Changing Seasons

Clearly, Fall is just around the corner. The leaves are changing quickly, the nights are cooler and so are some of the days. I'm thrilled because I love Autumn; crisp weather, wearing shorts and sweatshirts together, beautiful colours, and no more arguments over what temperature the air conditioner is set at-it's finally off! I'm reminded of cinnamon sticks, and hot apple cider (even though I hate apples and would never drink it) and I wait excitedly for the last flowers in my garden to bloom; my favourites, the toad lily's. (Okay, if they bloom, they'll be the only flowers in the garden to have bloomed this year because I decided half way through Spring that I wasn't gardening and the garden beds were soon taken over by weeds and raspberry bushes.)

Fall's also when I take time to sit quietly and reflect on the fact that another year is close to over and I'm no further ahead than I was 9 months ago and I've done absolutely nothing that I planned on doing. Still living in the same house though I swore I was moving out. Still haven't painted the front foyer or put down the new floor. Still working the same job that I was going to quit. Haven't taken my son to see his grandparents like I intended. Haven't shopped 6 months ahead for Christmas like I wanted, to avoid being the last person out shopping Christmas Eve again this year. Hoffman Challenge-didn't fish it. Work through Skydyes-didn't get to it. Clean up the large stack of unfinished art projects sitting behind me at my table-just didn't happen. Why didn't I do any of this, please tell me why? No time. No time?! What did I do then?

Ya, what did I do? Ermm, I worked, but my hours have been cut and I'm not really there a whole lot. I didn't go anywhere over the summer. I cleaned my house a lot, even though it hardly looks like it. But really, under the 6 boxes of wire and ribbon and fabric and wool, there is a clean floor, really there is. Mostly every day's been the same. Work, come home miserable and stressed out, prepare supper, clean, ensure the kid gets to his activities on time, stare at the pile of art wanting to be done, sigh, turn around, walk away and go to sleep. Every now and then I had the ever exciting task of doing laundry or going to the grocery store with a 5 year old....

None of that seems very fun. It isn't fun, it's mind-numbing. This Fall my task is to get myself together and "snap out of it". It's time to focus on the things that I DID do, and to find ways to get done the things I still want to do.

My goal of course is to make art! While I didn't do a lot of the things I had wanted to do over the summer, I didn't do "nothing". I've worked on my distressed faerie. Standing a whopping 4.5 inches tall, she's almost done-needs only a final coat of paint on her face and to have her tiny tattered teddy bear (or maybe a frog?) needle felted. I did a lot of planning for a challenge piece that has a fast approaching due date of Oct.4th. (and I'll have pictures of these things once I find my camers) I have an Autumn themed project planned and dyed the background fabric and threads. Most significant was the time I spent with a work colleague who wanted to learn to quilt. She had seen a picture of a quilt that she wanted to make before returning to university. She had no quilting or even sewing experience, so I walked her through everything, step by step. I cut strips, she sewed. By the end of August, she had assembled a quilt top and had it basted. She's thrilled and I enjoyed the companionship. I've never had the opportunity to sit and quilt with someone before. Though I dislike piecing, I enjoyed this time-finally understanding why women have done this for hundreds of years and enjoyed it.

So, I guess I did do some things this Summer. I just need to stay on track (maybe the fast track). My goal for myself this Fall is to set aside some time for art every day, even if its only 15 minutes. I don't mean, thinking about art, or searching for inspiration, but actively working on a project. I already have a sketchbook full of inspiration, ideas and plans, I just need to do it. On my way to work (I take the bus) I crochet or knit a bag for fulling. It's easily portable and doesn't require any space or special tools. Even if I work on no other projects for the day, the bus ride is 15 minutes.

At home, in a basket next to my bed is a larger piece, complete with threads and scissors that I can put a some hand stitches into before going to sleep for the night, or on those nights when I am sleepless. No more wasted time staring at the ceiling. Again, its a project that's uncomplicated and can easily be picked up and put down-I don't want something that takes too much concentration at 3am, but I am actively creating now. I have stitches to show for my time and feel that I am making some progress towards my artistic goals. Whatever more complicated,detailed or larger project I'm working on is set out on my table for the days when I have larger blocks of time to work. It has been a difficult internal struggle to decide what time I can devote to work on a project. Up until now, large blocks of time have been devoted to necessary things like cooking and cleaning. I've decided that Monday evening, when my son is gone for an hour and a half to Karate, is now MY time. Surely the house isn't going to blow up if the dishes wait for an extra few hours. I can freely paint, stitch and burn things without interruption during my time. It's going to take a little while to stop feeling guilty about using this time for me, but I'm going to keep at it. Besides, if I'm happy, it's better for every else around me too.

Oh, on a completely unrelated topic , just in case you haven't noticed, the missing blog pictures are back!