I agree with quite a number of your comments, especially the pressure during our working lives to cram as much as possible into the limited time available. Having had my 'second half', and perhaps now enjoying my third, I do have a sense of 'times winged chariot' drawing near. There are many things to learn, but with art it is not just the learning of techniques etc, it's the experience and experimentation, and that takes time to marinate. I take inspiration from artists such as Francoise Gilot (who recently died at around a hundred), and Francoise Sullivan an artist from Montreal, still working at around the one hundred mark. And every year I continue to tell myself I have another twenty years.
Wow Helen! What a wonderful reflection. So much to think about. Really love how you bring the Hebrew language in, and your paintings are lovely and fascinating. Much gratitude to you.
Very thought provoking Helen. I worked for a legal firm as an expert witness in computing and I.T in 1990's - we had to use a dictaphone to record our investigations, and it was company policy to submit all our tapes to a typing pool, and then we review the transcripts - all billable, of course - my time, typists time, my review time, submit red-line corrections, my re-review etc. When it came for typists to listen to and interpret complex computer commands the typed-up rubbish which came back was laughable (no blame on the typists - they didn’t have programming background), but it resulted in multiple rewriting, and stupidly high billable hours. In absolute frustration, I led a revolution by insisting I'd do all my typing. The attitude was - men don't do the typing - what nonsense. I threatened to leave, and the company relaxed the policy. Our clients benefited, and there was a lot less stress in the typing pool, which admittedly started to diminish as they received less work. The inexorable advance of technology and (horror of horrors) men who could type!
This is a lovely reflection and an invitation to review how we view time. Artists need time reflect and ponder and percolate new ideas, none of which looks “productive” but all of it quiet essential. We need to put down the striving energy of our past careers so we can be more present to the voice of inspiration in the here and now. I’m looking forward to your next newsletter!
Thank you for the time you invested in writing this Helen. Beautifully written & very thought provoking.
I agree with quite a number of your comments, especially the pressure during our working lives to cram as much as possible into the limited time available. Having had my 'second half', and perhaps now enjoying my third, I do have a sense of 'times winged chariot' drawing near. There are many things to learn, but with art it is not just the learning of techniques etc, it's the experience and experimentation, and that takes time to marinate. I take inspiration from artists such as Francoise Gilot (who recently died at around a hundred), and Francoise Sullivan an artist from Montreal, still working at around the one hundred mark. And every year I continue to tell myself I have another twenty years.
Wow Helen! What a wonderful reflection. So much to think about. Really love how you bring the Hebrew language in, and your paintings are lovely and fascinating. Much gratitude to you.
Thank you for such a lovely inquiry into time in our modern lives. I'm finding myself asking similar questions at this life juncture as well.
Love this. Shalom. x
Very thought provoking Helen. I worked for a legal firm as an expert witness in computing and I.T in 1990's - we had to use a dictaphone to record our investigations, and it was company policy to submit all our tapes to a typing pool, and then we review the transcripts - all billable, of course - my time, typists time, my review time, submit red-line corrections, my re-review etc. When it came for typists to listen to and interpret complex computer commands the typed-up rubbish which came back was laughable (no blame on the typists - they didn’t have programming background), but it resulted in multiple rewriting, and stupidly high billable hours. In absolute frustration, I led a revolution by insisting I'd do all my typing. The attitude was - men don't do the typing - what nonsense. I threatened to leave, and the company relaxed the policy. Our clients benefited, and there was a lot less stress in the typing pool, which admittedly started to diminish as they received less work. The inexorable advance of technology and (horror of horrors) men who could type!
This is a lovely reflection and an invitation to review how we view time. Artists need time reflect and ponder and percolate new ideas, none of which looks “productive” but all of it quiet essential. We need to put down the striving energy of our past careers so we can be more present to the voice of inspiration in the here and now. I’m looking forward to your next newsletter!