GREEN SCENE-TERLINGUA, TEXAS

October 25, 2014

Hello All,

I had a request to show some of the shawls I will have for sale at Green Scene this year. So here are a few.

They are woven on a triangle loom which I will have at Green Scene so everyone can see the process.

Hope to see you there.

Thinking about overthinking

One of the things that make us human is the ability to think. "Cogito ergo sum" I think therefore I am, and all that stuff. Sometimes thinking is quite simple, like tonight I thought "I'll make macaroni and cheese for dinner." It was quite good, by the way. Other times we may thing quite complex thoughts, like when we think about algebra.

As creative folk, we think all the time. Do I use a bright red or pale green? Create a retro design or futuristic one? Write about tornados or daffodils? Do I think about this project or that one? But we can overthink. We do it all the time. We spend so much time thinking that

•  Nothing gets done.
•  We never finish the painting, song, or book.
•  We make molehills into mountains.
•  We miss the deadline.
•  We have too much going on because we think we can do everything.

For example, we turn molehills into mountains. I think I have to write a formal proposal for something I want to do. I try to think of all the information I should assemble to write this proposal. I think of all the information I should include. I think I should include other information, references perhaps. So then I realize that continuing on the path I was on that I would either not get it done at all or miss the deadline. What to do? What to do?

I sent a short inquiry and asked what information do you need? I got a quick reply. We have a questionnaire. Do you want us to sent it to you? That's it. Fill in the blanks. I can do that.

So my thought for you tonight is don't overthink. Breathe.

Oh, and another thing, that makes us human, is laughter. 

Happy Earth Day!

Do you use cobalt arsenate to make violet paint? Or maybe you've inhaled mercury fumes lately while developing your photographs. How's that lead-based make-up working out for your acting troupe? Castrated any boy sopranos for the church choir recently? Still tickling the ivories?

I pray that some of you don't understand all these examples. The truth is that although we make art to give beauty and meaning to our lives, in the past is was often produced at the cost of our lives, our sanity and our world. Things are different now. Producers of our supplies test products for safety. Even our toddlers' chalk and crayons have Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) available on-line. But we cannot give all the responsibility to the companies we frequent.

Call it "going green." Call it environmental awareness. Call it just plain old common sense. Look at your art, how you do it, where you do it, where you perform it, how you sell it. Are you acting in a environmentally responsible manner? Have you ever even considered that you should? What changes can you make? Change the lightening in your studio? Recycle paper and plastic? Is there a way to reduce packing of your work when you ship it? Is there a letter you need to write to a manufacturer or an elected politician?

Do some research. Read some articles. Learn what's out there. For whatever form of art you create, there is someone looking at its impact on our world. If there isn't yet, then perhaps you are the one to begin. Recognize that we no longer have to pollute and poison to create beauty and meaning in our world. We can create beauty and meaning and leave not just an artistic legacy but also a better, safer world where our children can safely create.

(This article originally appeared in roughly the same form in the June 2013 Creativity Coaching Association newsletter.)