Off to a Good Start

Most of the time when I pick a project or challenge to follow, something else I would maybe have preferred comes along and I let it go because I am already involved in something. At this time of year, there is certainly no shortage of such offerings as they know people want something that will give them the needed push in the direction they want to go.  I didn't choose one this year. I signed up for several as they came along. In fact, I picked up another one this week.

So, how am I doing?  Ha.  Obviously, I'm not committed to any one project but I have managed to do something each day toward two different kinds of challenges.

My first project for 2022 was to create 12 bookmarks to exchange with 12 other artists (yes, I am going to start calling myself that now) across North America.   I have done greeting card exchanges in the past and traded ATCs (Artist Trading Cards) this past year so I couldn't resist getting in on this.  I used four stamps I carved myself to create my bookmarks and sent the results off to one address where they will be redistributed along with other submissions to the various participants. There is only one other Canadian taking part. I can hardly wait to get my package, not that I need more bookmarks, but because I love to get art in the mail. It's a great way to make new friends.

There was a 5-day challenge to draw flowers.  I did a quick sketch in my junk journal on day one but the photos of the flowers presented during this particular week didn't inspire me at all.  I may look back on that some other day this month when I am even less interested in what is being offered elsewhere.   We'll see.  The idea, for me, is just to do something artistic each day.  The bookmarks kept me busy.

Besides the quick flower sketch I did on day one, I was also prompted to draw some of my pens for a month-long challenge. Each day since then it has come up with other simple things like cups, nuts or feathers. I didn't get inspired to do much with those and I was much too busy doing the other type of project I'll tell you about in a moment.

I did get inspired by something I saw on Facebook though. I follow this interesting creativity coach who lives near Paris, France. He is about to put on a 5 Day Creative Challenge and he has been doing the occasional video lately to stir up our creativity and get people interested in the challenge. (Yes, that's the one I picked up this week). In a recent video, he was telling about learning to draw using the blind contour method and mentioned his results looked like monsters. While he was talking about it, he rather looked like a monster himself, since he was shining a light up toward his face. I instantly wanted to see if I could draw him like that.  The lighting was so dramatic that I thought it would be fun to try. I dug out my acrylic inks and it turned out better than I expected. Normally I only draw self-portraits. I may have to try a few more people!

Two other challenges I'm working on have more to do with decluttering. I usually do one every year to kick start my spring cleaning.  It aims me at places I've forgotten to clean or only do once a year. This year there is a shorter new one as well, that is interesting in that it gets you to declutter just your own stuff, and not worry about the messes others in the house might be making. Between the two of them, so far this week I have cleaned out a drawer, decluttered all my cups or other drinking vessels (how many do you really need?), cleaned up and decluttered my night table and other bedroom surfaces where my own stuff might be, and did the same in the bathroom. Getting rid of old makeup, or good things I don't use is not as easy as it might sound! I also went through all the food cupboards and storage and got rid of anything that had gone past its expiry date. 

I have had a productive week even if I didn't do something for each and every challenge every day. I even got this blog posted so I think this year is off to a good start.

New Year, New Way of Life

The holiday season has come and gone so people are back to asking me how things are now that my hubby has retired. This is when I have to confess that it's more like I'm the one that retired.

It used to be that I worked through the week at housework while he was out making a living. There were times when I truly felt overwhelmed at how much there was to do and how little time there was to do it all in. I had a schedule. There were certain things to do every day, or once a week or once a month. There was always a running list of chores and at certain times of the year they piled up because of extra seasonal things that got added in. Spring cleaning tends to start in January around here as tax season comes along soon afterwards and I do taxes for everyone in my family. Then its gardening season and apple season. It['s a lot of work just picking up the windfalls and making something out of them every day. Then comes baking for Christmas, which usually starts just after Halloween. Those pumpkins need to be used up you know. Christmas shopping, decorating and doing the cards rounds out the year. It doesn't help when I decide to get in on International card exchanges where I'm expected to design, draw and hand paint the cards myself.

