I wrote the following blog post on December 15th and the next day ended up going to the hospital by ambulance...two lessson learned - dont be afraid to ask for help and dont ignore pain. I am fine now but it was a bit scary!
My residency will finish on Tuesday and my husband will be driving up island to collect me and my "stuff". I'm looking forward to getting back to the family and being immersed in all the Christmas preparations. I feel a bit guilty about not being as involved but it seems that I trained my children as they seemed to function quite well without me!
As I begin to sort through my work, I am spending time reflecting on the experience - it has been distinctly different from my other residencies and even a bit better in some respects. I was left largely alone to be creative and I used the time for a LOT of experimentation....see my previous blog post and I met, success, failure, failure, semi success and so on.
I had time to see many beautiful sunsets (my home is surrounded by trees so I miss out) lots of walks along the shore, it's the season of very high tides called "king" tides. And found lots of sea glass and made new friends.
Each morning I spent 20 minutes or so, writing in my Morning Pages, a habit that I've been enjoying for well over a year or so. It's not every morening but most....and it has given me a sense of reflection but also an oppportunity to think more deeply into my ideas or even questions. What has surprised me is having new ideas or twists on problems reveal themselves during my writing, so very unexpected and such a wonderful gift from the universe. One was an idea for a new series that has me very excited and it came almost fully formed with a theme, techniques and much more - I've written down as much as I can so it doesn't escape or disappear. I hope by giving this idea a bit of foundation, it will stay with me?
I've also been writing/drawing in my Vessels sketchbook, with symbols and diagrams of my steps through the construction. I keep a separate sketchbook for each series - starting a new one when I start my explorations.
I spent one afternoon teaching an Explosion Book workshop - we had a good time and got to know each other and I learned more about this lovely community. If you'd like to make an Explosion Book, check it out here: https://thecuriousprintmaker.co.uk/explosion-book-display-prints/
And now 2025 has begun....I am both excited by what the future may bring but also apprehensive about our world, I know I ma not alone in this.
I think all I can do is to be one small light in the darkness - and as long as there is one small light shining then the darkness can be banished.
Stay well and be happy, together we move forward.
PAX
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