Reading Deprivation Post Mortem
Well, I did most of what I said I'd do, but not all of it.Here's what I did do in the meantime:
I found that I started to "bend" some of the prohibitions. While I didn't once look at any TV, email, comics or Live Journal/Facebook, I did start to listen to online ambient music channels as background to trying to remove mould in my study (found some really great channels as well). Also I started downloading a bit of music,, even though I didn't listen to it initially. All that needed a bit of searching on the net, which was reading, but not stories and other people's stuff.
The backing-up and cataloguing of my computer files was something I'd been meaning to do for some time (showing my library training here). But it required me to find a decent catalogue program. I found one called Visual CD which was just perfect - but that in turn required me to learn how to use it. I found that, while I was doing something that I'd been meaning to do for a while, it was all too easy to sit in front of the PC listening to Ambient music while waiting to load the next disk. Seems I don't actually need the net or Facebook, Live Journal or Youtube to do that for long hours after all!
On the last day, I decided to make a skin for the radio player I use, called Radiosure. I've never made a skin for anything before, so this was yet another adventure in learning something from scratch - in other words I had fun! I made two skins: Big List and Polychrome.
But I was almost all day (with breaks) doing that. There's almost no documentation on how to do this and I had to find a free XML editor, fiddle about in Fireworks, and I was still at it just before midnight (posted emails off to the programs' author after midnight).
Now, is this a success or a failure?
Did I stuff up in listening to Ambient music? Did I stuff up doing stuff on the computer? I never got to draw any webcomics (at least one page later today I think), though I did start an artist's diary. And on three occasions I listened to radio plays. Those were not background events, they were the point. I felt I needed a short break, a bit of entertainment.
That was I guess a form of "acting out" or "tantrum" that the book mentions. I realised though that it would be a "failure" if I acted like (say with an addiction) I'd "fallen off the wagon" and did a bender. But I didn't start reading emails et cetera - I kept all that at bay until today.
Searching for stuff, downloading it, and learning things via the web is different. It may be that such took me back out of myself again. But then it depends on the point of the exercise. I saw two counsellors and each had a different take on it. One thought that it might prove interesting.The other thought that it was an exercise in finding oneself. The Artist's Way book just says:
I think I might try this again one day, say at a retreat or somewhere with no net.
- Wednesday
Tried on and tossed out ill fitting clothes.
Backed up Music collection (involved learning to use IMGBURN + BURN TO THE BRIM).
Backed up Downloads
Cleaned up backyard
Sorted out drawing tools
Thursday
Dropped clothes at Salvos in Mayfield
Saw counsellor
Walked from top of Blackbutt to Westfields in Kotara (6km).
Had small fish & chips
Fell asleep at 7:30pm
Friday
Took dogs for extra long walk (7 km) in the bush
Took 2nd bag of clothes to Cardiff
Bought cleaning stuff and food at Glendale
Mowed lawns.
Had big row with boarders before they left for the w/e.
Saturday
Took dogs for extra long walk (9 km) in the bush.
Downloaded lots of music files.
Listened to Ambient music
Backed-up downloads.
Started artist's diary.
Sunday
Organised/renamed folders on PC.
Catalogued backups.
Did some drawing in artist's diary.
Started listening to ambient music.
Did washing up.
Vacuumed carpets.
Fixed fences.
Phoned mum in Western Australia.
Phoned Carol in Victoria.
Monday
Attempted to get rid of mold in study - knocked out for half a day by fumes.
Finished cataloguing disks.
Listening to ambient music.
Tuesday
Had friend visit, ate lunch at chip shop.
Created Radiosure skins.
Listening to ambient music.
Wednesday (after the 7 days was up)
Up from midnight until 3am listening to online Goonshows.
I found that I started to "bend" some of the prohibitions. While I didn't once look at any TV, email, comics or Live Journal/Facebook, I did start to listen to online ambient music channels as background to trying to remove mould in my study (found some really great channels as well). Also I started downloading a bit of music,, even though I didn't listen to it initially. All that needed a bit of searching on the net, which was reading, but not stories and other people's stuff.
The backing-up and cataloguing of my computer files was something I'd been meaning to do for some time (showing my library training here). But it required me to find a decent catalogue program. I found one called Visual CD which was just perfect - but that in turn required me to learn how to use it. I found that, while I was doing something that I'd been meaning to do for a while, it was all too easy to sit in front of the PC listening to Ambient music while waiting to load the next disk. Seems I don't actually need the net or Facebook, Live Journal or Youtube to do that for long hours after all!
On the last day, I decided to make a skin for the radio player I use, called Radiosure. I've never made a skin for anything before, so this was yet another adventure in learning something from scratch - in other words I had fun! I made two skins: Big List and Polychrome.
But I was almost all day (with breaks) doing that. There's almost no documentation on how to do this and I had to find a free XML editor, fiddle about in Fireworks, and I was still at it just before midnight (posted emails off to the programs' author after midnight).
Now, is this a success or a failure?
Did I stuff up in listening to Ambient music? Did I stuff up doing stuff on the computer? I never got to draw any webcomics (at least one page later today I think), though I did start an artist's diary. And on three occasions I listened to radio plays. Those were not background events, they were the point. I felt I needed a short break, a bit of entertainment.
That was I guess a form of "acting out" or "tantrum" that the book mentions. I realised though that it would be a "failure" if I acted like (say with an addiction) I'd "fallen off the wagon" and did a bender. But I didn't start reading emails et cetera - I kept all that at bay until today.
Searching for stuff, downloading it, and learning things via the web is different. It may be that such took me back out of myself again. But then it depends on the point of the exercise. I saw two counsellors and each had a different take on it. One thought that it might prove interesting.The other thought that it was an exercise in finding oneself. The Artist's Way book just says:
- Don't read. If you can't think of anything else to do, cha-cha.
I think I might try this again one day, say at a retreat or somewhere with no net.