Sunday, April 10, 2011

Irrevocable Decisions

    I am a list maker, have been for most of my life.  Not only do I make a list of "things to do", but they are diagrammed and outlined with methods to do them and the materials that will be needed and where and how to get those.  I think this is left over from my school teaching days and lesson plans. As a teacher you had to set goals and methods of achieving them, alternatives to chaos and a realization that there are several routes to success.  An attitude of "we will see what the day brings" will always lead to disruption in the classroom.
   "Control" in itself can never be a goal because that always leads to nothing.  It is not a good teacher who at the end of the day can only say "my class behaved itself".  That is a poor mark of success.
   I took these same list making and lesson planning attributes with me for my 35 years in the construction industry.  Goal setting in construction is what it is all about.  Schedules and timing and the order of things are the essential elements.  When the concrete arrives on Wednesday you need to be ready for it.
   Art is no different.  There are steps and stages, materials to gather and conditions all along the way. There is an order to things and an allotment of time.  Even now in my retirement I find myself making lists.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...
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Jerry Carlin said...

Never put yourself down, Pamo, I always leave that to others! Even Santa Claus has a list and checks it twice!

Kay said...

Ahh another list maker..My Mother said I started quite young. I still make lists. The thing I do now to avoid being overwhelmed by the amount on the list is cross off all those things I know I won't do, or that can wait. It is satisfying to cross off all the things done. I must admit that my lists are messy..always changing. Now I put destinations of where to find the things on my lists and plan my route..saves on gas. I also always have a list of what I am taking to the studio or getting from the studio. I suppose it is a semblance of order in a chaotic world.

Yvonne said...

Well...I guess I'm an oddity here. I make lists for things I am purchasing, but for things I am doing, I need more flexibilty. I finally chucked those lists, cause I could never finish them, and was beginning to feel like a failure at times. I set up my flexible goals in my head for the day, and just go with that. I dump the mental list at end of day whether it is finished or not; and next day make a new one.

Timaree said...

I'm not a list maker as a rule. Occasionally I forget to do, buy or take something I should have but making a list just conjours up a fog for me. I do keep some lists; I'm not perfect!

Dan Kent said...

I see what the day brings. Whoops?! That's bad, isn't it!

Autumn Leaves said...

Hah! Maybe that is my problem! Never have been a listmaker. I make them in my head then worry them to death.