Process
Whilst busy doing "nothing" I am in the middle of preparing a workshop on Setting Goals for Artists and Creatives. This may seem incredulous given my last post but as the saying goes - you teach best what you most need to learn.
Without giving too much away, and therefore rendering my workshop superfluous before it's even begun, the overall premise is simple - rather than focusing on the end result, you attend to the process that is going to get you there. So, to give a couple of (possibly not entirely random) examples, instead of pinning all your hopes on being happy when you reach your somewhat arbitrary dream weight of 60kg you put your focus on finding ways to enjoy healthy eating (that doesn't rule out the odd piece of cake!) Thinking (somehow) your life will be improved when you can run parkrun in 24 minutes becomes - how can I motivate myself to consistently go for a run midweek? I have been trying to adopt the principals since the New Year, and unlike the usual resolutions that last a couple of weeks, I am still going and more importantly enjoying doing so, but I'll stop myself there before claiming to have had some sort of epiphany that life really isn't about the destination and jump on the nauseating 'journey' bandwagon!
It is not difficult to see that the developed world's habit of focusing on the end product without paying heed to the process has not stood the planet in good stead either. Mother Earth is reacting, we are experiencing the consequences of our actions and are slowing starting to do something about it - just as long as it doesn't inconvenience us that much. We appear to be clinging to the hope that somehow environmental solutions will be found that enable us to keep what we have become accustomed to rather than accept that things will have to change. Meanwhile as the Coronavirus spreads across the world the effects on production and distribution of goods will soon start to hit our shelves and, amidst all the outrage, panic buying and genuine shortages, I wonder if there will be a growing realisation that the level of consumerism we currently subscribe to is unsustainable.
Wandering around the park, wondering how on earth I was going to photograph 'process' (and before I remember the pleasure of watching the bread I was buying being cooked in front of me or the joy of hand dying fabric) I was alerted to the unwanted arrival of fly tipping in the car park. There, dumped alongside the household furniture, was a plastic bag declaring 'love is a beautiful journey together' the epitome of the mindlessness we live amongst. Yet, when I discover that some of the plastic that we recycle in good faith is being shipped out of the country for someone else to deal with, I am left thinking that for whilst I am a nowhere near as bad as the fly tipper, perhaps I haven't got a full grasp on the process either and that out of sight can no longer be out of mind.
So, if I don't have trust in our country's (and even less our local council's) attempts at recycling, better not to have plastic to put in the bin the first place. Cue, actually buying a shampoo bar to put my money where my mouth is. I loved shopping on the internet for it: the website is very aesthetically pleasing; the option to not have it wrapped ticked all sorts of boxes; the actual box that it arrived in was the right size; the sense of self righteousness I felt when using it was immense - so far so good - until my hair dries and it feels like a manky dog's coat! (Do NOT think Dougal at this point!). I am apparently in the 'purge period' and that the 'waxies' will correct themselves over time, or with the addition of some apple cider vinegar to my final rinse at which point my hair might feel better, but the smell?! This does not meet my criteria of loving the process and in the absence of that all I can do is focus on the disappointment of the end result, besides which I can't help but wonder what I'm doing it all for when I'm off to have my hair chemically lightened in a few weeks! I feel perhaps that I have jumped onto an environmental platform and that, for me, this type of consumerism isn't sustainable either. Much better to meet up with my friend, take our reusable bottles to be filled at the eco shop in the market and maybe go for coffee and cake whilst we're there!
Without giving too much away, and therefore rendering my workshop superfluous before it's even begun, the overall premise is simple - rather than focusing on the end result, you attend to the process that is going to get you there. So, to give a couple of (possibly not entirely random) examples, instead of pinning all your hopes on being happy when you reach your somewhat arbitrary dream weight of 60kg you put your focus on finding ways to enjoy healthy eating (that doesn't rule out the odd piece of cake!) Thinking (somehow) your life will be improved when you can run parkrun in 24 minutes becomes - how can I motivate myself to consistently go for a run midweek? I have been trying to adopt the principals since the New Year, and unlike the usual resolutions that last a couple of weeks, I am still going and more importantly enjoying doing so, but I'll stop myself there before claiming to have had some sort of epiphany that life really isn't about the destination and jump on the nauseating 'journey' bandwagon!
It is not difficult to see that the developed world's habit of focusing on the end product without paying heed to the process has not stood the planet in good stead either. Mother Earth is reacting, we are experiencing the consequences of our actions and are slowing starting to do something about it - just as long as it doesn't inconvenience us that much. We appear to be clinging to the hope that somehow environmental solutions will be found that enable us to keep what we have become accustomed to rather than accept that things will have to change. Meanwhile as the Coronavirus spreads across the world the effects on production and distribution of goods will soon start to hit our shelves and, amidst all the outrage, panic buying and genuine shortages, I wonder if there will be a growing realisation that the level of consumerism we currently subscribe to is unsustainable.
Wandering around the park, wondering how on earth I was going to photograph 'process' (and before I remember the pleasure of watching the bread I was buying being cooked in front of me or the joy of hand dying fabric) I was alerted to the unwanted arrival of fly tipping in the car park. There, dumped alongside the household furniture, was a plastic bag declaring 'love is a beautiful journey together' the epitome of the mindlessness we live amongst. Yet, when I discover that some of the plastic that we recycle in good faith is being shipped out of the country for someone else to deal with, I am left thinking that for whilst I am a nowhere near as bad as the fly tipper, perhaps I haven't got a full grasp on the process either and that out of sight can no longer be out of mind.
So, if I don't have trust in our country's (and even less our local council's) attempts at recycling, better not to have plastic to put in the bin the first place. Cue, actually buying a shampoo bar to put my money where my mouth is. I loved shopping on the internet for it: the website is very aesthetically pleasing; the option to not have it wrapped ticked all sorts of boxes; the actual box that it arrived in was the right size; the sense of self righteousness I felt when using it was immense - so far so good - until my hair dries and it feels like a manky dog's coat! (Do NOT think Dougal at this point!). I am apparently in the 'purge period' and that the 'waxies' will correct themselves over time, or with the addition of some apple cider vinegar to my final rinse at which point my hair might feel better, but the smell?! This does not meet my criteria of loving the process and in the absence of that all I can do is focus on the disappointment of the end result, besides which I can't help but wonder what I'm doing it all for when I'm off to have my hair chemically lightened in a few weeks! I feel perhaps that I have jumped onto an environmental platform and that, for me, this type of consumerism isn't sustainable either. Much better to meet up with my friend, take our reusable bottles to be filled at the eco shop in the market and maybe go for coffee and cake whilst we're there!
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