Skip to main content

Life Offline

Even my computer wasn't quite sure what to make of my decision to log off last week...

That was the LAMEST attempt at logging off yet! I admit it. And it was all my fault because I forgot to take care of some things that you absolutely have to take care of as a small biz owner no matter what- take care of your customers and business FIRST. I had some loose ends and discovered just how much I relied on facebook to communicate with certain people about business. So my desire of disconnecting totally from facebook was not fulfilled. Thats ok, I'm trying it again this week now that I don't have art to pick up from venues or people waiting on projects or things to deliver. I can just be  a painting hermit with no obligations to anyone. Please?
Life offline was interesting and I noticed when I did pop on for a minute or two to get info or do business I did NOT miss the constant stream of opinions that constantly flows down the newsfeed. I was no longer in anyones business and they were no longer in mine. I did get a few tastes of how our online culture has shaped the way we communicate now. But that wasn't an eye opener really. I have long known that because we are protected by little screens and cellphone screens we can just pop off any comment to someone without really thinking about it or how it was going to come across. It  usually comes out in a way you WOULD NEVER dare to say to that person face to face and usually out of context -a fired off little word missile that hits its target with no shrapnel back at you because you can just log off, click on a new window and go about your life. I had some of that this week and am adopting a new attitude about it. If I don't know you and you're shooting your little misguided missile at me I'm going to view it as I would a bird flying into my field of vision and out. Not going to care. I don't know you and your words mean nothing. If you are someone I know shooting off something like that to me I'm going to kindly ask you to CALL ME or see me face to face and please repeat what you just said. I'm not playing hide behind the screen games anymore. Game Over on that. I'm a human being with feelings and view you as the same. Logging off this week was a great help in reconnecting me to my human side.
I also picked up my reading while I wasn't online. Real books. I am rereading my Beginning Mindfulness book which teaches you how to be in the moment. It's a study in zen meditation and I have been away from it for too long. I need that back in my life. It is showing me how to enjoy the simple act of being, putting my thoughts back into the present and not into the future or past. We only have right now and that is all that matters right now- so guide your actions accordingly.
But what I mainly did while I was offline was PAINT PAINT PAINT. And I finished one!
"The Path of Perpetual Pursuit"
I also went to two art shows, got contracts faxed over to galleries, adopted a new decluttering system of picking up 10 items a day and returning them where they belong, turned in all my work to Composite magazine for the March edition, lost 2 lbs and learned some new recipes. It's kind of amazing how much time being online eats up without you realizing, how it starts shaping your relationships to people and how you treat them and all the wonderful things that exist OFFLINE that are waiting to be discovered.
So with that being said- TAKE 2 of Life Offline for this upcoming week is in order. I figure I have about 30 new paintings that I need to pull out of thin air and my time needs to be maximized....and theres talk of me doing a mural project that will require me working nights and thats going to be tons of fun resetting my sleep schedule. Can I do it all? I'm sure gonna try.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jim Rockford was keeping me broke

Ah Rockford files, a comfortable and silly way to unwind after work. Yes, I am completely aware that I've turned into my Dad and watching Dad shows totally cements that theory. I had to start looking at the handsome James Garner in a new light though... He was a rich and famous star in his time and every evening spent curled up watching Rockford Files was an evening a painting wasn't getting worked on. No painting, no art show material. No painting, no galleries. No painting, no money. Would James Garner be watching TV every evening in a tired drowsy ball and not getting stuff done? Probably not.  So I pulled myself away from TV land in the evenings and devoted at least a little time in the mornings as well. Even if it's just ten minutes. Even if you are just filling in all the blacks, blues or whatever... It is progress. Something is better than nothing. I'm proud to say this little habit tweak has totally kicked my butt into gear and I'm producing at a rate I'
Post a Comment
Read more

How I had the best art year

  This was the year I got rejection letters from every open call I applied to. Granted, it wasn't very many I applied to because I am very picky about what I sign up for AND I am also very jaded about these things of late.  However, this was my best art year to date and I kinda love that it was all rejection notices this year and I STILL HAD THE BEST ART YEAR EVER. Takeaway: Today's open calls are very "agenda based" and the jurors they choose to judge have their agendas. Some want more millennials and younger artists and shun the older artists, some want you to tackle race, gender identity, politics, feminist, pro this or that.... And my art does not. I'm going to stick by  my "Nature is more important than most bullshit" stance till I die because the very atom of life and Nature is more important in my eyes than most of the stuff humans do to feel more important than another group.  But I digress! I did not get into the velvet rope clubs and it was gre
Post a Comment
Read more

The Backstory- cliff notes edition

  Skip navigation  little backstory I was totally working for myself as an artist and you know what? It was HARD! Harder than hard and harder than any job ever. But it was the most rewarding experience and I learned so much about so many things and I want to share that knowledge with you guys... My VIP art club. I didn't get a fair shake from the very beginning of my art career. I suffered a back injury at my "muggle" job which required a lot of physical therapy to get over and which I will have with me forever now. It was actually the impetus for me to quit my job and start being an artist! So I turned my bad luck into fuel for my fire. I saved 5k (painstakingly while enduring all the BS at a terrible job) and then I made the leap. I was so excited and optimistic about working for myself! I had sold little pieces here and there and was sure it was only upwards from there. 2 weeks into my freedom- my Dad died unexpectedly. What came next was indescribable DEPRESSION and a
Post a Comment
Read more