I have been feeling down for a few weeks. Probably longer, but who keeps track of such things? Could be Seasonal Affective Disorder, could be just January blues. In my early January blog, I mentioned I had started a 12-week program to unblock my creativity. That is going OK, if a bit slow. There is no way I can do the recommended exercises in the time suggested, but I am hopeful that I will see results. But it will take more than 12 weeks. This program is not helping my mood though, and in fact one of the exercises actually caused me to become a bit more depressed. I went out and bought some “fun” items that might spark some creative work, but instead, I was disappointed by the purchase and realized I had just added more “stuff” to my already overfilled space. This reality hit me this morning, and I decided I needed to do something about it. To be fair, we did try to declutter last winter, setting aside Tuesdays as “declutter day”. Of course, it didn’t take many weeks to have something come up on a Tuesday that prevented the decluttering from happening, then the following week something else happened, and there went that great plan. Let’s face it, decluttering is not fun. One of my problems is that I won’t start something if I don’t have a “system” to keep on track. Which means that often I don’t start. A classic case of “perfect” getting in the way of “good enough”. I know this is a textbook form of procrastination, but I am what I am! So of course I started on my quest for a decluttering “system” I could live with (I have read Mari Kondo’s book, but I stopped when she suggested I get rid of my books!! Not going to happen!) I remember reading some time back that clutter can make us depressed, or at least anxious. It might have been Mari Kondo, or it may have been someone else, but I believe it. So I went on the internet (of course!) to do a bit of reading on the topic, hoping to gather munitions for building my “system”. Lucky for me, it didn’t take long. Googling “depression and too much stuff” reminded me that the word I was looking for was “clutter”. So after rewording my search, I found this article, as the first “hit”: https://nourishingminimalism.com/clutter-depression-and-anxiety-a-vicious-cycle/ If you have any struggles with too much stuff, anxiety, or depression, I strongly encourage you to read it. The first revelation to me was that I am not alone! What a relief! Although we all strive to be “unique” (especially as creatives), it is comforting to know that we are not unique in our struggles. I found that the author (Rachel Jones) also runs a decluttering challenge and, in addition to having designed a clever “system” (a simple but powerful motivational checklist that I can use “as is”), she has created a Facebook group to go along with it! https://www.facebook.com/groups/nourishingminimalismyearlydeclutteringchallenge What could be better for someone like me who is "a bit" competitive? But who also needs support and motivation! I have of course joined and have already found comfort in reading some of the posts of fellow strugglers! If you struggle with clutter and the way it makes you feel, won’t you consider joining me, either for the 2023 challenge, the Facebook group, or both? We could encourage each other as we progress! And if you have tackled clutter and won, I would love to hear how you did it!
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This week's "recycled" blog is to do with ACEOs and ATCs. As I will be giving a workshop on Artist Trading Cards in April, I thought a refresher on what they are and where they came from would be interesting. So let's look back at the blog from Feb 4, 2021. One update: I have since learned that M. Vänçi Stirneman actually experienced a hockey card trading session during his stay in Canada in 1988, which gave him the idea of the trading card format. I also found this interesting article on the Canadian who was very instrumental in the creation of the ATC. This week I started a 12-week program to unblock my creativity. Maybe you have heard of it. It is based on the book “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron, which has been apparently responsible for helping out thousands of creatives in every domain, from poetry to filmmaking, including famous people such as Patricia Cornwell, Elizabeth Gilbert and Pete Townshend (although to her credit I had to look those up, she is not a name dropper!). As part of the program, I have to take myself out on “Artist Dates”, which briefly means going out and doing something fun, something I would probably not have done otherwise. So I took myself on a raid of a local thrift store. I love thrift stores, and that is one of the things I miss about not going to Florida anymore. They have dozens of thrift stores there, and I would have my usual haunts, although I was not averse to checking out new ones when I had the time. Around here, a few have sprung up in recent years in an effort to cut down on waste, and although there are fewer than in Florida, I still enjoy checking them out. So I decided to go in a different mindset, not looking for something useful as I usually do, but looking for something fun, perhaps something I could turn into an art project. One thing I looked at which I don’t usually was the puzzles and games table. I looked at many before settling on a 2000-piece puzzle of a candy display. I am not a puzzle person, but I don’t dislike them. I remember enjoying adding a few pieces to the partially completed ones that were always left out on tables in the library back in Florida. So I bought it! And paid all of $1! I sure hope it’s complete, but it will be a while until I find out! My oh my! What have I gotten myself into! I worked all afternoon and evening just trying to find and get the border done!! I worked as long as I could without the picture, but as I was (and still am) missing a few border pieces, I had to use it just to get the borders assembled in the right direction! And it is so big!! We had to add 2 leaves to the dining room table to make room for it!! It is going to be a while, but I am enjoying it. It keeps my mind busy, which is what it needs. I am constantly being distracted, and I just hope that this puzzle, as well as the “Artist’s Way” program, are not just other ways to keep me from doing art! I will keep you posted on the progress! |
AuthorMy name is Claire Bureau. Archives
March 2023
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