Notre Dame with flying buttress
I’ve been working on this post awhile, not able, it seems to get it totally “right.” But in the spirit of moving through my need to get it right and be content with “OK,” I’m going to wrap it up and hit publish today. So here goes, with all my love heading into 2011.
Everyone has dreams and ambitions they want to actualize. And if you’re like most people, you spend alot of time looking ahead, trying to visualize what the ephemera will look like once it takes physical form. But how often do we look down - look beneath our dreams - to see what we have in place holding them up?
This “looking under” is a wise and self-sustaining move for your art, because without the right kind of foundation beneath your ideas, you can’t build something that will soar to the heights you want, or last far into the future.
Take a moment and reflect on the emotional “foundations” you have in place to undergird your film, or music or dance or sculpture or book. What are you doing to strengthen your core platform? Are you cultivating your presence of mind through mindfulness or some kind of meditation practice? And as importantly, who are the few select individuals you have integrated into your life as support pillars?
If you see a few gaps, you’re not alone. Too many of us move through our creative lives thinking our dreams need to be self-supporting. But with that kind of mindset, you will only reach as high as you can standing on your tiptoes. To really take your art to the next level, you need a tribe - a team - a ladder - that lifts and supports us as we work and build.
Check in with your internal compass — the gut mechanism that knows you are pointing creatively at True North. As you envision this, who comes to mind as your traveling companions? Who are the people you have brought along for the journey - the ones who will help you stay the course as you strive to externalize your ideas?
A few weeks ago I had a serendipitous encounter with a metaphor for this critical support system. And it came in an article about the great Gothic Cathedrals of the 12th-16th centuries.
Until the Gothic era, churches were dreary, dark places supported by huge columns and built with thick walls and tiny windows. But early architects dreamed of constructing houses of worship with soaring walls that reached to the heavens. They knew that if they could open up the interior of the buildings and incorporate expanses of beautiful stained glass, they would transform the spiritual experience of parishioners within the church. So they began developing a framework of intersecting, pointed arch ribs that could support thin stone panels. This design opened up the interior and allowed more light into the structure. But as the walls grew higher, the structure couldn’t support itself; and eventually the arches and walls would buckle and collapse under the weight of the roof. That is, until someone invented the revolutionary system of support called the flying buttress.
A flying buttress is a free-standing buttress attached to the main structure by an arch or half-arch. No one knows exactly who devised the flying buttress - but its job was irreplaceable. This simple addition to the architectural mix prevented the outward collapse of the arches, and by extension, the collapse of the entire structure.
My point with the metaphor is this - without the right support pieces in place, you won’t be able to accomplish that which you design to build.
Our dreams and our art need support - call it a flying buttress, a “believing mirror” - whatever (or whoever) it is that adds that critical layer of titanium-strong belief under you and your ideas. As you plan for 2011, remember to consciously decide who you will invite into your framework. Be judicious, too, about choosing only those exceptional and unique people who can happily and positively extend an arm (and heart and brain) of support to your art and dreams.
I’m taking a look too. Do I need some new architectural elements, or am I poised to build it and soar?
I’m also going to think about who I’m supporting and how. Is my support strong and focused? Am I doing all I can to help these partners soar to new heights? I think you grow through these kinds of examinations. You attract that which you seek. If you need more or different kinds of support, perhaps you need to give more or different types of support.
You draw a blueprint, you adjust, you expand, you connect, you support and through it all, you will inspire.
Much love,
Deb
