The title of this post might be more aptly named, "Living Out of Alignment". Because that's what I've been doing.
I always end my letters with the words, "Simplicity Always". It's not because I'm a minimalist or think that things should be the classic definition of "simple" but that our daily actions should be infused with a sense of grace and purpose – living in alignment. It's kind of like the tightrope walker who seems to effortlessly balance a million things and easily walk across a rope suspended high above the ground. It takes time, practice, patience and most importantly – confidence. Having faith in yourself and your abilities to do what needs to be done and to do it well... that is a key ingredient. Writing this out whenever I end an email or a letter is a reminder of the importance of this mantra.
But I have not been adhering to this guiding principle and I think it has shown. I've tried to do all the things I did before, but being out of sync with myself, it's really been a mess. At first they were tiny fractures, almost too small to perceive at all. But then as time went on and they started to spiral outwards, the cracks grew. Somedays I would do better. And I would feel like everything was under control, but then the next day the feelings would return and it seemed like I had sunk that much further. Two steps forward, three steps back. I guess this is what they call a crisis.
So what do you do when you find yourself amidst a crisis?
The first step is to admit that there is something wrong.
Now comes the hard part... doing something about it.
For the past few weeks I have been actively weeding out the negative individuals in my life and clearing out the mental clutter that pollutes and propagates. It hasn't been easy. These things have roots that go deep and the only way to get them all the way out is to dig deeper. I wish that I could say that everything was resolved, but it's taking time... lots of time.. and it'll take more time as I continue to pull back the layers and fix what has been broken.
The other part of actively realigning myself is to address the promises that I've made. They're kind of like pebbles. One or two outstanding things-to-do don't weigh so much... but compounded by a hundred... then it starts to get heavy. A thousand pebbles make a boulder.
I also have to remove what's not necessary and focus on what is. What's important? How can I best honor the things that are my primary focus? Can I delegate things? Can I ask for help? Are there better ways of doing things so that there's more time to devote to the things that make me a better and happier person – someone who is aligned? These are questions that I have been asking myself and am finding surprising answers.
As an artist and a maker, one of the other things that is of dire importance is to find time to make again. It's about getting in touch with my Muses and allowing them to move through me, as a vessel of creativity. Everyday I want to make something new. It could be crap or it could be a masterpiece, just as long as it's something. I draw a line every day to remind myself that I'm an artist, but it needs to be something more. Those lines need to converge.
This is me and here is my confession... I am just another person, working to try and find meaning and purpose once again to be centered and to act from an internal space of peace and pure alignment.
For me, it's no different. I have a million ideas and a sense of expectation from these artistic ambitions. I often times have to table these creative pursuits in favor of the everyday demands that rear their head. Now that there's the Gallery, there are even more demands on my schedule. Cynthia Deis, owner of Ornamentea, offered up some great advice to those seeking to start their own store. She left it as a reply to an excellent series of posts that Jennifer Jangles wrote not too long ago on the Art Bead Scene blog. Basically she said: It's hard to juggle customer demands and creative work. It's important to make time to handle business and creative activities you don't want to be interrupted away from.
This week's word is "cherish". Create a piece of jewelry, a work of art, or take a picture that, in your opinion, best captures the meaning of the word. Think about the word and its different interpretations and how it makes you feel. Translate it into whatever medium you'd like and then post about it on your blog. Once you've uploaded your blog post, copy and paste the URL into a new comment on this post. Be sure to check out what others are making, inspired by the weekly word. Don't delay; you have a week until the new word is posted.
Aren't the pieces that she created lovely? I love the mix of textures and how she's got a funky vintage feel.
