It’s good to challenge yourself by setting new goals or figuring out how to do something you want.<\/p>\n
Sometimes the best thing, though, is to clear the cobwebs by concentrating on something completely different or a change of scenery.\u00c2\u00a0 I did both by spending the weekend in New York.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instead of concentrating in my own work I gorged myself on other people’s work.\u00c2\u00a0 Nearly every waking moment was spent in a museum or art gallery.\u00c2\u00a0 It was a mixture of things that got me thinking.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
For instance, I noticed a fireplace piece and a small statue at the old Frick house<\/a> that prominently featured harpies.\u00c2\u00a0 However, they weren’t like the harpies I was used to seeing or reading.\u00c2\u00a0 None of them had wings.\u00c2\u00a0 So what happened?\u00c2\u00a0 Was there a time period where harpies were depicted without their wings?\u00c2\u00a0 Or was it an aesthetic choice of the artists?\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n Other\u00c2\u00a0stops included the New Museum<\/a>, the Metropolitan Museum of Art<\/a>, Neue Gallerie<\/a>, and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0as well as several others.\u00c2\u00a0 Paintings, sculptures, photographs, films, multimedia presentations, books… all art forms that assault various senses can help a writer focus.\u00c2\u00a0 Sitting on a park bench and having blossoms fall on me like snowflakes was one way I soaked up spring time in the city.\u00c2\u00a0 I think it’s my favorite time of year there.\u00c2\u00a0 Some people will actually pick up a paint brush or charcoal to clear the cobwebs and use another part of their brain.\u00c2\u00a0 I am not so ambitious as to do that.<\/p>\n The best part of the weekend was sleeping in and not having to turn off my Sammy alarm clock.\u00c2\u00a0 No, I don’t name my alarm clocks; he’s the current resident Corgi at the Stults estate.\u00c2\u00a0 Unlike our first Corgi, Sammy\u00c2\u00a0is an early riser and didn’t come with a snooze alarm.\u00c2\u00a0 The weekend away meant no responsibilities whatsoever other than making sure I relaxed.<\/p>\n The results of clearing my cobwebs have been fruitful – I’ve begun\u00c2\u00a0working on a\u00c2\u00a0new non-fiction piece and a book review.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It’s good to challenge yourself by setting new goals or figuring out how to do something you want. Sometimes the best thing, though, is to clear the cobwebs by concentrating on something completely different or a change of scenery.\u00c2\u00a0 I did both by spending the weekend in New York.\u00c2\u00a0 Instead of concentrating in my own… Continue reading Clearing The Cobwebs<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t