Remove the Friction

Sentinels - Guardians and Protectors for Us snet from Higher Forces

For over two decades of my teaching career, I taught physics and chemistry. Gasp! Perhaps you weren’t a born physicist and you would have dreaded my class. Honestly, I never thought that my subject matter was so vital as the teaching of reading, writing and mathematics. Those subjects need some mastery for people to succeed in life. However, gravity and forces of the Universe apply to everyone whether you understand them or not. Knowing how to calculate the rate of acceleration of a rocket isn’t useful for the vast majority of us. I knew this back then and I made sure that my student had fun with doing science rather than hating it.

One of the concepts of physics is the force of friction. Essentially, friction is a force that opposes motion. In my classroom, I worked hard to remove the friction that stopped students from learning. What force was opposing their progress? Reduce that force and everyone wins.

How about you in your life? What is your friction? The force that stops you, or slows you down, from making your best artwork? Is it internal or external?

The internal friction is the voice in our heads that says “You can’t paint.” Or the idea that you aren’t good enough. The procrastination that you generate to keep you from your studio, kitchen table? You create this opposing force. Why? Life can be hard, why do we insist on making it harder? Why do we stop ourselves from enjoying our time? It’s crazy isn’t it?

Then there’s the external friction. We consider the opinions of people who aren’t creating anything meaningful in their own lives and when they tell us painting or making art is a waste of time, we listen. “You’ll never be a Vincent Van Gogh.” Correct - only Vincent himself could fill that role. We don’t get started because we don’t have a studio, expensive supplies or formal training. So? I know people who have a plastic tote box that they keep their supplies in and create on the kitchen table after the kiddos are in bed. I know supplies can be expensive. What if you bought yourself black, white and one color of paint to play with and see what you could do? The 12 pack of colored pencils to see how layering the colors works? Created sculptures out of the stuff in your recycling bin? There are artists who make a living creating from things they find washed up on a beach. So money is not the factor here - it’s the story you are telling yourself about money. Stop that!

Can’t afford or don’t have time for art classes? Try YouTube. I have a bunch of videos on there and people leave me comments about how helpful they are all the time. What do you want to learn? Look it up.

All I’m saying is that if deep down you really want to explore creativity and make some art - stop making excuses. The reasons you toss around in your head, if you wrote them down could almost all be resolved. The external friction is often just a lot of reasons you just made up that aren’t true - at the very least, they aren’t helpful.

Take a piece of blank paper and a pencil and make a list of what you want to try. Next to each one write down why you want to try it. Review your list - which one item stands out as the most exciting thing you could explore right now? Now, remove the friction. Gather the supplies in one place. Create a time, space and subject you want to play with. Write down what you would have to let go of in order to have the time and energy to create art (or write that book, create that dessert, plant that garden).

Please let me know what happens when you put down your excuses and pick up your creative practice. It helps me and it helps everyone who wants to do the same thing.

Thanks for checking out the blog and I truly wish you some creative time in your week!

Sentinel Collage #7