Friday, November 13, 2009

Wrapped In The Quiet Of Fog.......


......both literally, mentally and physically.
I took a day off.
The emotional upheavals of the past week have been more than enough; DH is better thankfully (and thank you's to all who wrote on his behalf sending spiritual help!) but still on the mend, I am okay as things go, and finally gave in and decided a day of total rest was in order. And possibly another today. As of this moment, it does not appear I have contracted whatever he has been coddling and incubating.......*it* has stayed at bay.
It's amazing what a few good nights sleep and some down time during the day can do for the body. I might want to try this more often....though I know it won't happen. ;-) I was sitting thinking of all the things I could be doing, but the body refused to move.....for once, it really did know best.

Sometimes wrapping yourself in solitude is a good thing; you think things out, you get creative problems solved, you have the opportunity to catch up on small busywork while the mind wanders freely, not that mine doesn't wander enough.
My musings have traveled to the possibility of an Etsy shop for small things I make, how I want to simplify the Holidays, being truly thankful for what we have and that includes everyone I have met through this blog this year, and getting back to a pace where I know where the year went instead of almost being in tears that it's November.

I have been thinking also about what projects to take on next year, when my current committments are complete and whether to continue in that same path, or choose something more managable. I certainly am not getting any younger and trying to fight the weight of 12 yards of fabric going 20 different directions is beginning to lose it's appeal. (and my ability to manage it)
And then, as I said, there is that niggling idea for the Etsy shop, to put a few small things *out there* and see what happens.
And mostly get back to a point where I am making art and not killing myself.

I would like to revisit some of my mixed media fiber art and the time has not allowed that. There is more I want to do with my current series of canvas pieces. I made the mistake of assessing the amount of yarn I have in the knitting basket last evening and decided I could knit tights for Giant Octopi for the next twenty years and not get that stash lessened much.....
So when does one start change? At what point do you say, no matter how much I enjoy parts of the work I do, the whole of it is too much for my body, eventhough it does pay? When do you become more stingy with time and talent and focus smaller and for what your own artistic soul is telling you to do? And where do you start?
It should be obvious, after this post, why I don't take much time off.
I tend to THINK.
I am not always sure that is a good idea, though this time, there have been some good questions that have bubbled to the surface.

As an aside for humor:

My blue budgie has figured out how to open his cage door. I went to cover him last evening and there he sat, giving me *the eye* with the door wide open and him inside. That bird soooooo belongs in this household--ornery in every little ounce! From here on in, I will have to watch him cautiously.
I am thinking, mostly, it is because I have paid more attention to DH than the *Boys*. (Joey, the green one, has been quite GOOD......)
Men.
With or without wings...........  ;-)

Pax.

36 comments:

audrey said...

Even fog can be beautiful. Great photos, Anne.
So happy that you and DH are both feeling better.
It sounds like your body and soul appreciated the much needed down time. Somwetimes when we are still and quiet, we hear them talk to us. It is good to take time to reflect on where we are and where we want to go with our lives.
I believe your little works of art would fly out of an Etsy shop! I look forward to the day it opens.
I wish you a comfortable, quiet, day and hope that you and Gary get stronger.
((hugs))
audrey

Anne Huskey-Lockard said...

Thanks Audrey.
I've come to the conclusion I don't like to *think* too much because I know when I get that serious about the thinking, it always involves some major change.
Maybe I'm lazy.....but I can stay stuck in a rut FOR EVER and just dawdle about getting out of it.
I think today is another day off, or at the most, a bit of time in the wet studio....after I've tied Firball's cage door shut so I don't have to chase him!

XXOO!!
Anne
P.S. Other than when I have to drive in it, I love fog. It just needs to stay off the roads and in the fields! ;)

Deborah said...

Fabulous photos. Love the one with the few leaves left. I am exactly where you are right now and The Time is NOW! I am feeling very stingy with my time. Work takes up too much of it, and yes, it pays, but I need more balance, more life. I can't put out the amount of work I did even two years ago, nor do I want to...I have a million things on my mind that I want to do around the house. I want to take up old crafts like sewing and crochet, and just sitting in the garden looking...yes, Anne, the time is now. **blows kisses** Deb

Anne Huskey-Lockard said...

Gosh Deb, this confirms what I suspected; that we all, as creative individuals, reach a point where we need to close ranks and do what *we* need to do.
I absolutely LOVE seeing the banners in churches, but they kill me to do them. It is a hard issue---yet at the end of the day, I am happiest in the wet studio, doing small pieces that put me in the zone.
My flowerbeds (hahaha!) are a wreck, there is other work that needs attention, and sometimes you just have to put it all on a scale like Justice holds and see whish weighs in the most.
I think we both know the answer!

