Find energy

Mini art journal spread with “find energy” text atop paper layers.

There are days my energy level is through the roof and I tick project after project off the list. Then there are the medium level days where I get done the necessities. The low level days can either be the worst or the best. Some are days where everything feels too much, is all heavy lifting, or like wading against the current. But some are nesting days, where it is pleasant to not be going full speed but to go slow. Yesterday was a full energy day, today is somewhere just below that. Things are getting done, there is less urgency and more of a desire to sit and enjoy the spring weather. I will get things done, but will also recharge.

October closing

Mixed media with purple 34 centered on it

It doesn’t feel Halloween-like, no frost and so no piles of crunchy leaves to shuffle through. But the calendar says it is the 31st of October. This fall has been one of general malaise it seems. I have done a bunch of art and videos for Youtube and my site, but have found it hard to muster up the energy for much else. Giving myself time in my studio has become a non negotiable part of my free days. I don’t always like the final piece, but I am keeping at it. Sometimes all I get done is cleaning up my worktable so as not to have no open spot to work in. As I get more videos and courses done I am getting comfortable, setting new goals and expanding what I offer. It is a long process to develop and grow an audience, but I am chipping away at it.

Fruition

My studio time has been hit or miss recently. It seems household tasks have been taking longer than normal. Though I must admit to a slowness of processing that is likely the reason for that. I am feeling drawn in too many directions, many of which I know are dead ends even as I go down them. It is a waste of my time I can’t seem to help, perhaps I am in search of something and am looking everywhere, even in unlikely places just in case. Then all of a sudden I have a creative spurt and churn out some pieces, or start a new batch. As quickly as it comes, it goes though.

Hither and Yon

Railroad crossing sign, stoplight, and wires against sky

I have found my mind recently wandering hither and yon, and back again. Perhaps it is the most recent effects of pandemic time, which has little bearing on regular passing time. Maybe it is the changing of the seasons, we are neither in winter or spring at the moment. The snow has receded, but the days are full of polar cold winds which offset the sunshine. I don’t really know, it just is. I am filling my non work hours with art and indoor DIY projects while I daydream about bigger projects I am saving up for. Sometimes that is how it goes, and it is good to know which things you can’t do yourself and do well.

Late November Love

Yellow leaf with heart shaped hole in it.

This month has moved with the same treadmill predictability as the previous 8. Moving along, yet seemingly with little to notice in the passing. Now that the lengthy rewiring of the house is 95% done I can at least use my art space and try to get some pieces made. It is a nice haven for me to take a break from sameness of the days. I

don’t get out as often as I should into nature, and I am feeling the effects of that. I need to upend my regular approach of chores first, fun later in order to do that. Not an easy switch up as I like to get after the to do list vs seeing it still undone in the afternoon as the light wanes. It just feels like more effort than I can muster right now. So I need to force myself to do it so I can enjoy the benefit of seeing new sights, getting fresh air and feeling my body move.

Branching out

I am trying to not only get my creative energy back up after the kitchen renovation, but also to branch out into new areas. It is hit or miss to be honest. But, I am letting my energy dictate where to go each day. If it is DIY house stuff, so be it. The same with if it is studio time or hike time. So far the top time usage has been on house stuff, then resetting up the studio after plumbing and wiring work, and fooling with mixed media. But I am itching to get back outside now that the cold and windy days seem to be behind us.