Well. Hello!
And where the good goosedown have I been then, eh? Eh? Valid question, yes.
Well, much in solidarity with PRETTY much everyone else on Earth, things have been a bit rough this year. In short, my health has significantly deteriorated, with pain and fatigue combining to hamper progress of any sort. Now that I've finally acknowledged that I tried to 'run before I could walk', I'm taking a much more measured approach to re-booting my career. It's going to take time, otherwise I'm going to burn myself out completely. Fatigue affects everything, including my eyesight and my ability to raise my arms for a prolonged period of time - enough to draw or paint. I need to build myself up again...do it properly. Not be a dick.
Partly due to being knackered, both physically and mentally and partly because the world slowed to a crawl for several months, plans to produce prints, cards, magazines and a book all had to take a back seat. The plans are still there - just at a more realistic and maintainable pace. There's no point whatsoever in dashing in, bull-at-a-gate, only to burn out a few weeks later. Instead, I have taken time to regroup, re-access my surly, elusive muse and begin again to 'put myself out there'. I've been dipping my homebody toe into international waters by entering competitions, joining groups on 'social' media and being honoured to participate in some rather awesome exhibitions both here in the UK and on other, awesome planets.
Taking time off from actually making art had me twitching like a cat with angry fleas. I wasn't able to work on anything for two months. TWO MONTHS without ANY art whatsoever. TWO. MONTHS. *sigh* I admit, I was rabid. Starting again with a few little fun upcycling projects (yes, I'll blog them) was the usual mix of "YAY!" and "Nope" that greets so many of us upon returning to our art space after time away. Yes....some stuff got burned. The satisfying flambe of art that does not please or satisfy allows for the dramatic sobbing and/or ranting that accompanies the predictable self doubt of being a 'creative'.
Life returned to some semblance of normality when my husband's furlough ended and he returned to work, leaving me free to occupy my studio and finally set foot back on the path of intent. As a prompt for myself, I have happily tasked myself with producing a daily cartoon to hide inside hubby's lunch tin, under his sandwiches. His job is long and hard and something to brighten his lunch hour is the very least I can offer. Forcing my brain to think up new little doodles on a regular basis has been really useful and I feel more focussed and motivated to create.
At the moment, I am still struggling mightily with pain management and fatigue. The General Practitioners at our local surgery are largely useless (and, on occasion, positively detrimental to survival) so I'm working on finding my own solutions. I have altered my diet and added supplements, learned more about pressure points and massage and I'm learning to listen - properly - to my body. Taking positive steps to control and balance myself has had a positive effect on my work focus and I am at the point where I can take a more considered approach to developing my career, to marketing and the functional aspects of production and distribution. At the moment, I am house bound, as we have no transport so I have to factor that in to my plan. It's a puzzle palace filled with solutions, I just have to find them.
I've begun again on social media and now I am dusting off my blog and enjoying the process. I am looking forward to a journey along a slower, probably more winding road, taking time to smell the roses and enjoy the views. I'd like company - so please feel free to tag along when you fancy a wander, or a chat. I'll see you aong the way.
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