Friday

And somehow it is Friday again.

Everything hurts this morning, so I am glad the sun salutations are done, zumba is done and I have an exercise free (other than walking) weekend.

I actually did very little yesterday except enjoy the sunshine. It was a lovely day. I will be making up for it today by trying to do the things I didn't do yesterday. It also looks like the weather is going to turn from Monday onwards, so I may just make the most of the sunshine whilst it is here and then work harder next week in the rain.

I also need to think of a new painting to do at the weekend if I can. I can already feel my mind is wandering today though, so I fear productivity may not be high on the list.

Crackle

I am even later this morning but that is because of good news. I put my new painting online and up for sale yesterday and had to take it down again this morning as I sold it! 

That is my kind of productivity. 

Today seems like it should be a good day, the sun is shining, I have some general admin to do, I need to prep my painting for delivery and update my print stock list so I know which Limited Edition number I am on and what I need to order as and when I run out. I think I also need to order some more packaging supplies or at least check what I have. It might be time to set up a stock list of that as well; I am like my own personal shop. 

But anyway, a bit more about my new painting as I have just created and sold it. It is obviously just as well I abandoned the piece I was working on to paint something that had more feeling and felt more in tune with the current climate and myself. The idea came about after talking to a friend who noticed and purchased my tornado print 'Sucks' a couple of days previously. I painted 'Sucks' when I was angry, and I mean, really, really angry. It reminded me how therapeutic it was to get all of that anger and frustration out onto a canvas, and although I wasn't angry at the weekend, I did feel very emotional. I feel like lock-down kind of slowly builds up on you until you need a release, and with everything else that has been going on, I really needed to get rid of that pent up whatever it was. So cue, looking for some powerful weather, which I decided needed to be lightning, and then turned into a lightning strike cleaving the sky above Toronto in two. 

 

And bam, here it is. It did the job. For a few blissful hours I switched off and lost myself in the colours and the process. I already feel like I am good to go for the next painting, although I am unsure what that will be of at the moment. This painting is now called 'Crackle' for that static electrical build up you feel just before the storm starts, and for that first burst of energy that accompanies the first big rumble of thunder. I feel it sums up everything. 

 

  

Bread and Butter

I am doing everything round the wrong way this morning as I didn't get up in time to have breakfast before Zumba.

This is highly exciting stuff! Sigh.

I mostly managed to finish my Limited Edition Print making session yesterday, but I didn't quite have that peaceful satisfaction of finally achieving my goal. This was because when I ordered the mounting supplies I obviously lost the ability to add up and didn't order enough. I have five prints left over. The main goal has been achieved though as I now have at least one of all prints currently up for sale, so I can start adding them onto Etsy.

I realised yesterday that it is nice that my architecture work is currently on hold. It feels good to just use my focus to concentrate on one thing, and it has also made me realise that I do like the art side of things best, without a shadow of a doubt. Losing the will to live halfway through last year made me doubt everything I was doing as I was so dissatisfied. But this brief break of a better routine and actually managing to motivate myself to do some of the things I have had to put off for ages has made me realise, that art, should never be in doubt. I need it. More than I realised. Since I managed to paint on Saturday I feel almost a thousand times calmer and better.

Art is my medicine, and I think it hurt me that I lost it. Mentally and physically.

If only I could make it my bread and butter. Then life would be perfect. 

The Print Machine

So I have come to the conclusion that I will be able to stick to the sun salutations part of my new routine but maybe not my 'early' start time, as I have been getting later and later. I need to try and go to bed a bit earlier tonight before my day shifts back again. I am hoping it is just a temporary blip due to late night painting on Saturday and then too much Zumba.

Speaking of too much Zumba, I seem to have pulled a muscle in my lower back, backside which made the sun salutations this morning rather difficult! I am glad I will have a rest day from them tomorrow.

Art progress wise, I managed to make 24 small limited edition prints yesterday, and I have 24 left to do. That seems like something I should be able to finish today, and then I can get onto promoting my new painting. I keep thinking it is impressive how this new routine is helping me stick to completing the tasks I set myself each day. But then I remember it is because I have no interruptions, no sudden work, no friends randomly popping by and no unexpected events. I guess lock-down is good for predictability and productivity assuming my focus is in the building!

I hope you all have a good day. See you tomorrow! 

Footnote

And another long (feeling at least) weekend passes. Saturday was a bit of a struggle as I woke up without my marbles, I must have left them under the pillow. I would like to take this moment to thank my Mum for dealing with me whilst I was looking for them. Sorry Mum!

One positive of the marble losing debacle was that it finally put me in the need to paint frame of mind, so paint I did! I have aborted the half started painting temporarily, and focused on painting something that would be therapeutic for me. It did the trick and I slept really well afterwards. Also more importantly it gave me a couple of hours of blissful preoccupation. No thinking. No analysing. No worrying. Just colour. I think it is fair to say I got properly engrossed, especially as I managed to make this happen:

Making this much mess is an achievement even for me! I think it was just what I needed though, so I am hoping it will have broken my painting block.

Today's mission, is either to put my new painting online or keep making my prints. All the large ones are made now but I still have quite a few small ones left to do.

Also: note to self; trying to do sun salutations after a two hour Zumbathon session for the NHS yesterday is not a good idea. Everything already aches, and I think it is only going to get worse!   

Steady

So I didn't make as many limited editions yesterday as I had hoped but I did make some. The mounting supplies are being delivered in an hour or so, so I hope that means I can finish making them all today, but that will depend on how disciplined I am!

The sun salutations have had their usual calming effect this morning and I can surprisingly already see that they are toning me up. My arms especially are beginning to show a difference.

It will be time for Zumba in a moment, and hopefully all this exercise will make me happy to sit on the floor for the rest of the day assembling prints.

Positivity

So I actually did put my Maidenhead Clock Tower up for sale on Etsy and started making some limited edition prints.

What? Are you saying you actually did what you said you would do?!? Well, goodness gracious me!

I also found out I sold two prints over the weekend on my US sites; one of the Budapest Parliament building and the other of the Oslo Opera House. Look at all this positivity! What is going on? I have also already completed my 20 sun salutations, rather badly as my arms are still sore, but shush, and I feel ready to tackle my day!

This seems silly, was that all I have needed to do all this time? Get up and do some sun salutations!?!? I wish I had known this earlier, but I'll take it. More of this please.