Act: Keep Moving

original art by Kate Kroska

Musing… 

"The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. 

You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. 

You can’t get there by bus, only by hard work and risk, and by not quite knowing what you are doing." ~ Alan Alda

Dedication to the skills and disciplines necessary to accomplish your dream fleshes out the vision you have. A dreamer has a vision; an artist completes a work. It starts with intention; it is carried by grit.  Mastery is made in increments, not in leaps. Keep moving forward into the unknown, creating form for your vision.

Kate’s Turn:  

This lesson was brought to me while I was biking one day on a new trail. I stopped to check the trail map, as the terrain looked like it simply looped back. The map, of course, was sketchy, and the terrain wasn’t telling; I even asked a pedestrian for clarification, but got no certainty about how to proceed.  The uncharted wilderness was ahead. I could sit there, go back the way I came, or risk simply moving forward. So I decided to just bike straight ahead, even if all signs brought uncertainty, and sure enough, just around the bend, the path opened up. My movement forward (on faith or simple investigation of what lies ahead) gave me the information needed to proceed in full commitment once again. Another experience of this is driving at night – you only move forward as far as the headlights make clear; you continue in trust that the way makes itself known as needed – it simply requires that you keep moving in increments to light up the next step.

Finding our way takes faith in ourselves and commitment to our goals, along with steady, consistent action, especially if the signs are not clear. Just keep movin’ – stay in the flow – and the way will continue to show itself to you.

Get Fired Up:  

What steps are required if you are going to accomplish your dreams? What small step can you take now that may give more light to the next step? Boldly go where no one has gone before…

Act: Fall

Musing…

“The most important thing in life is learning how to fall.” – Jeanette Walls, Half-Broke Horses

I’d add this phrase: “…and how to recover”. Fall and recovery is a technique that Doris Humphrey, a pioneer in modern dance, honed in her choreography. She championed the principle of falling and regaining your balance, going to the edge of an arc, the edge of a swing. You risk falling.

Charise’s Turn:

It wasn’t a part of the choreography, but in the performance of “Ghawazee”, a gypsy inspired dance, I slid to the floor. The setting was a benefit for Aid Afghanistan, an organization that supports schools for marginalized Afghans, particularly girls. How poignant that we of Ancient Rhythms Dance Company had the freedom to dance for those whose freedoms are curtailed. The gypsy dance is exuberant; its main purpose is liveliness, to bring the room alive. During rehearsals our artistic director encouraged us to let loose so that our movements didn’t appear too set or stylized. She didn't have in mind my slipping on one of the donated Afghan rugs that flanked our stage area. But when you find yourself slipping, there’s nothing to do but go with it -- which I did with exuberance, smiling all the way down and back into the dance. Feedback from the audience? "It was exciting!"..."Made the performance more accessible"..."Happened with such grace."   

Get Fired Up:

Be prepared to fall – the more risks you take, the more you step out of your comfort zone, the more confident you become, the bolder you are…you are bound to slip up. This is where grace, humility, courage, humor, spontaneity can show itself.