Rules for Life

Sister Corita Kent

Just came across this wonderful post about the 10 Rules posted at the Immaculate Heart College Art Department compiled by students of Sister Corita Kent. These "rules" resonate with me for life in general, as well as making art:

Rule # 1: Find a place you trust and then try trusting it for awhile.

Rule # 2: General duties of a student - pull everything out of your teacher and pull everything out of your fellow students.

Rule # 3: General duties of a teacher - pull everything out of your students.

Rule # 4: Consider everything an experiment.

Rule # 5: Be self-disciplined. This means finding someone wise or smart and choosing to follow them. To be disciplined is to follow in a good way. To be self-disciplined is to follow in a better way.

Rule # 6: Nothing is a mistake. There is no win and no fail. There is only make.

Rule # 7: The only rule is work. If you work, it will lead to something. It's the people who do all of the work all the time who eventually catch on to things.

Rule # 8: Don't try to create and analyse at the same time. They are different processes.

Rule # 9: Be happy whenever you can manage it. Enjoy yourself. It's lighter than you think.

Rule # 10: "We're breaking all of the rules. Even our own rules. And how do we do that? By leaving plenty of room for X quantities." - John Cage

Original "10 Rules" from Immaculate Heart College

I really enjoyed thinking about these "rules" for my own life.  I especially resonate with #6, as one of my dark shadows is being a perfectionist that judges everything I do too quickly. Art as life as art is always about making, not really about "success" or "failure" because we always learn something new and go from there.  It is a life of transformation and evolution that is really worth living. Just keep making.

This also reminds me of a really sweet trend going around the dreamwork world, where we have been making new year's resolutions inspired straight from remembered dreams. They be a bit confusing, because they are using dream logic, but I think you get the gist of it!

TRISTY'S NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS FOR 2008

1. Take the time to see what is really in the garbage can - it might not be trash but treasure!
2. Stay pregnant with possibilities.
3. Ask for more space when people are crowding me.

What are your "rules" for life?