Reality Shows can teach us about Survival (Tooth and Nail!)

(An old Norwegian photo showing my husband's great grandfather's land)

I’ve watched a few reality shows in my day. After awhile, I get tired of the arguments, the scheming and the pettiness. But if that’s your cup of tea, you may like the cutting edge changes coming up next season.

The Discovery channel is pushing the envelope with “Naked and Afraid” where the participants mirror savages, except without the loin cloths. If the forbidden jungles are not enough, these survivors are baring it all in an attempt to get more ratings and viewers which may end up mushrooming into a popular new trend.

(1840 Solbulck -  Norway) family photos

You never know what the reaction of viewers will be. I remember showing my nude drawings to relatives at a family reunion years ago. I was so proud! One of my drawings had won first prize in the linear category. It was a brush and ink drawing of a live model where the brush had never left the page from the first touch to paper.

I expected a compliment, perhaps even praise for my amazing prize-winning fete. Instead, I got hushed and whispered reactions. People were embarrassed. They glanced down or turned away. I was shocked by their reactions of what I conceived as a beautiful work of art. 

Some viewers of the new reality shows may have the same feelings of disgust or rejection. While nudity may be a ploy to grab attention and get new viewers, the show actually has a different purpose. Pitted against the most stark and difficult surroundings imaginable, the real focus is not the challenge of nature, but the difficulty in juggling human relationships.

(Fjords -- Norway photos taken 1995)

That’s the case in almost any undertaking: marriage, divorce, friendships, neighbors and
co-workers, parents and youth. Take it a bit further by delving into art leagues where people jockey for position pitting artistic genius against talented newcomers and you have a recipe for angst, envy and failure.

The battle is to the fittest and the prize (sales) often goes to the best marketer, the most prolific painter, or the most outspoken. The fact that fresh talent is discovered and newbie’s have a platform to show their wares is often a pleasant byproduct.

(Port City -- Norway; family photo taken 1995)

How do you handle stress? Do you have good communication skills or do you have prickly rough edges that others may have to negotiate. Sometimes it’s not enough to be a talented artist. You must learn how to sell your art and push your talent without ruffling other people’s feathers.

"Twigs and Twitters 11 x 14 oil on canvas

Time -- Illusive Thief that Sucks the Life Out of Life

Insett Kirke -- Norway

I’ve written about time before, or the lack thereof; how it gets away from us, pushes us, stresses us out, and strangles the life out of us. Recently, I experienced a different phenomenon. A time warp, perhaps, where time literally seemed to stand still.

I had several appointments that day and knew that planning was essential to pull it off. I got up early, allowing plenty of time for my toilette and the time it would take to travel to my first appointment. In the end, I had an hour to spare. I retrieved important e-mail and checked my blogs. Thirty minutes left, amazing.

Eager to arrive on time, I set the timer on the stove to be sure distractions wouldn’t delay my “best laid plans.” Then I read. I luxuriated on my leather sofa and read. Each time I looked at my wrist watch it seemed that time was holding back, just for me. The adage “a watched pot never boils” was true!

I was reminded that with God “one day is like a thousand years” from an eternal perspective. This brief experience had made me reflective. So this is what it’s like to have an eternity of time? Each moment becomes precious and fully lived without escaping into nothingness. I wanted this experience to last forever. I felt in control.

I read another two pages and then the timer went off with a loud bleating beep, beep, beep. My usual response when this happens is to call: “Coming Mother,” a hearkening back to my belligerent childhood and the rebelliousness of youth.

The rest of the day was pretty much swallowed up with errands and appointments, but I did notice that in between there were moments of supreme calm when I could snatch some reverie and soul searching. When you are “clock watching,” it’s amazing how many pages you can read in a few minutes, how many miles your mind can travel into imagination and escape to creative realms where seconds seem like hours.

Personality Sketch

Next time you feel like you don’t have time to study, to read or to paint, turn yourself into a clock watcher and see how it slows down your life. After all, time is a man made thing and we are eternal beings who balk at control and the pacing of our lives.

“Your sacred space is
where you can find yourself
again and again.” Joseph Campbell

Of course, planning ahead helps. So does organization. But in those “in between” moments you really are in control. What will you do with those found minutes and seconds? Will you waste them or discount them as being too little to late?

“One great thing about growing old
is that nothing
is going to lead to anything.
Everything is of the moment.” Joseph Campbell

We only have one life to live. Throw out negative thinking. Refuse its entrance into your brain. Dwell on what you can do right now, in this precious moment. Live!

Yesterday is already gone. Dismiss it from your mind, and move on. Tomorrow and its blessings or problems are unknown. Live in the moment. View your life as eternal and treat yourself with the utmost respect. We humans are as fragile as butterflies. We come and go in a whisper. Cherish each moment!

“To live in a sacred space
is to live in a symbolic environment
where spiritual life is possible,
where everything around you
speaks of exaltation of the spirit.” Joseph Campbell

The Learning Curve

I'm changing gear on this blog. Don't want you to get bored with "Jack's Roses" before I'm finished. My worry about the red rose dominating the painting turned out to be a good thing. I'm putting a larger red rose smack dab in the middle. All of the other roses will lead to it in one way or another. See how practice makes perfect? I'm going to do some glazing which requires time and patience, so I will get back to you on the completion details (stay tuned).

There is definitely a curve in learning how to draw and paint well. Not only is practice involved, but learning from professionals who have been there--done that. I want to thank my first art teacher (I've forgotten her name). A professional art educator and artist in her own right. She taught classes in her basement each week, and I was an avid student.

She taught me how to see, especially how to focus on shape and form, and the tricky details of foreshortening. She taught me how to prep a canvas, and how to plan a composition and paint it in oils. Everything I learned from her became the basis from which I work even today.

I also learned through classes at junior and technical colleges. I discovered my favorite medium was brush and ink. I liked the stunning effect of black on white (or sepia). I won my first art contest with a linear drawing of a nude. I started the painting at the top of the figure and continued my stroke until the ink was dry. A first prize ribbon graced my efforts in the art show.

I learned how important live models are to the drawing experience. The freedom I felt in those classes gave me a new life and a purpose. Overwhelmed by personal problems in those days, I literally found an escape hatch. When I was painting and drawing, nothing else mattered. I was lost in a world of my own making. I felt in control of my circumstances and my art.

Sometimes I struggle with writer's or artist's block. I freeze up. I lose my self confidence. I become analytical and critical of both my skill and my execution. At those times, I try to get back to the freedom I felt as a student when it was all about discovery and learning. Then I didn't worry whether something was good or bad or whether it was the correct form or perspective. I just let my imagination fly and my spirits soar.

There is a learning curve in doing anything correctly, but there's also a choice. Plug along methodically and practice your art as a pianist does his scales by rote, or enjoy the ride: experiment, play, enjoy the freedom, savor the moment.

My oil on acrylic painting "Flash Dance" was an experimental painting. I let myself go. The colors are wild, the leaves and petals have a somewhat fanciful feel. I wanted the flowers to literally dance before your eyes. Did I succeed? You be the judge.
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