Jinx and Teego watching me work.
Some days are better than others.
I set a goal and make step-by-step plans on how to accomplish that goal. I make and stick to a list. I check off items on that list as things get accomplished. I set deadlines for myself and work to meet those deadlines.
And then….
there are some days in which no matter WHAT I do, I just can’t seem to get it all TOGETHER. Nothing appears to get done. The projects are waiting. I’ve got what I need. I can find the supplies, have the time, look around and then WHAM! I get blindsided by what might appear to be procrastination, but it’s really not. (At least I don’t think so.)
I’ll call it “Spinning Circles” for lack of a better term. I can’t seem to get anything accomplished, so I’ll go out in the barn, sit down at the wheel and begin to treadle. On the wheel I can feel the fiber passing through my fingers and my thoughts begin to flow with the movement of the wheel. I keep a notebook handy for when/if the solution to a problem, inspiration or idea strikes. I’ll write it down because I KNOW I won’t remember it later.
Another technique I use is called “Foolin’ Around.” I’ll take my camera with me and go for a walk in the back yard. I never know for sure what I might find, but it gets me up and moving. My imagination begins to look at things from a different point of view and that’s always a good beginning.
Jinx and Teego were a little curious when I came into the pasture with my camera. Soon I had some handspun yarns out for a photo shoot and it was more than they could bear. They came over to look. Did I have food? After spending almost two hours with a camera and the alpacas, I could begin again. Maybe I was working all along.
What do you do when you get “stuck” with thoughts or ideas in your creative projects? Although I might be spinning circles and fooling around, I’ll be making forward progress.
Today’s a good day for “Foolin’ Around.”
Happy Creating!
Paula B. Puckett 
Great post and photo, Paula. This week I decided to work on revamping my website when I was stuck in my painting and drawing. Sometimes just having a lot of projects at once helps me rotate through them, as one problem arises I move on where the solution often comes up and I can go back. So good to see you yesterday.
Thanks Beth. It was good to see you too.
Actually (today) I’ve been “planting seeds” for upcoming activities and future projects, with a little networking thrown in for good measure.
The studio is calling me and I will get something done I’m sure of it now. 🙂
I love that photo! I’d love to see it bigger — the teeth are fabulous, and the brown legs showing underneath the matching brown yarn, all the vertical and horizontal stripes providing structure and color. You should enter that photo in a contest or send it for publication.
Oh, wow, Sandy. Thanks! Will consider your suggestion. 🙂
First, it was great seeing you AND Beth last week. And I agree with Sandy about the photo – it’s terrific!
If my mind is spinning, since I don’t actually spin something beautiful and constructive like you do, I go for a walk. That does the trick.
(FYI – giving you a little shout-out in my artsyletters blog post tomorrow, which is technically just an hour or so from now. ;0) Thanks for braving the weather to come out to Art in the Square!)
It was good to see you too, in spite of all the rainy weather. Thanks for stopping by the blog. See you soon!