FLOW
As I entered the studio today I was thinking about when things flow, when they are optimized and how that process happens. By flow – I want to be clear… it is that state in which you are able to move and act easily and optimally. I think this differs greatly from “inspiration” but, perhaps I should just save that idea and that word for another entry.
Of course, I can only speak for myself and my experience, but feel strongly that it isn’t the great artistic magic romanticized even by many practicing artists. Like anything worth refining, it is steady practice… the right information at the right dosage at the right time. We talk about “flow” whether it be artistic, athletic or other, as if it is a supernatural occurrence – and it certainly can feel that way. On most days, I precede my studio
practice with work in my fitness studio. I have learned to bring an intensity, calm and focus to that practice
and my work this morning was no different. Entering into the studio, I sat for awhile, looked, and picked up a fat brush loaded with color and dove into a work that has been vexing me for weeks. In that moment, there weren’t any questions and I was able to react with everything I have experienced up to that stroke. It was one singular – irrevocable gesture of loaded color and was precisely what the work was missing. It doesn’t
get any better than that.
Most of my immediate world has known me for many years as a fitness professional and coach and not primarily as an artist. I have a very deep love of movement and the exploration that I made during those years directly fueled my work in the studio. My understanding of human movement from the perspective of an artist made me, I dare say, an unusually intuitive and successful coach. The study of what it means to function, ideally at our best, runs parallel to any learning process or practice and has deep roots in my art practice. To develop, we need to expose ourselves to the most beneficial sensory stimulation at the right time coming to it with the best mental, emotional and physical status. Knowing what I do, I feel a little silly categorizing those things in three; as everything is – they live as one wholistic, ever changing, interdependent complex. Flow, or functioning with precision and a healthy dose of inspiration do not come from the magical realms, it comes from being willing to consistently learn with good information and apply it with humility and grace.