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Post by Di Dreaming on Apr 27, 2009 17:01:03 GMT -5
What an appropriate word for us.
ob⋅fus⋅cate –verb (used with object), -cat⋅ed, -cat⋅ing.
1. to confuse, bewilder, or stupefy.
2. to make obscure or unclear: to obfuscate a problem with extraneous information.
3. to darken.
How many of us have things in our homes that are simply there to obfuscate the situation. I can think of laundry as an example. It's one thing that multiplies and covers every stationary surface and yet often it's not the problem but rather just a symptom of the underlying problem.
If the table is already junked with papers, what difference does it make if I toss a few clothes on there? The chair, well we can't sit in it anyway. Our laundry often covers a multitude of problems, hiding them and obscuring them with extraneous items.
It's easy to wash a load of laundry. It's not that difficult to fold it and put it away, and yet we allow it to pile up, because that's a problem that we tell ourselves that we can deal if we would just get around to it.
Your obfuscating item may be paperwork, or sewing clutter, or craft crap. But we allow it to pile up because we know that we can deal with it. It hides the underlying items that we just can't seem to ever find a home for. Then on our cleaning binges we tackle our personal obfuscating items and because the house suddenly "looks so much better" we congratulate ourselves and rest on our laurels because we "took care of the stuff that was obscuring the real problem children."
Laundry really isn't my problem any more, although it was for years. My problem now is my sewing stuff. I claim that I don't know what to do with it (and to a certain point, I don't) but I could box it in a somewhat organized manner and stack it and get it out of the way.
But underneath I would find the little things that caused the downslide to begin with. the items that don't have homes, the stuff that is just too much to deal with, the stuff with the bad memories attached to it, the stuff that truly paralyzes us when we even think about tackling it.
Under my craft crap and sewing stuff I will find: things that belonged to my mom. Paperwork that needs to be done, legalities that need attention, things that hurt, things with memories attached to them, things that I just don't want to see -- not now, not ever. It's much better if they remain hidden. After all, there's all this craft stuff that I have to put away. I couldn't possibly even see THOSE other things.
Cover it up. Never expose "that stuff" to the light of day. It would HURT to have to deal with it. Better to have a pile of laundry, papers, craft supplies hiding it from us. We know that eventually we can deal with those....
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Post by annieblue on Apr 27, 2009 17:24:51 GMT -5
 ((((((((DWA)))))))) THANK YOU for posting your wonderful thinking here!!! While reading it I realized one of my horrid 'children' is the corner cabinet in my kitchen that used to be a mouse habitat. The 'ick' is all still there & I have avoided it like the plague FOR YEARS. Oh my. I KNOW it needs doing, but I instead do ANYTHING & EVERYTHING ELSE to avoid it, & to avoid even thinking about it. Have put it off until a time when I can commandeer husband to clean it out with me kneeling about 5 feet back away from it. (It is a bottom cabinet.) Have also put it off because I figure I'll never really feel good about using the cabinet after it is cleaned out anyway, blech. BUT LAWSY IT MUST BE DONE. And it will be. Soon. Then I can move on to thinking of the next dreaded thing.  Thank you again! 
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Post by creativechaos on Apr 27, 2009 22:35:36 GMT -5
yes, all my art making surfaces are obfuscated with other piles of paper and clothes and flotsam and jetsom on top, because i don't want to face doing art and continuing to fail, or worse yet, not being able to start at all, which is mostly where i have been for 15 years with it. if i keep it all trashed, i don't even have to try. i used to make art that had something to it, and the process enlivened me, and i was able to stick with it and do my work. now i am afraid to even try because i have failed so many times to raise the courage to even start, and what once was engaging now seems dreadful and terrifying.
it's important for me to find out the underlying issues; how i got blocked and how to find my way out into having the process of art (or any of the arts) be enjoyable again. somewhere i lost the joy, and it's just been a way to beat myself up with perfectionism.
that is probably more information than anyone wanted to know!
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Post by Di Dreaming on Apr 28, 2009 0:23:24 GMT -5
Creative, that was what I was thinking when I started this thread. It seems that the simple stuff takes up the most space and covers the real problem. I know that I need to stop focusing on the obvious and take care of the true problems and then there won't be a need for the hiding piles.
