Moody

I've been working on trying to put my studio time into the week, like a normal job. The tricky thing about creating artwork is that sometimes it's just not up to me when I create it. Mood matters!

I suppose mood matters for everyone, but I can't imagine a doctor going to work and saying "You know, I just don't feel the whole heart transplant thing today. Maybe in a few weeks, or who knows? Maybe a good night's sleep and that'll do the trick! But hey, that appendectomy sounds like SO much fun, I must do one right now!" Not to say that painting is like surgery. Well, at least my painting isn't like surgery. There have been some that I've seen that I've wondered about...

Anyway, one of the tricky parts about running your own business is in knowing that you are most likely not going to work just 40 hours a week. Running any business usually means you're going to be working 80 hours a week or more. It's simply the nature of the beast. If you are in art, it feels like creativity swings on so many things that you simply can't predict it. Instead, you have to take advantage of it when it presents itself!

I've been working on my Alice in Wonderland series, slowly. I still have my painting of the White Rabbit on my easel, and I have full intentions of finishing it. However, there are just some days (sometimes many days) that the mood isn't right. If I force it, the painting takes twice as long and is often not up to the quality I want it to be. It's hard to admit, but sometimes the best creative choice is to walk away until another day.

The upside to all of that is that on those days I can sit down and work on the business-business side of my art business. Last week was tough on the creative front because my dad had to come over every day and use our Internet for his job because his new house wasn't set up with it yet. He didn't bother me at all, but there was something about being off routine and having another person who usually isn't there in my space. So, I ran numbers and created spreadsheets, and made sure all my accounting forms were completed (also known as "the extremely boring stuff".)

This coming week I am looking forward to having my house back to myself (since my studio is in my house, this is key!) I know I'm going to work on the white rabbit. I know it so well, I thought about going into my studio today, but something was just off. I thought about it for a while, and then I realized that the reason is that I have been feeling a lot of pull to do some Halloween and Autumn paintings! Everyone wants me to finish the rabbit painting, I do too, but deep down I'm really feeling drawn to the more seasonal ones!

So, that's what I sketched out today:

new Halloween painting all sketched out! It's 8" x 16", stretched canvas

It's a bit cutesy, but I like it. We'll see how it all comes together. I figure I'll be in between this Halloween painting and the white rabbit painting this week. All I need now is the right mood!