Cold, cold, cold -- and the delights of order

Winter walk in the alley (work in progress)

Acrylic on birch panel

5 x 7 inches

Barbara Muir © 2014

This was a gorgeous, sunny day which cheers the spirits
immensely after many grey days, but it was sooo cold.
It seemed like the perfect day for filing and organizing.
Alyson Stanfield who writes the Art Biz Blog asked
people last week to think about a word for 2014. 
My first thought was happiness, and that is my number
one objective all the time,  but sitting on that thought
for a day I realized that right now I also want to focus on order.

Twyla Tharp the dancer and choreographer follows
the same routines every day so that she can concentrate
on her art. She writes about the importance of discipline and
habit in The Creative Habit.  It seems to me that order helps
artists concentrate.  In my case I need more order this
busy month, so that I have time for art and blogging
which matter so much to me. 

Perhaps the joy of the new year is partly about
understanding what worked and didn't work last
year, and a determination to do more of what works,
and less of what doesn't.  I don't make resolutions,
but I do feel the possibility of new enter all of
my thinking when I put up the new calendar for the
new year.  One week in I'd have to say it's been a
great year so far.

Have an enjoying-the-creativity-that- results-from-order day.