30 May 2013

The power of

"Non-sign" - a billboard that focusses attention on the landscape
behind it - is made of small steel rods (from here)
"The power of limited means and focussed attention" - a phrase from a quote read somewhere.

Another way of saying "less is more".

Another reason to keep on with making the studio an uncluttered place - changing it from a place of over-abundant means and unfocussed attention, a place where one feels powerless to choose what to do, out of all the possibilities ... into a clear space with abundant possibilities. Focussing on the important things. Finding out what they are, what is needed, what is superfluous ... letting go of the rest.

It's not even a matter of being super-organised - just of getting the visual clutter, the unspoken demands of Too Much Of Everything, out of the way.

In the short term, two strategies can overcome the cluttered-studio problem:
1. Clear a workspace, put all the clutter out of sight - behind your back - so it doesn't distract you. (Focussed attention.)
2. Put a few materials into a bag and go somewhere else to work - eg, take a sketchbook and pen to the park or a cafe or wherever, and use them. (Limited means.)

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