In the Works

Poppy in her Fisherdog sweater January 19, 2012

Here we are in 2012. Seattle is just coming out of several days of snow and ice, which, for me, meant staying home from work with the dogs. I brought home work to do, since we expected the snow and this is a busy time at work, but I found myself watching the birds, playing with the dogs, reading, and being generally unproductive. It was totally relaxing and refreshing, yet I'm not looking forward to returning to work tomorrow. I had lots of time to think and make decisions.

The photos are just for fun, and are not what I'm writing about today.

A few weeks ago, talking with my counselor, I was puzzled about my style of setting and achieving goals without defining the steps, in order to take those steps to achieve the goal. She commented that my approach is that of a right-brain sort of person. I have heard the term, of course, (as well as "type A" personality) but have been confused about what that means. I am a list-maker and perfectionist from childhood, leading me to think of myself as a linear thinker. Yet, as I'm aging, lists and perfection seem tedious and not necessarily productive. 

Maverick in his lumberjack fleece

So I asked what right brain actually means and she said the right brain is the creative side; that I'm a creative thinker. We observed how our society rewards linear thinking, and she commented that in my attempts at perfection, I have continued to embrace that idea and attempt to be a linear thinker.

I think that trying to operate in a linear fashion hinders my progress - we non-linear thinkers perhaps take a longer route in the attempt to do things "correctly." Like in elementary school when doing story problems, we had to show HOW we got the answer rather than just the answer. Time to move on from elementary school rules!

Our hummingbird guest during the snow days.

My 2012 goal is to try weekend entrepreneurship. Looking toward the summer, my creative energies are toward taking a booth at one of the area weekly craft markets. The commitments required are minimal to begin, and I will have the chance to see how it feels to be in that arena with flea market sorts of items as well as some of my own creations. Some of the items are paper, so choosing the drier months will be necessary, at least until or unless I obtain some sort of cover. This gives me several months to prepare through research, collecting items, planning displays, and product development.