Getting to the Art

Dear Melody,

Reading your blog makes me imagine that between the sewing and dyeing and knitting there must be quite a buzz about your place. How do you manage to balance the things in life that NEED to be done, and these wonderful, creative, expanding things that WANT to be done? I have a sketch book full of ideas, but they seem to be atrophying as the rest of life takes over--you know, service the car, schlep the kids to their activities, meals (oddly, the family wants these), care for the pets, pay the bills, etc, etc... I never seem to have the time to let go and be creative--to feed the part of me that's trying to take herself seriously as an artist. How do you and your compatriots do it?

The real truth, vs the pretend truth, is that many things are not done at Chez Johnson. We have no kids so that gives me an extra five hours to start. I get up with the cats/birds/sun/when my bladder insists and that starts the day. While my eyes are still semi-shut I wander into the laundry room and throw in a load of dyed fabric, pour yesterday's coffee into a cup, put it in the microwave while I wait for my laptop to boot. Then I read and answer all the email and try to think of a blog entry (thanks for this question BTW) and then by 9 or 10 start the rest of the day.
Before I fell asleep the night before I planned what I will do the following morning. Today I have two or three more dye runs to make to use up the yellow dye...perhaps something like forest green fading to light mint...
I have ideas for quilts in my sketch book but I promised myself that I would come up with two new patterns which means making smaller versions of some existing quilts; 18x24" versions.

Dave left a day early for the BMW National in Lima OH, a motorcycle rally and now I have five whole days to myself. FIVE! I still want to wait on him and pay attention to his needs while he adjusts to being retired. And in the meantime I will figure out a way to be an artist with a husband in the house.

I never even contemplated any artwork this past week which is why I resorted to dyeing fabric. When in a space where nothing else can be done, DYE. It is always a good way to help me get back in gear.

One of the reasons I love this blog is that I was perpetually alone in this big house. I don't like the phone so I don't call and chat, and before his retirement my standard quip was, " I live alone, except for my husband". Now those days are over.

In the past I would have come on so superior and said " You must declare to the family and pets and household chores that I AM AN ARTIST AND I MUST WORK."

Ha! I laff at me now. I am standing in my own path, preventing myself from this type of thinking. I want Dave to know that I am supporting him in this transition, and now that he has left for this planned vacation, I think we have reached a good spot for me to revert to my old self centered imperious I am the only one that counts in this house behavior.

I will wander around a bit, and think, which is sorely needed. In past days when the studio was messier than it is now, I would clean up a bit and that would lead to something. Now I have a clean studio (lack of artmaking) so there is no barrier to beginning.
Note to Me: Find those sketchbooks and choose which project to make again.