RETREAT!
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No, not Retreat! as in Run away! … Well, yes, it is, actually: tomorrow I run away to a cabin in Cherry Log, GA, with fellow Lichtenbergian Craig for the annual Lichtenbergian Retreat, wherein those who attend either 1) work on something that they’ve been procrastinating on; or 2) just muck about and create as much crap as they can in their chosen medium.
Our first one was in 2009, and I think I’ve made all of them. Some years we just couldn’t get around to it, some years the place was packed. This year it’s just Craig and me. I hope those members who couldn’t make it this year — understandably — find some time to play along at home.
Over the years I have worked on:
a series of paintings in gouache known as the Field paintings
the Cello Sonata
bits of 7 Dreams of Falling
revamping A Christmas Carol
re-orchestrating William Blake’s Inn
a couple of ABORTIVE ATTEMPTS at SUN TRUE FIRE
a couple of passes at Lichtenbergianism for Kids
And it was on Retreat that I began pulling together all my WASTE BOOK scribblings into Lichtenbergianism: procrastination as a creative strategy.
The Retreat is one of the two Lichtenbergian RITUALS (the other being the Annual Meeting).
We arrive Thursday, kick back with snacks and drinks, allot workspace, and discuss our goals, etc.: INVOCATION/DRAWING THE CIRCLE.
On Friday and Saturday, everyone arises and fixes his own breakfast, then… gets to work. It’s true. We TAKE THE PATH and discover what we discover (NUMEN/CONNECTION).
Lunch is hit or miss, then everyone goes back to work.
By midafternoon, everyone’s ready to get into the hot tub, and it’s playtime. Dinner is communal, and we spend the evening talking, playing games, watching movies, etc. And the hot tub. You know, just like Picasso and Braque and the gang did in their SCENIUS.
Sunday, we pack up and go home, BREAKING THE CIRCLE.
I don’t know that I’ve ever finished a piece on Retreat, but I know that I have often broken through some pretty tough blocks.
What am I taking on this Retreat?
The lizard. If nothing else, I can mindlessly explore making dots and squiggles until they make sense.
Lichtenbergianism for Kids. I think the text is finished — has been finished for some time now — and so I am going to ABORTIVE ATTEMPT my way through the illustrations. Who knows? I may decide to completely revamp the thing into a graphic text.
All of this is to say that there probably won’t be a blog post for Fun Friday Resources this week: I’ll be busy actually working, you guys.
I’ll report on my brilliant successes on Monday.
