Like most people, I have enough time to do whatever I’m doing. The question always lingers, though, how do I find the time to do the rest of the stuff I still want to do?
Like, paint with my liquid pencils and watercolors? Write a blog post or add an article to my blog? Write a painting tutorial? Enroll in another class and get all I can from it? Nurture my friendships, online and off?
Priorities, of course. It’s still and always a matter of choice. Do I choose the urgent? Or the easy? Or the smallest tasks?
Like eating corn chips, do I eat all the small and insignificant ones first so I can savor and enjoy the whole ones later? (Getting so full from the crumbs that I often haven’t room left in my tummy for the goodies?)
As a young girl, my sister picked only the largest, lightest potato chips from the bag to put into her bowl. Maybe she had the right idea:
Fill the bag. Make my list as long as it wants to be. List everything as I think of it. (If it’s not on the list, it gets forgotten.)
Sort the chips. Choose the biggest, most important tasks and block them into the schedule first. (My best time of day is the morning… so this makes sense.)
Prepare to savor. Brew the coffee…….
Begin!
Save the smaller, easier, maybe just-as-important-but-less-taxing tasks for later in the day when my energy is low and my attention span is shorter.
And during the breaks, walk (climb stairs) with weights in my hands. (This actually increases my energy levels.)
Wine and Bread was done in liquid pencils, using four graphite tints. The tiny strokes of red-orange in the glass are watercolor. All other colors were mixed from the graphite. I use Matisse Liquid Pencils, all four colors plus two greys, and a very pointed round brush.
The drawing fits behind a mat with a 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 inch opening.
I know the ellipses are off, for you who are pure in your drawings. (These things bother my husband.
) But it’s freely-hand-drawn, so I forgive myself.
I’ll improve…
Meanwhile, I feel good about having drawn it, about having taken the time to do it.
I seem to find the time when I decide to take the time. So I guess the question isn’t really How do I find the time to…?, but rather What do I do with the time I have?
What do you think?
Please pour yourself some coffee — the cream (real) and sugars (for Valerie) are on the sideboard.
Barb
P.S. You can subsribe to new blog posts in your email in the box above, right under the coffee cup. (I don’t share addresses with anyone!)
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Greetings, Barb!
I appreciate your post so much. As you commented on my New Year’s post, our musings and planning need refreshing — at LEAST once a year.
In my saying ‘no’ go ever increasing ‘good’ things, I had an ‘aha’ moment this past weekend as I was repotting some house plants. I love to garden, and last year that was pushed entirely off my calendar — no new annuals, no container gardening, not even lettuce or spinach!!! So, as your art and painting are your delight, and you inspire me with your training and practice — so, this spring and summer, my calendar is open to gardening once again….
Hi Barb,
I love your image of the potato chips. I am always railing over not enough time and New Years I did, sort of what you did, and make a list to organize and separate the big”chips” from the little ones. I came up with 95 things. Aaaak! And it hasn’t gotten any better. Something else always comes up.
Hi Barb,
Another beauty of a drawing. Yes, your ellipses are a bit off, but tell your DH that it’s a drawing, not a photo. Have you ever looked closely at the work of Paul Cézanne? In his still lifes, his perspective is often cockeyed, but who can deny the beauty and skill of his work.
Remember, in the final analysis, your art needs to please only you.
As far as time management goes, perhaps your method might work. My lists are always horrendously long, and often, I’m intimidated by the sheer size of the list. The advice to just do one thing at a time is so difficult to follow. If you find a better way, let me know.
Elaina
Hi Barb,
I see the chips and ‘projects’ differently. I always savor the nice big chips first and leave the crumbs for last (I should throw them away, but, you know).
When it comes to the ‘to do’ list, the big ones scare me and worry me. I have to divvy them up into smaller chips or I go bananas.
An example is my blog. It scares me.
Thanks for the thought provoking articles.
Carol
Hi Barb
I have long lists of Things to Do. The problem is that every item has to be done FIRST…
However, about twice a year I get through the pile of bills, letters and horrid forms beside my computer, and today I only have one paper left – the house insurance to renew. Tomorrow might even be one of those rare, rare days when the whole pile is done and I go out and dance in the street. Well, I find myself smiling a daft smile anyway.
Like your drawing, I assume it is with real media not Painter? And who wants perfect ellipses when a camera can do them no problem.
Well, I just wait til things are desperate and then do the ones I must do! (you know, laundry, dishes)
As for the things I want to do..they seem to come first with me these days. It was a different story when I was raising kids.
I just LOVE your painting and I’ll share mine if you share yours
Anita
Barb:
I think it adds an element of realism to the scene, myself.
Came here from my mom’s (Sliloh’s) blog to see your art. Beautiful drawing! I’ve always wished I could draw, but sadly I lacked the innate talent and never had the focus to dedicate to the study. And I agree with Elaina – besides who says you don’t see the picture that way?
@valerie I hope you got that last piece of paper taken care of and that you danced in the street with great gusto and enthusiasm.
Instead of tackling the little or the big things first, I tend to tackle a corner and work my way around. I do this with my garden, the clutter on the dining room table and even when it comes to reviewing student blogs. That way, I can see my progress. I really have found that I need that validation as my reward. I can prioritize whether I need to pay the bills or answer student questions. But once I start something, I need to work my way linearly to keep from getting distracted. A lot of that is due to the brain injury, but regardless the reason I have learned to work with it instead against it.
First, I want to thank you for your visit to my blog and your post. I’m going to post in a couple of minutes the answer to your question about PITT pens. I just learned from you about Liquid Pencil. I had never heard of that. Your art and writing is so very interesting. And quite by happenstance I am having a cup of coffee as I type. We had breakfast for lunch after church today; something we don’t normally do. Now I’m reading your blog and pondering how I want to spend the afternoon. I’m very, very sleepy so a nap is definitely on my list
Hi Barb,
First, thank you for dropping by my blog and leaving a comment. I truly appreciate it.
I like the potato chip analogy. It reminded me of how some suggest to eat dessert first instead of filling up on the meal and not having room for the best part.
Your artwork is fabulous. I love how you combined a piece which fits the blog post so well.
Happy Blogging!
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