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Post by Arid on Apr 28, 2009 0:25:24 GMT -5
I think that you have made a very valid, pertinent point, dwa20!
Arid
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Post by marigold on Apr 28, 2009 2:01:09 GMT -5
yes, all my art making surfaces are obfuscated with other piles of paper and clothes and flotsam and jetsom on top, because i don't want to face doing art and continuing to fail, or worse yet, not being able to start at all, which is mostly where i have been for 15 years with it. if i keep it all trashed, i don't even have to try. i used to make art that had something to it, and the process enlivened me, and i was able to stick with it and do my work. now i am afraid to even try because i have failed so many times to raise the courage to even start, and what once was engaging now seems dreadful and terrifying. it's important for me to find out the underlying issues; how i got blocked and how to find my way out into having the process of art (or any of the arts) be enjoyable again. somewhere i lost the joy, and it's just been a way to beat myself up with perfectionism. that is probably more information than anyone wanted to know! Creative, this is what I can say for myself too - to the letter!!! I've been blocked in creating art for the last 15 years (ever since I graduated from the Academy of fine arts), and what previously gave me much joy (drawing), now has been a dreaded task asked for from others (family) who enjoyed my work and would want to see more (and what a pity my talent is wasted from not being used), but I just can't, can't, can't, because I fear it would not be good enough (a bit of paralising perfectionism?). I used to crave drawing, and couldn't live without it, and I was enjoying the process as much as the result. Now it's like somebody says - please build me a skyscraper, just for me, pleeeeease? I am aware that the computer that is obfuscating my working table, and the art materials which don't have their distinct spot but are who-knows-where-everywhere-but-nowhere-to-be-found, and having a toddler around, are just a poor and superficial excuse of not doing art, because if it were really important to me, I would find time and place and stuff to do it with! |
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Post by marigold on Apr 28, 2009 2:09:36 GMT -5
it's important for me to find out the underlying issues; how i got blocked and how to find my way out into having the process of art (or any of the arts) be enjoyable again. somewhere i lost the joy, and it's just been a way to beat myself up with perfectionism. I was thinking about this too. In my case, was it because, before I entered the Academy, I was an above-average draftsman (draftsgirl?  ), and used to get only compliments for my drawings, and at the Academy they try to teach you how to be even better, and indicate you some flaws, and teach you more about the structured composition behind it, and suddenly a really good drawing asks for much more planning and thinking, becomes elaborate task, PLUS I obviously don't deal well with being told my work is not good enough - sigh. Maybe a low-expecting and unopinionated environment would be good to start my art again... ? I guess part of the SoS appeal is in constant praise, no matter how small the effort is... I don't know... I'm sorry if I steered too far off topic. It's just that creativechaos stirred a many years suffocated emotion. |
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Post by annieblue on Apr 28, 2009 5:41:26 GMT -5
Well, um, there is the little matter of my writer's block for about 6 years now. No, you people just DO NOT let anything slide.  Thank heavens! It sure is tough to take off the blinders to these things, but I believe we will each be the better for it. Again, thank you DWA. 
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Post by dayeanu on Apr 28, 2009 9:41:20 GMT -5
I guess part of the SoS appeal is in constant praise, no matter how small the effort is... Well said. I think you are exactly right here, marigold. For whatever reason, the constant praise, no matter how small the effort, is very healing. And motivating. And gives hope. which brings forth light and life and creativity and ultimately productivity. |
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Post by sunshineshouse on Apr 28, 2009 15:41:05 GMT -5
There is so much truth to this. I have bins and bags and boxes of things belonging to deceased relatives. I have only recently learned that I can only try to sort through these for a short period of time. Even after many years, it is a very emotional experience. There are good emotions too, but when I start to feel overwhelmed and sad, I stop. I also have this experience with papers, as I have -- as I am sure many of you have -- had many financial troubles over the years. When I was gathering papers to do three years worth of tax forms (yes, it got done!) I would come across papers that would give me bad feelings. Funny that I never recognized the physical FEELINGS I had while doing this - I was queasy and perspiring - so no wonder I kept avoiding these tasks!
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hopehope
Banned
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3,815 
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Post by hopehope on Apr 28, 2009 15:58:58 GMT -5
"...things that hurt..." yes, yes, quite.
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