Thursday, March 18, 2010

The Friday Challenge - Sustainability

my dear Marion caught looking at the light out the window on Monday
surf, trees, light...
The Friday Challenge - Sustainability Boy, I bet that title really rocked your world, eh? I mean how often do you see it - only about a gazillion times a day if you're any sort of media hound. Funny thing - we never heard it as children. And now it is all but leached of meaning by being used for almost anything or idea that people are trying to sell you. Let's look it up in the dictionary - I'll grab the one on my desk - The American Heritage Dictionary - my personal favourite even though they spell favourite wrong. Wait a sec - have to get my loupe out. I'm getting old but then we'd established that, hadn't we.
Here we go...uh, no we don't.
sustain (tained, taining, tains) 1. To keep in existence; maintain. 2. To supply with neccessities or nourishment; provide for. 3. To support from below; prop. 4. To support the spirits, vitality, or resolution of; encourage. 5. To endure or withstand; bear up under: sustain hardships. 6. To experience or suffer (loss or injury) 7. To affirm the validity or justice of: sustain an objection. 8. to prove or corroborate;confirm.
The words with sustain in them that are mentioned are Sustainable, sustainer, sustainment BUT not sustainability. Now the latest copywrite on my dictionary is 1985 so we can guess that I did not, indeed, hear the word sustainability.
Why am I going on about this? Because my dear hearts - I want to know what the 'sustainability' of your practice is. How do you support your creativity - supply your art with neccessities or nourishment, support from below - how do you support the spirits, vitality or resolution of your art or spiritual practice or mothering or partnering or being a citizen in a democracy? How do you affirm the validity or justice of your considered approach to life?
Just as our living in the materialistic world has become unsustainable and we need to prove sustainability for our habits in the free world - our lives as householders, artists, creative types, parents, partners, etc...also needs to be 'prop'ped up, nourished, etc...
Your challenge this week is to suss out FIVE different ways you support your choice to be awake in your world! Because this is a tough one (or I think it is and anyway what sort of 'challenge' would it be if it were too easy?) I will give one example - I support my desire to be an awake artist etc...in the world by going out in it as much as possible - especially the natural part of it.
I look forward to reading your FIVE supports!

10 comments:

Jemi Fraser said...

Okay - I'm going to think a bit on this one. Off the top of my head for #1 - I support my desire to improve the world by making sure every child in my care knows someone believes in him/her, and by helping them to find their strengths.

Jan Morrison said...

Right Jemi - now I want you to find YOUR supports in your mission to do this. What fills your well?

Helen Ginger said...

This will take some thinking. This week, I decided to support my writing by actually writing. I'm allotting time to close out everything else and write. Not exactly something that benefits the world, but it benefits me.

Helen
Straight From Hel

Jan Morrison said...

Helen - that's exactly what I mean! And who says that your focussing on your writing doesn't benefit the world? I like it.

Faith Pray said...

I had to sit awhile and scribble in my notebook, for which I am so grateful Jan! I've decided that the ways I most sustain myself creatively and humanly are
1. Heart-kneeling, asking for help from the bigger hands that lift me.
2. Time in nature, which is also a sort of kneeling.
3. Time laughing with my kids and husband.
4. Time to scribble with thick white notebooks, sketchbooks and flowy ink pens.
4. Reading great fiction.
All of these things bring me to a place of thankfulness and greater abundance which pours out into everything I am and do.

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Ohh...tough one! I'll have to think about this a little, Jan. One of mine is definitely spending time with other writers online and feeding off their creativity and ideas.

Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder

Jan Morrison said...

Faith - yep, those are four of mine too. While the first is meditating rather than praying I think it is to the same effect. Nature is huge with me, laughing and loving those who I'm close too, reading and doing other artistic ventures - painting, accordion playing, cooking, also feeds the muse.
Elizabeth - yep, good one. That is the selfish reason I am here! Everyone is so generous in this blog community and their generosity feeds me up good!

Ann said...

Have to think about this one for awhile. I can't even think of one right now. How sad is that. I will get back to you when I come up with something

Sophie said...

playing catch up here-
1)finding food (and soon growing some!!!!), talking with the people i get it from, preparing food and eating it with family and friends.
2)moving my body in fun and/or ridiculous ways
3)meditating
4)playing with my kids - listening to them laugh and cry and do watever- man! they are so cool.
5)reading your blog and doing the friday challenges. no i'm not sucking up- it's true.
6)walking
writing about art
writing poetry about art
writing about memories
drawing on envelopes and or index cards
walking around the neighbourhood and saying hi to people.
going outside when the weather is wild or wet or both.
loving the people i'm with.

Jan Morrison said...

Hey Ann - I know you do some things to support your dreams - I've read about them in your blog!
Soph - nice, I love your list - especially loving the people I'm with! That really rocks!