Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Meditations on Repetition

by An Li Liu of An Li Liu

It's starting to be print mania at my place as I'm stocking up for my first fall/winter shows and fairs. People seem to be of the opinion that as you make multiples of one thing, it becomes boring or arduous. Though I do love spontaneity, I've been enjoying the repetitive nature of my printing process.

I find that if I can be really present in every action -- from scooping ink to pressing the squeegee to laying out the shirts -- making multiples becomes really meditative. In this state of mind, I'm in no rush to finish, and I find that this awareness makes for better results and fewer mistakes.

So the next time you're engaged in a repetitive task, like painting a thousand tiny circles, or washing a bag of potatoes, see how your experience changes when you become more attentive in your actions.

3 comments :

  1. Great reminder! Especially insightful that this can be applied to screen printing but also many other things in life.

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  2. I love this post!!! Thank you. I have been procrastinating the task of making multiple ornaments for the holidays. I have always found this tedious but will look on it with fresh eyes and a renewed spirit now.
    Cheers :)

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