Me Musing . . . November 22, 2008 . . .

This week I found myself weaving . . . 'Musing Threads' which have been dangling for many years (as 'the warp') in with my daily living
('the weft').

Sol Renasci . . .
experiencing the Quiet Beauty
of the Ancient Art
of Creative Living!

I began this latest Musing a few days ago and must have still been in the energy I expressed on November 17th Musing of "not having enough information at that particular moment!".

A few notes I made (as reminders for what seemed to be percolating):

~ responses to 'Potato Master' print photo
~ Blogs and artists
~ Friday Finishings
~ Energy of Creativity and money

This 'letter/musing/novelette' is being created
with a total disregard for time
sooooooooooooooo . . .
best to
make time for yourself
(maybe get a cup of tea)
for taking this ride
in

The week began with (to borrow an old-time expression from my friend Lola)
the feeling: "I'm in tall Clover today"!!!!!!!

I had filed online for Social Security benefits (since you can do it three months before your 62nd birthdate) and taken the last bit of necessary-ness to the local SS office. Whoopee!!!!!! Money will be arriving next year!

I loved the response the 1956 photo elicited . . . lots of friends' memories of hairdo's, party dresses, hats, gloves and anklets/shoes (shows you the age group I hang out with!!!!!!!). It obviously brought smiles to people, which is always a good thing.

I have been amazed lately at the number of Blogs that have become a part of the lives of my artist friends. I smiled as I thought how, for years (as a 'creative'), I have felt the need to always write something about the creation just finished. Perhaps thinking that the 'work' alone would not fully convey the depth of energy/feeling the piece had given me in the 'creative process'.

And obviously, with the number of artists having their own Blogs now, (which have, as a bi-product, created a 'Creative Space' for them to show their work without the need for a separate and oft-times costly website that needs to be maintained, usually by someone else) there is a need in creative people for more expression than just 'the piece'. Did that make any sense at all???

Since most of us will never get a $7 million book contract, the Blog creates a place for sharing our own musings, experiences, etc.

I realized that I actually began doing this in about 1999 while sending long letters to friends on hand-painted paper!

Those carried over onto my very first website in 2002 and have evolved into this Musing site. Some of us just naturally have a need to write I guess . . . whether or not anyone ever is 'invited in' to share our thoughts!

I am told that Blogspot is a great way to begin your Blog.
Soooooooooo, if you are inclined to share your writings, that might be a great and free way to get started!

I love this saying which appears on my friend Iona's Blog:

I marvel
at the daily adventure
of attempting
to be a healthy cell
in the body
of the universe.

One could contemplate and muse about that for hours!

Yesterday (Friday) I intended to work on 'Friday Finishings' however it became a 'let's go out to lunch' kind of day where we unexpectedly met up with friends and before I knew it the afternoon was goooooooone.

I was able, however, to get more information which allowed me to make a decision about the tapestry fabric. Remember, I only bought one yard of it and couldn't decide between bag, vest or (buy more) for a jacket???? Well . . . the fabric had been on sale and now the sale was off. That made that decision real easy . . . it was expensive on sale, so I'll use in as a one yard piece . . . obviously not purchasing more!

It does look nice under
this gingerbread cake I made ~
loooooooooove the swirl of the pan too!

Now to the 'Energy of Creativity and money' musing.

I recall that back about 1993 while spending a few months in the little house I had bought in Arizona, I had a dream in which I was with a group of people where I was sharing with them HOW to be creative. It was just 'at the good part' (the place where I was about to explain to them the 'how') and I woke up. Isn't that sooooooooooo irritating . . . you always seem to wake up just at the good part' ?????!!!!!!!!

In the dream, I was at that moment of having such clarity and insight and wisdom into a process that no one had been able to explain in simple words . . .

Needless to say I was very upset when I awoke and no matter how hard I tried to go back to sleep and regain that same energetic moment, it just wouldn't happen.

When I moved here in 1997, I was 'informed' by a few that:

1) THIS is a 'financially depressed' area so don't expect high wages if you work and don't expect high prices for what you sell or do.

2) IF you start a business here, don't expect the locals to shop at your place for
about 5 years. (There seemed to be some 'unwritten' pact that they wait that long to see if the person will really stay here or if they are just passing through!) Which, of course, makes it very difficult if you have no customers!

Being naive about such things, I took both with a grain of salt as I had never before lived in an area that had unwritten rules about how 'newbies' were treated.

I learned both were true here real fast! I still have not figured out the point of all of this . . . except maybe to scare people off early on!

The little studio I opened in town only lasted about 4 months and I now laughingly refer to it, as my friend Kenzan calls it: "the lesson of the vacuum cleaner and encyclopedia salesman" . . . it takes a while to not be sold something that you really don't need . . . or in my case . . . renting a space you don't need!

After that experience, I decided to just live/be in my 'little Studio house' letting people 'find' their way to my door, if they were so inclined. It was a time of Musing much about the Energy of Creativity and money.

I was often asked 'what do you charge for a Bowl Session'??????, which translated as: "YOU KNOW THIS is a 'financially depressed' area . . ." To which I would just smile and say: "Oh, . . . it's all on donation basis".

Somehow, that would 'allow' them to come and experience time with the Bowls and after it was over, they would again ask 'what is the charge?'

I would just smile and point to the BIG POT and say they could place whatever donation they liked in it.

The amazing thing I discovered after doing this for a few months was that they usually put more in the pot than what I would have originally charged them!!!!!!!!!! It seemed to be that a 'price' on something came along with an expectation of what 'that price' meant in terms of their monetary issues . . . did 'x' dollars match what they thought they got for that amount?

My letting them be the one to decide 'the price', seemed to take away the expectation of how much they got! Everyone left happy!

I Mused about a place where the perfect way to do this was not to charge, but to have any donation go into a 'fund' whereas people could then be 'invited' to come and be 'Bowled over' and it cost them nothing. As an 'invited guest' the whole issue of money and expectation and all that stuff wasn't even a part of the equation.

I was quickly told it wasn't a viable idea and I really didn't have the energy to test it out. If you think about it, our whole energetic in participating in an activity 'as a guest' is usually very different than when we are paying for the service.

Sometimes I think that we are so used to having to pay for so much that when we are invited as a guest, we automatically think it comes with strings . . . or a price. How sad.

Charlie Rose had an interesting conversation with Larry Lessig (you can click on that link and watch it) about his new book, 'REMIX: Making Art and Commerce thrive in the Hybrid Economy'.

As I listened to Mr. Lessig talk I was reminded of my Musings over the years of Energy of Creativity and money! He spoke of two different types of economics: 'the commerical economics' we have lived with for years and the newer 'share economics' . . . (that we Creatives have lived in while living with the commerical world!)

Maybe my idea of 'guest economics' will soon be in vogue!!!!!!!

Until soon,

Che'usa

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