Artsy Fartsy

This week I’ve been trying to transform to a morning person. I think a new sleep pattern will help me sleep in the night when we are supposed to sleep. I tend to stay up late and sleep late, if I sleep at all.  Many, many nights I lay in bed until it starts getting light out, like 5:30 am ish, then I sleep until 11 am.  Except now I have a job at least two days a week. Good thing I don’t start until 11:30 am.  Last weekend I had maybe 4 hours of sleep before the Saturday Craft Fair.  Since the fair was a “bust” and I sat at my table for 8 hours with nary a customer, I had a really really hard time staying awake.  Saturday night, after the craft fair,  I was in bed at 8:30 pm.  Slept straight through until 6:00 am.  So I came up with the idea to get up early everyday and maybe I’ll sleep through the night.

And now, I’m wondering why does anyone care?  Well, only because I am making myself blog once a week and this is my latest news.  So what I’m trying is to get up every day at 7:30 am regardless of what time I go to sleep and eventually I’ll start going to bed at 9 pm and getting up early.  Last night I went to bed at 2 am – got up today at 10:30 am.  I have a problem sticking to my goals.

Let’s see, Zachary, my beloved oldest child, loves to think of crafty things for me to do.  He is very encouraging in that realm.  Last year I painted a Paint By Number for him of Van Gogh Irises.  I gave it to him almost as a joke cause I thought it was so bad.  He loved it.  LOVED it.  He’s always trying to come up with things like that for me to do.  So this week he gave me a Paint By Number that he ordered for me to paint for him.  When I looked at it I knew, without a doubt, that he hates me.  I mean look at this:

He told me he created the picture using one of these AI programs so it’s an “original” piece of art and he says my painting it will be original art.  It will keep me busy and away from the jars since the jars do not seem to be selling.

I will try to sell my jars at two more events this fall.  One in November and one in December. I do kinda/sorta enjoy the idea of going to Craft fairs, even though it’s a lot of work packing and unpacking. I don’t even mind that I don’t sell them sometimes, BUT I do need to sell them sometimes too.  I understand from all the vendors I’ve talked to that these craft fairs can be extremely hit or miss.  I’m okay with that, as long as there is a hit in there at times.  Zachary thinks I should diversify.  I don’t disagree but I have limited space in my apartment so whatever it is has to be able to be made on a 2×2 piece of counter space in my kitchen. So no furniture painting. I know that’s what Zachary thinks I’d be good at, only because he’s seen me do that in the past. But again, apartment living is not conducive to furniture painting.  However I did paint this table when I lived in a much smaller apartment in Florida. 

In my hometown we have two schools.  The public school and the private school. I was always envious of the creative arts fields that so many of the private school girls went into. There were interior designers, horticulturists, painters, artsy girls. I envied their artsy paths. An artsy path is a very iffy financial path.  Very inconsistent or not at all. So I understand why people with more financial stability would be able to take those risks.  Just doesn’t seem like that should be a thing to stop us.  Do I sound like a socialist?  I think in Denmark or one of those countries, don’t they all make the same amount of money so you can choose to be a Doctor or a jar maker?  Whatever you do, you do for love, not for money.  I do like that idea.  Why do people give equality such bad press?  Does everyone want to compete with their neighbor? I believe my thoughts are now going into polarizing territory so I will stop this ramble for today.  Just know that I see myself as an eccentric artist now, in a studio with paint all around.  What I’m painting I’m not sure yet. But in this vision I don’t seem to be sitting at the typewriter writing my next book.  And maybe that is what my vision should be since sitting and writing is more conducive to apartment living. Ugh so many choices.  Which way do I go?

Today, I’m going to paint by number.  It will either strengthen my eyesight or make me go blind.  Hoping for the best.

xoxox