Sometimes we can be slamming jamming busy with life, the roles we play in our society, careers, and in our families. We can be incredibly busy with wonderful things! Our families, most often, are beautiful gifts that need our care. We may live in gratitude of all our gifts but here may be times when fitting it all in may prove difficult. The excitement of your beautiful life may ripen to anxiety in feeling like there isn’t enough time to play each role effectively. And what a beautiful problem? You COULD instead be no one, have nothing, and do nothing. NOT so exciting. What I realize is that excitement and anxiety have the same Mother.
It’s not the circumstances that create our excitement or anxiety but rather, what we believe about it. When my Ohia log bed frame fell over and the glued dowels popped out (one side of the footboard frame came completely loose) because of the trauma of hitting the floor with only 3 hours till it was supposed to be on show…. THAT was a moment I became anxious. Why?! Because I formed a belief that all my weeks of work had just disappeared and would never be seen. Oh, and I had invited hundreds of people (insert emoji with big huge eyeballs and chattering teeth). But really, it had happened with enough time to glue it back together and the stabilizing bungee cords were removed as the first people walked into the studio.
When we think our circumstances will bring pleasure to ourselves or someone else, we are excited! But if we believe the circumstance is going to hurt, hinder, or affect us negatively, we feel anxious. The circumstance is just floating there, un-judged, until we create a belief about it. I believed the bed was over. Then I believed it could be fixed. Both beliefs were mine to chose. The bed is just one example of the many, many, many (x10,000) catastrophes I’ve gone through in my decade as an artist.
So from me to you, during your next catastrophe, remember! Chose your belief! And tell yourself, ‘I will NOT become a victim of this mishap! I will be a victor!’ And wood glue that sucker back together.
Your friend in art,
KK