Remember and Inspire.

Whenever I have a big event that involves a large investment of time, I need time afterward to reflect, refresh, and reset. There is always a backlog of tasks that got put on hold while I completed the big one and it can be overwhelming. If I’m not careful, I can get sidetracked and spend a lot of time on what should be a small task. I think I do that to avoid the long list.

I’ve found that if I give myself one small pleasurable project in between, then I’m refreshed and more organized, and thus more willing to tackle the long list of tiny tasks. For example, I just finished three large paintings for entry in an upcoming exhibit. Then I had them imaged and got the entries sent off to the exhibit chairperson. While I was waiting to hear the results, I was so full of nervous energy that I did get a lot of administrative tasks out of the way. After being notified that one of my paintings made it into the show, there were tasks related to that. While I was doing those tasks, others piled up. Although I was exhilarated over being selected for the exhibit, I was also emotionally spent. On top of that I was commissioned to paint a large sky ceiling, which added physical exhaustion to the mix.

All good things, yes, but I was just not ready to start back in where I left off before creating the three paintings for the exhibit.

So knowing I needed to refresh with something small and pleasurable, I painted this little 4x4inch study of a barn swallow. As I dabbed on tiny bits of bright color I felt the pressure fade away in the quiet of the studio. I thought of nothing else but the barn swallows that used to flit over and under the bridge on Ash Road, just west of the railroad tracks. Memories of serene walks to the creek with the soothing songs of birds and the soft hum of dragonfly wings melted away the noise of schedules and deadlines.

Ahhh! Now that I’ve hit the reset button I’m ready to get back to the sewing machine series.

About 3-4 times a year, I pull a name from among my newsletter subscribers and gift that person with a small painting or art print. I’ve decided to use this painting for my next Giveaway on July 31st. You can subscribe here if you would like to be included.