Progress

I spent the whole day Saturday in my studio organizing and unpacking. It was snowing like mad out and it was nice to just give myself permission to just stay home and inside all day and be in my studio. I indulged in one of my silly time-wasters all day too. I watched a whole week of General Hospital on the Soap Channel. I have watched this soap off and on my whole life it seem. I used to watch it with my grandma...she called them her "stories". During the famous "Luke and Laura" dynasty we actually had a TV in the costume shop at college and watched it. It was one of the only years that we had more students volunteer for the costume shop than we could keep busy! But somehow it worked to have it on as a background noise, while sorting through hundreds of collections of things; putting them into boxes, into order. It brought back memories of times past, listening to the characters, many of the same ones from years ago, were like listening to friends from childhood. But I have to say, they need new stories...and lives! They seem to be having the same life crisis that they did years ago. But then, sometimes so do I. (laugh)

I am almost finished with this move into my studio. I have a few more boxes to bring down from upstairs. There is some rearranging of furniture I think I want to make happen, but I might wait until I work some more in it to see how I work and what my needs are. I think that this is going to work well for me now though. I have a part of the room sectioned off by a half wall that I will be using for my sewing studio portion and a larger room do do my less messy art in. There is a room off of that one that has cement floor that Dad had used as a workshop (he left his wonderful antique wood workbench) that I will use for the more messy kinds of stuff. Off of that room is the laundry room with water and a sink. After I recover from purchasing hundreds (or so it seems) of plastic storage containers I will need to address light sources. I went to Home Depot last weekend to look at lighting options. Who knew how expensive lighting is?? Fortunately what I like and want is incandescent shop lighting...the kind that hangs from the ceiling with aluminum reflectors and lightbulbs. I hate fluorescent lighting. That is what is there now (growing up the basement was finished off to use as a family area...still very 70's looking, lighting is that fluorescent tubes with the frosted plastic insets in the drop ceiling). But lighting will have to wait. Any suggestions from anyone out there? I also am realizing that I need to invest in an easel. Can anyone tell me why artist's supplies are so expensive and making money at art is so illusive? The great paradox of my life.

I did get a bit of art done this weekend. I made a new soul-card; I will try to get it uploaded tonight. I also need to make time to get the rest of my AEM stuff posted soon. I loved doing that in November. Most of what I created was in my sketchbook. Next year I think I would like to challenge myself to create actual pieces of art, not just sketchbook stuff. But out of the sketch book came some ideas I want to develop into full blown pieces though, so it was all good.