“Resistance will tell you anything to keep you from doing your work. … If you take Resistance at its word, you deserve everything you get. Resistance is always lying and always full of shit.” Pressfield; theWARofART
You may ask why in the past couple of weeks have I deep cleaned, decluttered, organized every room in my home, multiple times. Cleaned my (self cleaning) oven, scrubbed fridge, dish washer inside and out, and made my sink sparkle. I have even thought about painting the areas of my house I never got to during lock down. I’ve listened to several fluffy audio books, podcasts, watched too many you-tube videos, and made for Netflix movies. I’ve filled my days with busy errands.
All this because I’ve had one small (but significant) writing project to do! I’ve avoided it for months, to be exact since my last art show in August but resistance is real. On my last trip to NYC I finally picked up a little book I’d heard about some time ago Steve Pressfield’s “theWARofART”. I hate the title and cover of the book so for a long time resisted picking it up. It was perfect timing, this little book was the medicine I needed to get unstuck. I read it in a cafe on the UES. For years I felt it sacrilegious to mark my books but more recently I’ve discovered the freedom of note taking, highlighting, commenting right in a book. Do you write in your books? You should! haha
(insert boring photo of me at cafe reading book!)
His bite sized chapters:
Resistance’s Greatest Hits
Resistance is invisible
Resistance is universal
Resistance is internal
Resistance is insidious
Resistance recruits allies
Resistance is fueled by fear
Resistance is most powerful at the finish line
and that procrastination is the most common manifestation of resistance. We don’t tell ourselves, “I’m never going to write my symphony.” Instead we say, “I am going to write my symphony; I’m just going to start tomorrow.”
Yep me to a T. Once my house is clean I will write my artist statement but isn’t there always something more to sort and clean.
I woke up yesterday morning and told myself “I am going to write my artist statement today, it is not negotiable.” I began at 6 am and don’t you know two hours later it was done. Six months of resistance for two hours of focused work! That may be my record! I’d love to hear your resistance stories.
Some early morning feedback/editing from my friend Carolyn R and mentor Melissa P and I have an artist statement ready for my “Winter Blooms” show opening this Friday night, The show was successfully hung (straight thanks to a brain collaboration between Diana, Luc and myself) yesterday at The Bloomery in Northampton MA
Here is is my artist statement
Tony(a) Lemos (She / her/ hers)
I am a multi-disciplinary artist whose work is deeply influenced by the world around me. I walk until I am inspired; when deep in the woods it is the micro worlds of moss, lichen and fungi which have my attention. When in the City it’s the resilience of the plants pushing up through the concrete and the surprise art everywhere.
My process includes combining relief and intaglio printmaking, monotype and contact printing with botanicals. My materials are often of the earth.
I love to explore traditional and alternative photographic methods.
With my art making, I can bring the natural world, its stillness and healing qualities into my busy world and feel connected to something greater. To simply slow down and enjoy the process of creating something handcrafted is a healing process. When working with plants one is in concert with another living being. I see my work as a collaboration with Nature. I wish to inspire the viewer a sense of wonder, a remembering of what it feels like to be in a relationship and feel connected to Gaia.
I have taught herbalism and holistic well-being for the past 25 years, lectured widely around the Northeast and love nothing more than creating intentional community and helping others find their place and feel supported by the Green World. I am inspired by the life and work of scientist Rachel Carson, polymath and visionary Hildegard Von Bingen, and artists Hilma af Klint, and Remedios Varo.
The plants I used in this show are wildcrafted, with permission and gratitude, from the land I call home, on Pocumtuc/Nipmuc territory also known as Western Massachusetts. Eco-printing utilizes the natural pigments in plants, leaves, and flowers, to extract botanical expression and pigment. I hope the resulting images are springboards for dialog with other life forms and spark a deeper connection to the Earth.
Show going up
(sneak preview)