Joni Beach

October 19, 2011October 22, 2011

Studio on the Porch~

Today I moved my studio to the porch in order to take-in the beautiful autumn colors just over the railing, as well as the warmth of a bright, sunny day. Last week it was very chilly here in Virginia’s mountains and was a reminder to get the chimney cleaned and the fireplace ready for the winter! But, today was warm and breezy and I was drawn to work on the porch.

As the leaves rustled in the breeze, birds were noisily arguing, and in a distance a lawnmower was grinding, I got some of the quilting done on the Lifeweaving #3 wall-hanging. With the woven strips, it wasn’t clear whether the pins would be enough to hold the top together while sewing. But, so far so good–and a tiny zig-zag stitch seems to cover the raw edges well. It will require slowly working from the middle out, toward the sides, and in sections.

The afternoon light faded quickly…also, tomorrow may be rainy, so the porch may not be as inviting then…but for today it was perfect!

October 11, 2011October 19, 2011

Flow~~~

In art, as in life, experiencing a state of flow can be very exciting and great motivation in moving toward one’s goals.

~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Flow

[click to view You-Tube video of Csikszentmihalyi on Creativity, Fulfillment, & Flow.]

~In Flow your activity matches your skill level–mismatches equal boredom if too easy or anxiety and frustration if too difficult.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lost in Time

~We lose an awareness of time…our focus and concentration is on the creative process and task at hand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Go With the Flow

~It includes patience and an easy, gentle pace…but also the failures, frustrations, impatience, and rebellions! (Make Your Creative Dreams Real, by SARK)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Optimal Experience

~ In the book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Mihaly Csíkszentmihályi discusses that creativity and being in flow contributes to an optimal human experience. When our activities are balanced between being a challenge but within our skill level, we enjoy a state of concentration and a sense of well-being. I think of it as a chance to test myself––in a fun way!

* Today in the studio I will be quilting a wall-hanging–When do you experience being in Flow?

If you have the time, I’d love to hear your thinking! (To Leave a Comment–click below…) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How To Get Outside Yourself (everydayintensity.com)

October 7, 2011October 11, 2011

Family Fridays–“Goals–Disappointment or Motivation?”

This week there was a theme on my blog-–goals. Earlier this week, I observed that as an artist failing to reach a goal can be disappointing and discouraging. In our families, especially as parents, we may experience a similar thing. Having goals and expectations, along with perhaps being perfectionistic with ourselves and our family members, may lead us to feel stressed if the end results are not always what we want. Can’t this actually present additional stress and add to problems rather than lessen them?

Instead of viewing goals as end results that must be achieved, perhaps goals can be set to use as a guide to help us move in the direction that we would like to go…an aid in seeing a vision of our families that we would like to encourage and strive toward. For example, instead of saying my child must make all A’s on their report card, a parent’s goal might be that their child will learn, develop, and gain confidence in their abilities as they grow as a person. Then, our goals become motivation with positive encouragement, regardless of the specific end results. In the end, this may lessen our disappointment and raise our confidence in meeting life’s challenges along the way.

I have not met all of my goals for the week, but I am working in the direction I’d like to go…How about you?

As the fall colors and warm days are here, enjoy the weekend!