December 2011, Issue 25
Message from the Vice President
Dr. Gage E. Paine
In her book, Life Is a Verb: 37 Days to Wake Up, Be Mindful, and Live Intentionally, Patti Digh (dye) tells this story. A teacher in a pottery class tells half the students they will be graded on quality and the other half will be graded on quantity by weight (and shards, goofs didn’t matter - 50 lbs. for an A, 40 lbs. for a B, etc.). At the end of the class, some of the best quality came from the quantity group. The quality group stressed over getting it right and, as a result, made fewer attempts. The quantity group was more willing to take risks, try something new and learned more, resulting in some of their efforts reaching a high level of quality.
Throughout her book, Digh suggests trying different activities for a period of 37 days. In the chapter where she tells this story, she suggests trying an artist effect for 37 days. It could be music, essay writing, try a haiku or make a drawing of anything you like to do. And just work to reach 37 of them; don’t worry about whether they are any good or not. Go for quantity – don’t worry about quality.
And, yes, I’m trying it or I wouldn’t be writing about it. I’m on Rose Drawing #29 (with a short break now for 3 days of commencement). Some of them are barely recognizable; some are pretty good if I do say so myself. My husband is on Small Oil Painting #29 (he’ll pull ahead this week). His comment was that it was nice not to feel the pressure to create a masterpiece each time he started to paint. We’re both learning things along the way.
What would you like to do if you only had to think about quantity, not quality? Where might you find the freedom to risk a little, stretch your boundaries a little, play and be creative a little? It’s only 37 days – not a huge commitment, just a little more than a month and a lot less than a semester. Are you willing to try?
If not, maybe this quote will give you some support. “There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.” Martha Graham, quoted by Agnes DeMille, Martha: The Life and Work of Martha Graham.
Whether you try art for 37 days or, in this time of New Year’s Resolution, you pick something else, I hope you find ways to share your ‘unique expressions’ with the world around you. What will be missed by the world if we don’t try, if we are too afraid it won’t be perfect? I look forward to seeing and hearing about the results.
Travel safely, enjoy family and friends, and I’ll see you in the New Year – ready for a fun, productive, creative Spring Semester.
Best wishes,
Gage