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Feb 11

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Kerry: Excuses

Wow, isn’t it great being so pregnant…not really. The good thing, it’s almost over and I can meet my baby boy and get my body back. I can’t wait to bend over again. Picking up baby girl’s toys has become quite a chore.

I had a moment yesterday where I actually dug out my big sketch book and took out the oil pastels and stared at the colors…they smelled so good, and then I put them away… in a more convenient place of course. I told myself that baby girl would wake up any moment and I would barely get started, and the mess would not be worth the limited time, and I didn’t know what I wanted to do anyway. She slept in her playpen for about two and a half hours. Wasted time.

I spend so much time making excuses for not doing what I love, the biggest of which is no time and no space. But really, if I truly wanted to, couldn’t I make the time and the space? I battle myself over this constantly. I’m afraid I can’t get it back, that “flow,” that losing oneself in the art. The last time I tried to paint, there was nothing, just a sense of how much can I finish before baby girl wakes up? And I don’t like the painting. I was going through the motions. More excuses.

I think I need that studio space: a place to get messy and leave it all out if I have to. I suggested hiring someone to finish the basement room, and ironically, my husband spent a whole weekend day working on it. And then it stopped. Maybe he needs another nudge. Secondly, I need some dedicated time. My husband works evenings and is home most mornings, unless he can get overtime. We have discussed the option of him watching the baby so I can have some time. And he does, occasionally. I usually use that time for showers and cleaning, but I think my priorities must change if I want to preserve my sanity. I’m running out of time before baby number two arrives and I’ll look back on these days as filled with free moments (well, maybe).

Maybe I need to stop making excuses and do whatever I can to create. Use the kitchen table to paint on if I have to. Maybe it’s time to explore some new techniques…go really abstract…fast and furious, anything to get something new done. It might be worth a try. I might find inspiration there.

Feb 11

1 Comment

Bethany: Shhhh… I’ve got an idea!

I get ideas anytime and anywhere. This latest idea, just as I was ready to fall asleep while nursing my daughter last night.  Only problem with that–is that new ideas energize me.  So much so, they consume my brain and sleeping in NOT an option.

Much to my dismay, last night at midnight, I spend over an hour jotting down ideas, character sketches, plot lines I knew about, possible titles, and even a few e-mails to critique partners soliciting a few initial thoughts, etc.  Well, I have 5 pages of hand written notes for a new project.  One I likely will have to back burner for a while–but one I have documented enough, I can jump back in at any time.  Which I love.

I can’t wait to get started!

Feb 11

3 Comments

Intro from Lisa D.

I’d like to introduce myself as another new voice in this artistic community. I’ve enjoyed reading the Creative Construction blog for some time now, and I feel an affinity with this group, as I am also a fellow writer struggling to find time for all my many priorities.

As with all of you, this multi-tasking theme is nothing new for me, but it is always a challenge. I have spent much of my life juggling a career as a university administrator, grad school, creative endeavors, etc. I have recently taken a break from my career in higher education to focus more on my family and writing pursuits. I have two young daughters, ages 4-1/2 and 1-1/2, and I also love to travel and stay active with my adventure-seeking lifestyle. In addition, I am also a publicly elected trustee for the village in which I live, and I have a bad habit of volunteering for way too many projects.

As for my current writing pursuits, I do some freelance journalism, and I am in the middle of writing a book on the history of Trout Valley, IL. I recently started a blog, the Damian Daily, and my passion is writing fiction.

I am already acquainted with a few of you, and I look forward to getting to know all of you and participating in our mutual goal of Creative Construction.

Lisa D.

Feb 11

2 Comments

Kerry: New Voice

Hello all. I am an artist, writer, mom, wife, and creative person hoping to contribute something meaningful (i.e. my personal stories and hurdles) about living a life of creativity while being a wife and mom to four kids. At this point I have two teenage daughters and one thirteen month old baby girl, and am pregnant (31 weeks) with my first little boy. It is an exciting and tiring time, and any moments I can find to paint or be creative are little miracles. I have lost my studio space…the spare room became the nursery, but I have hope that the unfinished room in our basement will magically finish itself. Before one of the older girls lays claim to it, I hope to deposit my volumes of scattered art supplies into this treasured empty space, with the intention of getting serious about creating art again. We’ll see how that works out. Anyway, I’m glad to be here, contributing…another voice in the artistic and creative world. I refuse to give up that part of me and will continue to fight (or to pine away) for the time I need to express myself.