A Lesson Learned

I did not get to the studio today. Having not been home since tuesday, there was gardening to do, and shopping for the week's food at the farmer's market. Afterwards I sat to read for a while, and after being outside all day my allergies kicked in and I decided that I needed a nap.

Poof, there went the day.

After dinner Larry and I went to hear Sylvia Plachy lecture about her photography/photojournalism for various publications. As she was talking I realized that she was the movie actor Adrian Brody's mother. That aside, my lesson for the day was when someone asked her what she did when she felt blocked. She replied: "I sleep a lot, I read, I listen to music, I buy and new camera or lens, and most of the time it works" She also said it is part of the artistic nature to ebb and flow with ideas and energy. We can't always be "on".

That made me feel a bit better about the time I have NOT spent in the studio. I just have not had it in me for the past few weeks to do much. I have done some work, but sometimes after completing a piece (especially ones that are very autobiographical) I need some down time. Some time to work in my yard, and then take time to sit and enjoy it. Or to enjoy my house. Or my husband. Or my bed.
I guess if I were earning my living from my studio I would not be so cavelier and be in there more, but I have been taking time to smell the roses...so that I can paint them better.

patti

PS I have this obsession of powerline towers. They remind me of something I saw as a young child in the Twilight Zone movie, which gave me reoccurring nightmares for years.