Nothing Like A Good Moodle

Typewritten Painting 12 x 12 by Leslie Avon Miller

Collection of Seth Apter

So you see the imagination needs moodling-
long, inefficient, happy idling, and puttering.

Brenda Ueland

A good, long two day moodle. I always try and resist it, but the moodle wins, every time. I took my thoughts with me to the studio. I picked up this piece, that piece, and put them down again. I looked at work in progress. I sorted papers. I mixed paint and didn’t know where to put it. I sighed. I picked up a graphite pencil and began to write those thoughts, jumbled as they were, on a larger painting. I wrote and wrote and wrote. Then I knew where to put that paint – on top of the partially obscured words. Perhaps these are the Old Bones I am seeking to move into a new white series. The old bones of thoughts, past and present. Old bones buried under paint, gnawed at, left to dry in the sun, bleached and washed clean by the elements. Old bones clumped together in a pile, old bones scattered about leaving a trail and telling the story.
The next day, relieved of some of the jumbled thoughts for the moment, I rested. I sunk down into the quiet. Silence held the space open for something new, evolving, and still unknown. Occasionally thoughts of what I could be accomplishing came to mind; art, writing, progress, at least laundry, or a pot of soup. But resting in the silence won out. And today, the sun shines, my thoughts are flowing again, and I greet the day with renewed energy, enthusiasm, and appreciation. I go on.

Here are the answers to question #3 What gets in the way and frustrates you in your efforts to create?

My answers: Limited time. Tedious obligations. Sometimes the inability of my hand to create what my mind can see. That part is getting better. Once in a while falling in love with someone else’s work can get in my way for a time. That’s getting better too. Fatigue. After a long day I need to rest, when I might like to continue. The fact that no matter how much I want every weekend to create, sometimes I have to tend to other things. It’s all a dance, and I keep moving in the right direction. I don’t always care if I get the laundry done….


Readers answers: accepting my self and my art
long list of “have to’s” and “shoulds”
being a task master and pushing too hard = stress
letting less important things keep me from the studio
physical stamina and health, repetitive stress injuries, exhaustion, fibromyalgia,
limited opportunities to show my work
interruptions; the buzz around me
lack of the right kind of studio space
wanting to treat art as my job, but not doing that
I need a wife
loss; family members illness and death
need to expand my market
time
scheduling my time
finding a new audience
negative voices, inner critic
my task master production work ethic
validation from family and friends; they don’t
making a living
inner critic
day jobs
very high expectations
recharting my creative compass
how to stay motivated and inspired
negative thinking
expressing my individualism
lack of inspiration
self care; everyday problems
marketing; something that will sell that I want to make