Blog 5: Flowing and Growing

This week I painted a plant in a vase! I learned a new skill this week, making different shades of colors. I only have one shade of each color in my paint set so this has been a helpful tool. With the different shades of blue in this piece, I mixed a tiny bit of black with my blue to make a darker blue and I mixed white with the blue to lighten it up. Implementing different shades has allowed me to add dimension into my painting. I am still learning how to blend these shades together for a more aesthetically pleasing result.

Flow is an enjoyable state of being completely absorbed and engaged in an activity. I have most definitely experienced flow. One specific activity that we discussed in class was experiencing flow through running. More often than not, I experience flow during my long runs. It seems like the possibility of experiencing flow is increased if I am on a more peaceful trail and there are not as many people. During longer runs, I feel like moving my feet and legs become more of an effortless action. Running has become second nature to me, almost like walking. Before I start running, I decide how many miles I am going to accomplish that day. This gives me a clear goal to reach and provides enough challenge for me to feel flow. A second activity that produces flow is hanging out with friends. A couple of weeks ago, I went to a happy hour with my friend Savannah. It feels as though the conversation never runs out when I spend time with Savannah because we both have so much to say to each other. I was amazed at how quickly the time passed during happy hour, we ended up being out for five hours when we only planned on being out for a couple. I would consider this flow because it includes effortless conversation and loss of self- consciousness due to complete engagement in socializing.

Painting has been an occupation that creates a flow experience for me as well. I have learned to truly enjoy painting, which has made it an autotelic activity. It is fun to see the finished product at the end, but it is even more enjoyable to sit down and focus on each step of the process. Currently the level of challenge for me in relation to the paintings I choose is not very difficult. I tend to paint simple pictures because I am a beginner and I don’t want to be overly ambitious. I do think that if I wanted to experience more moments of flow while painting, I could increase my challenge level. It is important to find the happy medium in relation to challenge level because too much challenge might decrease the chances of flow.

References

Jonathan J. Wright , Gaynor Sadlo & Graham Stew (2007) Further Explorations into the Conundrum of Flow Process, Journal of Occupational Science, 14:3, 136-144, DOI: 10.1080/14427591.2007.9686594