Experiments with Action
Taking forward some of the observations from my exprience of weaving baskets I put together a few experiments for my own self.
Experiment 3: It's as if my senses can remember the material and it's behaviours.
As I got started with Origami, it was as if my mind knew what to expect. There was some familiarity with the material and there was some familiarity with the method too. Now while one may not be able to articuate what is known in this familiarity there are some actions that happen almost intuitively, some actions that happen as a response learned through repetition over time and some actions that push you back into the unknown. Picking up a craft that I was somewhat familiar with allowed me to experience and discern between all three of these quite instantly.
The folds required to make an Origami fish are rather intuitive and basic. I think in preparing this one I stayed within the realm of intuitive responses of folding, holding, pressing and some learned response such as creasing. I had come to the task with an intentionally focused mind, one that wanted to observe all the movements within the mind. Somehow this alertness stayed with me through the first two fish I made even though the folds were known. I watched each fold and what it did to the paper, I could sense every additional crease that came upon the paper and every imperfect fold.
But by the time I was done with the fourth fish, there was hardly any memory of performing the action. My mind had wandered off to this thought and that.
I figured it was time once again to surprise my mind. The Origami frog was not nearly as intuitive to my mind and body as was the fish. There were certain folds that needed to be made that really made me questioned my understanding of the material. Was paper really capable of being folded this way without employing any special method? Turns out, it was. I have now made 4 frogs, yet the fold has not become completely intuitive. Each time I try to trace my way back to the steps my hands are less and less unsure.
Experiment 1: When the action is new the mind is more present. As it gets used to the action the mind starts to wander.
Experiment 2: I start experimenting and making decisions without any conscious thought about it.Experiment 3: It's as if my senses can remember the material and it's behaviours.
Experiments with Origami
As I got started with Origami, it was as if my mind knew what to expect. There was some familiarity with the material and there was some familiarity with the method too. Now while one may not be able to articuate what is known in this familiarity there are some actions that happen almost intuitively, some actions that happen as a response learned through repetition over time and some actions that push you back into the unknown. Picking up a craft that I was somewhat familiar with allowed me to experience and discern between all three of these quite instantly.
The folds required to make an Origami fish are rather intuitive and basic. I think in preparing this one I stayed within the realm of intuitive responses of folding, holding, pressing and some learned response such as creasing. I had come to the task with an intentionally focused mind, one that wanted to observe all the movements within the mind. Somehow this alertness stayed with me through the first two fish I made even though the folds were known. I watched each fold and what it did to the paper, I could sense every additional crease that came upon the paper and every imperfect fold.
But by the time I was done with the fourth fish, there was hardly any memory of performing the action. My mind had wandered off to this thought and that.
I figured it was time once again to surprise my mind. The Origami frog was not nearly as intuitive to my mind and body as was the fish. There were certain folds that needed to be made that really made me questioned my understanding of the material. Was paper really capable of being folded this way without employing any special method? Turns out, it was. I have now made 4 frogs, yet the fold has not become completely intuitive. Each time I try to trace my way back to the steps my hands are less and less unsure.
Experiments with Crochet
I feel like as a learner I'm just not one of those people who gets it in the first go. I have to stay at it for a while before I c
an actually get good at it and the learning curve for each kind of act varies. The last time I'd tried crochet was almost a year or two ago and I gave up within about 15 minutes of trying. This time, I did not feel the need to.
Crochet requires two things primarily - a ball of wool and a crochet needle. I have hardly done any form of crafts in the past few weeks that requires a tool so this was going to be a new challenge. I was curious to see the manner in which this would change or affect my action. I started out with a chain stitch and at first, it felt as if my senses were telling me that this task was impossible. That there was no way I could pull the thread through the loop, whole (without splitting it). Yet somehow I pushed past this intuitive suggestion and kept trying. It slowly became easier to hold the right parts of the string while bending and pulling the needle in the right direction. Slowly the movement started to feel more calm and lacking force.
The movement did not feel intuitive yet - I did not know how to correct my way or what to expect from it in different situations yet. An action was not just appearing for me each time I was stuck.
Experiments with Macrame
The two primary things that are coming to mind as I start to write about Macrame are firstly the material and secondly, the actions to be performed. For this kind of macrame the material in question is embroidery thread. I have used this multiple times before for embroidery, however my experience of it there was rather different since there was a tool (a needle) involved and the thread interacted with itself lesser and more with the cloth. In the case of macrame one is expected to hold the threads in their right position and make knots along a certain pattern. Here, the thread interacts with thread throughout. This results in mistakes that are tough to undo.
Today I started out by making a pattern of mistakes. There were two ways forward - to give up or march forward and make an attempt at re-inventing or discovering something new. Here I decided to march forward. As I went forward through my muddle and showed a couple of the my peers the pattern that seemed to be emerging. Once again, there were a few possible paths ahead of me and one by one, I outlined them to anyone who was interested. I found solace in their suggestions and chose a path that was surprisingly not just the safest path. It was one that required some experimentation and there was a possibility it could go completely wrong.
I wonder if the confidence and comfort I found in the previous actions allowed me to approach this action with a feeling of abandon, fearless of the outcome it would bring.
Reflections
Today I started out by making a pattern of mistakes. There were two ways forward - to give up or march forward and make an attempt at re-inventing or discovering something new. Here I decided to march forward. As I went forward through my muddle and showed a couple of the my peers the pattern that seemed to be emerging. Once again, there were a few possible paths ahead of me and one by one, I outlined them to anyone who was interested. I found solace in their suggestions and chose a path that was surprisingly not just the safest path. It was one that required some experimentation and there was a possibility it could go completely wrong.
I wonder if the confidence and comfort I found in the previous actions allowed me to approach this action with a feeling of abandon, fearless of the outcome it would bring.
Reflections
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