XXOO!!
Anne

Anonymous said...

As always Anne, the photography is beautiful.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment on my post..... When I walked into the room ro get the compression xrays both techs said they did not know why they even called me back except for the family history. I will be glad when this is all settled for the year.....
I know what you mean about taking on things to do.... I used to paint murals & borders in homes & I say a firm NO if asked now. With my fibromyalgia & arthritis I just can't do it & I don't even care to try. I have learned what my physical limitations are.
Getting old sure ain't great but at least now I have a valad reason to sit in my big soft chair, in my chenille robe, with one or all of My Boyz & just read a great novel!!
Have a great day my Friend!!
Love,
Marilyn

Anne Huskey-Lockard said...

Hey Marilyn,

I'm still IN the robe....have been trying to get to the shower but as usual sidetracked when I noticed a letter I had written to "Robert Genn Twice-Weekly Letter" had been posted to his website with a pic of the "Fortune" piece that went to Tristan....must have pulled it off my blog! WHOOO-HOO!!
I have artists ADD, I swear, but this time, it truly is the physical demands of large projects that are doing me in.
Two left (one I can work on the wall, which is easier) then I am thinking that is it. At least until I am mended.
Maybe it is just time for change.....?

XXOO!!
Anne

yoborobo said...

Well, Anne, maybe we are twins. haha! I have been thinking these exact same thoughts (except there is no way I would tackle the commissions you have). I love the 50 million things I do, but I wake up and wonder things like "How in the hell did we get to mid-November?" I, too, would like to have time to try new things in art. Fiddle time. :) And I have to say, when I first came to your blog, I went looking for your Etsy shop to see more of your fabulous work, and IT WAS NOT THERE! Imagine my disappointment, Anne! ;) You are such a busy bee, but maybe this is the time to tackle things that make your heart sing, that are smaller so you don't break your body, and that don't require you to have deadlines, unless you decide you have deadlines. xoxoxo Pam

marianne said...

love the fog photos- love the way the tree stand out against the soft background. it's hard to learn that it's ok not to go anything when you're feeling perfectly fine, but i think it's an essential lesson. as for the rest- listen to yourself & it will sort itself out...... you may find a brilliant use for that yarn as part of future fiber art! enjoy your down time-

Anne Huskey-Lockard said...

Hey Pam,

There are numerous reasons I had not gotten a shop set up yet, most that I won't post on-blog.
I do think, with most of us, we get to the point where we really HAVE to evaluate what we are doing. I know if you have kids there is so much you are REQUIRED to do, but in my case, sometimes I think I am choosing my measure of Hell because...????
No Answer.
I want my fiddle-time back. That's when I get creative. So maybe if I can see an end to the current big work, the small work I love will have it's own time.
Keep pushing me..... ;)

XXOO!!
Anne

Anne Huskey-Lockard said...

Hey Marianne,

I hate to admit this....I got a BOX of yarn today and was looking at the graphics on the cardboard box (not the yar, mind you) thinking, Hmmmmmmmm, that has possibilities.....
I just need to give myself a break and I am a work-a-holic and have no brain with this.
I need a support group!
Or a mountian of duct tape to put me in one place where I cannot get to things that need doing! LOL!
It will work itself out...it's in the process now.
And yes, I love that tree in the fog....so peaceful.

XXOO!!
Anne

Anonymous said...

Hi Anne,
I'm so glad you are both feeling better. I'm sure it will take a day or two more to feel right. Just go slow and easy. I work at my own pace more than anything else as far as art/creativity. I give very honest turn around dates for my work and if for any reason I get hit with a flare in the middle, I email clients and tell them there will be slight one or two day delay so I can get my berrings.

Ohh do open yourself an Etsy shop. Fill it as you have product to put in it. No pressure there. Also it's much cheaper than ebay who has become very greedy with our money. I can't stomach it anymore. Also, try bonanzle.com. This is a relatively new site but it may grab some bite as she builds.

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by what is in front of me for work. I just stop, bow my head, clear my thoughts and pray. I ask god to quiet my mind and bless my heart with the joy I normally feel with my work. If for some reason I do not find my contentment to go further, I start again the next day. I take a mental break.

Hugs to you.
Tammy

Anne Huskey-Lockard said...

