Underestimated power
An essay…
It took me years to realize that the ability to focus did not come natural to me. My mind excels at day tripping, fantasizing, and wandering. Back in elementary school days and thereafter, there was not much in the way of school help. Thus, there I was struggling to fulfill what was expected of me with some degree of success. A zig zag line had nothing on me though it felt more like a rollercoaster.
Learning to focus has been a lifelong lesson for me. It is not that I do not have the capacity to focus. Once I focus, I am in, all the way. But, getting there is similar to a painful exercise session where you alternate between activity and a break because you are breathless. Not able to claim I have learned my lesson, I still struggle with being able to focus.
Every Sunday, I receive an email newsletter from Billy Oppenheimer. The newsletter is called Six at Six on Sunday. It has become my favorite email newsletter and trust me, I get a lot of them. Last Sunday’s was called The Measure of Focus, A Double Satisfaction, A Gigantic Aspect of Survival, Greenlights, Wait For It, and The 23rd Law of Power. In the newsletter Billy recounts a meeting between Steve Jobs and Ives. Jobs remarked how at Ives’ studio there were several unfinished ideas. All with potential but the quantity of them seemed to indicate a problem retaining focus.
After I read the email, it was like a lightbulb illuminated my past and present life. In that instant I realized something about myself. In a way I have known it but it was not mine—I did not own it. As I kept reading the email I kept saying yes, yes, and yes. Billy’s email also told of how Seinfeld adopts the concept of “artistic survival”; as ideas come and go one must learn which ones to keep and which ones to discard. Or to say it another way, which ones stay to use us as vessels of expressions and which ones we set free to find other vessels. The survival of the ideas that stay can only be fulfilled through our ability to focus.
Every big endeavor in my life has been a struggle between what I want to do, the bigger aim, and the shiny and exciting things in front of me. There are so many interesting ideas and opportunities and you’d think that as I get older, I would be wiser. But, no, it is still a struggle what to pick and what to let go. However, the truth is that some doors need to remain closed to open those we yearn to go through.
I used to think that the biggest asset we possess is our mind. Our biggest asset is not just the mind. There are two things that our mind needs to flourish: the ability to focus and the ability to use time well. Time is a finite resource but it is a heartless traitor at worst and at best it is a faithful ally.
Becoming a skillful and productive artist necessitates focus. Lots of it. This also means saying no to opportunities and even friends—perhaps even more often than we’d like. I have been learning to turn down opportunities because then I can focus on my art making, design process, and learning. As I said earlier, it is a lifelong endeavor.
In 2014, I started to create daily. It started with the creative challenges hosted on Instagram by different content creators. My daily practice focuses on lettering mostly but I also do other works. I can’t really express how much this discipline has helped me grow as a creator. I wrote about my daily practice a few weeks ago. My commitment to this practice has been easy to keep because I am focused. It is a good habit, it helps me in developing skills, and it sharpens my creativity. Temptations are always there. Always.
I turned 60 this week. It looks like a big number. It is a big number. I am not sure how long I might have and yes, it is probably a rite of passage to consider time now. How do I want to spend those years is a big question for me. There are still things I want to do, things I want to attain, and things I want to try. But I can’t choose them all. I now have to summon my brain cells to focus to do more of what I decide, and how and where I will spend my time.
Once I met a lady who was in her eighties. She seemed fragile but spunky. It was her art show. A humble display of her pastel drawings. I asked her about it and she said how she had picked up drawing later in life and was having fun. The drawing of a dancer was being sold for $30. It was beautiful and it is in my house. Every time I look at it, I remember her. Time keeps passing but as long as I am here, I will continue to love being an artist, a designer, an educator, and a writer as I continue to learn to focus.
And so you see what sixties look like on me, below is a picture of my birthday.
Love,
Alma
