Making and Cutting

Becky recently shared a quote from artist and educator Corita Kent. It's actually from a set of rules she posted in her classroom for her art students: "There's no win and no fail. There's only make." 

With no clear plan or path forward I've been busy making hearts....and cutting up papers in my studio. Known in my world as joyfully puttering.

I have decided it's time to clear my studio of almost ALL of my painted papers and endless supply of snippets and fodder. I want to move it out into the world one way or another.....because I know I will always make more.  

I'm going to try and let things go in an artful and creative way like putting little kits and collections together.  I may try and make a little money along the way...but my plan is to be generous. I'll keep you posted here....maybe some of you will have interest.

Becky's text came smack dab in the middle of this making...and cutting project. "There's no win and no fail, there's only make."

I first heard about Corita through my artist friend Muffy....so I knew just a little bit about her.  But Becky's text got me doing a little research....and the more I read....the more I loved her. "Corita's work reflected her concerns about poverty, racism, and war, and her message of peace and social justice continue to resonate with audiences today."

Her whole set of rules that were posted in her classroom resonated with me.

1. Find a place you trust, and then try trusting it for awhile.
2. General duties of a student - pull everything out of your teacher; pull everything out of your fellow students.
3. General duties of a teacher - pull everything out of you students.
4. Consider everything an experiment.
5. Be self-disciplined...this means finding someone wise or smart and choosing to follow them. To be disciplined is to follow in a good way.  To be self-disciplined is to follow in a better way.
6. Nothing is a mistake. There's no win and no fail, there's only make.
7. The only rule is work. If you work it will lead to something. It's the people who do all the work all of the time who eventually catch on to things.
8. Don't try and create and analyze at the same time. They're different processes.
9. Be happy whenever you can manage it. Enjoy yourself. It's lighter than you think.
10. "We're breaking all the rules.  Even our own rules. And how do we do that? By leaving plenty of room for X quantities." John Cage

Hints: Always be around. Come or go to everything. Always go to classes. Read anything you can get your hands on.  Look at movies carefully, often. Save everything - it might come in handy later.