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~ Mitchell Webster~Master Weaver of Museum Quality Baskets

Heritage Basket Studio

Tag Archives: Inspiration

ART, MUSIC AND THE “FLOW STATE”

20 Tuesday Dec 2016

Posted by hbs1991 in ART/ART SUPPLIES, CLOUDSCAPES, FLOW STATE, Nature Observations, PHOTOGRAPHY, Ribbed Basketry, SKYSCAPES

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Art, FLOW STATE, Inspiration, Music, photography, Piano, Watercolor painting

IMG_4634

I will admit it was not until recently I had heard this term “FLOW STATE” while visiting with a good friend and talking about photography. My friend Kieth Sprouse mentioned it while working on editing some photographs he had taken. This term intriqued me as a light bulb came on, that I knew what it was and had experienced it myself, but never knew it had a name for me it was just a wonderful state of being.

I asked Kieth what he meant by flow state? He was certain that when he told me I would have experienced it. It is when you get so involved in what you are doing, it seems as though minutes have passed by, yet in reality hours, had passed by. Bingo I had a name for it now, before for myself it was just a “Beautiful State of Being”

IMG_4582  IMG_4598

It was in this state of being that I had done some of my most beautiful weaving! For me it generally involved classical music, as in classical music for myself there always seemed to be an underlying current, a current that you could not quite put your finger on. It was not the tempo, it was like the steady flow of a gently flowing stream or babbling brook, constant. It was like the storm raging above the brook, (tempo) but the stream did not change its flow, it was steady. Like you were tapping into an unseen part of the music.

IMG_4001-2  Floral Close Up Photography (1 of 1)

For myself, my hands were doing the work (weaving the ribbed basket), independently of where your mind was. Either I would see pictures of new designs in baskets (in my mind) or just come into a state of “Knowing” which cannot be explaind. I remember once having all the ribs in a basket where you just stared weaving the body, while listening to the complete Vivaldi’s Four Seasons” one afternoon I remember it was around 4pm when I started. I had compiled music that I loved hearing which would run for hours; when suddenly I snapped out of it The body of the basket was completed, I looked out the window, thinking I don’t remember any part of the weaving process, and What?? It is dark outside!!! I looked at the clock and it was 11pm, I had been weaving for 7 hours, yet I was stupified! It felt like no more than 30 minutes had passed by!! “FLOW STATE”

Finally the experience had a name thanks to Kieth! All my life this happened with studying Piano, drawing, painting, most any form of art. It is just a wonderful and beautiful experience,for which there are no word to describe, when it is over you are energized, as if you had done no work at all. With what most people would term the mundane, agonizingly boring thing in piano, that there is, your practice of scales, inversions, candences and arpegios. These are the rudiments of music which must be learned and memorized so that you can call on them at anytime in music, when needed. This is how I practiced piano 2 1/2 hours in morning and again in evening (5 hours per day total) I thought it was normal and that everyone did it, and could not understand why people hated it so! I just followed the “flow” you kind of got into it, Mrs. MacEnderfer, (my teacher) always commented on the flow of scales, into inversions, into cadences, into arpegios, as if all were one piece of music in and of itself. I said I don’t know I just feel like I become the music, believe me 2 1/2 hours, twice a day just seemed like minutes

Orange Portulacca 2 (1 of 1)  Orange Portulacca (1 of 1)

When I had a name to put with an action, state of being, I realized in most artistic endeavors, it is like I become the music, I become the art, I become whatever I am doing, I am the music, I am the art, “I AM” everything just seems to come from within.  I am not seperate from, but it all comes from within! How? Don’t Ask, I don’t know! It just Is.

Believe me when I tell you, I still have to work at what I do, to learn these things, however when this “Flow State” starts coming it is like a dam bursts and knowledge just is there. However it does still take work in the begining. With painting just as with music, there are the rudiments to be learned, color, light, dark, texture, many things to be learned in the begining, some of which I know since I have dabbled in watecolor from the 70’s, perhaps one day I will be able to get a keyboard and pick up where I left off in piano. One thing at a time.

AN INSPIRATION TO POOR ARTISTS

06 Friday Sep 2013

Posted by hbs1991 in Artists of Inspiration, Life Reflections

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Heritage Basket Studio, Heritage Basket Studio & Chair Caning, Inspiration, On being poor, Susan Boyle

When I am feeling down over the things of life, I watch Britain’s Got Talent, for inspiration that the gifts that God has given to individuals the world around, is noticed in time.

I don’t know if any of you out there even care for Susan Boyle’s singing, but that does not really bother me. It is the fact that up until the show Britain’s Got Talent, Susan Boyle was a nobody, just a woman in a small Scottish town eaking out a living and trying to make ends meet.

God had given and blessed her with a special talent, one day to be discovered, and that she was. Like Susan I had hopes and dreams, albeit what I do is nothing like Susan’s Voice, I thank God that she was able to have the world discover her and her art and gift.

See sometimes even poor people can move forward with their gifts and other times they are dashed into the ground because of lack of income and wealth. All I wanted to do is weave the baskets that God gave me the gift to do, however for some like myself the lack of wealth and income, is frowned upon in the world, it does not matter how long you have struggled in life to get ahead, how good you are at what you do. If you are poor, without income, you get nowhere in life.

I drawn inspiration from Susan’s success, as she was pulled from obscurity and was able to make something of herself. For me much the opposite right now. As I am being forced to give up what I do and get rid of everything just because I am poor, not in talent, but in monetary value. Yes I am saddened to just throw away 20-25 years of work and effort in basketry, seat weaving and chair caning, knowing once it all is gone it will Never return again. I am sure that God in his wisdom, when he gave me the gift of what I do, knew this day would come. Apparently to the people around me my gift of art was not good enough to continue.

However I draw inspiration from people like Susan Boyle (the unknown, invisible people of the world that they have even at mid life been able to be someone. I am so happy for them that in midlife theirs is just starting.

See for me I believe the lesson to be learned is when things seem too good to be true, they usually are. I have always been trusting of people, I have learned from my experience talk is cheap, and have lost the trust I had in people, over the past several years. Oh there have been good people with good words and actions, however there have been others that talk the talk but do not walk the walk.

No my problem pure and simple is that I am too poor to get anywhere except being poor.

So this morning I needed to uplifted by those have have been able to overcome the odds and make something of their lives and the talents that God has given them. So I have come to Susan and listened to her to try and find some form of inspiration to move forward (in mid life) not backwards.

Clicking on the links below will take you to You Tube where you can here Susan being discovered, and Wings to Fly as she grows in her talent.

SUSAN BOYLE – BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT

SUSAN BOYLE – WINGS TO FLY

SUSAN BOYLE – AMAZING GRACE

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