Here is a free and easy sketch that has a light touch, a sense of exploration, and relaxed mark-making.  It has a feeling of development and emergence without forcing it or worrying about it.  It's not too self-conscious or pretentious.  It shows me the direction I would like to go with my sketch work. 

A couple of low temp days in southern Nevada and a chance to escape into the LMNRA.  

1. Sip coffee.
2. Pet dog.
3. Turn on favorite music.
4. Have another sip of coffee.
5. Check email.
6. Adjust draft on wood stove.
7. Pet dog again.
8. Sip more coffee.

And we wonder why we aren't getting anywhere.  
In the studio, I surround myself with symbols of my comfortable life:  The smell of coffee.  My favorite music.  The lazy dog.  The crackling wood stove.  All of these things, I really love.  Why?  These things are embedded deep from my early times growing up in a little Oregon logging community.  This was the lifestyle that was practiced and I was conditioned to believe in the power of these things to give me a feeling of certainty and happiness.  Although deeply embedded from childhood, I now know that these things, to a great extent, can be unlearned and even re-linked to fear and pain.   We can re-program ourselves.  We can convert our comfort zone into a danger zone (and vice-versa).  We can learn and unlearn what makes us feel comfortable.

Don't throw the dog out. 
So how do we make the Gig Economy work?   Maybe there is a bit of re-programming to do, but we won't need to throw the dog out.  Let's just say we may need to educate the dog a tiny bit.  So here's the thing:  When it comes to gigs or projects, we have to know what is most important.  I like the word, momentum.  Momentum happens when ideas begin to shake loose and we are no longer 'stuck'.   We are on a roll.  Suddenly, our gig is alive.  We need to keep that rhythm and flow going.  The dog (and everyone else) simply must understand how momentum is so incredibly valuable.

Momentum is most precious. 
When the work begins to flow, we have to kick it into high gear.  The dog (and everyone else) has to anticipate and understand that momentum is a really good thing for everyone.  Momentum carries our life forward, and everything changes when we follow through on our projects and commitments.  There is so much satisfaction and joy in finishing our work.  Not to mention, it's how the bills get paid.  

Embed the idea of momentum.
How do we embed this idea of momentum deep into our psyche?   We want to build a network of associations.  What is momentum like?  We might try the feeling of coasting downhill on a bicycle.  Or maybe a sailing analogy - We are under full sail, taking advantage of the wind.  In a practical sense, when we've got momentum, we need to take action to protect it.  Let's put our email on auto-response and let somebody else adjust the stove.  And the dog... take her for a walk along the short route.  She will understand.           

The healthy, sustainable way.
So what about doing gigs long term?  What about burn-out?  I'm sixty and still gigging it.  Maybe there is a better question:  How can we be more curiosity-driven?  How can we learn to quickly recognize the beginnings of a little momentum?  Consideration of these questions may lead us in a more healthy and sustainable direction.  It's so much better than the stress and anxiety of the procrastination cycle and deadline pressure.  

Ship, Deliver, Follow-Through.
So when it comes to gigging it, we need to think deeply about what contributes most to delivering a product.  Then we need to re-condition ourselves around our new concept as if it was a comfortable pair of jeans.  And now that I have followed through and finished this article more comfortably than ever before, I'm thinking,  Yes! This blog is my Lasagna!   :-)    

We reach out and touch because we want to know what something feels like.  Our sense of touch is driven by curiosity... our questions.  Touch and curiosity are interwoven and we develop touch to serve curiosity and take a closer look. 

Creative action is about what if I do this?  What if I do that?  What if... What if... What if...  We do not make decisions, we  explore.  It's an inquiry.  It's research.  There is no decision, only the questions that we play with. 

The artist's conversation, for example, is about a smudge and whether it should have a soft edge or a hard edge.  Or should  it have only one edge?  Or should it transition in all directions?  Or should it have an edge that fades out and fades back in?  And should the edge curve or be straight?  And on and on it goes.  Questions.  Tinkering.  Fiddling Around.  Experiments.  Playful wandering of the mind.  It's just a piece of paper and there are no big decisions.  It's just you and your curiosity.  

Get more out of your journal and your life's journey.  Artist's Kayak Workshops are held in places and spaces of reflection and touch.   They are about noticing nature and developing the stories of our lives.  Learn to develop a new personal story that can heal.  And the outcome can be life changing.  So discover it for yourself... your journey and story of healing.  

​Chris Hammond and The Healing Journey Workshop... Let's deepen the conversation on how to cultivate fertile soil for growing mindful, creative touch in a connection economy.  The future is arriving now with more opportunities for artists than ever before.  Connect with Chris here.

It's never about the situation or activity.  It's about all the memories and feelings that we associate to the situation or activity.  There's something about the situation of waiting at the DMV that causes me some internal consternation and anxiety.   And there is something about doodling and drawing that causes me to calm down and relax.