Process = Patience

Process = Patience

We’ve all heard the adage, “Practice makes perfect.”  Most likely, it was (or is) parents, teachers, older siblings, mentors, coaches or masters we have encountered along the way who imparted this wisdom to us.  The truth of it is born out in our experience.  We may not reach perfection,  (Black Swan‘s Nina Sayers not withstanding), but we most likely will improve or even achieve mastery of whatever we take on, through practice.

However,  as we move along in life, most of us discover that just about everything is a process. Mastering a sport, whether it be rugby or ballet, requires undertaking various processes such as instruction, preparation, practice, performance and assessment/analysis, each involving numerous steps which are composed of yet more actions, which comprise the journey.  All great journeys by definition, start with a single step.

We  have to get started to cross the great water…

Each step is important, and each requires patience, though sometimes we can’t seem to see the end.

Sometimes we do get an inkling or a  glimmer, fleeting or not, of the prize at the top that awaits us.

A glimmer that might get clearer, as we draw closer,

revealing hitherto unheard-of beauty and intricacy.

The design may be revealed along the way….

and we see how it is made up of pieces..the pieces of every step.

I am reminded of this every time I begin anything, whether it be teaching a children’s art class, creating a mural, trying to close a deal.  We start with an idea, an intent, a desire, a vision, and then we must take the steps, go on the journey,  follow each process to its conclusion, without rushing, forcing or insisting.  We can “make it happen”, without making it happen, by realizing, it IS a process.

Patience is required for this process.   Process takes patience, just as practice makes perfect.  Our experience tends to be better, happier, more fun, and more satisfying if we at least accept the fact that all is process, and even embrace it.  Whether it is starting a new job where the details must be ironed out, or the agonizing process of applying or vying for a new job/project/program/home/apartment/mortgage….recognizing that it is a step-by-step process, and going along for the ride for all its worth will improve our attitude, impress those we are dealing with, and probably help to insure our success, perhaps more than any other single factor involved, because our maturity, acceptance and enjoyment will show to others.

Best of all, we will learn, grow, and develop in beautiful and intricate ways, hitherto unknown to you, by doing the work, making the commitment, and then going with the flow where others, and other uncontrollable factors are concerned.  Having patience with the process, knowing that each endeavor is comprised of multitudes of processes, steps, actions, reactions, responses, decisions and details will ease the pain of our process as a whole, and maybe even make it, an ever-deepening joy!

Here’s wishing You joy in your endeavors, and patience with your process as you take your steps, and go on your journey.

What process required your patience recently? (Or, not so recently?) 

If you are so moved, please share it with us here.

We love to hear from You.

Remember, we are all going through this process called Life, together.  Bon Voyage, and Bonne Chance!

Small Changes…Big Results

Small Changes…Big Results

We have all experienced the power of small changes: that slight shift in hue, design, tone of voice, or verbiage, that can lend an entirely new meaning to something we see, say, or feel.  Color consultation is all about this, and it doesn’t always take a lot.

Before Painting

After Painting

Well, sometimes it does!

Before Painting

After Painting

A “simple” choice of color can affect  the entire look and feel of something.

The Devil is in the Details

Whatever we may think about the green swag against the yellow house body trimmed in white, we can probably agree that the choice of color, any color, of this decorative detail makes a significant difference in the look and feel of the building.

We know as artists, colorists or both, that the tiniest drop of tint into a paint color can change it completely.  Many of us have found this out through intentional or unintentional experimentation.  The balance can be shifted from warm to cool, from clear to muddy,  from light to dark, from saturated to diffused.  The process is always a discovery, an adventure, and a journey.

Taking the Journey

So it is with our words, our actions, and perhaps most importantly, with our thoughts.  We have all had the experience of an interaction escalating into a tirade or an argument, and then thinking later that if we had made just a small change in how we spoke, or behaved that the whole experience and outcome could have been different.  Or, we do make a comparatively small change, such as wearing  a new color of clothing, finally purchasing something that we needed, giving something away, or rearranging possessions, and we think to ourselves something like, “Why didn’t I do that sooner? Keeping these things in a box instead of a bag is just so much easier!”

Why is it so hard to learn these lessons?

I am not sure of the answer to this, but I do know that practice in making the small changes can help us make the big ones without our even being aware of it.  Practice may not always make perfect,  but it may help us approach the larger transitions and decisions in our lives with greater acumen and  confidence.  If we get into the habit of changing small things,  the larger changes we face may be that much less overwhelming.  Our change muscles are flexed, having done some preliminary exercises, and primed to take on the greater challenges of our lives.

Recently, on the wonderful blog talk radio show “Artistically Speaking“, my colleague Lyna Farkus was interviewed about her career as a decorative painter, and inevitably, her life journey.  She shares how recently, she allowed a fellow driver she encountered on a busy workday morning to go ahead of her, and how she saw clearly how that simple act of  generosity would potentially affect that person’s entire day; his interactions, relationships, and who knows, maybe even his safety.  By easing the driver’s frustration, that “random act of kindness” may even have saved his life. by causing him to be calmer and thus more careful on the road.

We don’t know the ripple effect of our actions, and there is an infinite amount of factors that we cannot control.  But, just like the tiny drop of tint that can completely change the character of a color, a tiny action,  change or shift can yield significant results.  Just as we learn about color mixing through practice and experimentation, so we can make small changes a practice.  However daunting, scary and heart-stopping change may seem to be, we can fall back on our experience of the positive outcomes engendered by the changes we have entered into willingly, and enter the mystery of the unknown with that much more clarity and serenity, and maybe, even a modicum of joy.

Entering the Mystery... may yield results

If you feel so inspired, please share with us some of the changes you have made, and how you were able to make them.  We love to hear from you. Remember, we are all  in this thing called Life, together.