Draw the Line

Yesterday I took my Friday post to heart and spent the day de-cluttering. Even though I dreaded the process and became quite overwhelmed with the magnitude of what lay ahead of me, the results were extremely rewarding. Who knew that I didn't need to keep 20 towels and all the bedding I own in the 3x3 linen closet! It's a sweet thing to open the closet door and not have the contents fall at your feet! Through out this week, I will continue this task and allow myself some breathability in my home.

In the wake of yesterday's drudgery, today I took myself out to Boston and visited one of my favorite haunts, the Museum of Fine Arts. Because I am a member, I visit quite regularly and today I went in to view the Alex Katz exhibit and to bask in the beauty of the Renoir full size dance images! Oh what joy! I will be talking about these experiences in the near future as they gave me much to chew on.

For today, I'm going to talk about a little sign I saw in the window of the museum store... it read DRAW THE LINE. I immediately reflected back to the Nike ad from a few years ago "Just do it". Three little words.... with so much strength. "Draw the line" is "just do it" in art terms!

Do you want to make art - DRAW THE LINE. You have to start somewhere. One line leads to another and so on... Draw the line! Do you want to be a photographer - take a picture or buy a camera!  Do you want to compose music - play the first note, or sign up for music lessons! Do you want to write.... put down a sentence, a word.... anything. Do you want to travel to a far off land, apply for a passport. Until you start the process, you are stalled. You don't have to figure out all the steps before you start. Just draw the line!

Drawing the first line is the only way to start a masterpiece. Most great art isn't planned out beforehand. Art has a mind of it's own and we are the followers being obedient to the call of the art. Your line doesn't have to be perfect - it just has to BE. DRAW THE LINE!

Dreams are big (and that's really the only kind you should entertain). They can be intimidating and seem quite impossible. But the first line is not scary - it is not impossible. The first line is just a line - so draw it! After your first line you will take another line, and another line after that and soon, you will be on the road to your dreams.

"Draw the line" of course has another meaning. Establish your boundaries! Is someone making your life difficult?  Draw the line around what you will or won't except from them. Are you having trouble being creative because someone keeps coming in and interrupting the flow of your work? Draw the line - shut the door, or escape to a place where you can't be found. Does someone tell you that you can't pursue your dreams, that they are impossible?  Do people tell you that you must be more practical? Do people scoff at your creative endeavors? Did someone ever tell you that you didn't have much creative talent? Draw the line! People and their opinions have no power over you except what you allow them to have! DRAW THE LINE! Maybe it's YOU, telling yourself that it can't be done! Draw that line on your own thoughts and feelings of discouragement and negativity. Don't allow it in.... DRAW THE LINE!

It's time for you to set the course of your life! Banish the negative and invite the positive in. Take that first step - it's not that hard. Put one foot in front of the other! Baby steps as Dr. Leo Marvin would say (one of my all time favorite movies is "What about Bob?").

You can do this! DRAW THAT LINE!

Procrastination just delays life and wastes time! Do it now! Draw that line and you will start on the pathway to an exciting and creative life!