While I am having my afternoon dose of coffee, how about an update on my art work? I’d update you on my life, but I don’t have much of a life right now. I’ve been existing almost entirely in my kitchen at that table.

After weeks of madly trying to plan this project, it’s all coming together pretty quickly. It’s always amazing how weeks of stress leads to a sense of relief when it all falls into place as it should. I’m actually feeling quite relaxed right now. Won’t last. I assure you, I’ll be stressed about something later today. I keep telling you making art isn’t easy work, and it isn’t. Of course, it’s even less easy for me due to my constant need for everything to be absolutely perfect. I’ve been working on not being such a perfectionist, because the fact is, even though the thing isn’t 100% as I see it in my head, no one but me is ever going to know it isn’t “perfect” now are they? Not unless they can see into my head. LOL!

The deadline is midnight next Wednesday. My goal is to have my photos and paperwork in Wednesday morning, if not Tuesday night. Then I plan to retire to the bedroom for about a day to sleep. I’m getting pretty tired, and for the last week, most of my energy has come from the blessed coffee bean. But it’s not a fatigued kind of tired, and oddly, my insomnia has pretty much disappeared (for now). It’s been great going to bed when I feel like sleeping and falling right off into a nice sleep without being utterly fatigued and about to drop over dead. Also nice waking up well rested, though I do look forward to being able to just SLEEP without knowing I really should get up and get back to work.

Anyway, I am certain I can get this one piece done in time for the deadline. The other two pieces are actually significantly easier pieces, so it’s possible I will be able to throw them together in a day or two. I’ve learned a lot making the first one, so I won’t have to solve so many problems or do so much trial and error work. We’ll see. I hope to get all three pieces done (plus a painting), but no matter what, five pieces will be photographed and entered by next Wednesday. I just don’t know what five yet!

The rest of my life is in a bit of turmoil. We’ve been eating takeout and junk food, because the kitchen is now almost completely a studio (and I don’t have the umph needed to make dinners every night). I haven’t gone grocery shopping properly in weeks. I only have a vague idea of what my friends and family have been up to lately, and I know even less about world events and news. My garden is lucky is gets watered, and I have no idea what’s actually going on out there right now aside from a lot of weeds enjoying happy little weedy lives. The cats are thankful when I remember to feed them. I am looking forward to some level of normal returning once that deadline has passed, though I suspect it won’t ever totally get back to “normal” … as I have a whole series of works in this theme already planned. No deadlines on those though, so there will be significantly less life insanity.

And there’s one more thing I need to say…

My husband has been wonderful through all of this. Really just supportive, helpful, and upbeat. He hasn’t been complaining about the junk food, cold sandwiches, and microwave meals, and the fact the house is in more disarray than usual (or that his wife is sort of not totally present even when in the same room). I want to thank him publicly for that! I love you, Lin!

Now I need to actually get dressed like a normal human being and go to the grocery store. I totally want to make pizza for dinner tonight, which means I need some toppings! Also means I need to turn at least part of the kitchen into a kitchen again. Currently, 3/4 of the kitchen has project stuff all over it, and the other 1/4 is my own personal barista station. As soon as I have gotten things prepped for work later tonight, I’m going to clear enough space to make that pizza … and maybe even some cookies. Then I imagine it will be back to work on the art, because time does not stand still, and that deadline is still speeding it’s way in my direction!

The cats would like me to tell you that they have also been wonderful, and they have. Good kitties!