Something Happened

"For a moment, nothing happened. Then, after a second or so, nothing continued to happen." Douglas Adams

Sometimes being self-employed feels like nothing continues to happen no matter what you do. You have to keep marketing and developing products and expecting to happen and, suddenly, something does.

So far this week has been like that for me. After a long dry spell when I sent out proposals, went on interviews and submitted writing samples, I’m beginning to get some results. Monday, I got a new teaching assignment, and yesterday the training company that I work with called with an opportunity to teach a workshop at a conference. I can hardly wait to see what happens today.

I breathed a sigh of relief, but I know that I can’t let my guard down. I need to continue putting myself out there. I have plans for a monthly newsletter/press release to help establish myself with the media as an expert in creativity. Since I can’t find a graduate certificate program in creativity here in Colorado, I plan to develop my own. And I’m thinking about joining the Professional Speakers’ Association.

As best-selling author and career counselor Barbara Sher said, “Perhaps the best reason to plan is that following a plan gets you out into the world. If you go to the library and look up articles, call people, join organizations, go to appointments, something can happen to you.” On the other hand, beloved western author Larry McMurtry pointed out, “If you wait, all that happens is that you get older.”

© Copyright 2007 Dixie Darr. All rights reserved

Step Lively

“Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way you're a mile away, and you have their shoes too.” Anonymous

I started walking for exercise, but quickly learned that the benefits went far beyond the physical. Walkers have less incidence of cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other killer diseases. As a result, they live longer. Because walking increases the blood flow to the brain, it also alleviates depression and hones thinking skills. Walking, of course, is one of Julia Cameron’s basic tools for improving creativity in her classic book, The Artist’s Way. The others are morning pages and artist’s dates.

When I get stuck in a writing project or wrestling with some other problem, walking helps. Some speculate that the rhythmic and repetitive movement of walking balances the brain. I’ll buy that, and I will also argue for walking outside. Walking in nature activates the senses as I feel the wind and sun on my face, smell the roses or the river, see the changing seasons and listen to the birds. You don’t get that from using a treadmill and listening to your iPod.

It’s raining this morning, so I have to delay my walk until later. I will go out, however. Last winter, when a huge early snowstorm clogged our streets and sidewalks for weeks and made walking treacherous, I went more than a little stir crazy. No less a scholar than Soren Kierkegaard advised, “I have walked myself into my best thoughts.” Maybe your best thoughts are just a few steps away.

© Copyright 2007 Dixie Darr. All rights reserved

Chaos Theory

“One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.”
- AA Milne

My artist’s date this weekend was a garden tour sponsored by the Conflict Center. Normally, this annual event is a favorite of mine. The gardens in my working class neighborhood are not the overly designed and manicured gardens of the wealthier parts of town and that is fine with me. These gardens require more creativity than cash and typically feature recycled materials and plants acquired from friends and neighbors. As acclaimed dancer and choreographer Twyla Tharp said, “Whom the gods wish to destroy they give unlimited resources." Nobody around here has unlimited resources.

This year, I was a little disappointed. The gardens were more ordinary, not the exceptional examples I enjoyed in previous years. As usual, my favorite garden was the one that was crammed full of plants and artwork, with something interesting to look at no matter where your eyes lit. If you’ve seen my house, you already know that I’m the opposite of a minimalist, although the simple and serene Japanese style garden with incense burning throughout was also nice. For me, it would be a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.

One of the best things about a garden tour is the ideas it gives me about what I can do in my own yard. This year was no exception. My yard has suffered from neglect the past couple of years while my focus turned to, among other things, my dad’s declining health. Yesterday, though, I took another look at it and found a few things I could do to reclaim it from chaos. My neighbors will be happy to hear it.

If you don’t have time for a real artist’s date, take a few minutes to watch this amazing Women in Art video.

© Copyright 2007 Dixie Darr. All rights reserved