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Avoiding knee-jerk reactions

“Series 2017-2” – drying and waiting for the next steps towards completion

 

Late last year I wrote a post suggesting that one of the best ways to take our minds off the current political situation was to visit an art gallery or museum. My belief was that immersing ourselves in original art could help relieve stress and provide a refuge from today’s highly charged political climate.

While I still strongly recommend this approach, a related thought occurred to me last week as I was working on a new series of 12” square Joomchi pieces. As much as I want each new artwork to come together quickly, I have to remind myself that the process takes time. The steps I have in my head are almost never the path the artwork follows. I must be patient and not continually keep wetting the Hanji paper and re-working it, hoping it will finally “behave.” When I rush, every little detail becomes a larger issue than necessary.

In other words, I am learning to be okay with those parts of the artwork I do not like and focus on the parts I feel are going well. I’ve stopped trying to force the issue. I let the paper dry and then start the Joomchi process again. My brain has time to become quiet and I can refocus on my overall goals for the piece.

I think this philosophy can be helpful to those who are working to change policy within their own communities or on a national scale. Becoming proactive rather than reactive is what it’s all about. This can happen when we are thoughtful and take the time to step back and study the issues holistically. While outward journeys (to museums, into nature, to foreign lands) still have great value in changing our points of view, often the greatest breakthroughs come from giving ourselves the space to make these sorts of journeys inward.