Hi Cecil, I love reading your posts they’re wise and generous.Every week I’m uplifted and left with things to consider in my own practice. Moving between stations … the dance between your quiet devotion & spontaneity. I feel blessed to be awake nurturing a creative practice. Thank you.
Your process is similar to mine, and I also needed many years to cultivate it. I call it 'intentional flow'. I used to criticize my tendency to behave like a water spider,jumping quickly from one thing to the next, but now I take advantage of that kind of energy, and everything receives more attention and care because of it.
I don't have rituals in my days except for coffee in the morning, and writing daily on substack. Your post got me to think about if I am disciplined or spontaneous. I have been very disciplined in my life, and I have been too spontaneous. In high school I was bored to death except in my music and drama classes. I cut school all the time, taking time out to go to Lake Almanor with friends and sunbathe in the snow, or take my mother's car and drive to San Francisco for the day. I don't really know if it was spontaneity or impulsiveness. Maybe both. I missed so much time in high school that the school gave me the 1 unit I was short to graduate. When the school contacted my mother to tell her I was cutting classes she said, "haven't you figured it out yet? She doesn't want to be there!" In-school detention took care of that. My grades in HS ranged from A's to D's, depending on if I was interested in the course, but I never let myself get an F. I wasn't one of the mean girls. I never talked back to teachers or tried to fight with other girls or smoked in the bathroom. I was always kind and respectful. However, after my first failed marriage, I went back to college, and was extremely disciplined, but I was doing what I loved. I graduated with honors, with mostly A's. I just loved the work I was doing and didn't even know I graduated with honors, missing the ceremony. But now, I am disciplined if I have to be, whether I like it or not. I am generally spontaneous at least a couple of times per year when I urgently have to get away, and take a flight to places I have never been, where I can do exactly what I want, when I want to because I generally go alone. I wrote a tongue-in-cheek post related to discipline and my best intentions: "I Quit!" https://ccmusica.substack.com/p/i-quit (and no I am not spoiled...well maybe a little bit)
Beautifully stated. I too have my daily rituals that I appreciate having and my reward is going into the studio and seeing what I want to do in there. There's also the necessity of going to my favorite places to buy the stuff I need to inspire and create my art. I'm not usually spontaneous in my every day life but am in the studio as I'm not always in control of what happens there, but I trust the process of what guides me.
Hi Cecil, I love reading your posts they’re wise and generous.Every week I’m uplifted and left with things to consider in my own practice. Moving between stations … the dance between your quiet devotion & spontaneity. I feel blessed to be awake nurturing a creative practice. Thank you.
Thank you so much for your kind words Samantha!
Your process is similar to mine, and I also needed many years to cultivate it. I call it 'intentional flow'. I used to criticize my tendency to behave like a water spider,jumping quickly from one thing to the next, but now I take advantage of that kind of energy, and everything receives more attention and care because of it.
Hi Ginnie good to hear from you! Water spider, nice image.
I don't have rituals in my days except for coffee in the morning, and writing daily on substack. Your post got me to think about if I am disciplined or spontaneous. I have been very disciplined in my life, and I have been too spontaneous. In high school I was bored to death except in my music and drama classes. I cut school all the time, taking time out to go to Lake Almanor with friends and sunbathe in the snow, or take my mother's car and drive to San Francisco for the day. I don't really know if it was spontaneity or impulsiveness. Maybe both. I missed so much time in high school that the school gave me the 1 unit I was short to graduate. When the school contacted my mother to tell her I was cutting classes she said, "haven't you figured it out yet? She doesn't want to be there!" In-school detention took care of that. My grades in HS ranged from A's to D's, depending on if I was interested in the course, but I never let myself get an F. I wasn't one of the mean girls. I never talked back to teachers or tried to fight with other girls or smoked in the bathroom. I was always kind and respectful. However, after my first failed marriage, I went back to college, and was extremely disciplined, but I was doing what I loved. I graduated with honors, with mostly A's. I just loved the work I was doing and didn't even know I graduated with honors, missing the ceremony. But now, I am disciplined if I have to be, whether I like it or not. I am generally spontaneous at least a couple of times per year when I urgently have to get away, and take a flight to places I have never been, where I can do exactly what I want, when I want to because I generally go alone. I wrote a tongue-in-cheek post related to discipline and my best intentions: "I Quit!" https://ccmusica.substack.com/p/i-quit (and no I am not spoiled...well maybe a little bit)
Beautifully stated. I too have my daily rituals that I appreciate having and my reward is going into the studio and seeing what I want to do in there. There's also the necessity of going to my favorite places to buy the stuff I need to inspire and create my art. I'm not usually spontaneous in my every day life but am in the studio as I'm not always in control of what happens there, but I trust the process of what guides me.
Hi Annette! We all find our way over time. But it always seems like it takes a long time to get there.
True. Patience and perseverance, the will, effort, desire, need, etc. It's all grist for the mill!