Crop Rotation

Wakey wakey.

I know, I know, but get up anyway – if it’s true love, your bed will wait for you.

So: no Class Meeting today – but all the other usual things will happen anyway, including Team 6-Square’s 1:00 Wagamese discussion.

Today’s Index Card Drawing will take a little longer than usual – it’s a copying drawing; I’d like you to invest in it. It also involves some choices – you get to Choose Your Own Adventure – so please make sure you read these instructions slowly, purposefully, and carefully. Try to do each step in order.

Fun fact: Joni considers herself more of a painter than a musician – which is saying something. She uses each of these disciplines to feed the other, in the same way that farmers let certain fields go fallow for a year in order to increase the nutrients in the soil for the years to come:

“Anytime I make a record, it’s followed by a painting period. It’s a good crop rotation. I keep the creative juices going by switching from one to the other, so that when the music or the writing dries up, I paint.”

Today, you’re going to copy one of Joni’s paintings – you get to choose which one, and you get to choose what kind of music you’re in the mood for.

Steps:

1. Outer Space

materials (a sharp pencil is your friend) (but don’t tell your bed: it may get jealous)
remove or turn off distractions
clear workspace

2. Inner Space

body relaxed but aware (this takes a little time)
connect to breath (so does this)
clear head

3. Choose your painting.

Go here, and then take a look until you find an image that calls to you. Use the “Browse by Decade” tool to explore the possibilities. I’m not in a rush – are you?

Click on the name of an image to get to its page, and then click on the painting itself and a small version of it will pop up. If you’d like a larger version to work with, open a new tab in your browser and google the name of the painting + “Joni Mitchell.”

Your job is to copy this image with as much detail and precision as you can – slowly and calmly, remembering Lynda Barry’s advice about images as maps, with one line connected to the other, focusing on spatial relationships.

If you wish, you can add color – that is optional.

Take your time – allow yourself to get lost in the work.

4. Choose your music.

Are you in the mood for something with lyrics or an gentle, extended guitar solo?

If you choose lyrics, you will press “Play” here when you are ready:

If you choose guitar solo, press “Play” here, then right-click the YouTube window and select “Loop,” and then keep listening until you are finished with your drawing:

5. Title: “Joni Mitchell – [the name of the painting]”

6. Date it.

7. Either email it to me today, or email it on Friday with all of your Joni drawings.

Now – how will you start your day? Consider making a schedule based on yesterday’s virtual HW sheet. Build in some DPA breaks. Set aside time to just relax. Can you spend meaningful time with each thing today? The Black Cauldron, Wagamese, Math (those who are interested, check out the entirely optional new Math Extensions page), Science. Daily Diary.

Also, check out this (note that Judy has started to broadcast from her home – what pattern do you notice in her choice of reading material? She didn’t get that smart just by hoping):