.
Mary, oh I am so intrigued. I wish we could do selected readership postings at Blogger - but it really isn't a 'blogging community' so much as a self-publishing venue. I wish we could post images in comments. How about uploading it to, say flikr, and specifying certain 'friends' who can view the picture only...
On the other hand, as a private meditation, yes, it is intimate, and solely for your eyes...
Mary, have a lovely holiday. I'll miss your presence here and elsewhere.
Jude, enjoy the grandchild!
Dale, thinking of you, shyness and all.
Jean, Ruth, Brenda... oh, playfulness. Thanks for the reminder to call it back. It's possible for me to get entirely too serious. And then withdraw and collapse inward. None of it good for me. So... play! curiousity! yes!
12 Comments:
Good morning.
I'm away and offline from tonight until the middle of next week on a long weekend's holiday. I may have to improvise re meditation times, but like Dale my minimum time is short, just 5 minutes per day, so I should be able to manage to sit.
I will think of you all, each one.
Thanks Beth, Lorianne and MB as well for the kind advice re the self portrait drawing. I may have a go on my return. And to Brenda for the comment-saving tips ....
Hi Jude,thanks for your good wishes. Don't worry I'm not in anguish all the time, it's just that certain things strike a nerve ... and then it's all about learning to sit with them rather than running away in fear .... simple but no easy.
Enjoy your time with your grandchild!
Good morning!
Mary, have a lovely break.
Jude, enjoy your new grandchild - it makes me smile just thinking of you.
Beth and Lorianne thanks for the gentle encouragement. And Brenda, thanks for the tip on retrieving disappearing comments - it's been a real drag lately, half my comments have been disappearing, here and elsewhere.
Jude, I've been taking sumatriptan for years. They work miraculously for me and many, though I believe not all, migraine sufferers. Here I benefit hugely from the National Health Service, as I only have to pay a standard prescription charge, not the full cost of the pills. It does mean that the doctor is mean with them, of course. However, that is no bad thing, and it's a good idea if you only take them when you're really desperate, because they do have a 'rebound' effect - if you take them often you get migraines more often... well, you know that, I think, because it's in the excellent book on headaches you recommended to me. It is wonderful, though, to have something to hand that will just abort the pain when you can't bear the thought of it going on for 2 or 3 days. Makes me appreciate the miracles of modern medicine, which I'm a bit grudging about sometimes, because of it's undoubted downside - wonderful at the things it can do, I think, but no help at all with the things it finds difficult, in fact good at making them worse...
It's cooled down here, and so have I!
Forgot that I also wanted to say, about the self-portrait thing: I am finding it a really playful and enjoyable exercise. Since I 'don't draw', I come to it with the freshness of 'beginner's mind'. Very little competitiveness, and I'm not (as yet) experiencing the deeper, and fascinating, feelings that Brenda describes. Very different if visual art is constant major part of your life and self-expression, I imagine. Doing something you 'never do' is often fun and liberating.
Mary, enjoy your time offline! Be thinking of you...
Jean and Udge, oh, sending waves of non-headache energies... it must be so difficult. While I don't get bad headaches anymore, when I was younger, ow. It's like being in prison in your head, the pain so intense. Hope you pass through this bout, Udge, easily...
Oh, Udge, you are so sweet! Do try a self-portrait though - it's only 'harrowing' for me because I need to try to get a 'likeness'... which puts me in intense dialogue with my drawing ability and my hand, and other variables. I'm also working this week; next week, if I'm off, it might be easier to spend a little more time on this exercise.
Though drawing is different to a photo. It's more intimate, certainly, more of a connection between mind, eye, hand, and provides an interpretation of self that is unique.
It's possible to draw over a photo, too. That way the basic scaffolding, the structure of the face, is done, and you can embellish with neat effects, adding filters or drawing or painting. And having a dialogue with the self while doing this...
While it is a meditation, for me it's more like, why in the heck aren't I drawing that eye shape the way I'm seeing it, or that's not my nose.
I'm going to go back and read Jean on remembering to be playful with this.
An artist's thoughts while working on artwork surely find their way into the artwork, and are often the most interesting part of the composition.
A self-portrait is about representations of the self. How do our desires and thoughts shape what we are drawing; how do our desires and thoughts shape us? How do we represent our essence through our individual and distinct features by drawing them on paper or on the screen? Who are we?
Note: that long comment only took 2 tries to post. I've become so accustomed to the Blogger comment-eater, though, that I almost automatically highlight a comment and hit Control C (PC) Command C (Mac) to copy it into short term memory before continuing to try to post it. If the comment-eater is still ravenous, and gulps everything, I'll save it elsewhere and cut and paste back in when the comment-eater is satiated.
This is freaky: My word verification is yumjpuix. Oh, those yummy comments!
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
That was me above ... have just come back from the shop and re-reading my last comment I didn't quite convey what I wanted to say.
Re the self-portrait. I'm finding it hard. And emotional. It's about seeing and being seen, I think, that's why.
I will do it in private when I get back. It ties in so well with meditation though. A drawing meditation - a way inwards. Staying with the feelings, backing off when necessary, breathing.
In a funny, painful way, I'm quite looking forward to having another go next week. But for the moment the end result stays (very) private. Just for me. But to reiterate, I admire the courage and freedom of anyone who posting theirs on the blog ...
Thanks Brenda and Jean and everyone who is reporting their experiences of doing it.
.. and of course, thank you all for your good travel wishes. Now, I MUST get back to the packing ... see you next week.
No, not who we are. The better question is:
How do we want to present ourselves to each other?
Sometimes the body/hand/gesture of drawing reveals ourselves differently to how we 'think' to portray ourselves... if that makes any sense.
Too many comments from me today! Sorry!!
Mary, oh I am so intrigued. I wish we could do selected readership postings at Blogger - but it really isn't a 'blogging community' so much as a self-publishing venue. I wish we could post images in comments. How about uploading it to, say flikr, and specifying certain 'friends' who can view the picture only...
On the other hand, as a private meditation, yes, it is intimate, and solely for your eyes...
Mary, have a lovely holiday. I'll miss your presence here and elsewhere.
Jude, enjoy the grandchild!
Dale, thinking of you, shyness and all.
Jean, Ruth, Brenda... oh, playfulness. Thanks for the reminder to call it back. It's possible for me to get entirely too serious. And then withdraw and collapse inward. None of it good for me. So... play! curiousity! yes!
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