Forever Amplitude (AKA 120 Days of Amplitude)
Tomorrow is my 120th day of amplitude and it's at this point, on the eve of my 120th day that I must confess that it's going to go on forever and ever. It's never going to end. I also have to confess that I took a hiatus from the canvas for a few weeks but not from the sheepskin (yoga and meditation). I would like to say that it was a continuous 120 days of both painting AND meditation, but I'd be lying. It was, however, 120 continuous days of heightened awareness, increased creativity, happiness, awareness, productivity, prosperity, and better sleep. I felt more authentically ME than I had felt in a long time. I highly recommend making this kind of commitment if you want to jumpstart your creative life and certainly if you yearn for a more extraordinary existence.
One of the best outcomes of this period of time was my realization that I could do this in a non-obsessive way and be kind to myself in the process. I showered myself with compassion and understanding and did whatever I needed to do to allow for the shifts to occur. What this means is that I did my best to honor my artistic commitment but at the same time allowed for my professional and personal lives to happen. I made sacrifices, adjusted my schedule to allow for my most creative unobstructed times. I did a lot of creative "work' but it wasn't necessarily on the canvas. I thought I'd be very regimented about when and how I did the project, but I was much more organic and sensitive than I had imagined myself to be.
In an old Paris Review, one of my favorite writers, Henry Miller was asked if there was some conditioning a writer had to go through like a Zen Swordsman... Henry Miller responds:
"Why, of course, but who does it? Whether he means to do it or not, however, every artist does discipline himself and condition himself in one way or another. Each man has his own way. After all, most writing is done away from the typewriter, away from the desk. I’d say it occurs in the quiet, silent moments, while you’re walking or shaving or playing a game or whatever, or even talking to someone you’re not vitally interested in. You’re working, your mind is working, on this problem in the back of your head. So, when you get to the machine it’s a mere matter of transfer."
I feel that this was definitely true for me. Every moment away from the canvas was in preparation for that transfer to occur. I didn't wait around for inspiration, I did the work. But it's a way of life that can't be contained in 120 days or even 40 days. These segments of time are effective in breaking and making habits, but they are just the beginning. There is much more to come.
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