What a Little Action and Brown Can do Together

I have been ‘playing’ in one of those generic notebooks you buy at the art supply store. It is spiral bound and divided into three sections, each section a different kind of paper. I am not a fan of brown, so this section containing generic brown craft paper leaves me a bit wanting. Yet, I realize that I cannot NOT utilize one third of the notebook, so in I jumped! I am experimenting with how different inks interact and react on the different papers. Here are the words I chose to start this adventure:

I must lose myself in action lest I wither in despair.

– Alfred Lord Tennyson 1892

I found these words rather apropos for my play time. No real goal, no big project, not a commission or anything that will end up as part of a larger piece of work. Just experiments and playing. At first I flitted around, flipping pages trying to figure out what I wanted these words to look like, until I pulled out my Sepia (dark brown) ink brush pen and wrote very quickly the largest letters. THAT worked, so I grabbed a slim sum ink (black) to write the rest of the quote. WA-LA! Now to leave it alone to dry, not tweaking, and resisting the urge to do more.

I think these words are very appropriate for these Summer days. I have other things going on, busy things, and creating art work is not very top of mind. I still need new work for this blog, so how to create without the pressure of creating? Pull out a cheap spiral bound notebook that I don’t care about and get started…ACTION! Honestly, once I settled on the words and got started with the color brown, the rest fell into place. I often have people ask me how long it takes to create a piece. My answer is over thirty-five years, as that is how long I have been doing calligraphy. It has taken me all those years to know, think and plan a piece…all of which I have learned and am still learning how to do. Which means I have thousands…yes, THOUSANDS of pieces I have done over the years, all working together to get me to this point.

Which brings me back to the focus of these words, ACTION! We get no where, learn nothing, and feel horrible when we fail to act. Sure we all need down days, peaceful times to help us rest and recover. It is when those days turn into months and years that we lose something of ourselves. We all need a goal or something to do. It doesn’t have to be solving world hunger or reinventing the internet, sometimes cleaning out your closet, clearing out your email, or painting a room is enough. Just get up and DO something – anything. It doesn’t have to be public, perfect or even have any real meaning – just do something! Get out of your chair and move, start the momentum of forward motion and see where it takes you. You may be pleasantly surprised. Even if you grab that brown ink pen you never use and do something with it, you might be pleased what a little action and brown can do together!