Be Prepared.


64

Be Prepared.


Every person who ever was a member of or had any association with Boy Scouts or Girl Guides knew the motto, "Be Prepared." Be ready to face the unexpected, not passively prepared but positively ready to face whatever comes your way.

So it is with the creative person in all fields of creativity. All the hours of practice and preparation making ready before tackling any project prepares us for almost everything that might happen during the execution of artwork.

The Tao Te Ching almost takes this one tiny step further. Here we are warned against not tackling thing as they arise, not leaving off for a later date something that could be easily done right away. I am sure that every artist knows exactly what is being said and probably everybody else can recall leaving something until later and what might have taken a few minutes taking a lot longer.

Attention should be paid to the small things, little problems tackled head-on before they become insurmountable and cause pain and anguish. Every great thing begins with the very first step, the first brush stroke, the first word on the blank page. Once this has been made the rest can be that much easier, leave it off and confusion fills the mind and those first steps never happen. How many masterpieces live in the heads of those who have given in to fear?

It is in all things and all relationships. A promise made should be kept or trouble lies ahead. Once a task has been started, it should be accomplished, and not left as a constant reminder filling the mind with negativity. 

Going with Tao we pay attention to the little things and the big things take care of themselves.

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