Working on this week’s meditations felt like what I had hoped all one-hundred days would feel like.  Though my days were busy in terms of my schedule, it was not a mentally taxing week.  I was able to sit down each evening and take time be fully present to the moments of creating.  This was good for my mind and spirit.

That said, it is becoming more challenging for me to decide on the individual pieces for each collage because I am continuing to use random  “scraps” from my basket.  The pieces that are left are ones that have been passed over at least seventy times, at this point.  Yet, several of the ones that I used during this week were “exactly what felt right” on that day.  It is amazing how perception and judgement can change so quickly.  What seemed undesirable and useless on one day is perfect on another.  This may be my biggest take-away from this week.  A new day brings a new way of seeing, a new appreciation, and the capacity to see things in a fresh way.

Working with limited materials is also a welcome creative challenge.  In my “real job” teaching young composers, one of the first assignments that I give them is to write a piece of music using only four notes.  The truth is if you can create a whole, something that has form and meaning with minimal materials, you understand the creative process.  I heard a program on NPR the other night where David Epstein was talking about his new book, Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better.  His discussion made me feel validated in both how I teach and how I create.  I haver added this book to my summer reading list!

Here are this week’s meditations.

“Meditation #71”

 

“Meditation #72”

 

“Meditation #73

“Meditation #74”

“Meditation #75”

“Meditation #76”

 

“Meditation #77”