Hey Tammy,

That is the where I am at; it is easy, once I do it to take a look at how much I'm doing and say, "This is too much....change something"
So I am at the resting before finishing up stage, and hopefully by March of next year, I will be on a better path and a more creative one.
Amazing how being sick can get the brain working properly....for a change!!!

XXOO!!!
Anne

Leslie said...

Love the photos, fog in all it's greyness is so kewl.

Your heart will tell you the way to go. I know you will rock in whatever you decide the path is.

Anne Huskey-Lockard said...

Thanks Leslie!
I guess, with everything, I just miss some of the fun we used to have on the FiberPirates, doing swaps, experimenting, etc.
I think my heart knows where to go.....it's pulling this concrete-block of a head along! LOL!!! ;)

XXOO!!
Anne

Georgina said...

I tend to be like you, Anne...I think too much about something, and the training I got in college, just reinforced that bad little habit. I agree, sometimes you have to think out a project, but let go if it doesn't really go your way...I call them happy little accidents or something to feed the trash can...either way, it works for me.

We are creatures who are always evolving, physically and mentally, so why not your art. If you stay doing the same ol', same ol', then it seizes to be fun and I think you're there, so time to move upward and onward. Your mixed media work is friggin' gorgeous, so try to expand on that and see where else it takes you...see it as an adventure...and I don't want to hear your getting to that "age"...not our Anne!! So get out there and create, woman!!

As for taking a mental health day off, oh yea, listen to the bod, it knows when it really needs a little R&R, so enjoy it. Have a great weekend, my friend.

Love ya,
G

Tristan Robin said...

gorgeous photos

we're having a recuperation and rejuvenation day today...I'm just beat and Jon has been having some issues since the middle of the night, so he's staying in bed. I'm hoping it's just the weather and the hectic pace.

My sister also keeps birds. She lets hers fly around the house. It makes me crazy LOL

Anne Huskey-Lockard said...

Hey Georgina,

I *AM* that age!!!! LOL!!!
Yeah, I've been mulling this a lot and I think the unexpected funeral reinforced my thoughts; enjoy the life you make for yourself. I lvoe seeing hangings in the churches. I love saying "That's my work". But suppliers are no more, companies are a PITA to deal with.....everything has become such a hassle that I lose any enjoyment of process.
The small art things, yes, I get frustrated but love those. That is what keeps calling me back, and having extra time for charity work, etc.
And by the way, I am thinking that for almost 50, I am in dman good shape other than the hip! ;)
Don't burst my bubble......

XXOO!!
Anne

Anne Huskey-Lockard said...

Hey Tristan---I would like you to note I listened to you and allowed a day or two off....AHEM. LOL!
Yep, hope you both are tired and nothing more; bad time of year.
I could so get used to not having to go nonstop every day......
I don't let the birds fly out; that's why I am worrying about little stinker. He's smart. He watches. I don't need birdpoop in the middle of the banner filling the livingroom floor! (and believe me, that's where he would deliver the package.....)
So he is under surveilence today....HA! I love them but don't think I could have them loose. I want the crap IN the cage.....

XXOO!!
Anne

Alexandra MacVean said...

Anne,
What beautiful and serene photos. I love the feeling that fog brings to the soul...time to stop and reflect on life...to slow down...and regather oneself once again. I wish you the best in that and may you come out refreshed better than you have ever before!

Hugs!

Julie Zaccone Stiller said...

Hooray for fog, I hope that it continues to coddle you in healing! I love the idea of an Etsy shop, I've been thinking of doing that too. Have one, just nothing in it...We should egg each other on to actually do it!

Mary Helen-Art Saves Lives said...

Calm quiet movements
calm quiet moments
...the guardians of all artists.
This came to me as I sat very still and realized the freedom of silence. healing takes time and a moment or two to be still in one's skin. Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

I love budgies and yes they are very ornery! Smile they are your earth angels.

Anne Huskey-Lockard said...

Hi Sophia,

I love the feeling of walking in fog; that dampness and the mystery of it all. It quiets everything, generally in the coutry there is little on the orads.....it is just really relaxing.
Today has been good; think I'll be ready to hit the grind again tomorrow! Things will settle and work out!
Take care!

XXOO!!
Anne

Anne Huskey-Lockard said...

Julie, you hit the nail on the head; we need to torment each other into getting one one.
And yes, I technically *have* a store set up with nothing in it, but I may redo a few things if....no....WHEN it's time to open. And it's not happening before the holidays!
Good idea---I'm holding you to it!

XXOO!!
Anne

Anne Huskey-Lockard said...