Some people think I'm on the computer a lot but it's really only a moment here and there while I catch my breath with a spot of tea. And while I'm on there I'm doing my banking, paying bills, catching up on my business accounts, dealing with the martial arts federation and the school board as well as inquiries from students and would be students. I'm a pretty busy girl running a house and a karate club at the same time.

Normally.

The thing is, I never did any work when my hubby was home on weekends. He was off, so I was off and we were free to do whatever we chose to do with those weekends. But now he's home all day, everyday and I seem to be in weekend mode all the time. I've apparently retired too.

I didn't want him bored so I've included him in my social outings. That's good as he's making new friends. He's not one to sit idle so he has cleaned up his work area in the basement and now has a place to create things out of metal or wood. We had part of a huge tree taken down, so he's been busy cleaning up the mess made by that operation. If he has a spare moment, I catch him doing dishes or laundry or dust-moping under the couch. It's nice that he's willing to help me, but I must admit it makes me feel guilty. I'm not keeping up with my chores these days. In fact, I'm not on track at all. I really have to get back to my schedule. I'm already two weeks behind on the spring cleaning as all I've done so far is clean out a couple of kitchen shelves and done some of filing. As things stand I'm sure my hubby is now convinced I have never done anything around here all those years he let me stay home.

I'm not even getting my daily exercise as he keeps wanting to drive me everywhere I normally walk. But yet he goes for a brisk walk everyday. Between not moving as much around the house and not getting out for my walk while I do my downtown chores, I'm likely to gain weight, or stiffen up with age, or both.

Okay, so it's Spring Cleaning time.  Let's start with the light fixtures.  He can climb up to take them down one by one. I can wash them and he can put them back up. He likes to work so maybe I can get him to work for me. Maybe between the two of us we can get things done in half the time and still have time for us both to be retired at least part of each day.  We can walk down for the mail together, and then he can take off at a clip in whatever direction he wants and I can meet him at home. I like that plan. I never thought I could retire too.

Get That Chair Out of the Way

Lion tamer, Clyde Beatty was the first person to bring a chair into the circus ring to tame lions and other large cats.  A whip is just for show but a chair has a real purpose. the lion gets confused when confronted by the four legs of the chair all at once and rather than attack, it sits and waits. Likewise, when you have too many tasks in front of you confusion will set in and you won't accomplish much of anything.

Spring is such an incredibly busy time of year for me. Not only do I attempt spring cleaning indoors but the gardens need to be cleaned up too. A bit of early planting wouldn't hurt either. On top of that, I do taxes for everyone in this family and am grateful that is finally out of the way.

Mother Nature has discouraged me from doing much outside work so far, but I did manage to haul some rocks from a neighbour's house to my rock river last week.  I do need a few more though. This week promises better weather. I have a lot of dead stuff to cut down yet, as I left some of it over winter for the birds. It will be harder to rake the leaves out of the flower beds as it's been left so late this year and all my millions of bulb are growing well, and many are even flowering.

Spring cleaning got off to a good start but has now stalled as I got busy doing other things. Oh, and once again I'm adding fuel to my fire by doing various art projects. I've just finished a five-day course on drawing facial features and started another face drawing course this week with a different teacher. I'm also trying to at least watch the videos for a Sketchbook Revival course, and wishing I could find the time to do at least some of the class work along with the others involved. The card making course I started before Christmas still has not been completed as I keep getting involved in card exchanges with other students throughout the world.  I'm just finishing one of those now. So much to do, so little time, and it's easy to get confused as to where to turn next.

 Many people don't have trouble focusing on a task once they get started but they do have trouble deciding on what to do.  We all have to learn to get the chair out of the way and choose a task. Today I chose to finally post to this blog. Next, I will do my month end accounting for my business, and then I will get out to mail the latest batch of cards and do some garden work while I'm out there. At noon I'll watch a live presentation on attacking how to draw a face while I have my lunch. After doing some housework, or perhaps more gardening, I'll do my homework for that course. Supper is already made, thank goodness.  I'm sure I'll get distracted along the way, but I have a course of action and am bound to succeed at accomplishing some of it today.  I can already check the blog post off the list, eh.