Saturday in the Studio
ACEO #31
©2009 Lisa Call
3.5" x 2.5"
Textile Painting (hand dyed fabric, batting, thread)
Purchase Here
Blogging
Looks like I have dropped the ball on blogging this week so this post will be a collection of thoughts I’ve wanted to write about but haven’t done.
First up, why I didn’t blog (I ponder these things it’s great feedback for moving forward):
1. I sent my studio newsletter on thursday evening so my writing this week was focused on the newsletter. I’m now writing a monthly newsletter so I’m anticipating the interruption from the newsletter to become less as time goes by and I establish this more as a habit.
If you aren’t a subscriber you can see an online version of this newsletter here: June Studio News. The above ACEO was inspired by the new large textile painting included in that newsletter, Structures #73.
2. I have a project due in mid july for an exhibit. I need to complete 2 very large textile paintings between now and then. I knew I needed to do this but didn’t really think it through or I would have started a lot sooner than earlier this week because I’m estimation 120-160 hours of studio time will be needed to complete these 2 textile paintings.
Oops! Not that I mind working many hours in the studio, but it does cut into writing time. So blogging could be a bit light the next 4-5 weeks. Or maybe not. We’ll see how it plays out. I’m not worried but I am staying very focused.
3. I have finally recovered from being sick earlier this week, which required a few nights of going to bed really early. One night at 7:30. What a treat. I didn’t worry too much about blogging when my brain wasn’t working.
Photography
I’m really excited with my images these days – they are so much better than they used to be. Tomorrow is my second private photography/photoshop class and we’re going to talk about printing.
I’m not looking to print giclees but I do need to print out portfolio pages so it’ll be great to get that figured out. If we have time we’ll work on photographing black and red artwork also.
Assumptions
Someone asked me what my ACEOs were made out of. I’ve always assumed it’s obvious, which I realize is a really bad assumption. Someone finds my blog or website for the first time and they have no history or knowledge of my artwork, it’s far from obvious.
So I’m going to start including a bit more information with my titles.
I wonder what else I’m assuming cause I figure it is obvious but people would like to know. Hm…
Hand Dyed Fabric
I started selling my hand dyed fabric from my blog. I can’t say I’m surprised the bright/darker colors sold first. I kinda expected that.
I am surprised the lights aren’t really selling at all. Okay, I’m not that surprised. They aren’t all sexy and rich. Good thing is I’ll be happy to use these in my work and will as I use lights very often. I couldn’t have made Structures #35, which was purchased by the University of Cleveland Hospitals for their art collection, without some gorgeous lights.
Structures #35
©2005 Lisa Call
49"x32"
Textile Painting (hand dyed fabric, batting, thread)
Corporate Art Collection
Blocks
Now that I think about it there is a 4th reason I haven’t blogged much. I told Paul I would write up some thoughts about the Sandy Skoglund lecture I attended last month so I jotted down a few notes after the lecture.
Then I lost them, then found them and said I’d write the post (this has been a conversation on twitter). Then amazingly enough I’ve lost them again. I want to write this post but it’s not really working out. So my brain gets stuck about blogging because I want to write the Skoglund post but I don’t. So then I don’t write a post at all.
This is the kind of crazy stuff my brain does to get my blocked at times. Not just about writing but about many things.
I promised someone I’d help them with their website months ago but haven’t finished that work. So here I am wanting to do my website but this guilt over not finishing theirs stops me. I know it’s absolutely ridiculous (I really can work on my own website even though I haven’t finished theirs) yet it happens and has been an issue for months.
So I decided to put an end to this block. Tomorrow I’ll be turning over the website as is – what ever I get done is great and anything else they want they can hire someone to do the work. So that energy drain is going to get cleared out and I can move forward.
I find that when I get stuck I can very often trace it to some crazy stuff like this.
Where are you blocked? What can you do about it?
Posted by Lisa in: Being an Artist
Tagged: ACEOs, blocks
Phew! I know JUST how you get blocked! It’s like you’re writing about ME! What I’m doing about it this time is reorganizing a large portion of the house…projects that I’ve been wanting to do for a LONG time, but finally had the extra $ to buy the extra bookcase and the husband has a day or 2 free to help with the large moving.
What also helps and doesn’t cost money or needing hubby’s time is cleaning/re-organizing the studio. If there’s too much clutter, I find I can’t work. If it looks like this:
http://candiedfabrics.wordpress.com/2008/12/30/finished-ready-for-creating/
then WooHoo! wild animals can’t drag me out of it. So I decluttered the studio yesterday, and this would have been enough to get me back on track if I didn’t have this other huge project to get to – so I’ll get that done and then ShaZaam! I should have 2 really nice spaces for creating in and relaxing in after creating!
Yes you are so right. I can usually trace most blocks to something as silly as unfinished business or something even more miniscule and irritating. I must just remember to trace back to the cause.
I discovered your blog a few weeks ago and am loving your work as well as reading your musings.
I, too, just discovered your blog, and I know it will be one that I look forward to reading. Blocks are funny things, aren’t they! It is amazing the mental gymnastics our brains will go through to convince us that we can’t do something. I have several going on right now, and you have inspired me to to take them in hand and remove them one by one.
Oh, I get this too – when I’m blocked on writing my blog, it’s almost always because I’ve got it into my head that I need to write about A next but A just isn’t inspiring me. Instead of just being sensible and moving onto something that IS exciting me, I try and try to write about A and just wind up getting stuck.
whoa, my email is all screwed up — I was wondering where you had been, then all of a sudden all your RSS feeds for a couple of weeks came through.
I have many projects that I’ve had on my list for years, Finally this spring I read a book and learned how to create a time map, and now I’m trying to it each week and have have been making major progress in these areas. Not sure if this is what you call a time block, but those items were creating a lot of guilt as you mentioned.