Hey Mary Helen,

My little earth angels have been well behaved today; no door opening, just *demanding* that I put on the Acid Jazz compilation CD that they LOVE.......talk about volumn! YIKES!!!
But they're having a ball running up and across perches and hanging upside down singing....
They're mine....what can I say? ;)
Yes, I have needed the quiet to just get realligned. It's good.

XXOO!!
Anne

Anonymous said...

Oh, an Etsy site would be great!...as far as what i know about it...I have contemplated it too..concerned if i could keep enough things on it tho!...
but i do see sites with little in it..I mostly look at the fun side of it..there may be another side!
glad you're taking a little "time off", Anne!
gypsy

teri said...

Anne
so glad you shut down and now can gear up ... your post today had everything ... good news, great photos, deep thoughts and HUMOR.
Your birds... too funny!
have a great weekend!!

Linda and Michelle said...

I have been thinking lots of thoughts for you this week, hoping all works out. I agree with the re-evaluating - In the last few years I have realized the only person I need to please is myself (well, after DH....), and so I have been expanding in areas of mixed media I want to go it. By the way, I LOVE that last fog picture - would love to have permission to work with that pic - it truly is gorgeous...and representative of where you are right now - literally in a fog, with little bright colors wanting to peak out and be recognized - oh poo - you would have said it so much better!

Magpie's Mumblings said...

Two years ago I made the 'grand' decision that I would take the next year and just do what I wanted to do and not commit myself to making recycled denim jackets (or anything else that anybody else wanted done). A year 'off' sounded great. Noble thought, but it didn't happen quite the way I'd hoped. So...last year, I made the same decision and STILL didn't get to where I want to be. What was supposed to be just one year 'off' is turning into three - and you know what? - it's going to be a forever thing. We reach a point in our lives when we have to do what makes us happy and also what our bodies are happy for us to do. This year I have even (gasp) decided that I won't be making Christmas presents, which is absolutely unheard of. At first I was sure I would be lost without the 'fun' of creating presents and ornaments and all the frou-frou-isms that go along with the season. I think I've had an epiphany of sorts and am slowly coming to the realization that...guess what?...I don't HAVE to make presents just because I always have. Ah, the freedom I feel!! So, you have to do what you feel is right for you and from what I've read in your post and in your comments, I think you already know what that is. Good luck!

Anne Huskey-Lockard said...

Hey ypsy,

That was one of my concerns too with an Etsy site; keeping it stocked. But on the other hand, I'm not looking at a full time income, just a good way to offer some work for sale.
Maybe we both think about things too much! LOL! I know a friend who just got some stuff together and opened one without a second thought (or maybe the first!) and is happy!
Like I said...I think too much!

XXOO!!
Anne

Anne Huskey-Lockard said...

Hey Teri,

Would you expect anything LESS from my birds??? ;)
And as of the last five minutes, everyone was in their respective homes, where they should be, not opening the little doors.....
The bad part is I could get used to this rest. It's been soooo long!
Hope you have a good one---maybe some sun today so you can shoot some pics?

XXOO!!
Anne

Anne Huskey-Lockard said...

Hey Linda,

You're more than welcome to work with the fog pic; I would find it exciting to see what you do with it!
Sometimes it takes those fog-bound moments to get everything together---it's not a bad thing. It just usually comes when you least expect it or have other work waiting. I often think work we do, no matter how GOOD it is, can push us there is the soul is not satisfied with the process. And I guess I have had to make these decisions before---it's just somehow this time, since it involves church work, it is much harder.
Do somethign wonderful with the fog pic!!!!

XXOO!!
Anne

Anne Huskey-Lockard said...

Hey MA,

You have, I think, said exactly what I was trying to get at. EXACTLY. I'm at the point where I just cannot keep doing all the other *stuff* and keep the artist in me happy. I am glad you have made the transition to tending your creative needs, be they large or small! It makes me see an end to the current state and makes me excited to push forward to finish the current committments!
I guess we all feel the world will come to an end if we stop what we've always done......
But as w all know, it doesn't! Grazie!

XXOO!!
Anne

Ces Adorio said...

I know its fog but I love being in the middle of it. Strange but I love it. I can hear myself think.

Anne Huskey-Lockard said...

I do too Ces.....fog is so relaxing and soothing.....sometimes it's good to just let it envelope you.

XXOO!!!
Anne

Robin Pedrero said...

MMM I love your fog pictures!!

Anne Huskey-Lockard said...

Thanks Robin! I'm just happy they turned out...I never know.... ;)

XXOO!!
Anne

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