Aha! A beginning!
Hello all that come upon these words, thank you for taking time to check out the various brain children I’ll be birthing forth to the harsh cold reception of public scrutiny. Allow me to ask that you either smother these ill begotten beasts of creative burden and banish them forever, or nurture them gently and tenderly for them to grow beyond my recognition.
What the fuck am I doing, you might ask?
You know, I hardly can make decent guesses most days.
Today marks the beginning of a special new project, that was long hashed out and thought and processed over for grueling months and months of difficult brain work.
OK not really, I decided this pretty recently. BUT, I am as committed as anyone can be on the first day of a brand new NEW YEAR. It kills me that this is directly after Christmas, I’m over-socialized, overtired, bloated and delirious from all the baked goods, sounds like a great time to make a personal commitment which will take a large chunk of my time and intention.
Well thats it isn’t it? Where does that silly time go, and what on earth did we do with it?
Over this new year of 2019, and especially over January, I hope to un-package and talk about all that time and intention, and what to do with it by writing. I’ll tell you stories, I’ll write poems, and sometimes I’ll just come straight at ya like this, KAPLOW! So watch out, I might hit you with some word grenades.
A few weeks ago I started musing over the idea of creating things, crafting things, art, my output, my skills and interests, you know, the stuff that normally spirals around in my brain, and I came up with an idea.
Late 2017 I accepted a job working at an after school arts program for elementary kids, teaching story, theatre, and some arts and crafts. Recently I’ve been pondering the amount of broad technique and ability the kids at my program get exposed to. They are constantly making things, they have a starving appetite for creation.
At some point in the bridge between child and adult a lot of us ‘non-creatives‘ who have long since decided that they are just ‘not the creative type‘ put down the glue, scissors, pens and markers, and vow to never attempt the art life again. Some of us, by blind ignorance, defiant anarchism, pure talent, passion, or any other odd non-sensible reason go the other direction and dive deep into the creative waters of the arts.
Well I’m here to tell you that it is impossible not to be creative. I’m not even touting that “it’s a skill and you can learn it like anything else” no no no. I’m saying that you inherently just because you are alive and human, are deeply, intuitively, passionately creative. Wether you are aware of it or if you believe it makes zero difference, it just is.
Maybe you have held on to the idea that creative people are different and that you will never be that way, and ‘how dare you Mark, who are you to say what is and isn’t possible, I’m not creative and that’s just the way that it is.‘
Well to that I say, correct who am I? But you are creative and always will be. What matters is intention, and medium. So you aren’t an ‘artist‘ (whatever the fuck that means) by any traditional sense, but maybe you are a receptionist and your system, desk, organization and optimization clicks like a high grade swiss watch. Your work shit is impeccable, nothing slips by your astute gaze. That’s art too, you created that, it is the product of your intentional change to your direct environment, it’s your art.
When you choose to remove the decisions and beliefs about what things are or aren’t inherently art or creative, art begins to become a lens through which you see the world more deeply, and an outcome by which to modify and transform the world.
Because I am an artist (whatever the fuck that means), and I am choosing to open myself deeper to the depths of my intention and creation, for every day this year I am dedicated to at least one creative contribution to my surroundings and life. This writing you are reading marks the first piece for the month of January, which I have labeled as
‘The Month of Writing.’
Here are the months:
Hello all that come upon these words, thank you for taking time to check out the various brain children I’ll be birthing forth to the harsh cold reception of public scrutiny. Allow me to ask that you either smother these ill begotten beasts of creative burden and banish them forever, or nurture them gently and tenderly for them to grow beyond my recognition.
What the fuck am I doing, you might ask?
You know, I hardly can make decent guesses most days.
Today marks the beginning of a special new project, that was long hashed out and thought and processed over for grueling months and months of difficult brain work.
OK not really, I decided this pretty recently. BUT, I am as committed as anyone can be on the first day of a brand new NEW YEAR. It kills me that this is directly after Christmas, I’m over-socialized, overtired, bloated and delirious from all the baked goods, sounds like a great time to make a personal commitment which will take a large chunk of my time and intention.
Well thats it isn’t it? Where does that silly time go, and what on earth did we do with it?
