Miko Kuro's Midnight Tea: 2012-01-01

1/7/12

The Wisdom of the Space Heater

So, we went to China!

I sent a proposal to an arts coop in Kunming a couple years ago and after some negotiation, the artists at 943 Studio invited me to host a Midnight Tea at their venue.

My son and my daughter accompanied me and we stayed in a loft apartment right in the center of downtown. China in the winter isn't exactly balmy and to get through the cold snaps we invested in a couple of space heaters.

I realize now, how uncomfortable it would have been without those heaters as I sit in a centrally-heated house with a space heater blowing on my feet. Ahhh! Warmth.

1/6/12

Practice: Follow Through

On New Year's Day, I rallied the troops. We went through the closets and drawers gathering up our old clothing and setting things aside for charity. It was a good feeling, like eating trail mix during a nice hike. Unfortunately, I need to practice *follow through* because those clothes aren't going to help anyone from a corner in my basement. My goal is to schedule a pick-up by next Friday!

If I could streamline my process, I could work smarter instead of harder. With housekeeping matters, I leave the perfectionism to Amy, I just try to keep areas clear of clutter. Piles attract more piles, so I spend most of my energy fighting the tendency to pile. As I've said before, it's a work in progress, but I feel like I'm getting somewhere.

If I do things right away, they get done. Procrastination is like a drug and I'm clearly an addict.

1/5/12

Ritual 1: Starting from scratch

1. Be kind to myself

Today this involved letting my body rest, feeding myself, and taking care of my son. When I was able to, I went to the living room and slipped my new blindfold on (purchased in China!) and got crackin.

2. Drink tea.

I had had 3 cups of tea earlier in the day brewed in my glass teapot and drunk from my glass teacups. The tea (which was lovely) was a blend given to me from a past Midnight Tea guest!

3. Blindfold myself (also known as "meditate" to the normals)

During my "meditation" I tried to concentrate on my environment-- the smooth tatami under my body-- the sound of the house sleeping around the baby, the space heater breathing on me.

4. Write/reflect.

I took the blindfold off and my cell phone said 3 o'clock on the dot. I immediately wondered what strange force stirred me out of my reverie because school let's out at 3 p.m. I have to pick my daughter up! Minor freakout. I was fifteen minutes late, cue "Loser" rinse and repeat. I guess I was more tired than I thought because my meditation felt more like a nap today.

5. Document

1/4/12

I'm a loser baby ...

The new year starts and you think "Yeah Baby, I'm gonna take over the world!" And then the reality of daily life swallows all that ambition and you're left singing old Beck songs to yourself and eventually into the computer. [Sigh]

So I'm still hoping to establish a daily practice that inspires me and feels effortless, so I can keep up with it successfully. This is what I've come up with so far:

1. Be kind to myself.
2. Drink tea.
3. Blindfold myself (also known as "meditate" to the normals)
4. Write/reflect.
5. Document

I will try this starting tomorrow, cause dammit I'm a procrastinator.

1/3/12

Everyday Rituals

I am not necessarily the world's most disciplined person. It's taken me over a year to feel like my house is in some kind of order, and that's largely thanks to an awesome blue-haired girl named Amy who helps me out once a week.

In any case, my goal this year (personal and professional) is to establish a practice of some kind, that becomes a body memory and therefore creates a foundation of discipline in my life.

When I got back from Paris a couple years ago, I made this video, called "Everyday Rituals" so this is an idea I've been chewing on for a while now.

1/2/12

Archiving

It occurred to me that this year will be about archiving the Midnight Tea project. I would like to use this blog to be accountable to myself during this process. Process is very important to me as a creator, because it seems to hold within it something "magical." It reminds me of the way electrons are said to pop in and out of existence, appearing somewhere else--in another orbit--separated by time and distance. There are moments of chaos, where spontaneity breeds action, when people participate in the moment of the Midnight Tea, that are very frightening to me. It is a delicate balance, trying to evoke artful moments out of strangers.

This is a process paper. Somehow.

1/1/12

2012: Year of the Dragon

This year is sure to be an adventure!