Okay, so I’m having fun. When I use scissors to “draw”, I am guaranteed that it’s going to be way off. And that just seems to be exactly what I want. Exactly inexact. Yes.

As I’ve mentioned, I’m having such a good time reading about the curator, Walter Hopps. I love that he was deep friends with so many artists and can share what they were like as people. I love how he was close to artists who range from seriously disturbed to those that loved elegance and beauty in their lives and their art.

Among his many friends over the years was the inimitable Marcel DuChamp. At one point he described a dialogue with DuChamp in which someone asked him what he considered to be his greatest accomplishment. Duchamp’s reply: “Learning to manage my time.”

Now that, to me, is brilliant. Brilliant. As I deal with the complexity of my life, I realize: to do my art, the time set aside is the most essential component. Time. First and foremost.

The trick, though, is that I can find the time in unexpected ways. Years ago, in art school, a teacher I respected highly recommended drawing when we are talking on the phone. When the mind is not engaged directly, some of the most interesting work can emerge, he suggested.

So, this morning, as I was online with my art group, I doodled. And, lo and behold, what emerged was intriguing to me. The drawings were rough. The touch was unaffected. I like that look. No premeditation. I took them straight to the cutouts.

So, yes, time is essential. I agree DuChamp. And finding time to discover the imperfect: invaluable.