Over this new year of 2019, and especially over January, I hope to un-package and talk about all that time and intention, and what to do with it by writing. I’ll tell you stories, I’ll write poems, and sometimes I’ll just come straight at ya like this, KAPLOW! So watch out, I might hit you with some word grenades.
A few weeks ago I started musing over the idea of creating things, crafting things, art, my output, my skills and interests, you know, the stuff that normally spirals around in my brain, and I came up with an idea.
Late 2017 I accepted a job working at an after school arts program for elementary kids, teaching story, theatre, and some arts and crafts. Recently I’ve been pondering the amount of broad technique and ability the kids at my program get exposed to. They are constantly making things, they have a starving appetite for creation.
At some point in the bridge between child and adult a lot of us ‘non-creatives‘ who have long since decided that they are just ‘not the creative type‘ put down the glue, scissors, pens and markers, and vow to never attempt the art life again. Some of us, by blind ignorance, defiant anarchism, pure talent, passion, or any other odd non-sensible reason go the other direction and dive deep into the creative waters of the arts.
Well I’m here to tell you that it is impossible not to be creative. I’m not even touting that “it’s a skill and you can learn it like anything else” no no no. I’m saying that you inherently just because you are alive and human, are deeply, intuitively, passionately creative. Wether you are aware of it or if you believe it makes zero difference, it just is.
Maybe you have held on to the idea that creative people are different and that you will never be that way, and ‘how dare you Mark, who are you to say what is and isn’t possible, I’m not creative and that’s just the way that it is.‘
Well to that I say, correct who am I? But you are creative and always will be. What matters is intention, and medium. So you aren’t an ‘artist‘ (whatever the fuck that means) by any traditional sense, but maybe you are a receptionist and your system, desk, organization and optimization clicks like a high grade swiss watch. Your work shit is impeccable, nothing slips by your astute gaze. That’s art too, you created that, it is the product of your intentional change to your direct environment, it’s your art.
When you choose to remove the decisions and beliefs about what things are or aren’t inherently art or creative, art begins to become a lens through which you see the world more deeply, and an outcome by which to modify and transform the world.
Because I am an artist (whatever the fuck that means), and I am choosing to open myself deeper to the depths of my intention and creation, for every day this year I am dedicated to at least one creative contribution to my surroundings and life. This writing you are reading marks the first piece for the month of January, which I have labeled as
‘The Month of Writing.’
Here are the months:
January: The Month of Writing
February: The Month of the Body and Movement
March: The Month of Music
April: The Month of Drawing
May: The Month of Food
June: The Month of Dance
July: The Month of Performance
August: The Month of Sculpture
September: The Month of Painting
October: The Month of Story
November: The Month of Collaboration
December: The Month of Inter-discipline
I am feeling a mix of lots of different emotions as I look at this list and try to imagine where I’ll be and what things will be like with this project in the later months. There is a part of me that feels as if this has just blossomed before my eyes like a magical task from the heavens and a little voice thats saying ‘Do it! Go Mark go!‘ I am anticipating some trials and difficulties, but I can’t deny that I am mostly full of excitement of what sorts of things I’ll make, and where I will be lead.
So here’s me raising a glass in toast to all of you reading and watching, and to all of you that have been invested in my creative journey. I hope your new year brings you as much intention and creation as possible.
Peace and blessings,
Mark
February: The Month of the Body and Movement
March: The Month of Music
April: The Month of Drawing
May: The Month of Food
June: The Month of Dance
July: The Month of Performance
August: The Month of Sculpture
September: The Month of Painting
October: The Month of Story
November: The Month of Collaboration
December: The Month of Inter-discipline
I am feeling a mix of lots of different emotions as I look at this list and try to imagine where I’ll be and what things will be like with this project in the later months. There is a part of me that feels as if this has just blossomed before my eyes like a magical task from the heavens and a little voice thats saying ‘Do it! Go Mark go!‘ I am anticipating some trials and difficulties, but I can’t deny that I am mostly full of excitement of what sorts of things I’ll make, and where I will be lead.
So here’s me raising a glass in toast to all of you reading and watching, and to all of you that have been invested in my creative journey. I hope your new year brings you as much intention and creation as possible.
Peace and blessings,
Mark
Looking forward to what you come up with and will check in as much as I can �� Tammy M
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