I was playing around with Krita again last night as I had an image in my head that I think would be pretty good, but I ,don't have the touch for the execution - same old issues. It is annoying to visualize it with so much clarity and not have the skills required to accomplish the vision, but part of the problem is that I haven't practiced with any intention.. pretty much ever. I have always just drawn when and how I feel like it without putting any thought into the development of the skill or trying to achieve a particular look. It is a super lazy approach, but since I am never likely to rely on my "art" to earn a living, I don't have a great deal of incentive to do anything more than enjoy what I do, regardless of the result.
However.
I do want to put some work up around the house when it is closer to completion and I am pretty picky with what I put on the walls as what is hanging becomes part of the influencing environment that affects our thoughts and behaviors and has a big impact on our preferences. This means that through our surroundings, we get primed to make decisions that move us in a narrower direction.
There are many points that illustrate this and one that I mention from time to time is surrounding ourselves with catalogs and junk mail advertising that influence us into becoming discontent with what we have and wanting something new, a couch, a computer, a TV or some other consumable. But there are other things in the home that direct attention and direction too, like whether things are in order, or if one has to step over or around objects.
Small factors change the flow of our movements and our mind, which is why I think it is important to intentionally surround ourselves with what brings out our best. This doesn't mean only populating our conscious with what we like, but also the things that challenge us and make us stretch our skillset to strengthen and improve.
I believe that the best approach in this is like cross-training, where rather than focusing only directly on where we want to get better, we can include surrounding activity and influence that pushes our base outward and can increase the height of the pinnacle, our real focus. But there is more to it than that also, as when we are including a wider range of stimulus, we could find that there are points that grab our attention and take us off on a tangent or, influence the way we approach our focal point - it gives us perspective.
As said above, i think our home environment influences our thinking and behavior a great deal so the "design" of it is important. After all, we spend a massive amount of time in the place we lay our head and possibly far more now due to the impacts of imposed Covid-19 restrictions. "Design" doesn't mean designer though, it means that we create our space with intention and if we really know ourselves, we are able to make small adjustments to our homes to improve our our process and therefore, improve our outcomes.
I assume that even while you are reading this, you could look around wherever you are and identify several things that are "out of place" or could be better positioned. It could be something little like dirty dishes on the sink or a cluttered table, which begs the question as to why we don't take care of these things and why we leave them until they actually annoy us enough to do something about them. It is a pretty good sign of the influence they have, as if for example something gets messy enough to to do something about, a little mess will likely influence us also.
We all want some kinds of results in our lives, but if we aren't even willing to take care of our home environment, what are the chances we are going to put in the effort in areas that are far less personal and potentially, far more uncomfortable to deal with. While there is plenty outside of our control, our processes are critical and when we act with intention to develop them, we are better able to also identify what isn't working for us.
I come across a lot of people in my interactions who want one thing, but act toward another result entirely - Many of who feel that they are working toward their goals. This will generally result in people not accomplishing what they want to, but feeling they did all the work necessary, often ending in them feeling somewhat bitter and resentful. Working hard for what one wants is really only successful when the work done is the right actions to get there - otherwise it is "busy work" and will fill the space and burn the energy, but get nowhere.
I don't know what kind of space you have in your home and how it influences you, but I think that no human is immune to the influence of surroundings, so paying some attention to where, how and with whom we spend our time is likely going to have an effect on our results.
We reflect our surroundings, we are what we eat - quality matters.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
BTW, it is uncomfortable and I dislike putting my drawings here - but that is part of the improvement process for me.