The Art of Leaving Things Behind

I'm the kind of person who worries about not having the one thing that would be most helpful on a trip, so I tend to overpack. Preparing for this residency was no different. Between books, art supplies, clothing, and miscellaneous "just in case" items, I quickly realized I had enough to fill far more than my allotted space.

Eventually, I had to make some choices. This residency isn't just about what I'm bringing with me. It's also about what I'm intentionally leaving behind.

Useful Things I’m Leaving Behind

As I mentioned, I’m leaving many books behind.  I was going to take a book on “Drawing from the Right Side of the Brain”, Paper Weaving, Overstory, Peter Wohlleben books about trees, etc.  Some of them simply got laid aside due to weight and others were nixed due to the lack of alignment with my focus.  Interesting topics, yes and definitely things I want to explore, but things that will deter from my areas of focus. As I’ve shared previously, staying focused is hard for me, so eliminating tempting side-quests can be helpful.   I would like to encourage deeper, more prolonged focus on just a few areas rather than surface exploration in many.  

In addition to resources, I left behind some comfortable reference materials, half-done work, and other things that I had been working on to prevent me from sliding into familiarity when I would get uncomfortable with the unknown. 

I left behind additional tools for simplicity… acrylic paints for creating underpaintings, colored pencils, storage binders, etc.  All things that have their uses in the studio, but aren’t versatile enough to make the cut.  

Distracting Things I’m Leaving Behind

I left all my children’s museum work in Colorado. I WANT to keep working on learning new programs and developing exhibit ideas, and I will.  I’m just telling myself I can’t do that right now, because this time is allocated for a different kind of learning. 

I removed social media off my phone, so in essence, left it behind for the trip.  I’m still posting through my laptop during the weekdays, but I cannot tell you how much time I’ve gained back by not having those apps on my phone.  This will protect against  missing out on great, focused time every time I hear a ping from IG or FB. 

As I worked through what would and wouldn't fit in my luggage, I realized some of the most important things I needed to leave behind weren't physical objects at all. 

Harmful “Things” I’m Leaving Behind

Physical things I left behind to eliminate distraction and added weight aren’t the only things I left behind on this trip.  There are several intangibles that were also told to stay at home. 

Judgement –I’m choosing curiosity and wonder over analysis and critique for this residency.  I’m not going to allow myself to make quick judgements regarding how a day went…good or bad.  This doesn’t mean abandoning evaluation.  It means not letting my progress and journey say anything about the kind of artist I am.  One of my supplementary readings right now is from author and artist, Scott Erickson, and one of my favorite statements from his book so far is…”I’m on my way.”  

Comparison– One of the benefits of taking social media off my phone is how it helps prevent comparison conversations.  Whether I deem myself and measuring up or not, these conversations consistently derail my creativity, my growth mindset, and leave me feeling hollow and lacking.  I am simply saying no to comparison during this residency. I’m doing this challenge myself and grow, not to compete or climb ladders or impress.  I cannot tell you how freeing it is to leave the comparison conversations where they belong…in a deep, dark pit.   

Contempt– This one is a bit more subtle and so I hadn’t realized I had been toting this along with me until recently.  It’s this unbelief and faithlessness in others or in yourself.  Mine is often aimed at myself, and when I face areas of the unknown and new, I can use the mistakes in those areas to bolster an attitude of prideful contempt that might sound this way…

–I knew this would happen. 

–I just can’t change.  

–I’ll never learn this. 

–Why am I even trying? 

–This is so typical of (name) 

This doesn't seem that bad on the surface, but contempt slowly erodes our ability to see people clearly. It replaces curiosity with assumptions and reduces others—or even ourselves—to impersonal stereotypes 

In both areas of contempt and comparison, I plan on using this question to guide me into curiosity… “What don’t I know?”   This completely takes the power away from both comparison and contempt, because this question is infused with humility and steers away from evaluations based on assumptions. 

As I head into these three weeks, I'm hopeful that the space created by leaving these things behind will make room for something better: deeper attention, greater curiosity, and a clearer awareness of what God is doing in both my art and my life.

No matter what you're preparing for, it's worth considering what you're not taking just as much as what you're packing. Whether it's redundant things, distracting things, or harmful things, thoughtful preparation often begins with what we choose to leave behind.

A couple of resources: Scott Erickson's book, "Say Yes" Cal Newport's book, "Digital Minimalism" and if you want to see my vlog about what I AM taking with me, you can click here.