Well, it certainly has been a while since my last post. Where have I been? What have I been doing?
Since late this summer I have been exercising vigorously and consistently five days a week. Aerobics progressed to strength training and then running. I have caught the running bug that always seemed to elude me in the past. I started off in the evenings when the kids were tucked into bed. Once school started for my oldest child, I exercised in the afternoon which eliminated my studio time. When evening rolls around after homework, snacks, meals and cleaning, I am worn out and can only muster a few pages of a book or a TV show. I usually fall asleep during both of those activities, too.
There was also a subtle shift that happened in the summer where I began viewing this blog as a chore. One that took me away from the garden, fresh air or my other activities. I know myself well enough to know that if something feels like a chore it's time to step back and take a break.
Several months have passed without any significant time on here or in my studio and I do finally miss it. This weekend I spent my extra hour (due to daylight savings time) in my studio cleaning, organizing and purging. I discovered a few items and supplies I had purchased years ago and never got around to working with. Starting this week I am spending more time in the studio and I'm working on some of these forgotten projects. I have a set of Matryoshka dolls that I am prepping for painting, a family Christmas card to design, several mail art replies and an acrylic painting that I may or may not repaint.
Am I alone here? Do you ever walk away from your art or design to renew your creativity or do you create until you feel renewed? Thank you for waiting patiently. I hope you'll enjoy the posts and projects on here in the next little while.
jeannine
I'm glad you're back! I've missed you. Running and taking time away sounds good to me and I'm glad you had time to refresh. I think it's healthy to take a break sometimes and it's good to hear you were quiet for positive reasons. :) The dolls look like they will be a lot of fun, especially with your little gals in the house to inspire you. Looking forward to seeing more posts!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kimi! I've missed the connections and feedback I get from my work via this little blog, too. Thank you for your kind words.
ReplyDeleteGood to see you back...and taking a break to enjoy the outdoors is an excellent idea.
ReplyDeletemissed you girl!! glad to have you sharing bits and pieces again :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! Perhaps I need to merge the two more often in the form of a garden journal.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jessica! It's nice to be back.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Barbara. It's a cycle in my life. I'm noticing that I'll fall in love with something, work on it a great deal and then I'll need a sabbatical before working on it again. Painting, gardening, cooking, etc.
ReplyDeleteThe nesting dolls have colour now and I just have to add some detail to really bring them to life.