The Movement That’s Missing: learning about reflexes

Some short observations, reflections and streams-of-thought today…

As I work on the new book, and develop some author bio drawings (portraits of the authors), I am reminded about how much I have missed drawing.

I have always felt like I needed a tangible purpose and goal in my sights, otherwise, I just don’t seem to want to do it. 

Ahhh, an ongoing human dilemma: the need to feel “productive.”

Back in the early post-undergrad art school days I used to be so curious, and so in touch with the implicit nuances of “the movement” involved in drawing, as well as the “way of seeing” required for creating shapes and forms. Just like the movement of drumming, the muscle memory in the bones slowly came back into my subconscious thought patterning, and lines and shading became easier.

I ride the creative bike again.

I have slowly had to leave something behind: the “thinking” way of visualizing faces that came with my work at Rochester Institute of Technology. Drawing faces through proportion is useful information, believe me, but it also took me to a place of thought that was apparently not appropriate—for me. I guess I just don’t want to think about some things. I just want to do. Apparently “doing,” and the experience—tied the movement—were much closer to my heart.

Ahhh… The ‘doing’ and feeling productive.

And back to these portraits… it’s great that I am doing these simpler drawings. These line drawings have very little shading and keep my reconnection with form simpler. I also remain “in the movement,” movement that seems to permeate everything I do. 

Typing, navigating my iPhone, drumming, and the most obvious things like running and walking all rely on movement, reflexes and muscle memory. Funny: reflexes can release humans from thinking about the action (otherwise, we would eventual drop into analysis paralysis). I caught myself checking and deleting emails on my iPhone the other day, navigating screens quickly—with little to no conscious thinking… what fun! Reflexes can be very helpful (especially in life-threatening situations)…

Think about all the things you do that don’t involve thinking! Maybe for a few minutes every day, then of course stop. Why bother with this? It can provide some useful perspective. Is it always productive? Are you missing anything? Has the “thought-reflex” created a potential ‘skip’ in the record you didn’t catch, one worth exploring, or maybe even worth changing?

Cultivated Curiosity…

I hope my curiosity for these kinds of things never ceases, because seeing actions and thoughts at various levels allows awareness of possibilities and useful revisions to my actions (aka change). It builds flexibility and even responsibility too.  At a “grass roots” level, I am moved to never take things for granted, and be thankful for my abilities. I enjoy the desire to mix it up and change it all at will. 

Just because any particular action or movement doesn’t feel natural doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t do it, that’s what practice is for. Of course we all find things we gravitate towards, just remember that the reason we gravitated towards them to begin with, was because we tried something new—even walking. And then we were changed forever…

Now that is what life is all about!

m

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P.S. An interesting side note about drawing…

Today, as I continued sketching the authors, I started my own portrait, and realized that the experience of drawing me was different than the others. Apparently I seem to know me better. Imagine that! Perhaps I look in the mirror too much? The movement of drawing my own familiar facial features created a rather indescribable and unique response—or at least a little bit of introspection. I'll post it when it's finished.

P.P.S. In living life, I am learning more and more about change. As I do, I realize there is more and more to learn. So a quote to help me ‘keep it straight’ just came across my desk:

“The purpose is learning, not changing. Something may change you when you learn, but that’s a by-product.”

~David Bohm

http://itunes.apple.com/us/genre/ios-productivity/id6007?mt=8

Sources of Resistance

“I think that as we grow up, there are many experiences we have that leave an emotional memory on our internal organs and they stay there as old wounds, a little hurtful and a little sore. We don’t even know that we’re carrying them. I felt that there was a kind of block between the way I felt and my real self, like there was something unresolved.”

~Raquel Welch

Long-term patterns of thought and behavior are easy to miss in our everyday experiences when they have been occurring at a very low level, for a very long time.

And the sources of our creative thought can be weighted down by a source of resistance we either will not fully acknowledge, or have not discovered yet. That said, chances are, we all feel “the disconnect” or the block Raquel describes above at some time in our lives.

I'd like to talk about how accepting and recognizing resistance as a necessary part of life, can bring healing, growth, or at least a new perspective...

As a drummer, I have had a relationship with ‘movement’ for a very long time now. From the movement of the arms, hands and wrists for a single drum, to all parts of the body for a full drum kit. Over time, new approaches become more firmed rooted or embedded in “muscle memory.”

Approximately 12 years ago, I started running regularly. Not only did my level of fitness increase, but also my relationship with movement changed, and it literally felt freer and more powerful. Let’s just say rehearsals could go a lot longer with little to no exhaustion, so powerful and so freeing! It was like a ‘blocked artery’ that was flowing free again. My readiness to feed off of other musicians, and respond in the moment also increased. It was amazing. It also increased my ability to go into “the zone,” and establish new patterns through muscle memory. Let’s just say the change in my exercise routines changed my approach profoundly, and it gave me new perspective.

With not enough context around something that has been present in our emotional system for a long time, it is very difficult to imagine what life might be like without it there. We’re used to it, and for better or worse, we may even like it there, and are very unwilling to change it. Maybe that’s why it’s worth trying new things—even if you’re not sure about something internally. It might just give you that perspective, and that higher-level vantage point that you needed all along.

From a much closer point of view for me, I have been carrying patterns in my life, from relationship to relationship (in friendships AND partners) for a long time now. Looking for the patterns that keep occurring in the dynamics of multiple relationships across longer periods of time can be one of the most useful things to examine for long-term happiness, confidence, and the ability to navigate towards the best personal and professional choices for you. We seem to now live in a world that requires questioning, awareness, and integrity from a higher level—change in the world runs so deep. Our connection with these virtues was always there, but perhaps we have a need to be reacquainted with them?

Asking yourself, what is truly worth your attention can help loosen patterns of blocked resistance, and allow you to not only see things differently, but you’ll feel lighter and more “buoyant.”

Transcending limitations requires an open mind and a flexible heart, but most of all, it requires you to reconnect with you… Since we are always essentially changing, over the course of time, there will be things that define you, and that you may want to hold on to, and then there will be patterns and beliefs that probably no longer serve your best interests.

Keep an eye out for those that no longer serve you, and be thankful for the ones that give you passion, excitement and momentum for what you do. Remember that you’re allowed to change, and fuel those fires of creativity!!!

To round out this post, music is something I need to evaluate. There has been some resistance in there, and some blockages that I thought I flushed out. WelI, I am still fleshing it all out, but know I am ready for some new opportunities. Nothing feels quite right yet… but we’ll get it soon. After all, it takes a little time for new patterns to become engraved in muscle memory.

Happy spring everybody!

m