Saturday, October 1, 2011

what repetition is teaching me

mary jane dodd


while repetition can be tedious 
we all know that there is a time and place for it... 

it is in repeating an action (or thought) that it becomes familiar... 
in familiarity it becomes known... 

in being known it becomes understood... 
and once understood it can be refined... 

i think the problem begins when we fight it... a brain in overdrive can be all over the place... what feels fulfilling is meeting one need... it can be exciting... adenaline pumping... 

but balance is necessary... 

i think i am maturing in my process... i am fighting the urge to rebel against repetitive tasks... instead of making the 2 rings (or leaves or whatever) i might need at the moment... i sit down to 10... 

at times i feel like i am battling a storm in getting my mind to quiet... but it does... and it gets easier and easier... as does the task... 

i am not here decreeing that i am against one of a kind work - this is quite the opposite... not production at all... but the ability to work on one's craft in order to raise your bar... 

in order to spark the 'what ifs'... in order to give yourself the best you have... with solid foundations that allow you to fly higher...

what dragon do you wish to slay? is it really your mind that needs calming and not the task? (and can we allow the dragon to be the teacher it is?)

6 comments:

SummersStudio said...

I find that if I do sit down to a repetitive task that it is like a meditation and quiets my mind. There is something very calming in doing the familiar. I also think that repetition is necessary to increase skill. Its like learning to walk. You started out with wobbling steps and it took months to master it.

Alice said...

Last night I sat down to measure, cut, hammer, and form enough links to make a chain. Instead of enjoying the process and learning from it, I coudn't wait to get it done and move on to putting the necklace together. I need to slow down, get to know the wire, and enjoy. Thanks so much for the reminder.

Spirited Earth said...

i don't think i could express it better than SummersStudio..it's meditative and improves skills

Sharon Driscoll said...

The repition of a "process or technique" is the best way to master the skill. Skill acquistion is the same for most anything. At first you are awkward, you become skillful through practice, and mastery comes when the pattern is repeated enough to become automatic. Excellent post!

Artisan Beads Plus said...

I fight with repetition. I had to, however, to create numerous enameled purple ribbon earrings for the Domestic Violence month in October. I must say that I that I learned more about enameling while going through the process. I looked at it as a necessity. I couldn't bring myself to make each piece exactly the same, but did have to run somewhat of a personal assembly line to complete the task efficiently. I gained confidence in the process.

stregata said...

The last thought is the most interesting: allowing the dragon to be the teacher... going to muse on that.

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