It's a Mystery

Coffee in the Los Angeles skyline mug, "Freeze Tag" by Suzanne Vega on iTunes. Oh what a week! Twelve days and counting til I leave for Vegas. I believe that I am not alone in freaking out about this show. It's a first year show with a purported 800 artists. This cannot go well. It is going to be more of a zoo, more of a madhouse, more innately insane than any other show... and yet, it will all work out. How? I don't know, it's a mystery (and that makes two movies I quote from regularly now).

And speaking of shows and quoting, I got both an email and a postcard from the One of a Kind Show last week. They start with: “This is my biggest show of the year, every year. The people, the culture, the energy of Chicago all come together for a great final show. Can’t wait to do it again next year!” Brenda Griffith, Siyeh Studios. Well, it's only one studio, not multiples, but the rest is true. And it's also true I haven't got my application in for this year's show yet. Very funny that I am being utzed with my own words.

And speaking of utzing... I got a packet of articles to read from my Mom last week (last month, whenever; some time recently enough to still be in the "to do" pile). One of them was from the Ladies Home Journal, June 2006 (how my mother saves magazines and newspapers until she has read them--no matter how out of date they are--is another story. It's a very funny one, but not for here and now). The article was about how we are all moving so fast in life now that we don't even have time to figure out what we want to be doing, much less do it. We surround ourselves with gadgets to make us more efficient so we can move ever faster, and we seek the holy grail of organization as the cure for all our ills. We can no more use a rotary dial phone (and wait the 11 extra seconds it takes for the numbers to be dialed) than we can walk to the store. I didn't have time to read the whole article, but what I read really hit home and when I have a chance to finish it I know it will change my life. (Yes, the irony in that sentence was intentional.)

I have felt for some time that I am over-committed, over-scheduled, and over-extended, and I am over it. My first step to better mental health has been to stop scheduling my weekends. I thought that less would get done if I didn't plan what I would do and be ready to do it, but that hasn't been the case. Now when Saturday comes I get up, sit on the couch, sip coffee and look at the weather. I think what I would like to do and what needs to be done. Then I try to achieve a balance between the two. I have been avoiding putting the word "must" before any weekend activity--we all have enough "musts" in the week, there is no place for them on the weekend.

The result? I fired four kiln loads over the weekend for ACRE, gallery orders and my donations for Jessie's school auction. The house is cleaner (not from lack of dirt but from lack of piles of sh*t everywhere) than it has been in, well, years! Some might say that I have finally gotten settled in from the move from Austin, but I know better. I'm trying to do less and therefore doing more. How? I don't know, it's a mystery.

So today. What's on the schedule for today? Making the final decision on hard walls for ACRE and ordering them (or not). Formatting current images of my work to upload to Application for the One of a Kind Show app. Shipping six panels to Jeff to use in his work for ACRE. Finishing an art nouveau stand design for Elliott Metal to make for me for ACRE. Receivables, Payables and other paperwork. And I need to do two full kiln loads. Wow. How will I get it done? I don't know, it's a ....