One of the things I love about painting is that I continually see the world through “new eyes.” When we look at things through the lens of curiosity, we learn more about the world in which we live.

When I first visited the Waikiki Aquarium with my Lotus Aqua Art Escape class in April, I was unprepared for the way the octopus there grabbed my attention. 

He still has me in his grips! Which isn’t that surprising considering the gripping strength of these 8-armed cephalopods could theoretically pick up a two-ton truck. But then why would it do that?

Breaking Free/Tinker Tako

On the recommendation of two of my readers, I breezed through “The Soul of an Octopus” by Sy Montgomery. Ms. Montgomery is a naturalist who, through her book, introduced me to three octopuses she got to know personally through the Boston Aquarium.

It was through her book and some NatGeo Wild documentaries; that I learned the information I’m sharing here. When using direct quotes, I have indicated the page numbers of Ms. Montgomery’s book. 

Did you know that octopuses’ eight arms are sensory organs extraordinaire? Each arm has the ability to taste as well as touch and grip. Octopuses in captivity enjoy being touched, and in touching their human keepers. 

Unknotting the nots

Octopuses live very short, yet active lives. During the average life span of 1–3 years in the wild, they are both prey and predator. Being a master of disguises enables them to capture their own food while keeping them safe from those in search of a delicious meal. 

“Cephalopods have a command of 30–50 different camouflage patterns per individual animal, and can change color, pattern, and texture in 7/10s of a second!” p. 45

An octopus will lay hundreds of thousands of eggs before it dies, yet only 2 in 100,000 hatchlings will survive to maturity. Octopuses start life the size of a grain of rice and drift along with plankton until they are large enough to settle on the bottom of the ocean.

Octopuses are found in the myths of many native peoples. 

“The Gilbert Islands has an octopus god,'Na Kika,' said to be the son of the first beings. With his eight strong arms, he shoved the islands up from the bottom of the Pacific.

The people of the NW Coast of British Columbia and Alaska say the octopus controls the weather and wields power over sickness and health.

Ancient Hawaiian myths tell us our current universe is really the remnant of a more ancient one — the only survivor of which is the octopus who managed to slip between the narrow crack between the worlds.” Page 228

Considering the octopus’ ability to squeeze out of their confined aquarium “homes,” this last myth doesn’t feel that far-fetched!

Tako Bell: Tako is the Japanese word for Octopus, this painting is still a work in progress.

Sometimes life feels too full!

How can that be? Each day holds the same number of hours and the same number of molecules of air. 

Is life too full or am I too empty?

Does that sound like a contradiction? I think not. I think I just hit that nail on the head! My energy is gone.

The cure?
Spend less time doing; spend more time being.
Spend less time thinking; spend more time playing/reading/painting.
Spend less time with others; spend more time alone.

This isn’t the first time I’ve drained my energy reserves, and it probably won’t be the last. Fortunately I believe in giving myself (and others), Second Chances.

Sometimes even two chances aren’t enough to make the changes needed in life.

Rewiring a lifetime of old habits is a big job.

First start with the awareness that more “inner space” is needed. Next add a solid dose of resolve, mixed with encouragement, and a day or two of alone time/me time.

I have ideas, lots of ideas — sometimes even GREAT ideas.

Did you know that time is elastic enough to wrap all-the-way-around our ideas so we can actually MAKE-THEM-HAPPEN?

Down time is essential.

Yet sometimes down time is the hardest thing to “do”. That’s because it’s not so much a “doing thing” as it is a “being thing”.

I have an almost manic “I can do this” mantra running through my head. It’s enough to drive me crazy!
 
Turning off that “mantra” and creating or finding “down time” is critical.

We all need space in order to create. We need the physical space in which to create AND we need space inside our own head and life, an inner space.

Life feels too full when we have no space left within us. We need space in order to create.

I took just one painting class in college — oil painting. I loved it, but had more fun working in clay, and spent many semesters up to my elbows in “mud.”

Years after graduating, when I decided to paint again, I dug out my old oils. They still held magic.

Back then, I was working full time as Creative Services Director, and got up to paint before going to work. That gave me 20–45 min. of painting time about three times a week.

Each day I took a photo of my painting in progress. I liked seeing the painting develop, and knew that I could “blow it” with my next brush stroke. I figured if I had a record of what it looked like when I liked it, I could get back to that stage.

Opaque oil paints are “forgiving” because you can always paint over a passage you don’t like.

Watercolors are transparent, so there’s really “no going back”. Instead we continually move forward, adjusting our plans to make use of any perceived mistakes along the way.

I still take photos of my paintings in progress. I like to see the evolution of paintings — and so do my students.

I am both a “fast” and a “slow” painter. My motto is:
“Get in, Get Out, Step Back, Repeat…”

Basically this means that each brush stroke is done quickly, decisively, courageously … and then I STOP, step back, and look to see what’s happening with the painting.

If I know what to do next, I continue on with this “Get in, Get Out, Step Back, Repeat…” method.

Sometimes there’s a long pause between brush strokes. Sometimes it’s because I don’t know what to do next. Sometimes it’s because there is something else that must be done (dinner anyone?).

Most of my paintings take weeks to complete. Even when I think a painting is finished, I put it away for a day or two so that the next time I look at it I have “fresh eyes”.

This is one reason I like to have many paintings in progress at one time. I can easily switch from one to another if I get stuck.

My students long to see me finish a painting in class. Sigh. They want to know how to know when a painting is finished.

Alas, this is a subjective matter.

Robert Genn, a revered master painter from Canada once wrote: “it is better to under paint by 10% than to over paint by 1%.”

Keep painting. The more you do it, the better you get, and the easier it will be to know when your painting is finished.

It’s an unsatisfying answer, yet true.

Have you ever felt as though “negative” vibes surround you? 

Do you wonder why all the news you hear is “bad”? Why even call it news, why not call it “only bad news,” which is what it seems to be.

It isn’t always easy to stay positive in a world that seems to celebrate the negative. But that’s “the work.”

A “Power of Positivity” article in “Live Happy” magazine, proposes that the reason we hear so much negative information is that people who feel badly also feel a strong need to verbalize. 

Those who feel good don’t feel the need to share their feelings.

In a weird sort of way it makes sense that we don’t share our happy times more readily.

We’re taught not to boast or to “get a big head”; and everyone knows a big ego is a “bad” thing. 

Perhaps we all compare ourselves too readily to everyone else. When we commiserate with someone else’s woes we might feel better about our own lives. 

Conversely, if we share our good fortune with others, does it make them feel worse about their circumstances?

What an awful, yet plausible thought!

If we did verbalize our good feelings and happy happenstance more often, would good feelings spread?

The aphorism, “a rising tide lifts all boats,” suggests this would happen.

When we share our joys with others, they are supposed to feel happy for us, and realize that good fortune can happen to them too.

With this in mind, I’ve come up with new words for sharing good news. These new words can be a happier version of “commiserate.” What do you think, which are your favorites?

Co-Joyable, Co-Joyate, Co-Joyfully
Co-Gladify, Co-Gladly, Co-Gladuate
Co-Happify, Co-Happiness, Co-Happulate
Co-Celebrate (suggested on FB)
Co-Cheerify (suggested on FB)

Let’s stay “Open at the Top” and let other fun new word combinations come to us to help us spread joy.

Rather than back-handedly lifting others up by sharing our misery with them, let’s lift them up by sharing our happy times and happy stories.

When we share our happiness with others, we increase the happiness all around us. 

Now go out there and Co-Happify the world! — Or Co-Cheerify or Co-Celebrate if you prefer ☺