"...To be, or not to be: that is the question:Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
An by opposing end them?..."
Alright, hold on Willy. There is another option.
Get yourself a "Venti".
A Roman Empire sized coffee.
If that doesn't quite arm you against a sea
of troubles, then
Try engaging in a "Venti-Fest".
Perhaps a creative activity
to...you know...vent.
I don't seem to be able to help myself from painting these "Venti's". It works so well for me that my subconscious sometimes shoves me over and sits in the driver's seat. As it were.
I enjoy making them because I discover so much about Color. Line. Energy. Shape. Shape~Shifting. Mood. And stickin' it right back to "outrageous fortune".
It is a way for me to slay the dragons of the mind. But also to befriend some.
Under the surface of the mind thoughts convect like magma. What surfaces may be new or ancient. The image above made me remember aboriginal art that I had seen in Australia seven or eight years hence.
After I painted this I realized that it was inspired by a hike I took a couple of weeks ago with dear friends up on Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic Mountains. I added a couple of strokes to further suggest the mountain range.
Funny how things can simmer and make a nice tea. Or build in intensity for a proper and inevitable venting. What do you do to vent? How do you cope with stress, and other bogeys.
18 comments:
Usually paint, write, talk to my geese or garden.
I love these, and a great way to 'vent' as you say. I have a constant battle to push my left-brain out of the way and let my right take over, my hubby tells me I 'think too much'...it's a bad habit. I'm not very good at venting, I tend to bottle things up too much...another bad habit. But I find that writing my thoughts down helps best for me. Or a swim in the sea, that's always good...the sea can take any worries, sorrow, or pain, she's big enough and strong enough for that.
Even with a pushy subconscious Richard, your hand is evident. Lovely!
Hi Von. Maybe I should get some geese too! They must be good listeners.
Mermaid, it somehow makes a lot of sense for you to find solace and stress relief by swimming in the sea. So fitting. And I know what you mean. I also love swimming in sea.
Thanks Jennifer. I guess so. I like your phrase, "pushy subconscious". ha ha.
Just looking at them- is destresing! Feeling the drag of a needle pull thread through cloth releases stress for me!
I write words to vent -- morning pages. It helps me sort through the mess of thoughts and see the good ones.
Julia, I have never learned enough about sewing, but I'll take your word for it that it releases stress.
Hi Molly. I'm glad that you can vent with words. The mornings are a good time to see clearly.
I blog, since most of my stress is work related, I never blog about my job. I take pictures and make digital art or jewelry and I drink as many Venti's of good coffee as I can get away with.
I also enjoy reading blogs and looking at what others are creating. Yours is always a treat.
Kat
These are great richard,so much energy & life in them! This post has really made me sit up and think! I dont actually vent exactly, i keep it all in and its so not healthy, if i feel stressed out i find myself . . . dare i admit it, tidying, cleaning, sorting & ordering, list making anything it seems that brings order back into my life mmm. MAybe next time i should just head into the studio and let rip x
I love the abstracts. They have so much joie de vivre bubbling up out of them. The hike-inspired piece is my fave. It makes me happy just looking at it.
Kat, I agree, coffee helps, and also reading other blogs. It is a surprising new "teamwork" approach to overcoming the blahs and blues.
Hey Ruthie, gosh, for some reason it never occurred to me to "tidy, clean, sort and order" as an antidote to stress. Hmmm... that might explain why my studio is such a jumble. Our lives are supposed to be "ordered"? Nobody told me˚∆˙©ƒ∂ßå!
Thanks, Faithy. Hiking is good. Abstracts are good. Vivre is good. Bubbles are good. Happy is good. Good is good.
To vent, I go up the hill and clean the barn, seriously. You can blow a lot of steam by shoveling muck and cleaning up chicken doo doo.
Anyway, I don't need to vent too much so the critters don't have a terribly tidy house.
I have to tell you I have been a fan of your art since I discovered "Tom Thumb" and your fabulous illustrations. I find your work very inspiring.
I write and illustrate books also, but only 2 so far, with a third in the works.
Hi Jeri,
Thanks for visiting. You made me laugh to think of mucking out a barn as a way to vent. It makes sense, and after cleaning a stall, your other problems no doubt seem less daunting. Love your animal illustrations.
hey richard - i'm just dropping by to wish you a prosperous and joyful new year! steven
Hi Richard. Happy New Year to you and your beautiful family. I hope your Christmas was a happy time. I shall not forget the great workshop you and your wife presented to our group in Vancouver Canada last year.
Keep on painting!
Thank you Steven. I wish you the very same with more of your beautiful poetry.
Hi Mary Jane! Thanks so much. Hugs to you and keep up the lovely work. I am having an art show at Regent College in Vancouver B.C. in May. Hope to see you again soon.
These are fantastic! Random, yet deliberate...So many textures and colors I love it! :) My de-stresser is writing. Mostly poetry, it makes me think clearer I think and I almost always feel better afterward. If not, then I simply make time for myself one way or another. Anyway, again, these paintings are just so cool! Hope you have a great weekend!
Hi Adrielleroyale. I'm glad you came by for a visit. Thanks for your kind comments. Hope your poem-making brings you some surprises and new perspectives.
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