Re-evaluering/ Re-evaluating

Jeg bor i Norge og de fleste er på ferie i Juli.  I tilleg til det, har vi hatt en varmebølge og det gjør det vanskelig å være produktivt.  Man faller, på en måte, ut av rutinen og dette, skaper rom for andre tanker.  Jeg har hatt muligheten til å lese et par bøker, være en uke i et annet land, og ha flere samtaler med folk som jeg ellers ikke hadde hatt muligheten, eller "tid," til å prate med.  Varmen gir en slap holding og det har ført til flytte av nye ideer og en re-evaluering av hvor jeg er i livet på de forskjellige områder som er viktig for meg.  Jeg også leste en bok, Big Magic, fra Elisabeth Gilbert og det har fått meg til å re-evaluere og re-vurdere hva jeg vil, fra mine kreative prosjekter.

Før fellesferien var jeg veldig motivert til å begynne å satse sterk på en del prosjekter. Nå har jeg fått en sjanse til å tenke rolig, brytte ting ned. Jeg har hatt en sjanse å puste litt og tenke: hva vil jeg egentlig ut av dette? 

Den nedsatte tempoet har hjulpet meg å male et mer realistisk bildet. Jeg skal prøve å dokumentere og dele noe av reisen, noe av prosessen.  Dette skal skje rolig, uten for mye press, uten noe hast og i sitt egen tempoet.  Resultaten er ikke det som er viktigste, men heller transformasjonen, muligheten å skape, muligheten til å være uten så mange betingelser.

Jeg utfordrer alle å ta en pust, ligge stille, å gi deg selv lov å høre din indre stemme.  Er du fornøyd der du er?  Er det noe du kan justere?  Livet er for kort og det er for lite tid. Derfor er det enda viktigere å ta en pause av og til.  Ta den tiden til å lytte, ta den tiden til å justere.

God summer!

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Re-evaluating:

I live in Norway and most people are on vacation.  Not only that, but this year we have a heat wave which makes it difficult to be productive.  In a way, it causes that we fall out of the routine and this leaves rooms for other kinds of thoghts. During this time, I have had an opportunity to read a couple of books, be abroad one week, and have conversations with people that I otherwise would not have an opportunity or "time" to talk to. 

The heat has created a lethargic atmosphere which has resulted on a flow of new ideas and a re-evaluation of where I am in my life in the different areas that are important for me.   I also got to read this book, Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert, which has made me re-evaluate and re-assess what I want from my creative endeavors.  Before the July vacation I was very motivated to give full troth to some projects.  Now, I have gotten a chance to think calmly.  To break things down.  I have had a chance to breathe and contemplate: What do I want out of all of this?

The calmer tempo has helped me paint a more realistic picture of what is doable.  I will try to document some of the journey, some of the process.  This will happen slowly, without pressure, without a deadline, and at its own pace.  The result is not what is important.  What is important is the transformation, the opportunity to create, the opportunity of "being," without so many conditions and constraints. 

I challenge everyone to take a slow breath, to be quiet and give themselves a chance to listen to their inner voice.  Are you happy where you are?  Is there something you can adjust, something you can tweak for the better?  Life is too short and there is too little time. It is therefore even more important now, to take a break from time to time.  Take the time to listen to yourself and to adjust accordingly.  I can almost guarantee, it will be worth it, independent of the result.  Because the result, even though we don´t want to admit it, is not completely under our control.  However, the path we choose, they way we walk it and the attitude we have during the journey is something we can do something about.

Enjoy the summer!

Time to lift up the bar.

June is usually a busy time.  It is that time right before the "felles ferie" (common vacation) in Norway and a time where some cycles come to an end: the school year, work projects to be closed before vacation, gatherings with friends before vacation, etc.

For me, this time of the year usually gives me an opportunity to re-asses where I am and what I am doing.  The past couple of years I have been on this "quest" to sort things out.  In that process I have grown a bit.  I have taken some time to figure out what is really important to me vs. those things that were important because someone or something else imposed them on me.  Fortunately, due to this process, the list of things that I want to devote my time to improve, learn and do, has narrowed down significantly.  I may be giving up the snowboard half pipe jumper dreams (after falling a bit hard in my back during the last attempt),  but I am not giving up my pursuit for creative endeavors.

I am officially done with my art studies.  I have passed the exams and now all that remains is to get the official diploma.  A part time study that started as a desperate move to sort things out and ended up being one of the best things I have done for myself.  However, it is just the beginning.  The beginning of a lifetime journey.  In the spirit of beginnings, growth and continuous improvement, I have decided to focus on a couple of areas that will complement and lift up the bar, not only when it comes to art, but also in many other areas of my life.

There is a long list of the things I could be better at, but I am starting with one: for the next 6-9 months I am going to lift up the bar on my Norwegian language skills.  I live in Norway, I love Norway and I have been now over a decade in this country.  I speak fairly well, I use Norwegian at work, but I would like to be able to express with the same richness and fluidity that I do in English and in Spanish.  I want to understand people at a different level.  I want to have Norwegian poetry and literature move me like English and Spanish poetry does.  I want to be able to explain my ideas, thoughts and pieces with Norwegian words, and be somehow certain that the essence and the substance behind them is not "lost in translation."

So this starts my challenge. This blog will be the tool.  I am going to start blogging in Norwegian: about my pieces, about my thoughts.  I will do a quick recap and summary in English, not to leave my non-Norwegian readers out of the loop.  I will try to be consistent.  Once a week at least, sometimes more...likely less too, but let´s at least hope for more.  I will write about inspiration, about ideas and about art.  I will start with a short piece, on my next post, which introduces my latest series: "things the heart goes through," but now it is bedtime, so we´ll leave that one for tomorrow.