The Muse is IN Blog

Leap and the net shall appear but it may look different than what you were expecting

Painting by Jane Evershed ^

 Dear One,
  
 
Ahh, we love quotations, don’t we? Most of us do, anyway. And they inspire us. Some of us even take action based on them. But I think our interpretation of quotes needs to be flexible or they can disappoint or bite us in the ass.
 

Today is February 29^th, a leap day, and it brought to mind a quote attributed to John Burroughs:

“Leap and the net shall appear.”

 
I used to warn people about this quote because once upon a time, I was disillusioned with a management job and couldn't tolerate it for one more day, so I leaped.  Where the hell was the net?!!
 
Because I hadn’t done any weaving on it ahead of time, I ended up taking another job that was similarly disillusioning and I was miserable for another year and a half. After that, when I saw  "Leap and the net shall appear," I would scoff at the notion that a net would magically appear. I experienced a great deal of anxiety and difficulty from that leap.
 

No one said the net would be comfortable.

 
When I think back, I realized the net that appeared was just much different from what I expected so I didn’t recognize it as a net, it was more like a hard sidewalk. But that leap started a series of net-weavings that eventually ended up in the creation of my ideal and comfortably wonderful career.
 
Perhaps I would have gotten here more comfortably and easily if I had weaved the net with small steps BEFORE I leaped or at least had a parachute, but then I wouldn’t have experienced myself triumphing over a truly difficult situation. This conquest resulted in a trust that has served me far more than I ever imagined. It was born of perseverance and a growing belief in my resilience. It gave me courage and confidence because I succeeded despite the anxiety of letting go of security and the bumpy, circuitous route to success.
 
My safety net became: Trusting in myself.
 
The outcomes of actions I take based on my intuition may not look like what I expect, but whatever they are, I trust I will handle them and make them into something as good or better.
 
This is a liberating strategy especially in the creative process because instead of being attached to an outcome looking a certain way, I trust that whatever outcome transpires – I can handle it and take the silver lining and make it into a silver masterpiece.
 
I have submitted a proposal for my fourth book; I’m waiting for a response from my previous publisher. My intuition told me to turn down her request to simplify it into a book of prompts, so my publisher may pass. My joy is not tied to that book being accepted. I know whatever happens, I will make the best of it, and that is freeing and results in less frequent visits to the bakery section of my neighborhood grocer looking for gluten-free chocolate cookies because I’m not worried.
 
My joy comes from a source inside of me – trust, humor, peace of mind, and self-love that’s undisturbed by events outside of me. It took awhile to get there. This net didn’t appear over night. It took practice, tenacity, and resilience. And the willingness to take jumps that are based on a marriage of common sense and intuition.  
 
When our happiness comes from a source inside of us, no one can take it away, and that is a net that will catch us when we leap as well as if we fall.
 

I'm in the business of supporting your leaps and sharing net-building strategies.
Join me in  The Company Muse or The Coloring Craze if you are wanting to easily move ahead in any area of your creativity (both are affordable and fun).
I love making things happen for the people who value their creativity. It's my favorite thing. 
 

 
P.S.  I just won the third level of a humorous speech competition last Saturday, about my experience taking a Hip Hop dance class which includes the "Granny Underwear Incident" (GUI).
 

scroll down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There Ain't No Ballerinas in Hip Hop featuring Jill Badonsky 6.41 min

Posted by San Diego Toastmasters on Sunday, February 28, 2016

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are You Willing to Do Bad Art?

Placating challenges isn't as liberating as accepting the reality.

I was leading The Muse in Winter Creativity Retreat in Taos a few weeks ago, and we were talking about what stops people from engaging in their creative passion. One woman shared a fear that comes up for a lot of people and immediately everyone responded by placating the problem with feel-better stories.

Here’s the fear:

I’m not going to my studio because I’m afraid
I’m going to waste a lot of time and
materials on something that I don’t like.

This applies to writers and other creative seekers as well: I’m afraid I’m not going to write anything good so I’m not going to even try to write anything at all.

It’s among the many bricks in The Great Creative Block that keeps thousands of people from stepping into their creative space.

When she shared her fear, the group in Taos chirped in with stories about those cultures that leave imperfections in rugs on purpose and quoted Leonard Cohen about the crack in the vase that lets the light in. You’ve heard them. In other words, make something imperfect and be happy with it because there are beautiful stories that make it okay.

I love those stories; they may help the perfectionist ease up a bit when she is immobilized by the unrealistic desire to always make something perfect but they don’t always help the person who fears wasting expensive materials. There are three things that work better for me.

1. It's Normal
2. Understanding and Acceptance
3. Perseverance

1. Normal

When we feel like we are the only one dealing with a creative block there is a tendency to be harder on ourselves which strengthens the resistance toward showing-up for our creative work. We calm down a little when we feel we are in good company and our fear is normal.

2. Acceptance

The truth:

You WILL use time and materials that go nowhere. Once you accept that it’s not a waste but a normal part of the process maybe you will be willing to allow that, move beyond it, and be stronger than the thousands that quit.

Julia Cameron said it best: “You say that you only want to make 'good' art. Who can blame you? The only problem with making good art is that sometimes, in order to make good art, we have to be willing to make bad art. ”

It makes sense but we don’t always think rationally in our approach to the creative process. Without being conscious of it, people expect masterpieces every time they do something creative and have a hard time tolerating imperfection.

To help disarm this fear, I assume I’ll use a QUARTER of my materials and maybe more of my time for mistakes and, if it’s less than that, I’m pleasantly surprised.

THAT’S the creative process; you have to accept that reality if you want to enter the Kingdom of Creative Output and Joyous Hula Hooping Around the Living Room Because You Finally Like something You’ve Done. (This kingdom has no commemorative mugs because the name is just too long.)

Back in the day when we didn’t have digital cameras, the rule was that there MIGHT be one good photo for each roll of film we used. It was liberating to have that margin of error. What if you applied that to your art and writing? Art requires experimentation to see what works and crucial to success is allowing for big blunders.

What I gain from being willing not to be perfect or need a guarantee of success not only applies to my art, but also creates courage to try things in other areas of my life.

3. Perseverance

The painting you see at the top had five and a half false starts. The first four didn’t feel like ME, they looked too realistic and straight. I prefer a crooked reality with an endearing touch of oddness. If I had given up after the first three, I would have denied myself not only some hula hooping around the living room, but also strengthening my muscle of perseverance – which, again, serves me in many other areas of my life than art.  I have been known to start paintings, blog posts, and introductions to books over as many as 25 times to get it right. I feel like I'm being true to myself when I do that.

Are you willing to do bad art or writing to get to the good stuff?

 

(c)Jill Badonsky 2016 
This is Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching