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Body. Mind. Spirit. These are my three new words that I chose for this year. As I wrote in a blog last year, I choose three words at the beginning of each year that will guide my thoughts and actions for those next 12 months. Last year's were: Clarity. Do. Faith. That was my first year doing this little exercise and it worked very well! I wanted to be more clear and focused about where my work was going, I wanted to procrastinate less and "just do it" and I wanted to have faith that all will work out just fine. Well, my work became much more personal as I took a trip to Berlin (my hometown) and started a series of paintings inspired by having grown up in the city. I'm keeping those paintings under wraps for now on the advice of my art coach as we're working towards an exhibition of them.

That was another action step I took in 2014: hiring an art coach (you can read about it on this blog post). Making that financial investment in myself and baring myself more in this somewhat autobiographical series certainly took a lot of faith that it's a worthwhile endeavor!

Looking back at the end of 2014 I can see a clear shift in my studio practice and it has paid off in paintings that I'm proud of as well as financial rewards. I had written down my income goal for the year, broken down into 12 increments so each month I knew what I would need to reach that goal. It helped me see when I might need to make that phone call to a client and get that commission going or where I could step up my marketing to reach more people. While I did not quite make my goal, I was short by only a few hundred dollars and I had the most income from my art ever!

So, this year I didn't even have to think about the words, they came to me on their own and immediately resonated. This is what they mean to me:

• Body (I put this first because I have neglected it in order to make more time for art, which was a huge mistake): regular time for exercise, maintenance (doctor's visits, chiropractor, massage, haircuts, etc.), sleep
• Mind: filling my creative and intellectual well (going to art exhibits, cultural events, reading non-fiction books), continuing to learn and expand my horizons and knowledge, paying attention to what I spend my time thinking about, watching on TV, reading
• Spirit: meditating, practicing mindfulness, prayer, spending time in nature and with family and friends, becoming more authentic in my work and private life

I had some health issues last year and found myself feeling tired, old and sluggish. I have had ups and downs with my weight all my life. Never anything major, but enough to not have me feel my best. It affects my mood and energy level so I am determined to get my body, mind and spirit back in alignment of where I want to be and how I want to feel. The problem in the past has been that I tend to overdo things. I get excited, bursting with good intentions and enthusiasm and while it has resulted in a couple of marathons and a very trimmed down figure at one time, it also took way too much of my time away from art. I'm currently reading a great book, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. He mentions resistance to our work and the many forms it can take (drugs, sex, internet browsing, you name it) and I know I have used working out as a form of resistance to going into the studio. It's a great excuse, too, isn't it? I gotta work out to be healthy! Who would ever say time for exercise is a bad thing? Well, it is if it takes too much time! If it becomes an excuse for not doing your work. For me it means I have to be very careful about balance. Ah, there is that magic word again that we all try to achieve in our daily lives! In order to nurture my mind, body AND spirit this year, I have started new routines of exercise, meditation and healthier eating without overdoing it and sacrificing painting time.

For example, I keep my morning run to just 30 minutes, no matter how much I may want to go longer! I am not a morning person and much prefer running in the evening, but even with a running buddy I would find myself not always sticking to those plans because the day would get filled up with other tasks and before I knew it I did not get  my exercise in. Now, I'm forcing myself to do some exercise first thing in the morning!

I start with a 10 minute yoga routine right out of bed, which I had to FORCE myself to do every morning for the first month! I'm a very slow starter, not only with my body but my mind (try not to talk to me for at least the first hour of my day!). Even during my evening runs I start slowly and get faster as the miles go by. So, to turn from a morning sloth to someone who actually moves her body 2 minutes after getting up was no small feat for me! But oh, how that short routine wakes me up and energizes my body AND mind! Then I meditate for at least 10-15 minutes. Without that yoga routine I would fall right back to sleep while meditating! But now I'm wide awake, I can fully enter the meditation and have a great start to my day. This is followed by a small breakfast snack before heading out the door for 30 minutes. My purpose there is not to count the miles I'm walking or running, but to get my body moving to jump-start my metabolism, to get fresh air and connect to nature. so no matter if the rest of the day finds me stuck inside standing still at my easel, I got in this 30 minutes of movement and time outdoors. For me these 30 minutes are also another form of meditation and prayer and often I get insights, inspiration, ideas and solve problems. But again, I force myself to stick to 30 minutes so I will not take too much time away from my studio. This is crucial! I do not want to spend 2 hours a day on getting back into shape! Being good to my body is a priority this year in many ways, and this will undoubtedly also benefit my mind and spirit greatly, but so does painting, reading, spending time with loved ones. Meditating and taking a mindfulness class are all helping my studio practice, are clarifying my mind and art focus, but only when they don't take over too much time. I have to be careful not to use them as excuses not to get my work done because neglecting my work will only create a downward spiral of mind and spirit into dark places where I do not want to go.

Body. Mind. Spirit. I will write those three words in a circle before posting them on my mirror at home and in the studio where they will remind me each day that one feeds the other, each one needs the other to be healthy and in balance, without one overpowering the others. I do not want to spend hours meditating, while my studio sits empty, nor do I want to spend hours on end at the easel neglecting to move my body. Creating art does my spirit and mind good which in turn boosts my immune system. Exercise keeps me healthy and gives me energy so I can stand at the easel for hours and paint. It floods my brain with all those good chemicals that allow me to feel good, be optimistic about my work and future. Meditation and prayer calm my monkey mind which can run amok in too many different directions, which focuses my creative path, opens me up to whatever wants to come through my hand onto the paper and lowers my blood pressure.

 

Here are some tips that you may find helpful in adopting a more well-rounded routine yourself:

• Create a new Habit

We break old habits by breaking up routines: take a different route to work, fix your hair and make up in the other bathroom, sit in a different chair at the table, etc. We create new habits by doing them every day for at least 21 days (so the wisdom goes, although it usually takes me much longer!), so no matter what don't use excuses not to stick to your new routine. If I get a late start I have been forcing myself to still do my morning routine of exercise and meditation anyway even if it gets me to the studio late. I just don't want to use my art as an excuse not to take care of my body and vice versa!

• Limit your time

If I immerse myself too much in any one thing it may feel great for a while but sooner or later I will get burnt out and stop. If my exercise routine takes too much time out of my day I will stop doing it altogether, so I limit it to 30 minutes in the morning and leave more time 2-3 times a week when it won't interfere with my work day (evenings or weekends). Same with painting time. If I spend days on end holed up in my studio I may get a lot of work accomplished but I can start to feel too isolated. I have to drag myself away and spend time with people, get outdoors, have some non-art related fun.

• Write it down

It's a well-known fact that writing down our goals helps us to actually accomplish them. You can share some or keep them for yourself, but getting them out of your head and onto a screen or paper just activates the whole process and starts the wheels turning. Making lists and checking them off can feel quite wonderful as does looking back at the end of the week, month or year to see how close you came to your goals. Even writing this blog helps me stay more accountable.

• Get an accountability buddy

Not only  do I have a great running buddy who makes the longer runs fun and entertaining (we NEVER run out of things to talk about, no matter how many miles we do!), my daughter Alex, who lives in Texas and has completely turned her health around in the last year and I text each other every day asking if we stuck to our morning routines. Just like Facebook has motivated me to create new work so I can post regularly, it makes me feel good texting Alex that yes, indeed, her mom has done her yoga, running and meditation this morning!

And of course, my running buddy makes me show up for our runs when I might have skipped it on my own.

• Vary things up

I get bored easily, so to keep myself motivated I vary my running route or type of exercise I do (walking with hand weights, running hills or running longer on flat areas, hiking, biking, tennis, racquet ball, yoga). Meditation is great but so is reading a good book, hearing an inspirational talk, going to the theater. In the studio, if most of my work is commissioned portraits I need to take a break and create a non-commissioned piece. I do some abstracts after a lot of realistic images, or lately I started working in black and white again to take a break from color. Anything to keep me from getting stuck in a rut which can often lead to creative block, boredom and burn out.

• Cut yourself some slack

Don't beat yourself up for slacking off at times. Take notice why it happened (are you burnt out, genuinely tired or ill, bored?) and do better the next day or the next hour. Guilt only drags us back into the hole we're trying to get out of.

• Treat yourself like your best friend

Observe your daily activities like an outsider. If you saw your best friend avoiding her work what would you tell her? If you saw her drinking too much or spending hours on end at the gym while her creative work is left undone, how would you steer her back onto her path? Alternately, if you saw her finish her novel or that series of paintings, would you congratulate her and celebrate her achievement or tell her it's not good enough, that people may not like it?

 

So, here's to a healthier AND more creative 2015!

I'd love to hear your daily practices that keep your life in balance and your work flowing!