Groundhog Day and New Blog Format
That moment when you realize your kiddos have lowered your desk chair and you’ve been slouching for the past three days…
Happy Groundhog Day, everyone! I had the delight of watching a live-stream of the festivities and revelation of Punxsutawney Phil this morning with my younger son before school. I was a little concerned for the poor groundhog who might’ve been a bit frightened by all the people, but he seemed rather unperturbed. D thought it was silly - he’s at that age where Santa Claus still visits for Christmas, but there is no way a man with a magic cane talks to a groundhog to predict the length of the end of winter. In any event, Phil says six more weeks of winter, and I’m honestly here for it. I’m enjoying the time to work on editing, making, organizing, and planning. Spring, Summer, and Autumn, are crazy busy around here, and I’m using this slightly less busy time to create systems and routines in hopes of having a less stressful, more productive warm season.
This morning I saw our one remaining grey goose walking on clear ice. My brain said, “Jesus geese.”
Inspiration: Cold; Plan, Observe, Wait
My daily routine: For the past three days I’ve made a concerted effort to incorporate an actual 15-30 minute exercise routine apart from my farm chores. I was inspired by a YouTube video (of all things) of a 30 day-exercise-everyday personal challenge. The creator focused on exercise for better mental health during a very busy, stressful time in her life. That really resonated for me. Today is day 3 of using free YouTube yoga, weight training, and diastasis recti repair, videos.
After just three days, I’m sleeping better and feeling more energized. I’m also noticing a better ability to focus on my work. This makes the brief work windows of time I manage that much more productive. We’ll see how things go as the week continues. What does your morning routine look like? Are you making any changes this winter?
In the Studio: I have decided to try to get my artwork out to others in a more conscious way, so I’m researching different art shows/exhibitions to enter. I’m going to stick to local/regional shows for this year. I’m also looking to participate in shows where I could have a booth to try to directly sell some artwork. This is going to required a more focused effort on making pieces to completion. At this point, I submitted one piece for a show up in Erie, PA. I know creatives often get numerous rejections as they find their 1000 true fans (as Kevin Kelly so aptly put it), so I’m trying to be as mentally prepared for a rejection letter as possible. I hear back tomorrow on acceptance/rejection, so stay tuned for an update.
I use a handy app called Trello to organize my studio and homestead goals. I also enjoy using it for meal planning.
“What He Said” - Acrylic on canvas, 12” x 12”
I’m also experimenting with my Instagram account and trying to post more regularly. I’m up to 230 followers on IG, but I’m not sure how valuable a place it will be in the long-term for marketing. For now it’s a great place to share what I’m working on and to get over my resistance and imposter syndrome tendencies. I’ve also been toying with the idea of making some short videos to share on IG or even on a YouTube channel. If you’d be interesting in a video studio tour or perhaps a video of painting technique, please let me know!
On the Homestead (Jaguey, Perú): Due to civil-political unrest in Perú, we made the difficult decision not to travel down this January. I am praying and hoping that things will resolve as peacefully and as soon as possible. It is heart-wrenching to watch the Peruvian people go through this instability and hardship.
Despite difficult times in Perú, the house project has continued. My father-in-law Miguel was able to get the man who does glasswork - windows and doors - to the property for an estimate, and we were able to move ahead on that. Here are some photos from the exterior of the house. I’ll also share interior photos next week.
Here is the house in Jaguey. The painting is complete, and you can see that the windows and glass doors are also in place.
Here is the area outside the kitchen (Lima side).
Here is the Camaná side with Papi’s outdoor patio area. You can also see his sliding glass door at the rear of the house.
Here’s the view of Papi’s patio area from behind/above. You can see the front door in the perimeter wall and on to the sea in the distance. There’s a lot of clean-up to work on when we’re down there, but I’m so excited to get to work on this homestead!
Thanks for joining me on my blogging journey. I hope you’re having an amazing week!