Stress has reared it's ugly head again, but I can fight it off with a trip to my studio. I'm not overwhelmed anymore and I'm making some progress on the business end of things, which always makes me feel better. I have a lady interested in a painting I posted last week and I hope to seal the deal soon. I'm in the midst of painting on of my largest paintings in a long time. I think I know what I need to do next but I don't know if that will finish it or only lead me to the next step. It doesn't really matter all that much. It's about the journey, not the destination. That's my new mantra.

My Studio Is Still Clutter Free

I can still move around in my studio and find all my art supplies when I need them. I really enjoy coming in here now. If I only have a few minutes to come in here I can still get something accomplished. I've spent more time getting my computer tweaked so I can do all my internet art stuff (which includes posting my blogs more regularly). With a couple of clicks on my mouse I have music playing to inspire and soothe me. I'm hoping to join a new artist co-op here in town. They're only open on the days that I work but I hope that my joining will enable them to be open a day or two extra when I can go sit there. It's a working co-op where the artists are encouraged to set up and paint so the public can see their process. I've never been really comfortable with people watching me create, but since I've started posting my works in progress on my Facebook page I've started feeling better about it. There will still be certain things that I'll only do alone in the confines of my man cave studio. It's only there I can truly feel free to do anything I want and not have to worry about the outcome. it's always been about the journey and no the destination.

I Usually Don't Know What To Put Here

It's been a struggle in the past, trying to make some sort of head way, not knowing what to do or when to do it most times. I tried to do at least one thing to promote my art every day, I sorted and organized my supplies when I could motivate myself and painted enough to keep from going insane. It seems that lately it has all paid off. If I have a few spare minutes I can go into my studio, grab one of my works in progress, prop it on my easel and get to work. It's a joy to enter my workspace now, no muss, no muss, much less clutter (hey, I'm an artist, I really doubt I'll ever be truly clutter free). I know where most of my supplies are, I have Pandora providing me music (I lost all of my music files from my computer somehow, yes, I do have back ups, no, I don't know where they are currently). Ii feel really good about where I do my art now. I'd like to have more room, but I'll always want just a little more room. I've also been posting my painting progress on Facebook and I really enjoy all the feed back. There are more people interested in buying my work now too. Life is pretty good.

Random Thoughts

It's amazing how much more productive I've been with a clean studio. I have room to paint and I can find the supplies I need when I need them. I have my lava lamps hooked up and they provide a warm, comforting glow while I'm in there. I've also been posting in-progress pictures of my artwork on Facebook. I wasn't sure I'd be comfortable letting people see my work before it was done, but it's been pretty cool. I've gotten some nice comments on my progress and people seem to be truly excited to see the pieces when they get finished. I think my friends are also happy to finally see how I do what it is I do. I've tried to explain my process a time or two, but it never seems to make sense, at least not like seeing pictures as I go from start to finish. Make no mistake, there are paintings I'm working on that I don't take pictures of. If I'm not happy with what a painting looks like, no one will ever see it. I do typically photograph all my finished paintings, but I don't think it's wise to show everything I've ever done to the public. I don't think any other really good artist has shown their complete body of work. It's best to let people think I never paint a bad painting, even though bad is mostly a matter of opinion. It's my opinion and that's the one that really counts.