Archive for the ‘J Steinbeck’ Category

March Exercise  |  Experiment Fifteen

Tuesday, March 15th, 2016

“Habit seems to be a much stronger force than either willpower or inspiration. Consequently there must be some little quality of fierceness until the habit pattern of a certain number of words is established. There is no possibility, in me at least, of saying, ‘I’ll do it if I feel like it.’ One never feels like awaking day after day. In fact, given the smallest excuse, one will not work at all. The rest is nonsense. Perhaps there are people who can work that way, but I cannot. I must get my words down every day whether they are any good or not.”
– John Steinbeck

Great writers are not the only artists who know how to show up for work, but much can be learned from their sense of discipline. As I come to the halfway point of my 31-day exercise, I must keep compelling myself to “conduct an experiment” each day, instead of resorting to a proven approach. I find it periodically necessary to disrupt that part of my creative mind which seeks comfort in “marketability.” If I prime the pump of imagination, spontaneity, and intuition with this kind of authentic ritual, and also maintain a habit of work, surely everything else in the studio will take care of itself.

Untitled (...en win je tienduizend!) ~ John Andrew Dixon, collage artist, blogger on all things collage

Untitled (…en win je tienduizend!)
collage experiment on paper by J A Dixon
4 x 5 inches
 
Purchase this experiment.

Until April . . .

Sunday, March 1st, 2015

“. . . just set one day’s work in front of the last day’s work. That’s the way it comes out. And that’s the only way it does.”
– John Steinbeck

If I am to be honest with myself, there must be the recognition that this is a blogsite not unlike many others: a personal tool for somewhat murky purposes (and a service to others less so, as much as I would desire that aspect to predominate). At any rate, I deeply appreciate that it is followed, and I shall continue my effort to make it worth the time you take to pay a visit.

I have written before about the March Exercise, my annual focus on building another layer of creative habit that can be internalized as part of a new cycle. It began as an experiment in time management nine years ago. Here at The Collage Miniaturist, I have showcased a month-long collage-a-day ritual for the past two. My tenth March Exercise will be a departure. Blog entries and updates to social networks will be temporarily suspended, as I concentrate all of my time on a few major studio objectives. I am required to stack one block of work on top of another in a way that does not allow for attention to routine public disclosures.

Before I step away for the month, here are two collage starters on their way to Allan Bealy for completion. Compared to prolific collaborators like Allan, I could be considered a rookie. Stay tuned for his response. See you in April.
 

Two Collage Starters For Allan Bealy ~ John Andrew Dixon

two collage starters for A Bealy
by J A Dixon on KYDEX® synthetic sheet
each: 5 x 7 inches