What Guides You?
Today, I found myself thinking about Sister Corita Kent’s rules for the Immaculate Heart College Art Department, where she taught:
RULE ONE: Find a place you trust, and then try trusting it for awhile.
RULE TWO: General duties of a student — pull everything out of your teacher; pull everything out of your fellow students.
RULE THREE: General duties of a teacher — pull everything out of your students.
RULE FOUR: Consider everything an experiment.
RULE FIVE: 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 SIX: Nothing is a mistake. There’s no win and no fail, there’s only make.
RULE SEVEN: The only rule is work. If you work it will lead to something. It’s the people who do all of the work all of the time who eventually catch on to things.
RULE EIGHT: Don’t try to create and analyze at the same time. They’re different processes.
RULE NINE: Be happy whenever you can manage it. Enjoy yourself. It’s lighter than you think.
RULE TEN: “We’re breaking all the rules. Even our own rules. And how do we do that? By leaving plenty of room for X quantities.” (John Cage)
HINTS: Always be around. Come or go to everything. Always go to classes. Read anything you can get your hands on. Look at movies carefully, often. Save everything — it might come in handy later.”
What are two or three rules you live by?
My three are usually:
Show up
Say yes
Be kind
Right now, I’m trying out:
Know what to show up for
Say no
Be kind
1. Extend a little grace, to yourself and others. 2. Clear the road where you can for those coming after you--life is going to present plenty of complications and obstacles no matter what so try to remove those silly and stupid roadblocks that simply aren't necessary. 3. If in doubt, take a nap and let your brain and body reset.