February 24
Creating A Life Worth Living – Part 8
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I’m reading Creating A Life Worth Living by Carol Lloyd. I picked this book because I’m trying to figure out the place I want painting to play in my life.
This week…Chapter 7, “The Long and Winding Roads,” addresses the problem of indecision and competing interests.
This chapter was very interesting to me and I hope, ultimately, very helpful because it made me reflect on inclinations I’ve had all my life…(1) I’m interested in almost everything, (2) I’m easily distracted, and (3) I get bored if I have to do that same thing for too long. When I initially typed the preceding sentence, I typed “problems” instead of “inclinations.” Although these tendencies can be a problem in one sense, that is who I am, and I’m not dissatisfied…BUT, in trying to put some form to my creative life, being willy-nilly-all-over-the-place isn’t serving me well.
The main exercise in this chapter, what the author considers “the most essential exercise in the entire book,” is to think through three possible futures for yourself. She gives you a variety of questions to help you live out the three paths in your imagination.
For my three paths, I chose painter, teacher and writer.
When I wrote out my life based on these three different paths, the following became much clearer…
1. Imagining my life as a painter had the most joy and passion. I could imagine that life well into the future and could come up with all sorts of interesting things I’d like to do in that life.
2. Imagining my life as a teacher and writer didn’t hold the same excitement. The only way I could get excited about either of these paths was to imagine them in connection with painting or with being an artist and creative person.
3. Although these things quickly became clear when I did the exercise, I realized how having these different “paths” living in my head has kept me from focusing on the path I truly want to pursue.
Well, for someone who is lacking in focus you sure do accomplish a lot! You create so much beautiful artwork, and I don’t think you could do that if you were as unfocused as you say. And of course you are a teacher and a writer too–no need for these paths to be mutually exclusive!
Looks like this book is really helping you! 😀
Nola
HELPFUL TO YOU! Stupid iPhone….
Gosh! My 3 paths are are the same!
We all have so many paths to choose from on our journey.
Painter you must be then 🙂
Sounds like the books is very good. Id love to do something creative for my job but then there is the money issue so teacher it is
urban hounds
I thought I wrote the first few sentences. Interetsed in everything, easily distracted…..squirrel….and get bored with projects that take too long. I come up with one idea, only to shift to another idea in a month or so. My husband can carve on the same piece of furniture, or work on a sculpture for months. Not me, I want it done in a day or two. The new beaded cuffs I’m making are perfect in that they are all different, and go together very fast. Maybe that needs to be my focus, until the next squirrel comes along.
Very interesting….
I enjoyed reading this very much. It sounds like a book I would find interesting and useful. I have to have a think about my own paths now. Thank you.