one week

Hooray! One week down. I thought I'd answer the questions from lesson 7 small wins:

How's it going?

Pretty good overall I think.

Are you 7 for 7 or did you miss a day or two?

I'm 7 for 7 and I plan to not miss a single day this year. I'm making that a priority in 2017.

How do you feel about all this?

I'm excited. I'm nervous. I always have the feeling that I'm not doing enough. I have to tell myself almost every day that it's ok....little bits add up. 

What parts are you enjoying? 

I love the research and I love sticking with the same topic for awhile. Today I had an idea in the shower and that doesn't happen when I'm constantly changing subjects. It's been nice to have one thing to focus on and to let that really bounce around in my head for awhile.

What's working?

It's hard to tell yet but I feel like I'm slowly moving in a good direction.

What's not working?

I'm not sure I've read enough or researched far enough along in her life that I'm going to feel finished at the end of the month. I'm really trying keep the calendar in mind but also I'm just doing my minimum quantity and those two might not align in the end. We'll see.

Finding a groove...

It's day 5. I thought I was beginning to find a routine yesterday when my kids returned to school but today is a snow day and they are home and it's the usual chaos. Maybe next week. :)

I would say this year of creative habits is off to a better start than my past ones. (I share that just to let you know this is not normal.) Though that doesn't mean I don't have doubts and fears and a general uneasiness about it. Past years I would describe the first week as frustrating and awful so that's a slight improvement in 3 years. :|

I'm playing ketchup (catch-up, that's a fun joke from my 2nd grade teacher thank you Mrs. Keck!) and sharing my emergency kit with you today.

Since my daily habit is simply to read and take notes/sketch/collage, I think this is all I really need in the case of an emergency: my notebook, sketchbook, currently reading book, and pens/pencils/etc. Not pictured is a little pouch I keep them in. It was good to whittle down the contents of said pouch and clean all the gunk out of it. Also I replaced most of the pens and pencils so I'm not constantly wondering, is this my 'good' pen? They are now all 'good' pens and pencils. :)

Since I'll have a regular post up on my blog this week about the project, I think I'll share some of my feelings about the project and some of things that haven't worked out here in this space for you.

There's nothing too major to share just yet but you know I think that's probably true for all of us. It's only been a few days. Let's keep expectations in check.

The one sort of fail I've had is that I'd thought I'd begin my research with a children's book. I thought that would be a fast way to get a general overview of an artist. I know when I was studying Chuck Close a year or so ago I read a great children's book and my expectation was that they'd all be like that one. They aren't. Artists' lives are complicated and often the most interesting bits aren't suitable for young children. So this book about Frida, while beautifully illustrated, was a big fail. I'll likely skip the children's books next time.

Other than that, it's just mostly been a slow start. I'm really enjoying the research and recording and sharing what I've learned. However I know it's taken 3 years to get off to a good start like this. I know last year at this time I was so unhappy with my year of creative habits and about 2 weeks into January I realized it was because I wasn't reading/studying/researching. That's what fuels me, what "fills the well" for me. So to finally be able to recognize that and plan a project that revolves around "my thing" is a big step that has taken a long time to get to. 

Probably my biggest concern at this time is that I've overplanned and overstated just how much I can accomplish in one month. I'm doing my best to just put that concern aside for now. My experience tells me that I will have slow times and then big growth/work spurts and that it's possible it'll balance out in the end.

My biggest advice for myself (past self speaking to present self) right now is just to stay calm and keep working little bits each day. It'll all work itself out whether it's exactly how I have planned or not. It'll be ok in the end.

plan now to eliminate future excuses

update 12/16: ordered my supplies today...paint and panels from Dick Blick. Pens, sketchbook, and notebook from Amazon. Getting excited!

update again: reserved 4 library books and bought 4 books off Amazon, started private Pinterest board.

setting up for success

slowly getting a plan together....

planting the seed

I'll be posting my thoughts/plans/answers to the emails/questions right here on this private blog. Most of this stuff I'm not ready to go public with, so it's just here for you. The photos are old ones that relate to the direction that I'd like to go next year. You are welcome to have a looksee here in between emails.